The Walking Dead Season 9, Episode 16 “The Storm” Review

Season 9 of The Walking dead is coming to a close and we will not see another episode until the fall as Season 10 begins filming next month. There were a lot of great moments this season and there were some that got our emotions out such as Rick Grimes’ final episode, the death of Jesus by a Whisperer, the introduction of new characters such as Magna, Yumiko, fan favorite Connie, Alpha, Beta, Ozzy, and Lydia, and the Game of Thrones style reveal of the pike victims. Those moments alone will be talked about for the years to come and with this season finale that deals with the aftermath of the huge pike death reveal last week, we see the survivors deal with another huge road block and that is a snowstorm. Here is my review for the season finale of the ninth season of The Walking Dead.

Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon – The Walking Dead _ Season 9, Episode 16 – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC

First, I would like to say that I have wanted to see snow on the television show for years and I am happy to see it finally happen. The last time it snowed in the comics however, was way back in issue 90 so this was great to see happen in the show and to see how the communities will battle a snowstorm. Now on to my review.

The Kingdom has fallen since the pike border has been revealed. There was no way to sustain that place at all since the storm has arrived. Ezekiel says on the radio that they kept trying to hold on on to what was left and that they needed help and shelter since the pipes were leaking and it would not be fixed during the winter. The camera also cuts to Daryl and Lydia and he tells her that she needs strength to move to The Hilltop. Everyone else gets ready to move there as well as Ezekiel closes the doors to The Kingdom for good. We will not know if we will ever see The Kingdom again after this, but we will have to wait until season 10. Carol also talks with Lydia and you can tell here that Carol is still hurt for Henry’s loss and even Lydia herself asked Carol to kills her but Carol refused to do it as she does not want to see another kid die. Daryl and Carol also had a conversation as he tries to tell her that Lydia is a good person despite how her mom is.

Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon, Callan McAuliffe as Alden, Ross Marquand as Aaron, Cooper Andrews as Jerry, Danai Gurira as Michonne, Khary Payton as Ezekiel – The Walking Dead _ Season 9, Episode 16 – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC

Rosita’s baby bump is showing and at this point, I can tell that a few months has passed by. Lucky that she was not giving birth in the blizzard. But the group travels during the crazy blizzard and they were all talking about the path to The Hilltop and what was going on during the few month time skip. Daryl and Ezekiel were also having a conversation as well and it shows here that Daryl is in the position that Rick was with leading the group through extreme weather conditions. They also cleared walkers during the trip and I must say, Greg Nicotero did an amazing job with blending the walkers in with the snow and there were some that rises up from piles of snow that looked very creepy. The group also had to cross Alpha’s border to make a quick shortcut to The Hilltop and they did not encounter any Whisperers at all. During this, we see how Alexandria is dealing with the blizzard, many of the residents have to group with other people that has fireplaces to warm up and survive the cold. They even let Negan out of his cell so he will not die down there. Negan is handcuffed though as he makes a snarky remark to Gabriel. The fireplace was not functioning anymore and Eugene told them that they have to leave. Michonne and the rest also rest at The Sanctuary and during that time, they plan their next move and Daryl and Carol have a heart to heart conversation. When the snowstorm got stronger, Judith runs off the line to look for Daryl’s dog and Negan went to look for her. I still do not know who is watching Judith correctly because she is always running off somewhere. Negan finds her as she is getting sick and freezing and he takes her back to Alexandria.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan – The Walking Dead _ Season 9, Episode 16 – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC

The snowstorm finally stopped when the group arrived. Once Ezekiel and co. went to The Hilltop, Carol decides to break up with Ezekiel because she feels that he will not blame her for Henry’s death so he would blame it on Daryl instead. Carol also decided to return to Alexandria after the trip. Elsewhere, Alpha and Beta have a conversation and the interesting key point is that she wants to become stronger than she was before. So Alpha tells Beta to whip her with a broken branch the same way she used to do to her daughter. Weird scene, but I do not mind. Ezekiel was talking to Judith through the radio, But when they finish the radio conversation, they leave the room and then a voice is heard through the radio but it is hard to listen to since there is static in the way. Nobody hears this since they closed the door as the episode ends.

Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon, Danai Gurira as Michonne, Khary Payton as Ezekiel, Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier, Cooper Andrews as Jerry – The Walking Dead _ Season 9, Episode 16 – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC

One thing I love about Game of Thrones is that their season finales are building to the next season and this episode did just that. I know that a number of people will find this episode too slow, but I do not mind since we had the pike deaths last week. Things needed to slow down after that. Jeffery Dean Morgan, Khary Payton, and Melissa McBribe were the stars of this episode with their brilliant performances during this episode. I love that the snow was a major obstacle during this episode and it reminds me of Fear The Walking Dead when the hurricane was a major obstacle. My only take back is that I wish that Ezekiel was searching for communities with the radio just like Eugene was in the comic series and it took almost a year and a half of issues to finally get a response. That could have been built up more in the show unless it is being saved for the next season and Who knows who could it be. Rick, Morgan, or The Commonwealth.This season has been amazing and I am happy to see what the new show runner Angela Kang did with this season. What can I expect to see in the new season later this year? Well, I think most of the material will be from volumes 25-29 of the comic series (No Turning Back, Call To Arms, The Whisperer War, A Certain Doom, and Lines We Cross)

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