2024 was a surprising year for The Walking Dead fans. 2023 was much bigger due to the fact that three Walking Dead shows aired, with two of them being new spinoffs and one of them ending its eight-season run. This year, only two Walking Dead shows aired on AMC and AMC+: The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live and The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Season 2.

Rick Grimes and Michonne came back to the small screen on The Ones Who Live, as well as Carol Peletier on Daryl Dixon. The reactions to The Ones Who Live were far more impressive and well-received compared to Daryl Dixon, but there were still exciting moments in both that made 2024 a memorable year for The Walking Dead universe. From Rick and Michonne finally finding peace with their children to two deaths that evened the score, The Walking Dead universe didn’t fall short of tear-jerking reunions and well-deserved endings.

10Michonne and Nat Form a Short Friendship

The Ones Who Live Season 1, Episode 2, “Gone”

Supporting characters aren’t always treated too kindly in The Walking Dead universe. They sometimes suffer from a lack of character development and are killed off right when they hit their potential. The same can be said for Nat on The Ones Who Live, but at least he went out with a backstory and a dream.

Nat befriended Michonne on her journey to find Rick, motivating her when all hope seemed lost. When all of Nat’s people were killed in an attack by the Civic Republic Military (CRM), the two took shelter in an abandoned mall for months. This time together helped them form a close bond that Michonne desperately needed on her lonely search. Unfortunately, it ended with Nat’s death right when she reunited with Rick, but he died knowing he helped Michonne find her long-lost husband.

9Carol Meeting the Pilot, Ash

Daryl Dixon Season 2, Episode 1, “La Gentillesse des Étrangers”

Ash lasted a lot longer than Nat, and hopefully even more if he returns in Season 3 of Daryl Dixon. Ash is one of the best additions to Daryl Dixon, representing kindness in a world that punishes good people. It’s so easy for characters to dispose of their humanity when times get hard, but Ash kept his through his worst moments.

Ash’s dynamic with Carol is arguably even better than her relationship with Daryl. Ash pushes her to confront her worst qualities as a person, which is something Daryl can’t offer her in their decades-long friendship. Carol and Ash’s first interaction alone in the Season 2 premiere proves that goodness still exists in the world, but it’s often challenged by nuanced corruption.

8Jadis Receives a Deserving Death

The Ones Who Live Season 1, Episode 5, “Become”

Jadis has been around for a considerable period of time in The Walking Dead universe, much more than what people expected when they first met her in Season 7 of the flagship series. The woman who was once dubbed as the “trash lady” who spoke in her own broken language became a top-ranking soldier in the CRM. Her loyalty to the CRM is what brought Rick to the Civic Republic, making her an essential part of his story.

Rick never came around to liking Jadis as much as she would’ve secretly hoped. Their long-lasting feud came to an end when Jadis was killed by a walker bite to the neck during a standoff between her, Rick and Michonne as the latter two tried to escape. She did redeem herself at the last minute, giving the couple the location of the dossier that would expose Alexandria to the CRM. Jadis’ ending was the only way her story could’ve deservedly ended, with her choosing to die as her former self (Anne) rather than the identity she fabricated to survive (Jadis).

7Genet Dies Tasting Her Own Medicine

Daryl Dixon Season 2, Episode 4, “La Paradis Pour Toi”

Another death Walking Dead fans got to see in 2024 was Genet’s, who also died in a very fitting way. Funny enough, she dies in Daryl Dixon Season 2, Episode 4 in a circumstance that’s almost identical to Jadis’. Genet takes one last shot at taking out Daryl and Carol for good while they’re on the run. She finds herself surrounded and out-gunned, which Carol sees as an opportunity to shoot her with a tranquilizer gun.

Hit with a dose of the serum designed to create enhanced walkers, Genet violently compulses as her veins and eyes turn black. Blood bursts from her eyes just before she dies. Genet was ultimately killed by the very weapon she created to control people, and it couldn’t have ended more terribly for her.

6The CRM and Its Operations Are Finally Explored

The Ones Who Live Season 1

There’s not one definitive moment on The Ones Who Live that hits all the lore of the CRM in one go. The Ones Who Live smartly sprinkled in hints here and there, teasing an initiative called the “Echelon Briefing” that could be catastrophic and game-changing. Rick learns of the Echelon Briefing in the finale, being told the CRM has a detailed plan to eradicate “wasteful” communities and take 10% of their children captive who can be trained as loyal soldiers in the future.

It was satisfying to learn about the ins-and-outs of the CRM and the Civic Republic in general. Very little was known about the organization before The Ones Who Live, even though it was a crucial factor in World Beyond’s conflict. After years of building up the city and its military’s potential through several Easter eggs and allusions, The Ones Who Live finally gave fans the answers they wanted.

5Daryl and Carol Reunite

Daryl Dixon Season 2, Episode 4, “La Paradis Pour Toi”

Daryl and Carol simply can’t be one without the other. They’re partners in crime, whether platonic or romantic. Although the execution and timing of their reunion left something to be desired, fans were still content that the two finally crossed paths once again after going separate ways in The Walking Dead series finale.

The reason Daryl and Carol’s reunion isn’t higher on the list is mainly because of when and how it occurred. The reunion felt a little too early, given how easy it was for Carol to find Daryl shortly after touching down in France. The reunion also consequently closed the door on Isabelle Carriere’s story, implicitly suggesting that Daryl can’t have two women in his life at the same time who are important to him.

4Ash Blows Up at Carol for Her Lie

Daryl Dixon Season 2, Episode 5, “Vouloir, C’est Pouvoir”

Strangely, Ash and Carol’s conversation over her lie was the most anticipated moment of Daryl Dixon Season 2. It was tough to watch Carol, and eventually Daryl, use and manipulate Ash’s generosity for their own benefit. A confrontation was long past due.

Carol is ultimately the one who admits she lied to him about her daughter, Sophia, being alive. Rather than forgiving her solely based on her being brave enough to give him the truth, he rightfully communicates his frustrations and anger with her. He doesn’t let her off easy, nor does he really forgive her. The conversation is a lesson of maturity for Carol that she’ll hopefully take into consideration when she does something similar in the future.

3Rick and Michonne Reunite

The Ones Who Live Season 1, Episode 1, “Years” and Episode 2, “Gone”

Rick and Michonne’s reunion was the reunion Walking Dead fans were asking for in 2024. There was never a doubt that Rick and Michonne wouldn’t see each other again, but there was a question of how or when it would happen. The reunion happens fairly quickly, even faster than Daryl and Carol’s, which slightly watered down the suspense of the series.

The reunion takes place at the end of The Ones Who Live’s series premiere and picks back up toward the end of the second episode. Splitting up the reunion into two parts was a smart choice on behalf of the writers, allowing the anticipation to still build when Michonne’s search for Rick unfolds. Despite the awful timing, Rick and Michonne’s emotional reactions to seeing each other again were entirely worth it.

2Rick Losing His Hand and Mirrors His Comic Book Counterpart

The Ones Who Live Season 1, Episode 1, “Years”

It may seem odd to have such a low point in Rick’s life being subjectively better than a high point in his life. Since The Walking Dead‘s main series has ended, the universe hasn’t relied on the original comic book series by Robert Kirkman for inspiration. Cutting off Rick’s hand in The Ones Who Live series premiere in part honors the comics that the television universe wouldn’t exist without.

The way Rick loses his hand in the show isn’t verbatim to how he loses it in the comic. In the show, Rick cuts it off in an attempt to escape the CRM and return to his family. In The Walking Dead comic, the Governor takes Rick’s hand when he refuses to give him the group’s location. Both scenes recognize the core of who Rick is as a person, a leader who will sacrifice himself to protect his people at all costs.

1Rick Reunites With Judith and Meets RJ

The Ones Who Live Season 1, Episode 6, “The Last Time”

Rick and Michonne reunited in the beginning of The Ones Who Live, so all that was left was them to be joined by their children. The most heartbreaking part about Rick’s captivity at the CRM is that he didn’t even know he had a son, RJ Grimes, during that time. He and his older sister Judith never gave up hope their father was alive, and that hope was paid in full in the finale.

Rick and his family finally got their happy ending after years of hardship during the apocalypse. There doesn’t seem to be any plans for Rick and Michonne to return for a second season, so for now, this ending is the perfect conclusion to their now combined story.

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live is streaming on AMC+ and will be available to stream on Netflix on Jan. 13, 2025. The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Seasons 1-2 are streaming on AMC+ and Netflix.