Are Walkers Really Evolving in the Final Season of the Walking Dead?

So much has happened since the first episode of the Walking Dead aired on 31^st October 2010. Few would have thought the show would last as long as it has, over a decade later, and still surprising the viewers with unanticipated events and storylines. Greg Nicotero has shown prowess in crafting zombie series, taking his audiences on a rollercoaster of emotions. While he basks on this glory, he has not failed to pick a few critics on the way, with some claiming that the show has dragged on far too long, raising the question of whether people still care how he wraps it up at the end. Normally, any show worth mentioning must attract both sides, the naysayers and the enthusiasts. Without dwelling on which side of the divide wins the Walking Dead’s strengths debate, are the walkers evolving? Should the viewers brace for an unexpected twist at the end of the finale?

Credit: The Walking Dead

Although the zombie apocalypse emerged as the central theme from the show’s onset, this notion gradually diminished as it progressed from one season to another. Nicotero quickly introduced other human-human conflicts that masked the place of the walkers and relegated them to a distance threat that lurked from time to time. It became obvious that people could easily escape a swarm of zombies as long as they could work as a team. Pitting different communities against each other eventually became the primary threat to watch out for through the episodes rather than the collective worries of humanity being turned into the walking dead.

Wars between communities anyone would have expected to work together became a norm, with each striving to protect its own for survival.

Nicotero took advantage of conflicts to highlight unfortunate outcomes in times of deteriorating social order in any society. The show portrayed groups backstabbing and betraying their rivals without remorse to get by, illustrating the waning humanity as the apocalypse wreaked havoc. Brutality became the day’s business as adversaries mounted attacks to conquer others and plunder their resources. At some point, it seemed the show was over-stretching violence creating a bad taste in the eyes of the viewers. From the controlling Oceanside, Woodbury ran by a maniac, a cannibalistic Terminus, double-crossing Scavengers, religiously-crazy Whisperers, bully-domineering Saviors, and the secretly corrupted Commonwealth; the viewers must have had a fill of the showcased savagery. One can only pick out a few communities like Alexandria, the Kingdom, and Hilltop that didn’t thrive on hostility. The walkers were part of the story but not the central theme.

Credit: The Walking Dead

A new development in the last episodes of season 11 hints we might just be mistaken

The walkers are not done yet. They still play a significant role, which is about to become even more interesting because they are evolving from conventional to more reactive and action-conscious monsters. Recalling how scared the Hilltop was to imagine that the hordes of walkers would team up when they encountered the Whisperers in the 9^th season shows how epic this twist could make the show. Season 11 Episode 19 reignites the walker’s presence as a menace to societies when Jerry and Aaron encounter walkers that can scale buildings and open door locks. Such a departure from their normal hints the living might soon have nowhere to hide, seeing the gradual evolution of the walkers. Aaron concerningly states rumor has it they are starting to return to familiar places, divulging they could be getting smarter in unexpected ways.

Credit: The Walking Dead

Are the walkers evolving or learning from the Whisperers?

One theory for debunking the emerging threat posed by evolving walkers is that they could emulate the Whispers. If this community could manipulate them to do their bidding, perhaps, the dead have learned to imitate, considering that no intention of strengthening these creatures existed in the first place. Maybe the Whispers have inadvertently created a worse enemy for the people in their attempt to outsmart the rest while blending with the hordes. If this storyline unfolds further, we are yet to see, and it will be interesting how the communities will react to a shrewd zombie crowd.

There is no guarantee that The Walking Dead will take this direction. However, if it does, let’s prepare for an action-packed ending as Daryl and Maggie strategize to free their people, oblivious of a more sinister threat looming.