The Walking Dead Season 8 finale may be a turning point for the series that has long felt lost

Vanity Fair

Creator Robert Kirkman called last night's episode a "huge turning point" for Rick Grimes. But it felt like an important turning point for the series, says Laura Bradley. "With new showrunner Angela Kang stepping in for Season 9, the potential for change seems even more pronounced," she says. "After all, Fear the Walking Dead is already changing for the better with its own new show-runners in place. And while it seems too early to call this a surefire sign that The Walking Dead is deliberately changing its course, it’s certainly a step in the right direction."

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• Scott M. Gimple on new showrunner Angela Kang:  “She’s putting different things forward that we haven’t seen before"
• The Walking Dead will take a "quantum leap forward" next season: "The show will evolve in a huge way," says Gimple
• Season 8 finale was self-satisfied, obnoxious -- yet still gratifying
• The Walking Dead needs to shake itself up radically next season