The Walking Dead Season 9 Finale: 4 Ups & 2 Downs From ‘The Storm’

3. The Atmosphere (And The Suspense It Creates)

At this stage in the game, the majority of viewers have come to accept that TWD is more about the people living through the zombie apocalypse rather than the actual zombies themselves.

The writers need to remember that, in spite of this focus on the living, however, this isn't a soap opera, so countless episodes focusing on characters that do little else but explore their settlement and talk out their relationship woes is not the kind of thing that will keep us entertained indefinitely.

It's a horror series, for crying out loud, and as a result there are plenty of horror-related traits that could be used to create suspense and keep us entertained - even when very little is happening in the narrative. Atmosphere, for one, is a great way to create suspense, and yet such a device has been mostly overlooked - until now, that is.

Kang has utilised many traits and tricks from old horror movies throughout this season to build an uneasy atmosphere - regardless of whether it's during a fight scene or a simple conversation. The Hitchcockian fog used during the mid-season finale, for example, created a wonderfully eerie atmosphere as our protagonists were stalked by their new enemy. Similarly, the arrival of winter has created a sense of unfamiliarity in The Storm.

Yes, plenty of suspense was created due to the extreme weather conditions. As our protagonists couldn't see what was in front of them due to the heinous weather conditions, it was impossible for them - and us - to know what lay ahead, thus creating an unnerving atmosphere. The walkers climbing out of the snow was equally brilliant, and something that non-comic readers would've never seen coming.