The Walking Dead Mid-Season Review

Hello friends and fans of TWD. My oh my what a season so far, just not for the reasons we were excited about. Heading into All Out War there were subplots from the comic I was intrigued to watch unfold. Ezekiel's fall into shame after losing his warriors and Shiva. Eugene's tireless effort to make ammo for the good guys. The behind enemy lines activities of Dwight. What did we get? Well, we did get Ezekiel's fall, which is well done. However, Eugene being with the Saviors I guess is a long term thing now. Dwight has done a couple of dubious things to help out Rick and the gang. To me this season has been very uneven from the start. Bad writing, music, and lighting aside, the show runners did take a risk in the mid-season finale that at least comes close to what I've been wanting from the show. To show viewers that no character is ever truly safe from being served up to the Walkers. HEAVY SPOILERS AHEAD-----YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED If you had told me before the season started that an original season charcter was going to die, or at least bit by a Walker that will lead to their death, Carl Grimes would've been last on the list. I'm being serious as a heart attack when I say this. Robert Kirkman's plot points in the comic hint at Carl being a leader in the future of the book. I'd put Judith at greater risk of being Walker dinner before Coral. So why did the writers bite Carl in the ribs to take him out? Let us count the possible reasons then talk about the future of the show. As always, I assume you have watched or you wouldn't be reading this so enter at your own risk. Chandler Riggs Is Ready To Start His Life This would be the most obvious answer. Chandler has been with the show over half his life. From the first time he showed up as a little kid running up to his Dad I felt this was the most teflon character in the apocalypse. For Hershel's sake he gets shot in season 2, has to kill his mom in season 4, loses an eye in season 6, and personally invades the bad guys compound by himself in season 7. He may as well have been Neo in the Matrix. Rick suffers losses from time to time yet comes out ok in the end. Carl gets beat down every other season to the point he'd need therapy every day for the rest of life. However, kids grow up fast. I've seen it with my own offspring. One day you're changing their diapers, the next they're giving you a speech on the early American colonies. For the comic Carl has stayed young throughout it all, only now coming into his own as a middle teens man. For Chandler this isn't the case. Life goes on. If this is the reason for Carl getting nipped in the ribs I give him kudos for wanting to move on with his life. However..... The Writers Wanted Shock Value I wrote earlier this season that one of the major problems with the show that is hard to get around is the amount of characters. So many plot lines, so little time. Looking at each other in the writing room to plan out season 8 had to be difficult. Do you appease the fans with a straight forward story or throw curveballs? Killing off a major charcter is the easiest way for viewers to stay engaged with the show, but which one has the most impact? I would argue they need to off even more for the show to remain relevant. Carol and Morgan are long gone in the book. Tara, Daryl, the Junkyard gang, and the Oceansiders don't even exist. A cull of charcters may still be upon us in the second half of the season. The show runners may have simply pointed out that going forward without Carl may be the straw that breaks Rick's back. To truly push him over the edge. If this is the case then bravo to their boldness. Appeasing Kirkman's Ideas Hear me out on this one. Kirkman has stated on multiple occasions he wanted to do different things in the comics. He wished he hadn't killed off Shane so quickly and changed Abraham's death are just two he has spoken about. Maybe killing off Carl was another? For avid readers like myself Carl has reached a point in the comic that mirrors his story on the show. Simply put it is getting stale. When you don't have much character growth to show you get bored, angry even. Case in point, Roush and T.J. anytime Sam comes on screen in Game of Thrones. It is the same with Carl for myself and Josh Juckett @banterjosh. Chandler was fine as a kid actor yet he didn't age well. The long hair looks goofy. He has the acting chops of a vanilla wafer. Good luck to him in the future with whatever he decides to do I just hope it is as a director, producer, or even a key grip. For those of us who are sticking with the show through thick and thin this has been a rough season. It has shown quite a bit more action which I can appreciate. The episodes have seemed as slow as previous seasons. The problem has been the smallest errors are being pushed to the forefront. Dialogue has been Star Wars prequels dry. Editing has been choppy. The close up shots of characters with moody music playing is groan worthy. I just hope they can find solid ground in the second half of the season. Maybe Carl's death will have a major impact on the story lines. Negan himself should even be bummed out by this development. The show has never been perfect, although season 1 was pretty close. My hope for the future is they can unjump the shark. If not then Season 9 could be the swan song for the survivors of the Walker apocalypse. Until we reconvene in late Febuary I hope you have a Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year. Ta ta