Warning: spoilers ahead for The Walking Dead series finale
The death toll in The Walking Dead's series finale is shocking, albeit perhaps not for the reasons many would have expected. Across 12 years on TV, The Walking Dead has earned a justified reputation alongside Game of Thrones as a series never afraid to kill major characters. Indeed, The Walking Dead season 11 ends with, technically speaking, only two original cast members in Norman Reedus' Daryl Dixon and Melissa McBride's Carol Peletier. With "Rest In Peace" pitting the protagonists against both Pamela Milton's Commonwealth army and variant zombies, The Walking Dead's series finale should have racked up quite the body count. Instead, only one main character falls.
Excluding Luke and Jules, who have been almost entirely absent throughout The Walking Dead's final season, Christian Serratos' Rosita is the only major The Walking Dead finale death. For a TV series that has burned through main characters faster than Negan burns through amusing nicknames, the "Rest In Peace" death toll is shockingly low. A major factor behind that bloodless surprise is surely AMC's upcoming roster of The Walking Dead spinoffs. With The Walking Dead: Dead City, Daryl Dixon and a Rick & Michonne spinoff all lined up, the entire top-tier of characters was safe from the blunt axe of The Walking Dead's series finale.
The Walking Dead's Spinoffs Made The Ending Worse
Thanks to The Walking Dead: Dead City, Negan and Maggie were protected from the TV reaper. Daryl Dixon was saved by his self-titled solo project, and because Carol was originally slated to star alongside him, Melissa McBride's character was always liable to survive too. The Rick and Michonne The Walking Dead spinoff safeguarded its own two returning stars, while also leaving very little chance Judith would perish without getting her richly-deserved family reunion. As a result, The Walking Dead was left with precious few characters it could actually kill in its season finale, and this became apparent as season 11 progressed with surprisingly few big exits.
The Walking Dead's problem lies not in the lack of casualties during its series finale, however. One could argue that Rosita's exit actually benefited from the unshared spotlight. The real drawback is the lack of threat that comes from knowing so many characters are safe. When Negan was kneeling before the Outpost 22 Commonwealth warden, for example, audiences should realistically believe he might be killed. The Walking Dead's bloody reputation is built entirely upon that sense of unpredictability. Knowing around seven characters would almost certainly survive made for a safe conclusion to season 11's Commonwealth arc, while also leaving Rosita's death more predictable by process of elimination.
The Walking Dead Wanted A Happy Ending
Even taking The Walking Dead's spinoffs into consideration, "Rest In Peace" could still have gone further in living up to its name. The likes of Yumiko, Magna, Eugene, Aaron, and Jerry were all available as potential series finale victims, but The Walking Dead refused, sticking solely with Rosita. The Walking Dead series finale ending's low death count must, therefore, be a creative decision on some level. Angela Kang and AMC have opted for an uplifting, hopeful conclusion with just a sprinkling of sadness, whereas The Walking Dead has typically been downbeat and sad with just a sprinkling of hope. This tonal switch honors Robert Kirkman's original The Walking Dead comic ending.
Nevertheless, the looming presence of spinoffs may have still influenced The Walking Dead's decision to end the main narrative happily. The final scene of AMC's The Walking Dead series finale is tinged with tragedy and sadness, as Rick Grimes is caught by the CRM and denied a reunion with his family. Daryl Dixon, meanwhile, shares a solemn goodbye with Carol as he heads on a journey into the unknown. For the wider Walking Dead franchise to continue, threat, upset, and hardship must all exist. Intentionally or not, The Walking Dead's mostly death-free ending gives closure and warmth to counterbalance how Rick and Daryl's futures promise bloodshed and danger.