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'The Walking Dead' Season 9 Finale "The Storm": Hopeful Yet Realistic Wrap-Up [SPOILER REVIEW]

Welcome back to our weekly look at AMC's long-running horror/drama series The Walking Dead as our heroes rage, rage against the dying of the light – and against a major snowstorm – in ninth season finale "The Storm."

After a season that at any one time was an emotional rollercoaster on any number of fronts – and with a righteous amount of well-deserved credit to Angela Kang and her team for breathing new life into the series both in front of and behind the camera – we were delivered constant one-two punch combos to our hearts, minds and nervous systems… and it all led up to the season finale "The Storm," as our heroes face a situation we haven't seen before: a raging snowstorm. With their survival on the line, how long can they maintain their "peace accord" with the Whisperers – and are they ready to deal with what it means by breaking it?

The Walking Dead s09e16 "The Storm": In the aftermath of an overwhelming loss, the communities must brave a ferocious blizzard; as one group deals with an enemy from within, another is forced to make a life or death decision.

With The Walking Dead, there are two types of season finales you get: the big, bombastic storyline ender and/or cliffhanger; or the "quiet" one where the survivors lick their wounds, get inspired, and the foundation is set for the next wave of action. Thankfully, episode director (as well as series EP and special effects prophet) Greg Nicotero and writers Kang and Matthew Negrete know their audience well and understood the need to close out the season with the latter after how "The Calm Before" ended – but with a difference.

What was refreshing about "The Storm" was while we had the group face down an oppressive storm, talk of a new-found sense of unity, and plant the seeds of hope and reconciliation (standard), it came at a cost (The Kingdom, Carol/Ezekiel's relationship, etc.) – and without a clear answer on how they move ahead. Our heroes readily admit they don't know how to take on Alpha (Samantha Morton) and the Whisperers – and they shouldn't. At least, not yet. Because if they want us to believe the Whisperers are the threat they've been warning us about for months (and with Ryan Hurst's Beta as second-in-command, they most definitely are), there needs to be that uncertainty… that doubt.

Do I doubt that our communities will win the good fight in the end? Not at all. That said? It's been awhile since I felt this level of uncertainty of how exactly that's going to happen – and who we might lose along the way. It's a nice, anxious, fun feeling.

Nicotero, Kang, and Negrete chose to go the "soft" finale route – a wise decision that book-ended a season of positive growth and change for the series and has me anxious for next-season updates while easing my "loss" over the next few months. Not an easy feat for a creative team to pull off; the fact that they do – and do it in new and interesting ways – speaks volumes in explaining why AMC's The Walking Dead is in the midst of a series renaissance.

● Considering how the Trade Fair ended, it's no surprise that the Kingdom fell and the residents were forced to migrate to the Hilltop. Seeing how the loss of Henry (Matt Lintz) and the Kingdom became too much for Carol (Melissa McBride) and Ezekiel (Khary Payton) to shoulder together as a couple was heart-crushing. Carol believes Ezekiel puts double blame on Daryl for Henry's death because he can't bring himself to blame her – well-played by McBride in that Carol both speaks the truth and reveals her own guilt and need to be punished for what she feels was her blame in Henry's death. I'm afraid Ezekiel's refusal to take back his ring is foreshadowing something for next season…

● Ezekiel's exchange with Daryl where "The King" talks of a fresh start with Carol – and that their "fresh start" would be much fresher if Daryl wasn't around – was a moment for Payton to shine by presenting us with an Ezekiel we rarely see. He wasn't being "The King"… or a leader… or a speechmaker. He was a guy who doesn't understand what's going on around him, feels like he's losing control, and is lashing out in whatever way he can to get his footing back.  The sad irony? It literally drives Carol away, as she heads to Alexandria with Daryl and Lydia (Cassady McClincy).

● Negan's (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) road to redemption began tonight, saving both Judith (Cailey Fleming) and Dog from the freezing temperatures and taking some major damage in the process. Morgan is presenting a version of Negan that we would expect coming out of the time he spent: still has the uncanny ability to make an uncomfortable situation even more uncomfortable, but he's beginning to understand the need for others… for family. The exchange between Negan and Michonne (Danai Gurira) near the end of the episode was a long-time coming – and hopefully a harbinger of another deviation from the comics. Morgan's Negan is needed in that community on so many levels – but a meet-up with Alpha and Beta still needs to happen. Too much damn potential there not to…

● Alpha's little "self-improvement" at the end of Beta's (Ryan Hurst) switch – needing to have her "weakness" (emotions over her daughter Lydia not being there) beaten out of her so she can be strong enough for "what's to come" was just the right exclamation-mark-reminder that not only are the Whisperers still here (and there may be a lot of them) – but also that Alpha's prepping for what's coming next. Hmmm… did they see Michonne, Daryl, and the others cross into their territory after all?

● Was the voice on the radio with no one a round a cheap cliffhanger cliche? Yes, but considering all the possibilities at play it's also an excellent device to use to close out the season. Gabriel's (Seth Gilliam) radio set-up has been in the background of the season since the first episode, and it was pretty clear it would come into play when we learn that Ezekiel's been reaching out to other potential communities. Still, hearing a female voice through the static… wanting to know if anyone's there? I was sold. Does the voice have any connection with Georgie (Jayne Atkinson)? Are we witnessing the beginnings of the Commonwealth storyline from the comics – this soon into the "The Whisperers War" storyline? Again, the kind of curiosity I want rattling around in my brain for months coming out of a quality season finale.

AMC's The Walking Dead will return this fall for season 10; while spinoff series Fear the Walking Dead returns on Sunday, June 2, at 9 p.m. ET.

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