‘The Walking Dead’ Stars Promise ‘Savage’ & ‘Uplifting’ Final Episodes (VIDEO)

So about those walkers that can climb walls and open doors… “These rules are a little different,” The Walking Dead star Josh McDermitt (Eugene) noted about that terrifying moment in the Season 11C trailer. There have been some similar moments over the years (like the little girl picking up the stuffed animal and Morgan’s wife reaching for the doorknob), he added. “So the fact that we may be seeing some of that again and kind of raising the stakes in that sense is exciting.”

McDermitt, Norman Reedus (Daryl), Lauren Ridloff (Connie), Michael James Shaw (Mercer), Seth Gilliam (Gabriel), and Cailey Fleming (Judith) sat down with Emily Aslanian in the TV Insider and TV Guide Magazine studio, sponsored by Hollywood unBranded at San Diego Comic-Con 2022 to discuss saying goodbye (it was TWD‘s last SDCC panel!) and tease where we’ll find their characters when the final episodes begin.

Judith is “doing good” as she continues to adjust to life at the Commonwealth (the cotton candy is a plus), Fleming said. But the same can’t necessarily be said for the others. “I think when we come back, I might be running,” Gilliam added. Meanwhile, both Mercer and Eugene (who is happy when it comes to his relationship with Max, played by Margot Bingham) have decisions to make, according to Shaw and McDermitt. “He’s gotta choose a side at some point, or get destroyed,” Shaw teased.

Meanwhile, “Daryl’s sort of figuring some things out and he’s starting to fight back, which is causing the other people to fight back as well,” shared Reedus. As for Connie, she’s “busy creating mayhem,” Ridloff promised. “She’s truly just stirring the pot and it’s really exciting because we actually get to see Connie as a career woman.”

With The Walking Dead coming to an end with its current 11th season — “we did something that not a lot of shows accomplish,” Reedus pointed out — the big question is how it will all end. The stars couldn’t share much, but they did each give one word to describe the final episodes. Among them: “savage” (Shaw), “uplifting” (Reedus), and “stressful” (Ridloff).

Watch the video above for the other answers (and which word Fleming didn’t know), as well as more from Reedus, Ridloff, Shaw, Gilliam, and Fleming about the final episodes and the fans.

The Walking Dead, Final Episodes Premiere, Sunday, October 2, AMC