The Walking Dead's 10 Best Farewell Episodes

In How It’s Gotta Be, Rick, Michonne, Carl, and a group of Alexandrians flee into the sewers beneath the city to escape Negan’s siege. In a heartbreaking reveal, a pale-faced Carl lifts his shirt to reveal the bite on his abdomen that he got when he saved Siddiq.

Honor, either an infuriating, protracted 86- minute piece of television, or a poignant goodbye (depending on the fan asked), is a culmination of Carl’s character and a showcase of his matured worldview. He’s no longer that little kid from season one!

As his last wish, Carl appeals to Rick that his violent crusade against the Saviors is not the only way. This, coupled with his touching goodbye with Judith, and the letter he wrote, restores Rick’s moral compass and pivots him into inclusive world-building mode.

We also gain more context into the mysterious flash-forward sequences that peppered the first half of season 8. They featured a grey-bearded Rick, a grown-up Judith, and a flourishing Alexandria which includes a redeemed Negan.

It’s revealed that these are Carl’s dreams of an idyllic future. Hearing this, Rick vows to see this future to fruition for his son. To cap the episode with a gut-punching, literal bang, Carl ends his own suffering while Rick and Michonne wait outside the church.