Even after the world has ended and is being run by the undead, idiocy will still exist, often with lethal consequences.
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Season 1
- At the start of the outbreak, Morgan would lose his wife to a walker bite, and his wife would end up turning and stay near the house. After joining Rick at the police station, he decides to take a gun and put down his wife.
You'd Expect: That Morgan do it. Any walker is a danger, and sure, it'll hurt that he's killing his wife, but if it'll keep himself and his son, Duane safe, so be it.
Instead: Morgan tries to his credit, but in the end, he lets her go.
As A Result: Duane ends up getting bitten by his undead wife, and ends up turning as well. This also leads to Morgan's psyche nearly crumbling entirely, and it takes Rick to draw him back to reality.
Season 2
- The first episode of Season 2 features the group hiding amongst a big car pile-up as a large horde of zombies walks by. Sophia is discovered and flees to the woods, chased by two eerily quick walkers, and Rick gives chase to help her. Catching up to her, he finds a safe hiding spot for her to stay in while he handles the zombies.
You'd Expect: That Rick tell Sophia to stay safely hidden while he handles the walkers and he comes back for her.
You'd Also Expect: That he try to kill the zombies right where he was. Or run back towards the road where the group could safely dispose of them now that the horde had passed by. Really, a number of options were available.
Instead: Rick points in some direction and tells Sophia to run back to the group while he drives the zombies away to kill them. While he's off killing the zombies, Sophia follows his instructions. This results in her getting lost, dying and being zombified offscreen, all because Rick couldn't be bothered to think straight for two seconds. - In "Chupacabra", Daryl Dixon comes stumbling out of the forest badly injured and limping after his unsuccessful attempt to find Sophia. Andrea notices something in the distance and alerts Rick and the rest of the group, and Rick tells her to wait while he deals with what he thinks is a walker. Andrea is itching to prove herself with a gun, however, and takes aim at the walker in the distance (over Dale's calls to put her weapon down).
You'd Expect: That she would do what everyone's already told her. Andrea has no proficiency with a rifle, there's sunlight glaring down the scope, she can't see her target clearly, and there are already four men who are standing directly in front of her target (therefore putting them in danger if she misses) and aren't doing anything to put it down.
Instead: She takes the shot anyway, almost kills Daryl (she grazes him in the side of the head) and gets yelled at by Rick from a distance.
Season 3
- In Season 3, Andrea had just been informed by Carol that the others were still alive, and the Governor was planning on killing them all. Andrea, who had just become the Governor's lover, is given the chance to kill him in the night while he sleeps.
You'd Expect: That Andrea do what Carol asked and kill him.
Instead: Andrea doesn't do that, instead letting him live.
As A Result: When Andrea eventually turns on the Governor, The Governor is able to track her down and capture her, leading her to her death.
Season 4
- In Season 4, Bob, a recovering alcoholic, is on a supply run with Tyreese, Sasha, Daryl, Zach, and Michonne.
You'd Expect: That Bob stay far away from the alcohol section as possible, or at the very least stay with someone else so he doesn't get tempted.
Instead: He ends up going there, and after taking a bottle and deciding against it and putting it back, the shelf collapses.
As A Result: This attracts the walkers above the store, and while trying to free Bob, Zach is killed in the process. - Later on in Season 4, Carol had taken note that Lizzie had been acting strange and was almost playing with the walkers.
You'd Expect: That Carol quickly talk to Lizzie about this and try to dissuade her from these tendencies.
Instead: Carol doesn't do anything about it, as she sees Lizzie as a daughter figure.
As A Result: After several instances of Lizzie having a violent streak, Lizzie ends up killing her own sister in an attempt to make her turn, forcing Carol to realize that Lizzie is too far gone, and ends up killing her.
Season 5
- During Season 5, Rick and the gang are about to trade some of the Grady Memorial cops they captured in exchange for Beth and Carol. Before leaving however, Dawn says that Noah stays with them.
You'd Expect: That Rick and his gang leave Noah with them. Sure, Noah doesn't want to go back with them, but they have everyone, and Noah was injured.
Instead: Beth decides to abruptly stab Dawn with some scissors she hid in her cast.
As A Result: Dawn, in complete shock, accidentally shoots Beth in the head. As she's trying to protest that it was an accident, Daryl shoots her dead. - Late in Season 5, the group has found the town of Alexandria and is getting acclimated to their new surroundings. Aiden, the man in charge of scouting runs for the town, is asked to take several of Rick's group out and "show them the ropes", not knowing what Rick and the others have fought over the last two years.
You'd Expect: That since he doesn't know these people too well (and got a member of his last scouting group killed for being reckless), he'd talk to the group and find out who among them has scouting skills, tell them about the dangers of the job and (if they have experience) defer to their authority.
Instead: Aiden starts by bragging about his military training, then elects to bring Noah (a new member of Rick's group who can't run) as part of the scouting party. He then reveals to Glenn, Tara and Noah that he's strung up a walker for target practice and nearly gets killed (when the walker escapes) before they intervene and rescue him. Then, Laser-Guided Karma hits hard when he attempts to insult Glenn and gets socked in the face and reprimanded by his mother (the woman in charge of Alexandria), who even thanks Rick for getting his group to beat up her son. Eventually, Aiden gets himself killed when a scouting run predictably goes wrong and a better adapted survivor replaces him. It's a wonder the Alexandria residents were surviving before Rick and the others came along. - Later on, in Season 5, Glenn, Noah, and Nicholas are all trapped by walkers in a revolving door. Eugene had already led some of the walkers in front of the revolving door away, giving the rest of them an opening to escape, and Glenn comes up with the idea to break the side of the glass that has no walkers so they can escape.
You'd Expect: That Nicholas help out breaking the side so the rest of them can escape. It's really the only option, as trying to push against the doors would give the walkers behind them more of a chance to grab them.
Instead: Nicholas pushes against the door to escape.
Inevitably: Nicholas pushing against the door gives the walkers enough of an opportunity to grab Noah and drag him through the opening made, and kill him right in front of Glenn. When Glenn manages to escape, he's downright furious at Nicholas and nearly kills him. - After a walk around the community Gabriel comes back, and Spencer asks him if he can close the gate.
You'd Expect: That Gabriel actually do what Spencer asks and close the gate.
Instead: He makes an extremely half-hearted attempt at it, and it doesn't close entirely.
Inevitably: Walkers end up getting inside as there's no guards keeping watch. Thankfully, no one is killed, and this act of stupidity from Gabriel actually is what allows Rick to gain more respect in Alexandria.
Season 6
- When Rick and Alexandria come across Hilltop, they find out that it's being harassed by a group known as the Saviors, with the leader being known as Negan. They come up with a deal that if Rick and the gang take care of Negan, then they will enter a partnership of sorts with Hilltop.
You'd Expect: That anyone at Hilltop fill Rick and the gang in on what they're dealing with. The Saviors is a massive group, all of them calling themselves Negan and making it difficult to discern whoever hasn't heard of Negan to know who the true Negan even is.
You'd Also Expect: That Rick and the others do some recon on the Saviors and see just how big their number is.
Instead: Not a single member of Hilltop gives Rick and the gang any real means as to how large the Saviors actually are, and Rick and the gang automatically assume that a satellite base is their main base of operations.
As A Result: The base they attack winds up being merely an outpost, and multiple saviors end up ambushing Rick and the others while trying to get Maggie to the Hilltop. Once they're all herded up, Negan finally reveals his face, brutally murders both Abraham and Glenn, and breaks Rick by nearly getting him to cut off Carl's arm.
Season 7
- In Season 7, Negan had just murdered Abraham, and was mocking the group as they started to grieve over his sudden and brutal death.
You'd Expect: That everyone just grieve. Yes, what Negan is doing is horrible, but Negan and his saviors still heavily outnumber the group, and the only reason Negan killed Abraham was to make a point and break their spirits. Doing anything rash might make Negan do even more. Plus, Negan had promised that any acting out would make him kill even more people.
Instead: Daryl, enraged at Negan's mocking, attacks Negan.
As A Result: This only pisses off Negan, and he makes good on his threat to kill more by brutally bludgeoning Glenn to death.
