Daryl will be “crucial” to the final episodes of The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead is ending. It’s surreal to type that. The zombie drama premiered on AMC in October of 2010, which feels like a lifetime ago; just think about all the things that happened in the world between then and now — I mean, who knew that we would live through an actual worldwide pandemic before this show about a deadly communicable disease wrapped up?

But still, that’s what’s happening. The final eight episodes of the series will premiere sometime in the fall, and showrunner Angela Kang is getting us prepped. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, she promised “some twists and turns in the journey, but also some really beautiful emotional scenes.”

"In the second block of episodes, they were sort of torn apart. And in this last block, the gang is back together again, moving with a common purpose. There’s always a particular fun that comes with that for us and for fans who like to see what happens when the group is doing their thing as a unit."

The Walking Dead’s final episodes start airing on AMC this fall

Throughout this final eleventh season, The Walking Dead gang has been dealing with the Commonwealth, the most advanced civilization they’ve ever come across in this post-apocalyptic nightmare-scape. The trappings are new, but as always, the leaders of this group have tyrannical leanings, which means a reckoning is coming.

The reckoning will be spearheaded by characters like Daryl Dixon, who has arguably become the show’s de facto lead character since the departure of Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) in season 9. “Daryl, more and more, is being thrust into the role of a leader,” Kang said. “And the way he does it is different than some of the others. His style is not like Rick’s, it’s not like Maggie’s or Ezekiel’s. Daryl is Daryl. He’s not the guy who likes to give a lot of speeches. He kind of likes to do.”

"You’re going to see Daryl have to step up in some of his decision making in some key ways. And he’s going to be very crucial to the way all the events play out in this season. We also have to remember that Daryl is a parental figure to Judith and RJ, and that’s an important part of the story as well — his role with those kids and the things that they’ll all do to protect the children of the apocalypse."

Daryl is one of very few cast members still around from the first season. Another is Carol (Melissa McBride), who’s gone on a huge journey from meek wife to cookie-baking, hard-as-nails warrior. “Carol is somebody who’s come so far in her journey, and there’s been times when she’s been really, really tormented about the things she’s had to do, but I think Carol’s in a place of a pragmatic acceptance of the decision she has to make,” Kang said. “We’ll get to see some really cool moments from Carol as she’s just outwitting and outlasting those that are seeking to do harm to her folks. She gets to have some memorable moments with both villains and our heroes. She’s like a chess master who’s playing 4D chess while other people are just kind of cranking along moment to moment.”

We don’t have a release date for this final block of Walking Dead episodes yet, but expect one when the show heads to San Diego Comic-Con this weekend for the last time. “There are going to be some tears shed,” Kang said. “We’re a sentimental bunch.”

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