How The Walking Dead Sets Up Its Final Season

Following that riveting end to The Walking Dead Season 10, let's look at how the AMC show sets up its final season.

WARNING: The following contains spoilers for The Walking Dead Season 10 finale, "A Certain Doom," which aired Sunday on AMC.

With The Walking Dead Season 10 finally finished, there are a lot of things that could happen to the joint communities after their victory in the Whisperer War. The being said, the casualties were many, and it's clear the alliance hasn't recovered from the loss of Rick Grimes, as well as other key leaders who were absent from the most recent debacle. While peace has been temporarily achieved, let's look at how The Walking Dead sets up its eleventh and final season.

THE COMMONWEALTH HAS ARRIVED

The final scenes of the Season 10 finale have Commonwealth soldiers ambushing Eugene, Yumiko, Ezekiel and Princess after they go to find Stephanie at Charleston. They've been in radio contact for some time, but given this hostile reception, it remains to be seen if the soldiers will be friend or foe. In the comics, Rick was the one leading the partnership with Mayor Pamela Milton, but her hot-headed son, Sebastian, made life difficult, as it was a classist, elitist society.

If the Commonwealth adopts a similar approach to the comics, tensions could arise with the alliance, which will be very skeptical of trusting outsiders again. However, the communities are in need of resources, as the Whisperer War left them depleted in terms of manpower, food and shelter, so they might have to bend their rules and accept help from the Commonwealth. They did have people interested in equality in governance such as Mercer and Stephanie, who could become Eugene's love interest after all their time on the radio, but this could open up the show to a potential coup like in the comics.

MAGGIE'S BACK IN TOWN

When Maggie left, the alliance fell into further disarray: Ezekiel's Kingdom and Negan's old Sanctuary both crumbled on the inside, while Tara's death left Hilltop struggling. Alexandria was eventually razed, and while Oceanside did show resilience and fortitude, there was an obvious lack of leadership. Now that she's back, Maggie has a lot to repair, as everyone will rely on her experience to heal the wounds of old.

She does have Daryl, Carol, Rosita and Gabriel as well, and new allies such as her slasher bodyguard. Still, Maggie might have evolved, and it'll be a test seeing how she handles new personalities and if people are willing to follow her lead. Virgil, who Michonne previously met, seems to have rescued Connie after the cave-in, so this could be her first litmus test, setting the tone for if she's back as a more diplomatic leader or someone hard-edged who believes aggression and proactivity will keep them safe.

A WAR OF NATIONS

In Season 9, Rick was taken by the Civic Republic Military (CRM), with Anne overseeing. Michonne then set off to find him. As much as we expect their threads to be fully resolved in the planned movies, their new paths could result in a crossover. Given that The Walking Dead: World Beyond is already expanding on this military being part of the Alliance of the Three, it's easy for the Civic Republic, the Campus Colony in Omaha and the unseen colony in Oregon to enter the fray.

Given the Commonwealth is now part of the series and different societies are interacting, this can help build the future in terms of politics and governance again. Daryl and Carol also love going on the road, hence their spinoff that's in the works, so the joint communities can l0ok at traveling contingents to meet other societies. They shouldn't just depend on the Commonwealth, after all, and this can even play off like Game of Thrones with "mini-nations" being formed as a possible war brews between CRM and the Commonwealth.

NEGAN AND LYDIA'S JOURNEY

It's going to be tense between Maggie and Negan, as he killed her husband, Glenn, only to reform and become a war hero. Negan has changed his ways and wants to redeem himself with the youths, which could see him even trying to atone with Hershel Jr. It'll place Judith in between a rock and a hard place, though, as she considers them both like parents, so Negan might well be turned into a roaming ranger to avoid the drama.

Lydia is also on a similar trajectory, as she saved Carol and helped destroy Beta's horde. Yet the new breed of heroes in the alliance don't trust her. However, seeing as Lydia's won over Daryl and the other leaders, Season 11 may well have her training under him, Carol and Maggie more. This will give her clarity as to whether she and Negan belong with these people. They've earned respect, but it remains to be seen if it'll be given. Lydia as a roaming ranger also works, as she could connect the alliance with those on the outside. She could become more trusting, as she knows what it's like when people judge a book by its cover.

The Walking Dead Season 10 finale stars Norman Reedus, Melissa McBride, Josh McDermitt, Christian Serratos, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Seth Gilliam, Ross Marquand, Khary Payton and Cooper Andrews.