Themes: Cliffhangers



Cliffhangers are a recurring theme in The Walking Dead. It is a common way to end an episode, issue, chapter, or anything else in The Walking Dead that leaves the reader/viewer in suspense.

Comic Series

 * It is revealed that Jim was bitten in the arm during the zombie attack on the camp. (Issue 5)
 * Rick Grimes threatens to kill Otis after he accidentally shot Carl Grimes. (Issue 9)
 * Dexter holds Rick at gunpoint attempting to force the group to leave the prison. (Issue 18)
 * The Governor and his army assemble at the prison gates, and he yells "Kill them all!", referring to Rick's group. (Issue 42)
 * Rick finds Lori inside the prison, but she appears to be held at gunpoint. (Issue 47)
 * Rick, Carl, Abraham Ford, and Morgan Jones flee from a massive herd of zombies. (Issue 59)
 * Abraham and Eugene Porter leave Alexandria and are unknowingly being followed by the Saviors. (Issue 97)
 * Negan leaves Rick, Maggie Greene, Carl, Michonne, Heath, and Sophia with the corpse of Glenn. (Issue 100)
 * As Rick's army approaches Negan and his Saviors, prepared for war, Negan reveals his "wildcard": Gregory, who pledges the Hilltop's allegiance to the Saviors. (Issue 115)
 * Negan and a large group of Saviors assemble at the Alexandria Safe-Zone gates, and he yells "Attack!" after releasing Holly back to Alexandria to get Rick's attention.  (Issue 119)
 * Negan is stabbed in the throat by Rick while surrounded by a large group of Saviors.  (Issue 125)
 * Magna and her group discover Negan in the Alexandria Safe-Zone jail, and he attempts to convince them of his innocence. (Issue 129)
 * Magna's group subdue Andrea and demand she tells them everything they want to know. (Issue 131)
 * Dante is held at gunpoint by one of the Whisperers. (Issue 132)

TV Series

 * Rick Grimes hears a voice over the radio moments after attempting suicide. (Days Gone Bye)
 * The doors of the CDC open seconds before the group decides to depart, and a bright light shines as the group looks on in shock. (Wildfire)
 * Carl Grimes is shot in the woods by an unknown person. (What Lies Ahead)
 * The bolt sealing a barricade shut that Otis and Shane Walsh hide behind begins to loosen as walkers pull on the barricade. (Bloodletting)
 * The Atlanta gang is left with the body of Sophia Peletier after discovering her zombified. (Pretty Much Dead Already)
 * Lori tells her husband Rick her worries about Shane, while the episode ends with the camera panning in on Rick's disgusted and angered face. (Triggerfinger)
 * Zombies hear Carl killing zombified Shane and start heading towards the sound. (Better Angels)
 * Daryl Dixon aims his crossbow at five walkers who in reality turn out to be five living inmates. (Seed)
 * Michonne stands outside the prison fence disguised as a walker as Rick looks on, puzzled. (Hounded)
 * Rick, Daryl, Michonne, and Oscar wait outside Woodbury, preparing to infiltrate and rescue Glenn Rhee and Maggie Greene. (When the Dead Come Knocking)
 * Daryl and Merle Dixon are surrounded by an angry mob chanting "Kill them!" after being asked by the Governor what they think they should do with them. (Made to Suffer)
 * Patrick dies and turns into a walker inside the prison while everyone is sleeping. (30 Days Without An Accident)
 * The bodies of David and Karen are discovered. (Infected)
 * The Governor is seen watching the prison from afar. (Internment)
 * The Governor aims a gun at Michonne and Hershel Greene. (Dead Weight)
 * Rick and Carl stumble away from the destroyed prison. The fate of the rest of the group remains unknown. (Too Far Gone)
 * The group is trapped in the train cart. (A)
 * Bob Stookey is in the Terminus residents' hands, who plan to attack Rick's group. (Strangers)
 * Daryl returns back to the church, finding Michonne, who asks where Carol Peletier is, to which Daryl responds by telling an unseen person to come out. (Four Walls and a Roof)
 * As Beth Greene approaches Steven Edwards to kill him, Carol is brought in on a stretcher. (Slabtown)
 * Bob Lamson knocks Sasha out as he runs away. (Crossed)
 * As Maggie and Sasha laugh together, Aaron appears with "good news". (Them)
 * Rick is trapped inside of an RV as a herd of walkers begin to surround him. (Thank You)
 * Morgan Jones rushes to Rick screaming for someone to open the front gates to Alexandria after departing from the holding cell containing the Wolves Leader. (Here's Not Here)

Video Game

 * Immediately after the group finds shelter at the Motor Inn, the electricity is suddenly shut off, leaving them in darkness. (A New Day)
 * After taking supplies from an abandoned car, Lee Everett and Doug/Carley watch footage from Jolene's camcorder, revealing that the bandits know where they are and might come after them now that the dairy is overrun. (Starved For Help)
 * When the train approaches Savannah, a man's voice is heard on Clementine's walkie-talkie, who tells her that he's glad she's coming and that he has her parents. (Long Road Ahead)
 * The person who kidnapped Clementine is on the walkie-talkie and says, "If I were you, I'd choose my next words very carefully." The player then chooses Lee's next words and the episode ends. (Around Every Corner)
 * Clementine looks off in the distance and spots two moving figures as the screen cuts to black. (No Time Left)
 * The trailer for "A House Divided" ends with Clementine saying "I thought you were dead!" but doesn't reveal who she is referring to. (All That Remains)
 * The episode, "A House Divided", ends with Clementine's group being captured by William Carver and taken away one by one. Their fate would not be explained until the next episode. (A House Divided)
 * The episode, "In Harm's Way", ends with Sarita getting bitten by a walker and Clementine had a chance to either cut Sarita's arm or bashing the skull of the walker. However, Sarita's fate is not revealed in this episode. (In Harm's Way)
 * The episode, "Amid The Ruins", ends with Clementine's group being surrounded by a hostile Russian group. Rebecca, whom is now a walker, is shot, triggering the Russian group to start firing. The episode ends with several gunshots being heard in the background, leaving the player clueless to who was shot. (Amid The Ruins)
 * "No Going Back" can end in multiple cliffhangers. The episode can end with: (No Going Back)


 * Clementine slowly walking with Alvin Jr. into a herd of walkers, leaving what happens next a mystery.
 * Clementine and Jane returning to Howe's Hardware and welcoming or turning away another group of survivors, either option resulting in an abrupt end.

Dead Reckoning

 * As Shane Walsh leaves to find Lori and Carl Grimes and check on Rick Grimes, an undead Don comes up from behind and lunges at Leon right when the scene ends. (Dead Reckoning)

Social Game

 * The Hero Player, Ed, Greg, and Kara quickly leave the Atlanta Highway Camp after it is overrun.
 * The Hero Player, Max, Nathan, Ed, Kara, Marla Wilkinson, and Bill leave Atlanta after it is realized that it is no longer safe. (Social Game)
 * Bill, Kara, Mauricio and his family fly off to Ossabaw Sound, leaving the Hero Player, Ed, and Max. It is then revealed that Marla had just died from her infection. (Social Game)
 * Sky reveals that he is from Woodbury and takes Harlan into custody, leaving the group to decide whether they join the town or not. (Social Game)

Novel Series
Coming