The Best Episode From Each Season of The Walking Dead

One of the greatest zombie TV shows of all time, The Walking Dead ran for 11 seasons of different lengths. Season 1 started out with six episodes in total, but Season 2 had 13, and soon, the seasons began to have sixteen episodes each. Season 10 consisted of twenty-two episodes and Season 11 ended the series with its twenty-four parts. This made The Walking Dead the longest-running series within the genre and cemented its honorary spot in television history.

It's not easy to single out only one part as the best in each season, especially in those that last longer. Still, certain events are so memorable within the entire plot that it makes their episode stand out. For example, while the pilot is amazing, with Rick Grimes waking up from a coma to a zombie apocalypse, the second episode of Season 1 truly encapsulates the horror of the story. In many cases, the best episode of each season of The Walking Dead is one fans might not expect.

11Merle Is Left Handcuffed to a Pipe on the Roof

The Walking Dead Season, Episode 2 - “Guts”

The Walking Dead pilot is incredible and immediately hooks viewers into Rick's impossible journey through the apocalypse. But it is only when Episode 2 hits that the show actually sets its tone. By watching just the pilot, one might think the plot of the season is going to focus on Rick's mission to find his family. But "Guts", instead of being a filler among episodes about the Grimes family, comes as a much bigger bang than the pilot by establishing dynamics between several characters at once, and emphasizing that this isn't a show about Rick, Lori and Carl. It's the episode that first makes it clear the show is about how far people go to survive the new reality.

All the chaos that marks the pilot is doubled in the second episode. From Rick leaving the tank with Glenn's help to Merle being racist and just overall unbearable until Rick handcuffs him to a pipe on a roof, the tension consistently escalates in a chain of events as the group tries to escape Atlanta. Unlike the simplistic progression of the pilot, Episode 2 stacks conflicts on top of conflicts, and some of which would only find resolution seasons down the road. T-Dog accidentally losing the key to the cuffs is as hilarious as it is shocking, and Merle gets left behind. The group then uses zombie guts to blend in with the dead for the first time, a recurring theme on the show from this point forward. This episode also represents a pillar in Rick's arc, as it marks the start of his major transition from good cop to an ambiguous warrior. He still acts like a police sheriff, but he is beginning to actually comprehend how things have changed.

10 Hershel’s Farm Goes Down

Season 2, Episode 13 - “Beside the Dying Fire”

The Walking Dead Seasons 1 and 2 are both amazing and marked by constant developments and plot twists. The group goes through a lot until they finally start feeling safe again at Hershel Greene's farm. But most fans could see that the farm was not safe, although it was somewhat hidden. The lack of walls or any other form of protection against herds of walkers was clearly a problem. What fans could not predict was how grandiose and full of consequences the abandoning of the farm would actually be.

Rick and Carl are separated from the others when the farm is first invaded by walkers, which immediately raises the stakes. They become trapped in the barn and start a fire to kill the walkers that quickly spreads. Then, they are all split into smaller groups while fleeing the farm as it burns to the ground in the background. Andrea gets left behind by herself and ends up finding Michonne, who has the most impressive character introduction in the entire series. Michonne saves Andrea, but her identity isn't revealed just yet. Meanwhile, the group questions Rick's leadership and he finally reveals what Dr. Jenner had told him at the CDC about everyone being infected, which means everyone turns into a zombie when dead. He also tells Lori he killed Shane. By the end of the episode, the prison is teased for the next season.

9 The Governor Kills His Own People

Season 3, Episode 16 - “Welcome to the Tombs”

Season 3 is marked by the introduction of the Governor, one of the worst people in the universe of The Walking Dead. After terrorizing the group at the prison for the entire season, the Governor himself starts further descending into madness, to a point of no return. He kills his own best friend, Milton, and leaves him to bite Andrea, who he had tied up to a chair in the room. He then leads the Woodbury army to attack the prison, but their plan backfires thanks to an ambush by Rick's group. Up to this point, the episode is pretty predictable -- until the Governor snaps.

The Woodbury army retreats and the Governor gets so angry about it, that he suddenly shoots at his own people. He kills almost all of his soldiers, leaving only two behind. These two follow the Governor for a while out of fear, but abandon him at the first chance they get. Meanwhile, the group gets to Woodbury and has time to say goodbye to Andrea, who had fought a zombified Milton but got bitten. The others in Woodbury decide to move to the prison, marking a major win for Rick and his friends.

8 The Governor Decapitates Hershel

Season 4, Episode 8 - "Too Far Gone"

The Governor's arc in Season 4 is a roller coaster. He loses everything and slowly builds a life for himself. He is lucky enough to adopt a new family along the way, being able to relive his fantasies of being a great father to a little girl. They eventually join a group's camp in the woods whose leader is Martinez, one of the Woodbury soldiers the Governor spared when he snapped back in the Season 3 finale. But the old Governor is clearly still inside Philip, or Brian -- as he introduces himself to his new friends. He kills Martinez and takes over leadership, orchestrating a huge lie to make his new friends attack the group at the prison.

In Episode 8, the Governor kidnaps Hershel and Michonne. His crew, including Tara, arrive at the prison with the hostages and demand the inhabitants to abandon the location. Rick says they can all live together, but the Governor responds by decapitating Hershel with Michonne's sword. Hershel's death is the first time a major character gets brutally assassinated in front of the others on the show, leaving fans completely shocked. But, as a battle breaks out, the Governor realizes Meghan, the little girl he was traveling with, is dead. His group invades the prison, while Rick begins to fight the Governor one-on-one until Michonne stabs the villain. Tara's sister and Meghan's mother, Lilly takes out her anger at "Brian" and kills him before being swarmed by walkers.

7 Rick Executes Pete During Alexandria’s Meeting

Season 5, Episode 16 - "Conquer"

Abandoning the prison in The Walking Dead Season 4 was not easy, but it was the only option. Dealing with the Governor sparks a profound change in Rick, who becomes colder and much more pragmatic in his plans to defend his people. During Season 5, Rick's group is adapting to a new life in Alexandria. While Rick and the others have great respect for Deanna, Alexandria's leader, they also see her as somewhat naive and unprepared. Rick, in particular, develops feelings for Jessie, an Alexandrian who has an abusive husband. Having to deal with Pete (Jessie's husband) on a regular basis takes a toll on Rick, who can't rest until he knows Jessie and her kids are safe from this violent man. This escalates the tension even further, which had been rising since Aaron had found Rick's group and brought them in. In Episode 15, Rick and Pete fight and Rick pulls out a gun at the bystanders.

The escalating tension finally explodes in the Season 5 finale, which picks up after Rick's outburst on the street in the previous episode. Deanna holds an assembly to discuss whether Alexandria should exile Rick due to his unpredictable personality. Meanwhile, Daryl and Aaron find Morgan, and Gabriel is spiraling out of his mind. The inconsequential priest leaves Alexandria's gates open, allowing walkers to come inside. Rick protects Alexandria while the community is assembled to discuss his exile. When he finally shows up, he reminds Alexandrians why he is needed there. However, he is abruptly interrupted by Pete trying to kill him. Pete accidentally shoots Deanna's husband instead, and she immediately orders Rick to execute Pete right there. Alexandria is never the same again after that.

6 Sam and Jessie Are Killed by Walkers, Carl is Shot

Season 6, Episode 9 - "No Way Out"

The Walking Dead Season 6 is marked by the end of the menace of the Wolves and the introduction of the Saviors, antagonists that remain relevant for a long time. After the Wolves had caused a breach in security in Alexandria and a herd of zombies got inside the walls, the Alexandrians had to barricade inside the houses. Carol saves Denise from the last remaining Wolf, while Abraham, Sasha and Daryl approach Alexandria. Rick, Carl, Michonne and baby Judith are with Jessie's family and Gabriel. Jessie's older son, Ron, had been practicing how to shoot a gun with Rick and Carl during the season, and her youngest, Sam, had been dangerously overprotected by her.

The overprotection becomes a life-or-death problem when others, who are experienced with walkers, realize their only way out is to cover themselves in zombie guts and blend in. Gabriel takes baby Judith to the church, but Sam refuses to go with him. The remaining group starts walking through the herd, and Sam starts to panic. The plan would have probably worked, but the boy calls out to his mother and gets bitten. Completely desperate, Jessie tries saving her son but ends up being killed along with him. Ron had spent the entire season in a fragile state due to Rick executing his father, and snaps seeing his mom and little brother die in front of him. He blames Rick, and pulls out a gun to shoot him dead amidst the chaos ensuing. Before Ron can kill Rick, Michonne kills Ron. But the teenager has enough time to pull the trigger before falling to the ground, and the bullet hits Carl in the eye. The episode ends with Daryl, Sasha and Abraham saving the day by starting a fire to distract the zombies.

5 Negan Kills Abraham and Glenn

Season 7, Episode 1 - "The Day Will Come When You Won't Be"

The Saviors have been lurking around since Season 6, but it's only in Season 7 that Negan establishes himself as an antagonist that should be feared. Episode 1, in particular, contains the most shocking scene featuring Negan in the entire show. In fact, what he does in this episode reverberates until the very series finale thanks to how brutal and unfair it is. Of course, The Walking Dead fans were pretty aware that anyone could die at any moment by Season 7. Especially since Hershel's decapitation in Season 4, it was only a matter of time until another protagonist got assassinated. Still, nobody expected Glenn to die like he did in the first episode of Season 7.

The Season 6 finale teases Negan killing someone, but it's only in this episode that the victim is revealed to be Abraham. Negan uses Lucille, his bat with barbed wire, to beat Abraham to death in front of everybody. Abraham had a sad demise, but Glenn had been a major character since Season 1, which made his death scene within the same sequence even more shocking. After Abraham is killed, Daryl punches Negan. In retaliation, Negan attacks Glenn. His eyeball pops out in one of the swings, as Glenn calls out for Maggie and Negan mocks the group's despair. But even after all that, Negan still doesn't like the way Rick looks at him. He then proceeds to nearly force Rick to cut off one of Carl's arms, but stops when Rick finally gives him the reaction he expected. The Saviors then go away, taking Daryl as a hostage and leaving Rick's group completely devastated in the middle of the road.

4 Rick and Negan Fight

Season 8, Episode 12 - "The Key"

Most fans of The Walking Dead agree that Seasons 7 and 8 are the weakest of the show. After Negan's explosive introduction, the All Out War storyline quickly fizzled out with the constant moral debate over killing human beings. Both seasons are also full of plot holes and poor dialogue, including the best episode of Season 8. The title "The Key" references the interesting addition of Georgie, a mysterious woman claiming to have the key to the future. Her appearance teased a plot twist that never happened, but it is still meaningful within the context of the episode itself. Maggie is the new person in charge at Hilltop, and meeting Georgie seems to be just what she needs to become the progressive leader she wishes to be.

However, what truly makes this episode great is the one-on-one fight between Rick and Negan. Fans had been waiting for this moment since Negan killed Abraham and Glenn in the Season 7 premiere. It happens because Negan has an idea about how to win the war the Saviors are losing: they bathe their weapons in zombie blood and head to Hilltop. Rick chases Negan into a building, and they start punching each other as walkers approach them from every direction. Then Rick lights Lucille (the bat) on fire and uses it against Negan. In the struggle, Negan eventually manages to get Lucille back and escape, only to be captured by Javis, the leader of the Scavengers.

3 The Whisperers Put Heads on Pikes

Season 9, Episode 15 - "The Calm Before"

The Walking Dead Season 9 establishes a new source of fear for the protagonists with the Whisperers, a group that uses the skins of the dead as masks to camouflage among them. Alpha had already lost the love and respect of her only daughter when she decided to mark a border to keep others out of what she deemed to be her land. But the way Alpha decides to mark the border is what speaks to how evil she really is. To make things worse, Rick has not been seen since Episode 5, when Javis/Anne saves his life, which puts the group at an extreme disadvantage against the Whisperers.

While the leaders of the civilized communities debate the terms of an alliance against common enemies, Alpha is infiltrated into the trade fair. She even speaks directly to King Ezekiel while in disguise, and finds Lydia, her daughter. Seeing Lydia no longer buys her rhetoric, Alpha goes on to threaten the united communities with the massive herd of zombies she controls. The Whisperers kidnap a group of people from the fair and kill them all in front of Siddiq, leaving him behind alive to tell the others what he saw. They put the victims' heads on display on pikes to physically mark the border, and the episode ends with the sad revelation of who the victims were. The Whisperers kill ten people in total, including Enid, Tara and Henry -- a triple death that shocked fans.

2 Negan Gets an Origin Story

Season 10, Episode 22 - "Here's Negan"

After Negan kills Abraham and Glenn in such a violent manner, it seems unlikely that a character like him could ever find redemption. But in the world of The Walking Dead, morality is relative. By Season 10, fans had seen the good guys do terrible things and the bad guys do some good as well. So it's not so surprising to see Negan's arc shift towards redemption, especially considering he spends many years in a jail cell in Alexandria. But it's only when the show reveals his origin story in the Season 10 finale that everything about him starts to make sense.

​​​​​​​

Although comic book fans already knew Negan was always meant to be an important and lasting role, the adaptation often changed key plot points to keep all viewers on their toes. It seemed like Negan was becoming a protagonist, but he only actually became one long after this. In the episode, Carol moves Negan to a location outside Alexandria because Maggie has returned. There, Negan remembers his late wife Lucille and how she committed suicide to set him free of the burden of taking care of her, as she had cancer and could no longer find treatment. The episode details what led Negan to kill his very first victim and name a barbed-wired bat after Lucille. It ends in the present day, with Negan coming back to Alexandria and standing his ground in spite of Maggie, which marks one of the show's many divergences from the source material.

1The Series Finale Marks the Fall of the Commonwealth

Season 11, Episode 24 - "Rest in Peace"

Although The Walking Dead had some rough seasons along the way, Seasons 10 and 11 are widely considered to be two of the greatest on it. Season 11 is particularly marked by the appearance and the fall of the Commonwealth, led by the selfish Pamela Milton. In the finale, the Commonwealth has been invaded by zombies and Mercer is broken out of prison by Max and Princess. Rosita gets bitten while trying to rescue Coco and other children from the troopers, setting up one of the saddest deaths on the show.

Amid the chaos in the Commonwealth, Daryl gives Judith a blood transfusion. She tells him and Carol that Michonne is looking for Rick after finding a clue, which sets up the plot of the sequel limited series The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live. Later, Negan sincerely apologizes to Maggie for brutally killing Glenn. They have a heart-to-heart, but she is unable to forgive him, which he understands. A year later, Ezekiel and Mercer are the Commonwealth governors together, Hilltop and Alexandria are rebuilt and Daryl goes out looking for Michonne and Rick once again. The episode ends with Rick appearing for the first time since Season 9, Episode 5.