The Walking Dead's Loose Ends and Questions

Warning: this story contains The Walking Dead spoilers through Sunday's "Family" penultimate episode. In the immortal words of Abraham Ford: "Loose ends make my ass itch." There is only one episode left of The Walking Dead, ending with its "Rest in Peace" final episode (trailer above). Even with the series finale's extended runtime, there are too many loose ends to tie together and questions left to answer before The Walking Dead wraps up on November 20th. Especially after Sunday's penultimate episode went out on the cliffhanger to end all cliffhangers as the survivors, banding together one last time to liberate the Commonwealth, found themselves trapped between a human army and an invading walker horde.

We've put together a rundown of loose ends and unresolved storylines going into The Walking Dead series finale, which will air on AMC and stream on AMC+ simultaneously this Sunday.

Where Is Rick Grimes?

In the Season 9 episode "What Comes After," Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) saved his family of zombie apocalypse survivors from a zombie herd when he sacrificed his life to blow up a bridge connecting the communities. But Rick didn't die. As revealed in The Walking Dead: World Beyond, Jadis/Anne (Pollyanna McIntosh) traded Rick to the Civic Republic Military after she flew away with him aboard a CRM helicopter in his final episode. After The Walking Dead jumped six years into the future following Rick's presumed death, we learned that helicopter's destination: the Civic Republic in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

What comes after? Will Rick Grimes return in The Walking Dead series finale? Scott Gimple, series executive producer and chief content officer of AMC's Walking Dead Universe, has hinted at a post-credits scene that could reveal Rick's whereabouts ahead of the Rick Grimes & Michonne spin-off set to begin filming in early 2023. Just don't expect Rick to show up and save the day at the Commonwealth.

What Happened to Michonne?

Six years after Rick disappeared, Michonne (Danai Gurira) happened across evidence Rick survived and set out to bring the "brave man" home to their children: Rick "RJ" Grimes Jr. (Antony Azor) and Judith Grimes (Cailey Fleming). Last we saw Michonne in the "What We Become" episode of Season 10, she trailed a massive migration of survivors as she headed north in search of Rick. 

Only Judith knows the truth about Michonne's mission to find Rick, telling Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Carol (Melissa McBride) that Michonne "went to go help some people she met." As of the Season 11 episode "Family," Judith has been unable to reach her mother over the radio. Unless Michonne makes a cameo in a possible post-credits tag, answers about her journey won't come until she returns in the Rick Grimes & Michonne series in 2023.

What Caused the Zombie Apocalypse in The Walking Dead?

Atlanta's CDC virologist Dr. Edwin Jenner (Noah Emmerich) and a team of French scientists were among those researching the Wildfire Virus, the global outbreak of a zombie virus with unknown origins. "We're all infected," Jenner whispered to Rick, revealing that all carriers who die without damage to the brain will turn — even without a walker's bite. 

On The Walking Dead: World Beyond, the CRM conducted experiments to slow the reanimation process under Project Votus. The Walking Dead's Milton Mamet (Dallas Roberts) and World Beyond's Dr. Leo Bennett (Joe Holt) are just two of the scientists who studied the undead, but the origin of the outbreak won't be revealed on The Walking Dead. 

"I really was never interested in dealing with the cause of the zombie outbreak," creator Robert Kirkman explained in The Walking Dead Deluxe #41. "My opinion has been well-documented, but the short version is… any detailed explanation would push things too far into the realm of sci-fi for me. I think it's better to leave it unresolved. That way, the story remains grounded."

Did Heath Die on The Walking Dead?

While never a major character, fans want to know: what happened to Heath? Alexandrian Heath (Corey Hawkins) hasn't been seen since he went missing during a supply run with Tara (Alanna Masterson) in the Season 7 episode "Swear," which aired in November 2016. Still unaccounted for more than six years later, Heath left behind only his glasses, RV tire tracks, and a mysterious plastic card with the letters "PPP." 

Showrunner Angela Kang later confirmed Jadis traded Heath to the CRM, just as she did with Rick Grimes. As for Heath's fate? That depends on whether Heath is an "A" or a "B."

On the anthology series Tales of the Walking Dead, Davon (Jessie T. Usher) has his own "PPP" card. What's the connection?

Where Is Georgie on The Walking Dead?

Another little-seen character is Georgie (Jayne Atkinson), the bespectacled benefactor who appeared only once: in the Season 8 episode "The Key." Along with her traveling companions, twins Hilda and Madge (Kim and Misty Ormison), Georgie traded Hilltop leader Maggie (Lauren Cohan) a "key to a future" to build up her colony in exchange for goods and supplies. The nomadic trio traveled by van, seeking out communities that could benefit from her 
"book of medieval human achievement so we may have a future from our past."

There were theories that Georgie had ties to Pioneer leader Virginia (Colby Minifie) over on Fear the Walking Dead, at the time set in Texas. In The Walking Dead Season 10 episode "Home Sweet Home," Maggie revealed she left Hilltop with Georgie's group after Rick decided to spare Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). 

Maggie last saw Georgie in Knoxville, Tennessee, before Georgie and the twins headed to a city out west. Maggie stayed behind with her son, Hershel (Kien Michael Spiller), and eventually settled at Meridian with the Wardens. When the little place near Knoxville fell, Maggie and Hershel ran — and they haven't seen Georgie since.

Is Lance Hornsby Connected to the CRM?

When Carol cut a deal with Commonwealth Governor Pamela Milton (Laila Robins) to pin her son's crimes on duplicitous Deputy Governor Lance Hornsby (Josh Hamilton), he cryptically warned Milton, "If something happens to me, certain alliances the Commonwealth has — certain stabilizing factors — are likely to become a problem."

That could mean an alliance with the Civic Republic Military, the black-clad helicopter group that took Rick. Hornsby and Governor Milton disappeared "exiles" to labor camps and are well-resourced with trooper armor, vehicles, weapons, and even a working train — could it be the CRM supplying the Commonwealth?

What Happened to Cyndie on The Walking Dead?

After a long absence from the show, Luke (Dan Fogler) and Jules (Alex Sgambati) finally returned in "Faith" to reveal Oceanside's fate after Hornsby's soldiers took over the reclusive fishing community. Oceanside is "gone," Luke said, with Jules adding that the Commonwealth "just took over." 

Luke and Jules ran for their lives, leaving the fates of Oceansiders Rachel (Avianna Mynhier) and Cyndie (Sydney Park) unknown. Last we saw Cyndie, she spared trespasser Virgil (Kevin Carroll) as part of a deal with Michonne in the Season 10 episode "The World Before."

What Happened to Virgil?

Virgil was present when Michonne found evidence Rick was alive after she traveled to Maryland's Bloodsworth Island in search of weapons to turn the tide in the Whisperer War. Virgil and Michonne parted ways as she headed north to find Rick, and he eventually traveled back to Oceanside, finding Connie (Lauren Ridloff) in "A Certain Doom." 

Season 11 revealed Virgil relocated to a storm-battered Alexandria, where he reunited with Judith in "For Blood" (which aired in October 2021). He told Judith he didn't know where Michonne went, but now the question is: Where is Virgil? At this point, Virgil's unexplained absence likely won't factor into the finale, but maybe there's still something to learn about Rick and Michonne?

Here's everything to know about how to watch The Walking Dead series finale, "Rest in Peace," airing November 20th on AMC and AMC+. Follow @CameronBonomolo and @NewsOfTheDead on Twitter for TWD Universe coverage all season long.