The Walking Dead Season 9: 5 Ups & 1 Down From 'What Comes After'

1. The Rick Twist

Viewers of The Walking Dead were undoubtedly left in a state of shock back in May when it was announced that Andrew Lincoln would be leaving The Walking Dead. The months that followed saw AMC make preparations for Rick's final outing in the show, and as a result, many of us had made our peace with the fact that Rick Grimes was bowing out.

What Comes After proved to be the perfect finale for the series' protagonist, and the final few moments see the character sacrifice himself for the greater good - just like he's done so many times before.

However, the revelation that Rick isn't dead is pretty shocking. Sure, the show has attempted to fool us with fake deaths before, but we were certain that AMC wouldn't pull the same trick with the main character. One thing's for sure: you can't argue with AMC's marketing campaign and promotion for Season 9, because they had us convinced that this was truly the end for Rick Grimes. Clever or what?

Moreover, Rick waking up on a gurney is reminiscent of how he awoke in the show's very first episode, which again is a clever little throwback on writers' Scott Gimple and Matthew Negrete's part - a throwback that signifies the beginning of a new journey for our protagonist.

Rick's journey will now continue, and it's going to be exciting to find out in what capacity.