If Robert Kirkman hadn't wrote a letter to fans explaining this was the intended and totally thought-out ending... I would've sworn that Negan was the original ending and Kirkman was scrambling ever since. Negan was the biggest, baddest villain and easily could've been the thing that broke Rick Grimes... or the 'final boss' that beat the game and made a happy ending believeable because what could be worse than that? (Turns out, not much.)

But then we got the Whisperers (dumb), and the Commonwealth (a big stretch, both in terms of story scope and geography jump). The Walking Dead arc became stale for me and it felt repetitive and illogical. Looking back on where we began and all that the characters had gone through to get to Alexandria, Negan should've been the end. Fight Negan, win or lose. Roll credits.

I jumped ship on the television series years ago. I wanted to see the original story through to the end. I'm glad I made the journey, I don't regret it. But I can't deny my disappointment. ( )

Honestly.... I wasn't disappointed. I had NO IDEA how this series was ever going to end, but Robert Kirkman pulled it off very well. It wasn't what I was necessarily expecting, but that's a good thing. I wanted something off the beaten path, that still felt fitting for a series that I have been invested in for nearly a decade. I really enjoyed the author's note at the end as well. Overall I am glad I stuck by this series. I really got invested in the characters and their journey to find life instead of just survival. One of a kind and I'm sad to see it end, but it's time. Great job Robert Kirkman, that ending got me a little choked up!! ( )