"The Walking Dead" finally says goodbye after extending his screen time more than expected

Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride in the series finale of "The Walking Dead."Jace Downs/AMC

Editor's Note:

The following review contains revelations about "The Walking Dead" series finale, "Rest in Peace," which premiered on November 20.

(CNN) --

AMC must be excused, at least somewhat, for over-celebrating "The Walking Dead" in its heyday, feeding the audience every bit of zombie-drama related content it could think of.

However, now that the series finally ends after 11 long seasons, it seems clear that the network and the producers wanted to cover more than they could.

The last season had an overarching plot, as the robust group of main characters tried to escape from the forces of the community known as the Commonwealth.

At the same time, it seemed that their hands were tied due to the already announced "spinoffs" that had to be planted, fed and promoted.

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Watching the last episode it was very obvious that this "finale" of the main series is not really meant to be the conclusion of anything: rather, the 90-minute finale was peppered with promos for the spin-off series to come: "Dead City ", "Rick & Michonne" and "Daryl Dixon", taking much more suspense out of what happened.

What did that leave us for the episode, subtitled "Rest in Peace"? A cathartic revenge for Pamela Milton (Laila Robins), the amoral leader of the Commonwealth, with Mercer (Michael James Shaw) helping to oust her. Some sobering losses, offering a reminder that you rarely win in this dystopian world without sacrifice, and a jump a year into the future, offering hope for a greater normalcy, with Ezekiel (Khary Payton) and Mercer at the helm. .

It was the smaller moments, really, that stood out.

A chaotic sequence in the hospital.

Rosita (Christian Serratos) briefly becoming a superhero.

A nice exchange between Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and Maggie (Lauren Cohan), with a heartfelt apology for what she had taken from him.

Daryl (Norman Reedus) saying goodbye to Carol (Melissa McBride) before leaving on his own mission to star in another series.

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In its early seasons, "The Walking Dead" stood out in part for its unpredictability, as it recalled the montage of characters who had died.

Impressively, the series kept recharging with new protagonists, as well as new threats.

However, the departure of Rick Grimes, played by Andrew Lincoln, in 2018 proved, in retrospect, to be a pivotal moment, not only dealing a creative blow to the series, but indicating the sleight of hand involved in trying to maximize it as corporate merchandise.

You see, Rick didn't die, he left, with the promise that he would return in a series of movies.

Those plans were later morphed into a limited series, but the feeling that "The Walking Dead" was no longer the priority in AMC's "Dead" universe had cemented itself pretty well.

In addition, AMC was keen to extend the brand, introducing "Fear the Walking Dead," followed by "The Walking Dead: World Beyond," basically a teen-focused version, and most recently, the anthology series "Tales of the Walking." Dead".

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During that period, the consumption patterns of the audience have changed, although the appetite for zombies has not.

As people move away from linear television and watch more via streaming services, the community aspects of watching the series each week and seeing who lives or dies have diminished, a trend fueled by AMC's decision to make the episodes available. available to streaming subscribers through AMC+.

After announcing plans to end the main series with three eight-episode arcs more than two years ago, these moves might make sense as business decisions, but are harder to justify as creative decisions.

Executive producer Angela Kang told

that the series, like the comics, could not end definitively, calling it "the zombie story that never ends."

On "Talking Dead," the talk show dedicated to the series, Kang said, "We try to give everyone a moment in the sun."

Even with those limits, though, it's hard to get excited about an "ending" with so little closure.

Television is always hungry for another hit, and at its peak, "The Walking Dead" was the television equivalent of a supernova.

But AMC turned the franchise into a different kind of zombie, marching forward even when life had run out.

the walking dead