The Walking Dead

I read an article recently that explained some possible reasons for the show's Shocking Swerve from the comics. Spoilers abound below:

• The show may want to skip the Whisperer arc entirely, of which Carl plays a huge part

• The show may skip ahead to the current Big Bad in the comics, the Commonwealth (apparently the helicopter flying overhead when Rick was out and about was supposed to be foreshadowing for that)

• The show may kill Rick off because Andrew Lincoln has hinted that he wants to leave the show

What do you think about these possibilities?

The first two are possible, but disappointing. The third would kill off whatever remains of the fanbase.

Daryl is a draw, but he's no main character. Plus Rick's still alive in the flash-forward so they'd have to get him Put on a Bus, or kill him shortly after the flash-forward.

A producer on the low ratings.

Think he's just talking PR here?

I suppose.

The most interesting thing to me about that story is how the show has yet to be picked up for a ninth season. If season eight is bad enough to kill the show, that would be... kind of amazing. The one-time highest rated show on TV, killed by bad and stupid writing.

Wait a minute.

What the... f'ck? I thought I remembered Carl being in that flash-forward and there he is.

And he's not in a white dress so I have to assume that he's real.

He was. Presumably, that was just a daydream of Rick's, like the one that Negan mocked him for in "The Day Will Come When You Won't Be". Except that that was unambiguously a daydream sequence, whereas the "flash forward" in "Mercy" was much more ambiguous in context.

I wish we could go back to Season 4.

edited 23rd Feb '18 12:10:25 PM by Soble

A better ending to the mid-season finale would be:

• Negan killing Daryl as Daryl's poorly though out vendetta against him caught up with him in the end.

And...

• Carl surviving the walker attack, but mentions to the others that they "can talk again," as a look of confusion and horror dons on all them. This would amazingly hint at the whisperers.

edited 22nd Jan '18 10:57:31 AM by Miller0700

Angela Kang has replaced Gimple as showrunner for season nine. Source

I'm not sure if it's enough to bring back the people who don't like the show anymore. Hasn't Kang received a lot of criticism for certain episodes that she wrote?

She's done a few good episodes and a bunch of forgettable ones. But she did one of my favorite episodes, Still, the one with Beth and Daryl and their quest for some hooch.

I don't know how much the showrunner controls, or why they seem to run through them like coffee filters, but maybe she'll give this show some new life.

edited 23rd Feb '18 12:11:57 PM by Soble

Yeah.

"When mom died, she said I would beat this world ... You will."

edited 25th Feb '18 5:02:50 PM by Soble

• Negan whistle. WD back in one hour.

Episode didn't need to be nearly an hour and half long. Dragged Carl's death and everyone's final goodbyes to him for too long.

Sad thing is without Carl's death this would have been a very filler episode.

edited 25th Feb '18 7:43:35 PM by Mizerous

Henry killing Gavin disturbed me greatly. More than anything else has on this show in a long time. So, well done on that, writers.

How did the show fall this far? It used to be great, but now it just sucks.

Overall while the Carl segments did grab at me, especially the farm, prison, and woodbury getting mentions (of course), this episode was a lot longer than it needed to be.

(2)

Morgan ripping out that guy's intestines is what got me. I actually froze when that happened.

I'd say the big problem this season is that they keep experimenting with perspectives and jumping around with flashforwards.

This episode was a mess. One moment we're looking at Rick having a mental breakdown, and the next we're seeing "Future Alexandria," and then we're back in the present with Rick and Michonne, and then we're following Morgan and Carol at Hilltop. It's sloppy, it's hard to follow, and I think whoever came up with it wants the show to be like LOST but doesn't understand what made the cutaways in that show engaging. ^note Compared to the first two seasons when you saw Shane giving Lori the bad news, or blocking Rick's hospital room, or leaving Otis for dead - these flashbacks are random, repetitive and annoying. They'd have done better to not reveal the entirety of the flash-forward. Just showing Rick in the bed and not making his, or any other Alexandrians' fate clear would have been much better. Maybe they're overcompensating since so many people reacted negatively to Negan's victim being hidden between seasons.

If they'd actually focused on Rick's reaction and kept the camera on him, Michonne, and Carl, the heart-breaking aspects of this episode would have been stronger. Instead I'm caught between Rick being sad, and Morgan being crazy, and then Rick being happy. Instead of a consistent, depressing episode dealing with the death of a major character, I'm getting 3-4 different perspectives from different points in time. So frustrating.

Also, while I think the future Alexandria being Carl's vision was a clever Authors Saving Throw, Negan being there just... ugh... this story is veering hard from the comic. Negan is still alive, but under very different circumstances. They set up Negan being imprisoned with Morgan building the jail in Season 6 and I get the feeling they're wasting it. Especially with Morgan being The Terminator this season.

edited 26th Feb '18 4:16:42 AM by Soble

Actually, I read Dwight was based on Daryl.

Robert Kirkman wanting to add a Daryl like character to the comics. For me, Negan's arc in the show almost killed my love of the series because he's not only a character who they badly handled but they basically ruined his transition in the show as well. The Negan in the show is comically evil and there's no understanding how he can get anyone to follow him. The one in the comics is a lot closer to Rick in the context that he's a guy who has a system which works and does protect against Walkers. The show's best moments were the conflict with the Governor who was a LOT more like Negan than he was the comic book Governor (or may have been the inspiration for comic book Negan). A charismatic and effective but dangrous guy.

The problem with show Negan's plot is they've killed about 100+ Saviors and I can't think, "is that a good thing? Are we rooting for the murder of more humans?"

Rick: "They refused to surrender, and we need to end them and Negan! But my mercy will prevail over my wrath...somehow..."

I've never thought Dwight might be based off of Daryl. That's interesting if true.

But I have to savagely disagree with the rest. I like Negan more than anyone else this season. There was actual build-up to him showing up and a lot more exploration into who the Saviors are.

Show!Governor only resembled Negan in that he was charismatic. And they kind of botched that one because The Governor from the comic was charismatic for five seconds, and then he c off Rick's hand and raped Michonne.

It's funny you mention cheering for the murder of human beings. Most in my social circle who still watch the show complain about how they keep trying to spare the Saviors instead of just straight-up killing them.

edited 28th Feb '18 7:46:14 PM by Soble

So I'm just now looking back into this show. They had the balls to kill off Carl, wow.

Pretty sure it's because the actor was ready for the next stage in his career.

I hate to say it but every interview with Carl's actor was, "What the fuck, man?"

elaborate?