The Walking Dead

Rick, Ezekiel and Maggie hit the Sanctuary and the Saviors' outposts. The Kingdom loses many fighters, and Shiva dies saving Ezekiel. Rick and Daryl clash over strategy. Carl is bitten helping a stranger, Siddiq, and dies after asking his father for a peaceful future, not revenge. The Saviors burn Alexandria and attack the Hilltop with weapons smeared in walker blood. Negan kills Simon, who went rogue. In the final battle, Eugene's sabotaged bullets blow up in the Saviors' hands. Rick slashes Negan's throat but, thinking of Carl, lets Siddiq save him and locks him up. Maggie, Daryl and Jesus reject the decision and start plotting on their own.

1. CameoThe pilot's little girl, now a teen

   Addy Miller, the little walker girl Rick meets in the pilot, comes back as a walker in "Mercy," now a teenager in a similar outfit.

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2. Behind the scenesEpisode 100 mirrors the pilot

   The premiere is the show's 100th episode. Its scenes of an older, gray-bearded Rick were shot to mirror his waking up in the pilot.

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3. Behind the scenesCarl lives on in the comics

   Carl's death was a major change from the comics, where he's still alive. Many fans and critics didn't take it well.

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