‘The Walking Dead’ Season 9 Finale ‘The Storm’ Recap: Winter Has Come

The past weeks set up considerable tensions between the Whisperers and the survivors of Alexandria, Hilltop, and the Kingdom. In tonight’s season 9 finale of The Walking Dead, however, things are rather (and literally) bleak. We’ve seen the threat of the Whisperers and the scope of their undead army. We’ve seen how they made the ultimate power play by kidnapping members of the communities, severing their heads to establish their border (RIP main characters Enid, Tara, and Henry)—Game of Thrones style. The finale, titled “The Storm,” tones things down but sets up a complication that could prove to be something worse than the two-season war with the Saviors.

This is also the first time that The Walking Dead introduced a premise that’s set in the winter season. It’s new but creepily familiar. The Kingdom is officially no more because apparently, Henry is the only one who could fix the pipes, leading it to explode and reduce most of the buildings to ashes. Meanwhile, Alexandria is also reeling in the cold. After most of their fireplaces were destroyed, they’re forced to hole up in Aaron’s (Ross Marquand) to get some heat. Along the way, Judith (Cailey Fleming) runs off to find Dog, and Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) has to come after his wannabe niece.

It’s a surprisingly slow-paced episode (at times feeling like that of seasons 7 and 8), but it’s meant to be a breather after weeks of stressing over Alpha (Samantha Morton), Beta (Ryan Hurst), and their Whisperer crew.

Spoilers ahead, so proceed at your own risk. Here’s every notable highlight of tonight’s finale episode, “The Storm.”

We hereby nominate Negan for ‘Uncle of the Year’

In the comics, Negan was a key player in helping Rick gain the upper hand in the Whisperer war. It seems like that’s the same track that TV Negan is taking, but it’s done in a sounder, more emotional way.

Gene Page/AMC

As the blizzard ravages Alexandria, Gabriel (Seth Gilliam) had the entire community (which looked really small???) in his cabin to heat themselves up. Of course, Negan had to be released from his cell, since they are life-loving humans after all. There are the usual Negan quips—mocking Gabriel and his weird relationship with Rosita (Christian Serratos) and Siddiq (Avi Nash) and just being plain obnoxious (with Judith reminding him to keep his language in check).

But when the fireplace exploded due to some type of gas leaking in (courtesy of Eugene’s English-but-not-really-English-analysis), the group had to transfer to Aaron’s house. It’s smaller, but ideal for them to huddle and distribute body heat. As they make their trek to the house, Judith laments over not seeing Dog. She promised uncle Daryl (Norman Reedus) to take care of him, but now he’s gone. When she hears a faint bark in the distance, Judith breaks from the group and runs after the sound. Negan, who’s now in full agitated uncle mode, runs after Judith, injuring his leg in the process.

But what follows is a heartwarming scene with him and the little Grimes. Judith did find Dog, but she’s on the verge of hypothermia. Negan then offers his jacket and keeps her warm until they come back inside Aaron’s house. Of course, Michonne (Danai Gurira) is grateful and seems to notice Negan’s significant change in attitude. Negan loves Judith, and would probably do anything to protect her.

Ezekiel Leads the Kingdom to the Promised Land

With the Kingdom uninhabitable, Ezekiel (Khary Payton) and Carol (Melissa McBride) are forced to leave the community and live in the Hilltop. But it comes with a dangerous task—like Gabriel leading his group in the blizzard, the Kingdom would have to do the same albeit longer and more treacherous. Michonne and Daryl offer their help in the transport, temporarily vacating Alexandria to help their family out.

When the blizzard thickens, they were forced to take shelter in the Sanctuary. And just like how Negan discovered that it’s now the shithole, the revelation comes as a slight surprise to Michonne and the group. Now comes the tricky part: if they want to reach Hilltop faster to avoid the blizzard, they’d have to cross Alpha’s border marker and then the river. It’s a risky move, but it’s the only way that can help them reach Hilltop’s safety.

Gene Page/AMC

As they reach the border, one couldn’t help but shudder at the sight of the spikes. That’s where their family died, but they had to toughen up and cross it to safety. The group reaches the frozen river and encounters a small horde of semi-frozen zombies. They were able to fight their way through, but not with the stress and paranoia of thinking that it’s Alpha’s group.

Meanwhile, for some weird reason, we see Alpha and Beta preparing for their next move. This was probably before the blizzard hit because their camp seems to be intact and snow-less.

This we know—they’re going to rain more hell down Alexandria and Hilltop.

Will Lydia Replace Henry as Carol’s New Offspring?

“Every time I look at her, all I see is Henry,” Carol says to Daryl as they journey to Hilltop. It’s relatively unclear what Carol really feels about Lydia (Cassady McClincy) at this point. Although Alden (Callan McAuliffe) blames her for Enid’s death, Carol can’t seem to wrap her head around the idea of blaming Lydia. This becomes even more evident when she heads off to find Lydia every time the latter broke away from the caravan. Lydia is in dire straits—she doesn’t feel like she belongs anywhere anymore and she carries the weight of the deaths.

Gene Page/AMC

But then the moment of truth finally happens. Lydia made a last attempt to detach herself from the group. As Ezekiel and the others were busy fighting off ice Walkers, Lydia wanders into the same bridge where Michonne and Daryl captured her. Carol comes up behind her and Lydia pleads for her to kill her now. Lydia tearfully asks Carol to end her grief by killing her, but Carol eventually sees that it’s not the best way to cope with Henry’s death.

“I’m weak, just like mom told me,” Lydia says. In tears, Carol kills an incoming Walker, takes Lydia’s hand and says, “you’re not weak. We have to go.” It’s a simple mom moment, and you could already feel Carol’s burden being lifted off slowly.

When they finally reach Hilltop, Carol decided to go to Alexandria with Daryl, Michonne, and Lydia to deal with her grief away from Ezekiel (and also to have a snowball fight first thing when they arrive).

Honorable Mention: “Is anyone there?”

“The Storm” opened with Ezekiel on the radio telling Judith about how the Kingdom fell. It’s a simple yet moving scene that establishes the reconnection that Michonne wants to happen between their communities. As Judith says goodbye to Ezekiel for her homework and Ezekiel leaves the radio on, a female voice suddenly squeaks into the console—”Hello? Is anyone there?”

Well, if you’d ask me, I’d tell you right away that this is someone from the Commonwealth, and that Georgie and Maggie are bound to make their return for season 10.

‘The Walking Dead’ Season 9 Overall Verdict

This was the redemption that The Walking Dead needed after three incredibly drab seasons. The pace and writing are at its stellar state, and the characters introduced and killed off was expertly woven into the show very well. I’m so glad that The Walking Dead is back to its roots again—the story of survival, war, relationships, and the complicated web of human connection.

Although “The Storm” was fairly lackluster in terms of action and suspense, it’s a good episode to usher out season 9. We started with a mighty hopeful bang, and we’re ending it on a bittersweet note. Time will tell how the ominous whispers will begin to resurface again. It’s calm and quiet—for now.

Now, on to Fear the Walking Dead Season 5 this June 2!