The Walking Dead season 9 will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the most eventful runs in the show's history, but there are still questions left unanswered. Kicking off with a lengthy time jump that saw Rick Grimes' network of communities develop considerably, Andrew Lincoln exited before the midseason break after nobly sacrificing himself in a fiery explosion. Rick was subsequently whisked away in a mystery helicopter, never to been seen again until AMC's forthcoming Walking Dead movies. Refusing to rest after that bombshell, an even bigger time jump pushed The Walking Dead years into the future and long-awaited new enemies the Whisperers were finally introduced.
Last week's penultimate episode marked the arrival of a huge moment from TWD's comic series, the inter-community fair and after Alpha's daughter, Lydia, was taken in by Alexandria, the Whisperers' leader was seeking revenge. She succeeded in infiltrating the fair and brutally took out a number of a major characters including Henry, Tara and Enid. This week's season finale was a notably calmer affair, chronicling the Kingdom's evacuation to Hilltop and Alexandria's attempts to ride out a violent snow storm.
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Since The Walking Dead season 10 has already been confirmed, it's no surprise that the final offering of season 9 managed to set up a few unresolved story lines to keep viewers talking until the show's return. Here are all the major unanswered questions from The Walking Dead's season 9 finale, "The Storm."
6. Who Was Making Contact On The Radio?
After much tribulation, Eugene's radio project has finally been completed and the closing scene of The Walking Dead season 9 saw Alexandria's Judith exchanging sentimental cliches with Ezekiel at King-Top. Establishing a line of communication may represent a huge step forward for the community network but the scene didn't exactly feel like a dramatic way to round off the season.
That was until mystery female voice came over the radio after Judith had already walked away. Who was this person, and how did they obtain means of long-range communication? Are they a lone survivor seeking assistance, or do they belong to a previously unseen community? Perhaps more importantly, are they friend or foe?
In the comics, Alexandria uses their radio to contact a group calling themselves the Commonwealth. Specifically, the woman on the radio is revealed to be Stephanie - one of the settlement's radio operators who quickly strikes up a rapport with Eugene. A huge community unlike anything seen before in the franchise, the Commonwealth is plagued by its own internal issues and although they do seek to became allies to Alexandria, there are several points of contention between the two groups.
The Walking Dead's TV adaptation has introduced several original groups such as Jadis' Junkyard community and the Highwaymen and therefore the emergence of this new radio bunch doesn't pack quite as much of an impact as it did in the source material. For this reason, it's impossible to rule out some kind of swerve in the AMC series, whereby the voice on the radio is completely unconnected to the Commonwealth, who are instead introduced via other means.
5. What Do The Whisperers Have Planned?
"The Storm" quickly made clear that the allied communities would not be launching an immediate retaliation after Alpha's sinister message with The Walking Dead's fair/pike deaths, with the various higher-ups unable to form a consensus. Even more strangely, Alpha and her Whisperers were mostly absent in season 9's finale and even when evacuees from the Kingdom were forced to take a detour through enemy territory, none of Alpha's creepy foot soldiers stood in their way. Season 9's prime antagonists did, however, find time for a brief appearance towards the end of the episode, and the scene appeared to promise plenty of battles ahead.
Beta reveals that the Whisperers had actually gone on vacation during the harsh winter, thereby also confirming that the encroachment onto their land had gone unnoticed. Fully energized and refreshed, the Whisperers are now back from their trip and the time away has helped Alpha realize the "mistakes" she made, as the leader also affirms that she'll need to be stronger for "what comes next." With that, Alpha extends her arm and proceeds to take a whipping from her oversized assistant, leaving welts exactly like the ones Daryl and Henry found on Lydia.
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Clearly, the Whisperers have plans and Alpha's strange punishment seems to suggest that this won't involve sending Hilltop a heartfelt letter of apology and accompanying gift basket. Fans can perhaps assume that, at some point, a full-on conflict will erupt between the Whisperers and the allied communities and Alpha's closing lines of season 9 suggest as much. Nevertheless, it's currently unclear how that scenario will come about, especially as Alpha's border restrictions are largely being respected by Kingdom residents.
The most likely reason for conflict would be that Alpha has now decided to fight for custody of Lydia. Although the woman is clearly abusive towards her daughter, Alpha has also gone to extraordinary lengths to ensure Lydia's survival in the zombie apocalypse and it was somewhat surprising how quickly the Whisperers' leader accepted Lydia being taken in by Alexandria. Could this be the "mistake" Alpha was referring to, and how will she correct things in season 10?
4. Will Maggie Ride To The Rescue?
Although it was far less publicized, Lauren Cohan also exited The Walking Dead alongside Andrew Lincoln, but, according to producers, her absence is only set to be a temporary one. In-story, Maggie has taken up residence in Georgie's unseen community after an altercation with Michonne, but it's fair to say that Hilltop has suffered a torrid time in her absence, with stand-in leaders Jesus and Tara both dying at the hands of the Whisperers.
"The Storm" revealed that since Alpha's appearance, letters have been sent to Maggie but no reply has been forthcoming, opening up a raft of possibilities as to why Hilltop's former leader appears to have abandoned the community during its time of peril. Perhaps Georgie's people are suffering some kind of trouble of their own that has stopped Maggie's letters getting through. Maybe Maggie has simply moved on from her old life and found a more comfortable existence elsewhere. It's also possible that after receiving the news from home, Maggie has already geared-up and is on her way back to Hilltop in time for a heroic Gandalf-style reappearance in season 10.
Maggie's status largely depends on whether Georgie's community and the Commonwealth are one and the same, as many comic fans currently suspect, and whether either is connected to the voice heard coming over the radio in this episode's final scene. Hilltop's new method of communication certainly could've been relayed to Maggie in a letter, and with the Whisperers roaming freely perhaps she decided to reach out via the airwaves instead of by mail. Many question marks still hang heavy over Maggie's departure and her mooted return in season 10.
Page 2 of 2: Even More Questions From The Walking Dead Season 9 Finale
3. Is The Kingdom Finished For Good?
The Walking Dead's season 9 finale opened with a huge surprise, as the Kingdom was abandoned and its residents evacuated to Hilltop. Since the most recent time skip, it has been made plain to the audience that Ezekiel's settlement was in trouble but the inter-community fair was positioned as the antidote to these worries. Clearly, that hasn't happened and either the assumption was nothing more than wishful thinking to begin with, or Alpha's unique take on kebabs put a dampener on proceedings and cut festivities drastically short.
In any case, the Kingdom's problems have evidently continued throughout the winter and the community has been forced to seek a new home. As if Ezekiel's day couldn't get any worse, Carol also dumps him on the journey.
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The fall of the Kingdom is not something The Walking Dead has taken from its comic source material, and is perhaps more of a plot device to ensure the show's main players aren't too spread out ahead of the Whisperer War arc that will surely take place in season 10. As Game of Thrones season 7 demonstrated, having characters constantly traveling between locations can be detrimental to the story - a catch-22 where showing the journey on-screen is tedious, but skipping straight to their arrival seems unrealistic.
As such, The Walking Dead is perhaps right to avoid this pothole and the exchange between Judith and Ezekiel in the season's final moments does open up the possibility of rebuilding the Kingdom when the landscape is more stable and prosperous (and it better suits the story).
2. Is Negan A Hero Yet?
It's no secret that the comic version of Negan gradually transforms from a hated, despicable villain to a more likeable and remorseful figure that learns to see wisdom in the teachings of Rick Grimes, and it appears that Jeffrey Dean Morgan's version of the character is undergoing the same transformation. Since being thrown into Alexandria's jail, Negan has shown glimpses of morality, most notably when he escaped and later returned of his own free will. This seemed to be a clear indication that the old Negan was gone, but didn't do much to suggest how the character would progress.
The answer to that question finally arrived in the season 9 finale. With the icy claws of winter wrapped tightly around Alexandria, Negan was granted temporary reprieve from his cell to stay warm with the other members of the community. Naturally, the former Savior fired off a few wisecracks about Gabriel's unusual relationship with Rosita but unlike his usual pointed barbs, these gags actually raised some smiles within the room. When the group were later traveling through the blizzard to another building however, Negan's character development took an even bigger leap forward.
Hearing Dog crying in the distance, Judith ran off alone into the blinding snow. Negan followed without hesitation, finding Judith and bringing her home even after sustaining a grisly leg wound. He even managed to save Dog in the process. As far as good karma goes in The Walking Dead, it doesn't get much better than saving Rick's daughter and Daryl's dog and Michonne seems to acknowledge this upon her return. Whether that goodwill translates to more freedom for Negan remains to be seen.
1. Can Carol Recover From Henry's Death?
Carol suffered a cruel blow in "The Calm Before" with the death of her adopted son, Henry, especially after losing biological daughter Sophia back in season 2. Despite being a hardened veteran of the zombie apocalypse, Carol has often struggled with balancing her calmer, maternal side with the side that burns people alive for having a sniffle, but after the Saviors were defeated, Carol appeared to have regained composure once again, settling down with Ezekiel and Henry.
Henry's tragic death has understandably had a detrimental impact on Carol's mindset and, as she explained to Daryl in this week's episode, the Kingdom's Queen feels like she's losing herself once again. This likely played a large part in her decision to break up with Ezekiel, opting instead to go back to Alexandria where she originally lived during Rick's time in charge.
One glimmer of hope for Carol could, surprisingly, be Lydia. Although indirectly responsible for Henry's death, the young boy was steadfast in his attempt to save Lydia from the Whisperers and Carol seemed to recognize this when she refused to abandon the girl during the trip to Hilltop. In saving Lydia, Henry has left a legacy behind him and thus given Carol a piece of his will to protect. With that said, it's unlikely that Carol will find closure until she gets justice on the person who murdered Henry and, without question, Alpha versus Carol is a fight all The Walking Dead fans want to see.