News, The Walking Dead, TV Shows

I’m on a Roller Coaster: Mourning The Walking Dead & Celebrating Daryl & Carol’s Series

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I’m not sure how I’m supposed to feel right now. 2020 is hitting me with all these crazy endings, from the end of Luby’s (yes, I’m legit sad about that) and my husband’s favorite restaurant closing just south of Dallas, I’m very sad about all the things ending. And now The Walking Dead is ending too. But it’s also not ending because we’re getting a Daryl and Carol spinoff. So I’m feeling all kinds of things. How about you?

I'm so sad about #TheWalkingDead, but so happy about the Daryl and Carol series. It's a roller coaster of emotions. Share on X

So here’s what we know:

The Walking Dead is ending with Season 11 in 2022. I actually wrote about this for Heavy.com and you can read all the details there. Basically, we’re getting six new episodes for Season 10 plus 24 new episodes for the final season. Here’s the full press release.

I’m sad about saying goodbye to TWD. I have so many fond memories of The Walking Dead. I didn’t start watching it right away with everyone else — I was a little late joining the show. But it was groundbreaking in terms of zombie television. It changed the landscape for post-apocalyptic TV. I’ll never forget how I felt watching that first episode.

Some pretty big spoilers are below if you’re not caught up on the series. 

I watched so many characters grow and change on this series. There was Rick’s evolution on the show over time. And Carol’s amazing transformation as she found herself, and then struggled with who she was becoming. Her breakup with Ezekiel. Her friendship with Daryl. We saw Daryl grow, talk more than he ever did with Beth, then Beth died (ugh that was heartbreaking), and then Daryl went silent again until Angela Kang took over the series and gave him back his voice.

There was Michonne’s growth over time, when she started out just as Andrea’s friend and then became one of the most important members of the group.

I watched Carl grow and then die. That was terrible. He could have taken over when Rick left the show, but that was a plot we would never see.

Sure, things got a little less exciting as the seasons wore on. But then Angela Kang took over and she really breathed new life into the series. It was going a different path than the comics, but it was good.

I know it was trendy to hate on the show, but for me personally, there was more about the show to love than there was to dislike.

It was trendy to hate on #TheWalkingDead. But for me, there was more to love about #TWD than to hate. I'll miss it. Share on X

I really felt like the series was coming into its own again with Kang (except for when everyone ran into the cave after Carol, falling for an obvious trap. But Negan’s scenes with Alpha and Carol made up for that.)

Rick’s story is going to live on in the movies though, so I’m grateful for that.

I’m also REALLY excited that Kang is helming a new Daryl and Carol series premiering in 2023. They’re pretty much my favorite characters and they have the most amazing dynamic. This also means we’ll see more of Daryl’s dog! Kang is going to be great with this new series. This is something to definitely celebrate.

But I’m also sad.

Meanwhile, we have other spinoffs too. There’s Fear the Walking Dead coming back on October 11, and The Walking Dead: World Beyond premiering for the first time on October 4. We’ve got Rick Grimes movies. And Scott Gimple is helming a new anthology series for The Walking Dead sometime around the same time that the Daryl and Carol series premieres. (If I’m going to be honest, I’m less excited about the anthology than I am about Daryl and Carol’s series.)

All good things must ultimately end, whether it’s The Walking Dead or a Luby’s chain that I only visited a couple of times a year. I’m sad to see it going, but I’m really looking forward to a series wholly focused on Daryl and Carol. So it’s a bit of a roller coaster. How are you doing?

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    Stephanie Dwilson started Post Apocalyptic Media with her husband Derek. She's a licensed attorney and has a master's in science and technology journalism. You can reach her at [email protected].

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