The following contains major spoilers for The Walking Dead Season 11, Episode 24, "Rest In Peace," which debuted Sunday, Nov. 20 on AMC.

The Walking Dead's series finale officially marked the end of an era. With 177 episodes over 11 seasons, the AMC series left its mark on television. But because of that longevity and the show's deadly content, the show also had plenty of character turnover and lots of story that it went through.

Season 11's final few episodes took that into account with references and Easter eggs dedicated to some of the series' best scenes and most important figures. The finale brought that to a head by making numerous callbacks to previous characters and their most well-known moments on The Walking Dead. Here are some of those looks back -- and why Gabriel's reference tops the long list.

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The Walking Dead's Walkers Smashed a Window - Like They Did in Atlanta

The Walking Dead walkes smash a window

Variant walkers have been a focus in the back third of Season 11, and they seem to be a possible hook for the upcoming Walking Dead spinoffs. That meant Season 11, Episode 24, "Rest in Peace" had to show them prominently -- and it did so when a walker smashed a hospital window while Daryl Dixon and the gang tried to help a dying Judith. That was a perfect callback to Season 1, Episode 2, "Guts," in which Judith's father Rick and the original survivors were hiding in a store in downtown Atlanta until a walker smashed the glass door with a brick.

Daryl Dixon Gave Judith Grimes Blood - Like Rick Grimes Did for Carl

Judith Grimes Shot

One of the biggest questions in the finale was whether Judith would survive. That subplot was reminiscent of when her brother Carl was shot by a hunter in Season 2, Episode 1, "What Lies Ahead," including two specific callbacks. The first one was that Daryl gave Judith some of his blood to help her survive long enough to see Doctor Tomi. That was exactly what Rick did for Carl to keep him alive in Season 2, Episode 2, "Bloodletting."

Daryl Blocked Judith's Hospital Door - Like Shane Walsh Did for Rick

TWD Shane saves Rick

While the survivors were at the hospital, walkers started to breach the building. Daryl, Carl and other characters went to fight them off -- but before he left, Daryl made sure to barricade the door with a hospital bed. That was exactly what Shane Walsh did before he left Rick's hospital room during the flashback that viewers saw in Season 1, Episode 6, "TS-19."

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Maggie Rhee Let Pamela Milton Live - Like Rick Did For Negan

the walking dead pamela finale

In The Walking Dead Season 8, Rick did the unthinkable and let the now-redeemed Negan live despite all the terrible things he'd done. That was a surprise to fans -- but even moreso to Maggie Rhee, since Negan had killed her husband. When Maggie decided to let Pamela live, it showed the growth in her character that had taken place between Seasons 8 and 11. She could see that Pamela needed to pay for her crimes. Life was worse than death for the former leader of the Commonwealth, and her survival also surprised fans who expected Pamela to be killed.

Daryl Said "We're Not the Walking Dead" - Like Rick Did in the Comics

TWD finale daryl

In the Walking Dead comics, Rick uttered the classic line "We're not the walking dead" before being killed by Sebastian Milton. With Rick out of the picture on the TV series, someone else had to say the words -- and Daryl got the honor. When Pamela tried to keep people out of her gated community, Daryl convinced her to change her mind by utilizing the infamous Rick quote.

Gabriel Let People In - Unlike He Refused To Do for His Congregation

the walking dead Gabriel finale

When Gabriel showed up in Season 5, he was a mess. During the initial zombie outbreak, he locked himself in his church and refused to let anyone else in. His actions caused the death of his whole congregation, and he's regretted it ever since. When he saw Pamela locking people out of her gated community, he decided to act. After Daryl's aforementioned speech, he was able to let people in and make good on his past mistake. That made his callback the most poignant in The Walking Dead's series finale because it wasn't just a reference -- it was a moving moment that meant something to him.

The Walking Dead's series finale, and the rest of Season 11, is available to watch on AMC+.