The Walking Dead showrunner says surprises coming in season finale
[UPDATE: Read our interview with showrunner Angela Kang about that epic bloodbath, as well as interviews with Alanna Masterson (Tara) and Katelyn Nacon (Enid).]
We have just two episodes left in season 9 of The Walking Dead, so it’s only natural to start wondering how things will wrap up with the March 31 finale. When considering how season 9 might finish, it’s helpful to consider how the recent season-enders have been staged.
The last three seasons have all ended with huge events that either put new arcs into motion or wrapped up long-gestating stories. Season 6 ended with the infamous Negan cliffhanger where the newly introduced big bad pummeled someone’s head in with a baseball bat, only we didn’t know whom. Season 7 climaxed with Rick finally mounting a multi-community counter-attack against the Saviors, and then season 8 finished up with the culmination of the All-Out War.
So what’s in store this time around? We asked showrunner Angela Kang what to expect. “We wanted to play with some of the rhythms of our storytelling,” says Kang of the season-ender. “So there’s a lot of really exciting things that we do and some things that we have not done before on the show.” Things they have not done before? Intriguing.
We also asked Kang if we should expect another TWD cliffhanger, or whether the episode will serve more to wrap things up. “It will feel like there are certain character arcs, certainly, that have a bit of a closed end to them,” says Kang. “It will feel like part of a chapter in a character’s journey, if that makes sense.”
But Kang also teases that that there will be no tidy bows. “As far as plot goes, there are certainly some things that will be carrying over into the next season,” says the showrunner, indicating we can expect to see more of the Whisperers in season 9. Not only that, but Kang says new threads — and possibly threats — may begin to emerge. “Some new things may introduce themselves at the very end,” she teases.
Whatever could she mean? Perhaps we will get more clarity after Sunday’s penultimate episode, but the mere mention of things the show has not done before and new introductions has certainly piqued our interest. As has wondering whom will make it out alive.
For more Walking Dead intel, follow Dalton on Twitter @DaltonRoss.
