17 details you may have missed on the penultimate episode of ‘The Walking Dead’

Sunday’s penultimate episode of “The Walking Dead” contained nods to the entire Grimes’ family in an episode fittingly called “Family. “Jace Downs/AMC Warning: There are spoilers ahead for season 11, episode 23 of “The Walking Dead,” “Family. ” The second to last episode of “TWD” contains many callbacks to the show and a twist from the comics.

Michonne’s final episode music can be heard. Insider annotated a map to help make sense of where everyone is by the episode’s end. The music that opens the episode is the same score that played on Rick and Michonne’s final episodes.

As “TWD” cast pick up their weapons to go to battle with the Commonwealth, a familiar tune plays. Gene Page/AMC, AMCAs the episode opens on a monologue from Judith (Cailey Fleming), you may have noticed some familiar music. That’s the score that played during both Rick and Michonne’s final episodes, season nine, episode five and season 10, episode 13, respectively.

In Rick’s final episode, you can hear the music start up as Rick is bleeding out, and believes all hope is lost, and then Daryl and the group come to his aid. Rick winds up blowing up a bridge filled with walkers to save them all. In Michonne’s final episode, the music plays at the end, during another moment of hope as she sets out to search for Rick after finding his boots and a phone with a message.

The use of the music in the series’ penultimate episode, can be interpreted in a few ways. While Michonne and Rick aren’t with them on the battlefield, they’re with them in spirit as Judith picks up her parents’ weapons. Additionally, Judith, who was born during the apocalypse, has always been seen as a symbol of hope for the future by Rick’s group.

That music feels right to set that tone.  However, the use of that music could have a darker meaning.  That same score also played during a harrowing moment of Michonne’s final episode as she experienced a terrifying “what-if” scenario for her life if she had never met Rick.

The hallucination ends with Michonne’s death at the hands of Daryl and Rick.  The music could signify a warning that death is coming for Judith. Judith’s gun shot wound and Lydia’s amputation may have been teased near the episode’s start.

The firing sound is matched with video of Daryl’s arrow firing, but when you watch the episode a second time it’s difficult to not think of Judith being shot towards the episode’s end. AMC, Jace Downs/AMC, composite by Kirsten Acuna/InsiderAs Judith narrates the episode’s start, footage of other cast members appears on screen. She calls them her family and mentions how they’d do anything to protect one another.

As they’re preparing to fight the Commonwealth, she mentions how fighting for a new beginning comes with a cost.  Judith mentions that word twice in her speech. The first time she says it, the voice-over is matched with footage of Aaron putting on his mace arm.

Later in the episode, Lydia gets bit and Aaron and Jerry need to amputate her arm. Aaron comforts Lydia by reminding her that he went through the same thing and it turned out all right. Moments later, Judith ominously says, “There’s always a cost.

” Immediately after, a shot is heard. It’s not a gun, but Daryl’s crossbow firing. Late in the episode, Judith is shockingly shot and Daryl is the first one to come to her aid.

 During a first watch of the episode, you’re fixated on what the cost of the group’s fighting will be. Viewers are made to believe that one of the people shown in the montage at the episode’s start — Rosita, Gabriel, Magna, Connie, Kelly, Princess, Ezekiel, Negan, Maggie, Aaron, Jerry, Lydia, Eugene, Yumiko, Carol, and Daryl — die during the fight against the Commonwealth. (And, perhaps they still will.

)But during a second viewing, it seems like the pairing of the line and sound of the shot foreshadowed where Judith would end up by the episode’s end. Judith says that her brother, Carl, dreamed of a day where they’d all live in peace. This is a nice little nod to Carl’s final episodes and the comics.

Carl wanted a better world before he died on the show and lived to see it in the comics. AMC, Gene Page/AMC, Image Comics/SkyboundBefore his death on season eight, episode nine, Carl wrote a letter to his father, Rick, detailing the world he hoped they could build one day.  In part, the letter asked Rick to get the world back to a semblance of normalcy while not being afraid to search for more communities: “Start everything over.

Show everyone that they can be safe again without killing. They can feel safe again. That it can go back to being birthdays, and school, and jobs, and even Friday night pizza somehow, and walks with a dad and a three-year-old holding hands.

Make that come back, dad. And go on those walks with Judith. She’ll remember them.

“You can read the full letter here. In the comics, Carl survives and gets to see that better world that the show version of the character envisioned. The final issue jumps ahead 25 years into the future where the dead are mostly gone and Carl is married to Carol’s daughter, Sophia.

(She was shockingly killed off the show in season two. ) The two share a daughter named after Andrea, Carl’s step-mom in the comics. As she picks up Rick’s gun, Judith says her father was “searching for mercy,” another reference to season eight.

Mercy prevailing over one’s search for vengeance was the theme of the show’s eighth season. AMCWhen the war with Negan came to a close, Rick chose to spare his enemy’s life after Carl told him there was a better way forward.  The entire theme of season eight, leading up to and following Carl’s death became about letting mercy prevail over one’s wrath.

After struggling to see past vengeance for the majority of the season, those were the words Rick uttered when he let Negan live. After Carl’s death, that phrase became a foundation for Rick’s motivations moving forward. Judith packs up the charter that Michonne wrote for the communities.

The full community charter is on display at the MOMI in Queens, NY through January 2023. AMC, Kirsten Acuna/InsiderThe charter lists the “rights and freedoms” of anyone living at Alexandria, the Hilltop, the Kingdom, and Oceanside communities. The full charter is currently on display at the Museum of the Moving Image’s “Living with The Walking Dead” exhibit in New York City.

The exhibit is up until January 2023. You can view a full size of it here. At the episode’s start, Judith says she keeps thinking about “a secret saying” Michonne used to share with her dad.

Is this the secret phrase Judith was referencing? “We don’t die. “AMCThat phrase may be, “We don’t die. ” It’s one of the last things Michonne said to Rick on season nine, episode five, his final, official episode of the series.

On Sunday’s penultimate episode, Judith describes the phrase as “a good luck charm” not only for them but also for herself and her brother, R. J.  However, as far as the audience knows, Judith doesn’t speak it aloud to her brother R.

J. before leaving him.  Judith passes on Rick’s iconic sheriff’s hat to her brother, R.

J. , just as Carl gave it to her during a pivotal moment. Judith gives Rick’s hat to R.

J. on Sunday’s episode just as Carl gave it to her on season eight, episode nine. Jace Downs/AMC, AMC / composite by Kirsten Acuna/InsiderAt the episode’s start, Judith takes her dad’s hat and places it atop her brother’s head before she heads off with Daryl and the group to the Commonwealth.

Daryl doesn’t want her in harm’s way, but Judith insists and she winds up shot and unconscious by the episode’s end. As a reminder, Carl gave Judith the Grimes’ family relic as he was dying on season eight, episode nine. The passing of the hat may mean that Judith’s time on “TWD” is coming to a close.

The events leading up to Judith getting shot mirror Carl getting shot on season two. Carl asks Rick to join the search for Sophia on the season two premiere. Judith similarly tells Uncle Daryl she’s joining him on his mission to the Commonwealth on Sunday’s episode.

AMC, composite by Kirsten Acuna/InsiderBoth Judith and her brother Carl were shot after they convinced Daryl and Rick, respectively, to tag along on a potentially dangerous mission. On season two, Carl insists that he goes with Rick as he searches for Sophia, leading to him getting accidentally shot in the woods. On Sunday’s episode, Judith tells Daryl she’s going with the gang back to the Commonwealth to fight for the better world her brother wanted them to build.

Here’s a map that showcases the major events of Sunday’s episode. Daryl’s group entered the Commonwealth from the south while the dead entered from the east. Pamela retreats to her cushy estate home near the top of the map.

AMC via GoldinOn Sunday’s episode, Rosita talks about the group sneaking into the Commonwealth through the lower ward instead of the richer estates. Later, Mercer tells them to go to an old access tunnel under the west wall to get into Union station as a swarm of the undead approaches from the east. What does all of that mean geographically? Using a map of the Commonwealth that was recently up for auction, we skitched the exact path the survivors took so you can make a bit more sense of where our survivors are versus Pamela and her soldiers on Sunday’s episode.

You can view a larger version of the map here. Pamela uses the dead as a tool to control the community whenever things get out of her control at the Commonwealth. Pamela previously pulled the “B17” card on season 11, episode 17.

It was just a slightly different directive. AMC, composite by Kirsten Acuna/InsiderOver the years, we’ve seen how other groups have used the dead to their advantage. Most recently, Alpha used the dead as her own personal army that her group steered by living among them.

The Commonwealth’s Governor Milton may not wear a mask, but she similarly controls a horde of her own. Pamela uses the dead as a scare tactic to get her community under control whenever something happens that she can’t face head-on.  For the second time this season, we hear her deliver an order when the community starts to question her rule over the Commonwealth.

On Sunday’s episode, we hear “B17. ” On season 11, episode 17, Pamela previously demanded order “B14” when the Miltons were being accused of murdering missing people at the Commonwealth. B14 resulted in a lockdown to get everyone off the streets when the threat of the undead lurked nearby.

 B17 also starts a lockdown initiative and appears to send a message to some of the Commonwealth soldiers, who are corrupt and loyal to Milton, to rally up a group of the dead and send them toward the community. Of course, it’s all theatrics on Pamela’s end. No one’s ever, supposed to be, in actual danger.

Her army is supposed to look like heroes, saving the community from a threat. In turn, the community will, hopefully, forget whatever they were squabbling about and instead focus on the fact that Pamela’s way of life keeps everyone safe and everything returns to normal until the next uprising.  Pamela previously told Daryl on season 11, episode 12 she originally didn’t have an interest in politics, mentioning that Alexandria’s former leader, Deanna, was a born leader.

Milton was only made leader during the apocalypse because of her name (her father was a former US president), but she wasn’t the best equipped for the role. She lacks the empathy and connection with her people that made Deanna revered. In leading the Commonwealth, this is the best solution Pamela found to rule and keep people in line.

However, as we see on Sunday’s episode, the “B17” plan backfires on Pamela. She wasn’t aware there would be variant walkers who could climb in this herd of the undead. Instead of another routine event to settle down the community, by the episode’s end, she’s made a mess of things with the dead inside the walls because she’s simply not the leader the Commonwealth deserved.

Magna subtly references her prison past while reaching out to Tyler. Magna relates to Tyler being misjudged before his death on Sunday’s episode. AMC, composite by Kirsten Acuna/InsiderWhen Princess refuses to make small talk with the former Commonwealth soldier, Tyler Davis, she beat up on season 10, Connie, Kelly, and Magna reach out to him instead.

Unbeknownst to Tyler, Connie and Kelly had been trying to find him and other missing people at the Commonwealth throughout the show’s final season. Tyler was a part of a growing number of people who were attempting to rally against corruption in the Commonwealth, unsuccessfully.  He was sent to a secret labor camp after he lashed out and held Max hostage at the community’s private ball for the wealthy on season 11, episode 10.

 As a result, his name was on a long list of names Connie and Kelly acquired through their investigative journalism, likely other Commonwealth resistors. Magna lets Tyler know they understand why he made the choices he did. “Hey.

Society threw you away,” Magna tells Tyler. “You were desperate and mad. I’ve been there.

“If you weren’t sure what Magna was referencing, on season nine, episode six, we learned that Magna was previously in prison. Tyler gets killed by Pamela’s men. Tyler is the first one shot in Union Station on season 11, episode 23.

AMC, composite by Kirsten Acuna/InsiderAs soon as Daryl’s group breaks into Union Station, the former Commonwealth soldier becomes the first to fall. It’s easy to miss this since it happens so quickly on screen and Daryl’s group quickly becomes caught in a shoot-out. A small line from Jerry references his first season on the show and it has us worried about him heading into the finale.

Are these Jerry’s last words to Aaron?AMC, composite by Kirsten Acuna/InsiderWhen Lydia expresses her concern about Jules, Luke, and Elijah being lost among a horde of the undead, Jerry leaves Aaron and Lydia to head back into the swarm to search for them solo. His final words to them are that he’ll find the trio, then find Aaron and Lydia. He says it’ll be a “piece of cobbler,” rather than a piece of cake.

When we first met Jerry on season seven, we learned he had a thing for cobbler. On season seven, episode 10, he offered Carol a cobbler. Hopefully, that callback to his entry on the show isn’t a hint that things will take a dark turn for our favorite cobbler-loving member of “TWD.

“Dianne reappears for the first time in 11 episodes and that also has us worried about her survival odds heading into the finale. Since season seven, Dianne has been one of the show’s best background fighters. This is someone who would gladly lay down her life for Maggie, Ezekiel, or any of the survivors.

AMC, Gene Page/AMC, composite by Kirsten Acuna/InsiderIt was a nice surprise to see Dianne reappear on “TWD” before the finale. As a reminder, Dianne joined the series as one of Ezekiel’s best fighters in the Kingdom community. Dianne later left the Kingdom, pledging her loyalty to Maggie and the Hilltop.

On season 11, episode 12, Dianne told Maggie she decided to live out the rest of her days at the Commonwealth. It looks like Dianne, like others, became privy to the community’s corruption and decided to rejoin Ezekiel and Maggie to overthrow Pamela. We hope Dianne wasn’t reintroduced merely to take one for the team on the finale.

Dianne has saved so many in the main group by being on the front lines of multiple wars, including the war with Negan.  If Dianne goes doesn’t survive the series, we hope she goes out swinging with the hero’s death she deserves. Pamela Milton accidentally shoots Judith Grimes in a complete role reversal from the comics where a Milton also shoots a Grimes.

In the comics, a despised child shoots a revered parent. On the show, a parent shoots a beloved child. AMC, Image Comics/SkyboundIn the comics, Milton’s son Sebastian shoots Rick Grimes dead in his bed.

It’s, admittedly, a pretty lame way for the series’ protagonist to die. Fans wondered who Sebastian may kill with Rick off the show. When Sebastian was unexpectedly killed on season 11, episode 18, it seemed like no one was going to get Rick’s comic death.

 Pamela’s horrific actions may have just changed that after she shot Rick’s daughter on Sunday’s episode. This was a great, and unexpected, twist from the comics. Instead of a hated son shooting a beloved father and leader, the show delivered the reverse with a reviled leader and mother shooting a daughter who has symbolized hope in the apocalypse.

Hopefully, unlike the comics, Judith will survive her gunshot wound.  Daryl running with an injured Judith is supposed to mirror Rick running with Carl after he was shot on season two. You’re not really a Grimes until you’re shot.

Jace Downs/AMCOn Sunday’s episode, Daryl hustles through the streets of the Commonwealth with Judith in his arms as he attempts to get her to Ezekiel’s clinic. On seasons two and six, Rick has also run with his son, Carl, after he was shot in order to save his life. On AMC+’s behind-the-scenes feature for the episode, showrunner Angela Kang confirms the parallel between the moments from season two and season 11, involving Rick’s children.

“We definitely wanted it to feel reminiscent of the scene where Rick was carrying Carl after he was shot,” Kang said. “It’s kind of the question of, like, is history going to repeat itself with Judith and what’s going to happen next with her?””All of those thoughts are running through Daryl’s head as he’s running with Judith, out to try to find safety,” Kang adds. Carl survived his gunshot wound, but only after Maggie’s father, Hershel, operated on him and Rick donated his blood to his son.

 Daryl may seek out Yumiko’s brother, Tomi, a surgeon.   The subway mural that Daryl saw earlier this season is coming to fruition all over again. Daryl is shaken up by this mural on season 11, episode 18.

AMCThe mural showcased a class struggle of lower class citizens fighting against the rich. That’s been the theme of these final episodes of “TWD. “Read the original article on Insider.