History WhamEpisode / TheWalkingDead

* Issue 83: [[spoiler:Morgan]] passes on due to infection or blood loss and is put down. On a botched escape attempt [[spoiler: both Jessie and Ron]] get devoured by zombies right in front of Rick, who has to sever the victim's hand to prevent Carl from being eaten as well. Finally, as Rick and Carl make a run for it they encounter Douglas Monroe [[spoiler:in the process of committing suicide by walking straight into the mob of zombies, who proceeds to accidentally shoot Carl in the eye with a stray bullet before he gets ripped apart.]]

* Issue 167: [[spoiler:Andrea's bite was truly from a walker, and she dies by Rick's side]]. [[UpToEleven Enough said.]]

''ComicBook/TheWalkingDead'' makes effective use of AnyoneCanDie, meaning {{Wham Episode}}s, {{Wham Line}}s and {{Wham Shot}}s are frequent. Click [[WhamEpisode/TheWalkingDeadTVShow here]] for the TV series.

Every adaption of ''Franchise/TheWalkingDead'' is filled with shocking moments that often change the story entirely. See the subpages below for details.

[[index]]
* [[WhamEpisode/TheWalkingDeadComic The original comic series.]]
* [[WhamEpisode/TheWalkingDeadTVShow The live-action television adaptation.]]
[[/index]]

* [[WhamEpisode/TheWalkingDeadTVShow The live-action television adaption.]]

Due to the AnyoneCanDie nature of the series and its penchant for shocking twists, ''Series/TheWalkingDead'' LiveActionAdaptation often has episodes that are game-changing:

* Season 1:
** "Vatos": After an entire episode of generally filler content (that also comes off as darkly humorous), the camp is attacked by a large horde of walkers, resulting in many casualties. Although Rick, Daryl, Glenn and T-Dog make it back in time to take out the rest of the horde, the abusive Ed and Andrea's sister Amy both die in the attack, while Jim is bit in the process.
* Season 2:
** "Pretty Much Dead Already": The walkers in Hershel's barn are discovered by the group, and Shane rebels against Hershel's rules by opening the barn and letting the group massacre the walkers. Soon after, it's revealed that Sophia was locked in the barn when turned into a walker, and is put down by Rick for good.
** "Judge, Jury, and Executioner": After Dale breaks down due to the group becoming uncivilized enough to execute Randall, he proceeds to get attacked by a walker. Even more surprising due to the fact it's the same walker Carl tried to shoot in the swamp, but ended up freeing it instead.
** "Better Angels": Shane completely loses it, kills Randall, and tries to kill Rick, who kills him in self-defense. Then he comes back as a walker and Carl has to shoot him. The noise of the gunshot attracts a horde of walkers, which approaches the farm. It's also revealed that a person doesn't have to be bit or scratched to turn into a walker.
** "Beside The Dying Fire": The farm gets attacked by a horde, and all hell breaks loose. Jimmy dies saving Rick and Carl, Patricia dies while trying to run and everyone is forced to flee in separate directions, while leaving Andrea (who was presumed dead) behind. Andrea kills a ton of walkers before being saved at the last second by a mysterious hooded stranger (fan-favorite Michonne from the comic series), Glenn finally admits he loves Maggie, Rick reveals the truth about Jenner's whisper - that everyone is a carrier of the zombie virus and will reanimate after dying - and Shane's death to the group, and it finally ends with a reveal of the prison.
* Season 3:
** "Killer Within": Andrew (the convict Rick left locked outside as a horde closed in on him) activates the prison's generator/alarm system, drawing in walkers from all around the area. The group is separated. Oscar shoots Andrew to save Rick. T-Dog gets bit by a walker, then goes out in a HeroicSacrifice to give Carol a chance to escape. Lori requires an emergency c-section (from Maggie), and ''[[DeathByChildbirth dies as a result of the procedure]]''. Carl then shoots his mother to prevent her from coming back as a walker.
** "This Sorrowful Life": Glenn ends up asking Hershel for his daughter's hand in marriage, Merle takes the fight to the Governor and his men after bailing on the plan to turn Michonne over to the latter, and Daryl discovers that his brother was executed and has turned, leading to him having to put Merle down for good.
** "Welcome To The Tombs": Milton is gutshot by the Governor and left to bleed out and reanimate in the room where Andrea is tied to a chair. The Governor and his ragtag army stage an assault on the prison, only to fall into a trap by Rick's group that sets a horde of walkers on the soldiers. The fleeing Woodbury army is massacred by a furious Governor, and he leaves with Martinez and Shumpert. Milton turns and bites Andrea just as she frees herself and shoots him. Rick, Michonne, Daryl and Tyreese discover the wounded Andrea, who shoots herself so she won't turn. The surviving Woodbury residents are loaded in a bus and join the prison group.
* Season 4:
** "Too Far Gone": The Governor, with his new army (and a tank!), takes Michonne and Hershel hostage in order to force the prison inhabitants to leave. Rick refuses, prompting The Governor to behead Hershel with Michonne's katana, which results in a full-scale battle between the two groups. The prison falls, various lives are lost, The Governor is finally killed (at Lilly's hands), Judith vanishes and is presumed dead, and the group is forced to scatter and separate. The last shot is the devastated and broken Rick and Carl walking away from the burning, walker-overrun prison to an uncertain future.
** "The Grove": After displaying worrying behavior and signs of mental instability all season, [[CreepyChild Lizzie]] snaps completely and murders her sister to prove that walkers are no different than people, holding Carol and Tyreese and gunpoint so they won't prevent her from turning. Even more horrifyingly, she says that she was planning to do the same to Judith before the adults arrived. After talking Lizzie into putting down her weapon, Carol and Tyreese discuss her behavior and it's revealed that she was responsible for feeding rats to the walkers in the first half of the season, thus causing the mass gathering of walkers that nearly infested the prison, and a heartbroken Carol ultimately executes Lizzie after they decide that she is too dangerous to be around people. The episode ends with Carol confessing to the murder of Karen and telling Tyreese to do whatever he feels he has to; he [[ForgivenButNotForgotten forgives her, but says that he won't forget]], and the two continue to head to Terminus with Judith in tow after burying the girls in the eponymous grove.
** "A": The Marauders finally catch up to Rick's group and among other things, attempt to [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil rape]] [[WouldHurtAChild Carl]], causing Rick to go into full-on PapaWolf mode and reach new levels of brutality, ripping a man's throat out with his teeth and viciously gutting Carl's would-be rapist. In the aftermath of the battle, Daryl is reunited with Rick, Carl, and Michonne for the first time since the midseason finale, and the four head for Terminus. On their arrival, things quickly become insane when Rick sees several Terminus residents with personal items belonging to the prison group, and the heroes are corralled by sniper fire through an increasingly creepy maze of warehouses and alleyways until they are eventually surrounded and forced to surrender their weapons. From there, they are herded into a train car where they discover Glenn and Maggie's group already being held captive, and a newly-confident Rick embraces his brutality by issuing a call to arms in the form of a truly BadassBoast as the final words of the episode. The season ends on a genuine cliffhanger for the first time in the series' run, with most of the main cast held prisoner in a seemingly hopeless situation - what's more, it's also heavily implied that the residents of Terminus are a variation on the cannibals from the comic continuity.
* Season 5:
** "Self-Help": Eugene is not really a scientist and does not know how to stop the outbreak, but still believes Washington is the best place to be. Abraham punches and severely injures Eugene after the latter boasts that he is still smarter than the rest of the group. It is then revealed that following the death of his wife and children, Abraham was seconds away from killing himself... before Eugene showed up with a "special mission." As Eugene's survival was the only thing keeping Abraham going, he relapses into severe HeroicBSOD.
** "Coda": Rick successfully trades two of Dawn's officers for Beth and Carol, but just as they turn to leave, Dawn asks for Noah back, since her replacement ward, Beth, is leaving. As Beth says farewell to Noah, Dawn smugly tells Noah, "I know you would be back", which sets Beth off and causes her to stab Dawn with a pair of hidden scissors; in response, Dawn shoots Beth in the head. Whether it was an accident or not, a heartbroken Daryl executes Dawn in the same manner. The hospital residents do nothing to mourn Dawn; Rick even offers them a chance to join their group, with the only taker being Noah. Maggie, having been told Beth was alive (after previously assuming she died at the prison), breaks down when Daryl emerges from the hospital carrying her sister's lifeless body.
** "What's Happened And What's Going On" - Tyreese is bitten by a walker and dies of his wounds by the end of the episode, plunging the group into their DarkestHour as they mourn both Beth and Tyreese.
** "Spend": Both Noah and Aiden are EatenAlive, and it seems likely things will go downhill ''fast'' for Rick's group in Alexandria once Monroe finds her son is dead and Rick decides to do something drastic about Jessie's husband's domestic abuse.
** "Conquer": Deanna arranges a meeting to discuss the incident with Rick. Daryl and Aaron go searching for supplies, falling into one of the Wolves' traps. Just as they prepare to fight off the horde, Morgan shows up and rescues them. Nicholas attempts to murder Glenn, whilst Gabriel leaves the gate open, allowing walkers to stumble into Alexandria. Rick fights them off, dumping one of the corpses in the middle of Deanna's meeting. He lectures the group on how they need to change in order to survive, just as an irate and possibly drunk Pete stumbles in with Michonne's katana. Reg tries to prevent a fight from breaking out, but Pete shoves him away, accidentally slitting his throat. Abraham detains Pete, whilst Deanna weeps over her husband's body, finally giving in and ordering Rick to shoot him. Just as he delivers the killing blow, Morgan shows up, staring in shock as he witnesses Rick murder a man in cold blood.

** "Conquer": Deanna arranges a meeting to discuss the incident with Rick. Daryl and Aaron go searching for supplies, falling into one of the Wolves' traps. Just as they prepare to fight off the horde, Morgan shows and rescues them. Nicholas attempts to murder Glenn, whilst Gabriel leaves the gate open, allowing walkers to stumble into Alexandria. Rick fights them off, dumping one of the corpses in the middle of Deanna's meeting. He lectures the group on how they need to change in order to survive, just as an irate and possibly drunk Pete stumbles in with Michonne's katana. Reg tries to prevent a fight from breaking out, but Pete shoves him away, accidentally slitting his throat. Abraham detains Pete, whilst Deanna weeps over her husband's body, finally giving in and ordering Rick to shoot him. Just as he delivers the killing blow, Morgan shows up, staring in shock as he witnesses Rick murder a man in cold blood.

** "Spend": Both Noah and Aiden are EatenAlive, and it seems likely things will go downhill ''fast'' for Rick's group in Alexandria once Monroe finds her son is dead and Rick decides to do something drastic about Jessie's husband's domestic abuse.

** "What's Happened And What's Going On" - Tyreese is bitten by a walker and dies of his wounds by the end of the episode, plunging the group into their DarkestHour as they mourn both Beth and Tyreese.

** "Coda": Rick successfully trades two of Dawn's officers for Beth and Carol, but just as they turn to leave, Dawn asks for Noah back, since her replacement ward, Beth, is leaving. As Beth says farewell to Noah, Dawn smugly tells Noah, "I know you would be back", which sets Beth off and causes her to stab Dawn with a pair of hidden scissors; in response, Dawn shoots Beth in the head. Whether it was an accident or not, a heartbroken Daryl executes Dawn in the same manner. The hospital residents do nothing to mourn Dawn; Rick even offers them a chance to join their group, with the only taker being Noah. Maggie, having been told Beth was alive (after previously assuming she died at the prison), breaks down when Daryl emerges from the hospital carrying her sister's lifeless body.

** "Beside The Dying Fire": The farm gets attacked by a horde, and all hell breaks loose. Jimmy dies saving Rick and Carl, Patricia dies while trying to run and everyone is forced to flee in separate directions, while leaving Andrea (who was presumed dead) behind. Andrea kills a ton of walkers before being saved at the last second by a mysterious hooded stranger (fan-favorite Michonne from the comic series), Glenn finally admits he loves Maggie, Rick reveals the truth about Jenner's whisper and Shane's death to the group, and it finally ends with a reveal of the prison.

** "Welcome To The Tombs": Milton is gutshot by the Governor and left to bleed out and turn in the room where Andrea is tied to a chair. The Governor and his ragtag army stage an assault on the prison, only to fall into a trap by Rick's group that sets a horde of walkers on the soldiers. The fleeing Woodbury army is massacred by a furious Governor, and he leaves with Martinez and Shumpert. Milton turns and bites Andrea just as she frees herself and shoots him. Rick, Michonne, Daryl and Tyreese discover the wounded Andrea, who shoots herself so she doesn't turn. The surviving Woodbury residents are loaded in a bus and join the prison group.

** "The Grove": After displaying worrying behavior and signs of mental instability all season, [[CreepyChild Lizzie]] snaps completely and murders her sister to prove that walkers are no different than people, holding Carol and Tyreese and gunpoint so they won't prevent her from turning. Even more horrifyingly, she says that she was planning to do the same to Judith before the adults arrived. After talking Lizzie into putting down her weapon, Carol and Tyreese discuss her behavior and it's revealed that she was responsible for feeding rats to the walkers in the first half of the season, and a heartbroken Carol ultimately executes Lizzie after they decide that she is too dangerous to be around people. The episode ends with Carol confessing to the murder of Karen and telling Tyreese to do whatever he feels he has to; he [[ForgivenButNotForgotten forgives her, but says that he won't forget]], and the two continue to head to Terminus with Judith in tow after burying the girls in the eponymous grove.
** "A": The Marauders finally catch up to Rick's group and among other things, attempt to [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil rape]] [[WouldHurtAChild Carl]], causing Rick to go into full-on PapaWolf mode and reach new levels of brutality, ripping a man's throat out with his teeth and viciously gutting Carl's would-be rapist. In the aftermath of the battle, Daryl is reunited with Rick, Carl and Michonne for the first time since the midseason finale, and the four head for Terminus. On their arrival, things quickly become insane when Rick sees several Terminus residents with personal items belonging to the prison group, and the heroes are corralled by sniper fire through an increasingly creepy maze of warehouses and alleyways until they are eventually surrounded and forced to surrender their weapons. From there, they are herded into a train car where they discover Glenn and Maggie's group already being held captive, and a newly-confident Rick embraces his brutality by issuing a call to arms in the form of a truly BadassBoast as the final words of the episode. The season ends on a genuine cliffhanger for the first time in the series' run, with most of the main cast held prisoner in a seemingly hopeless situation - what's more, it's also heavily implied that the residents of Terminus are a variation on the cannibals from the comic continuity.

** "Coda": Rick successfully trades two of Dawn's officers for Beth and Carol, but just as they turn to leave, Dawn asks for Noah back, since her replacement ward, Beth, is leaving. As Beth says farewell to Noah, Dawn smugly tells Noah, "I know you would be back", which sets Beth off and causes her to stab Dawn with a pair of hidden scissors; in response, Dawn shoots Beth in the head. Whether it was an accident or not, a heartbroken Daryl executes Dawn in the same manner. The hospital residents do nothing to mourn Dawn; Rick even offers them to join his group if they wish. The only taker is Noah, who follows the group outside, where the others from the church arrive. Maggie, having been told Beth was alive (after previously assuming she died at the prison), breaks down after Daryl emerges from the hospital carrying her sister's lifeless body.

** "Self-Help": Eugene is not really a scientist and does not know how to stop the outbreak, but still believes Washington is the best place to be. Abraham punches and severely injures Eugene after the latter boasts that he is still smarter than the rest of the group. As Eugene's "mission" was the only thing keeping Abraham going, he relapses into severe HeroicBSOD.

** "Coda": Rick successfully trades two of Dawn's officers for Beth and Carol, but just as they turn to leave, Dawn asks for Noah back, since her replacement ward, Beth, is leaving. As Beth says farewell to Noah, Dawn smugly says, "I know you would be back" to him, which sets Beth off and causes her to stab Dawn with a pair of hidden scissors; in response, Dawn shoots Beth in the head. Whether it was an accident or not, a heartbroken Daryl executes Dawn in the same manner. The hospital residents do nothing to mourn Dawn; Rick even offers them to join his group if they wish. The only taker is Noah, who follows the group outside, where the others from the church have arrived. Maggie, having been told Beth was alive (after previously assuming she died at the prison), breaks down after Daryl emerges from the hospital carrying her sister's lifeless body.

** "Coda": Rick successfully trades two of Dawn's officers for Beth and Carol, but just as they turn to leave, she asks for Noah back, since her replacement ward, Beth, is leaving. As Beth says farewell to Noah, Dawn smugly says, "I know you would be back" to him, which sets Beth off and causes her to stab Dawn with a pair of hidden scissors; in response, Dawn shoots Beth in the head. Whether it was an accident or not, a heartbroken Daryl executes Dawn in the same manner. The hospital residents do nothing to mourn Dawn; Rick even offers them to join his group if they wish. The only taker is Noah, who follows the group outside, where the others from the church have arrived. Maggie, having been told Beth was alive (after previously assuming she died at the prison), breaks down after Daryl emerges from the hospital carrying her sister's lifeless body.

** "Coda": Rick successfully trades Beth and Carol for two of Dawn's officers, but just as they turn to leave, she asks for Noah back, since her replacement ward, Beth, is leaving. As Beth says farewell to Noah, Dawn smugly says, "I know you would be back" to him, which sets Beth off and causes her to stab Dawn with a pair of hidden scissors; in response, Dawn shoots Beth in the head. Whether it was an accident or not, a heartbroken Daryl executes Dawn in the same manner. The hospital residents do nothing to mourn Dawn; Rick even offers them to join his group if they wish. The only taker is Noah, who follows the group outside, where the others from the church have arrived. Maggie, having been told Beth was alive (after previously assuming she died at the prison), breaks down after Daryl emerges from the hospital carrying her sister's lifeless body.

** "Self-Help":
** "Coda":

** "A": The Marauders finally catch up to Rick's group and among other things, attempt to [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil rape]] [[WouldHurtAChild Carl]], causing Rick to go into full-on PapaWolf mode and reach new levels of brutality, ripping a man's throat out with his teeth and viciously gutting Carl's would-be rapist. In the aftermath of the battle, Daryl is reunited with Rick, Carl and Michonne for the first time since the midseason finale, and the four head for Terminus. On their arrival, things quickly become insane when Rick sees several Terminus residents with personal items belonging to the prison group, and the heroes are corralled by sniper fire through an increasingly creepy maze of warehouses and alleyways until they are eventually surrounded and forced to surrender their weapons. From there, they are herded into a train car where they discover Glenn and Maggie's group already being held captive, and a newly-confident Rick embraces his brutality by issuing a call to arms in the form of a truly BadassBoast as the final words of the episode. The season ends on a genuine cliffhanger for the first time in the series' run, with most of the main cast held prisoner in a seemingly hopeless situation - what's more, it's also heavily implied that the residents of Terminus are a variation on the cannibals from the comic continuity.

** "A": The Marauders finally catch up to Rick's group and among other things, attempt to [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil rape]] [[WouldHurtAChild Carl]], causing Rick to go into full-on PapaWolf mode and reach new levels of brutality, ripping a man's throat out with his teeth and viciously gutting Carl's would-be rapist. In the aftermath of the battle, Daryl is reunited with Rick, Carl and Michonne for the first time since the midseason finale, and the four head for Terminus. On their arrival, things quickly become insane when Rick sees several Terminus residents with personal items belonging to the prison group, and the heroes are corralled by sniper fire through an increasingly creepy maze of warehouses and alleyways until they are eventually surrounded and forced to surrender their weapons. From there, they are herded into a train car where they discover Glenn and Maggie's group already being held captive, and a newly-confident Rick embraces his brutality by issuing a call to arms in the form of a truly BadassBoast as the final words of the episode. The season ends on a genuine cliffhanger for the first time in the series' run, with most of the main cast held prisoner in a seemingly hopeless situation - what's more, it's also heavily implied that the residents of Terminus are a variation on the cannibals from the comic continuity.
* Season 5:
** "Coda": This episode is almost guaranteed to be one.

** "A": The Marauders finally catch up to Rick's group and among other things, attempt to [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil rape]] [[WouldHurtAChild Carl]], causing Rick to go into full-on PapaWolf mode and reach new levels of brutality, ripping a man's throat out with his teeth and viciously gutting Carl's would-be rapist. In the aftermath of the battle, Daryl is reunited with Rick, Carl and Michonne for the first time since the midseason finale, and the four head for Terminus. On their arrival, things quickly become insane when Rick sees several Terminus residents with personal items belonging to the prison group, and the heroes are corralled by sniper fire through an increasingly creepy maze of warehouses and alleyways until they are eventually surrounded and forced to surrender their weapons. From there, they are herded into a train car where they discover Glenn and Maggie's group already being held captive, and a newly-confident Rick embraces his brutality by issuing a call to arms in the form of a truly BadassBoast as the final words of the episode. The season ends on a genuine cliffhanger for the first time in the series' run, with most of the main cast held prisoner in a seemingly hopeless situation - what's more, it's also heavily implied that the residents of Terminus are a variation on the cannibals from the comic continuity.

** "Pretty Much Dead Already": The walkers in Hershel's barn are discovered by the group, and Shane rebels against Hershel's rules by opening the barn and letting the group massacre the walkers. Soon after, it's revealed that Sophia was locked in the barn when turned into a walker, and is put down by Shane for good.

** "Pretty Much Dead Already": The walkers in Hershel's barn are discovered by the group, and Shane rebels against Hershel's rules by opening the barn and letting the group massacre the walkers. Soon after, it's revealed that Sophia was locked in the barn when turned into a walker, and is put down by Rick for good.

** "Too Far Gone": The Governor, with his new army (and a tank!), takes Michonne and Hershel hostage in order to force the prison inhabitants to leave. Rick refuses, prompting The Governor to behead Hershel with Michonne's katana, which results in a full-scale battle between the two groups. The prison falls, various lives are lost, The Governor is finally killed (at Lilly's hands), Judith vanishes and is presumed dead, and the group is forced to scatter and separate. The last shot is the devastated and broken Rick and Carl walking away from the burning, walker-overrun prison to an uncertain future.

Due to the AnyoneCanDie nature of the series and its penchant for shocking twists, the ''Series/TheWalkingDead'' LiveActionAdaptation often has episodes that are game-changing:

Due to the AnyoneCanDie nature of the series and its penchant for shocking twists, ''Series/TheWalkingDead'' often has episodes that are game-changing: