The Walking Dead mid-season 8 finale made a bold move with a main character, and now the show will never be the same again.
It’s the morning after another mid-season finale of The Walking Dead, which means the fandom is trying to carry on with a heavy heart today. AMC promised to deliver a shocking moment, and they did so at the very end when it was revealed that Carl was suffering from a walker bite — meaning that his death is inevitable.
As a fan, I went into the episode well aware that someone was going to die. It had already been heavily rumored that Carl was going to be killed off, but it was really hard for me to believe that it would actually happen. I’m not sure if that makes me really naive or if it means I was giving the showrunners too much faith. Even though there were plenty of clues hinting that Carl was about to exit, I was convinced that his character had come close to death so many times before that it didn’t make sense for his journey to end now.
Still, I watched the entire episode nervous that at any moment Carl was going to be caught by the Saviors and killed. When he didn’t I was sure that he was in the clear, and thought that maybe we’d see Ezekiel killed by the Saviors instead. I was definitely not expecting Carl to reveal at the very end that he’d been bitten while trying to save the newcomer Siddiq.
After the episode, I was in shock but somehow felt alright about it at the time. For one thing, I assumed that Chandler Riggs had asked to be written off the show so that he could go to college. It’s something that he’s been talking about, but it wasn’t clear whether it would change his commitment to the show or not. He’s practically grown up on the show so it wouldn’t be all that surprising if he did want to move on with his life.
Although some may not agree, I was happy to see that Carl went down by a walker and not a Savior. Human-to-human violence has become a major part of the show, which is understandable. Yet, it’s gotten to the point where it almost seems like the walkers on the show are an afterthought. They’re a danger, but they’re mostly manageable to the characters on the show. Seeing such an important character, who is usually very equipped at dealing with walkers, go down that way brought back a bit of validity to the danger the walkers bring.
Since the Saviors weren’t the ones to kill Carl, there’s also a chance that we could see this war end with some kind of reconciliation. There’s no way that Rick would want to work with the Saviors at all if they had killed his son. But maybe there is still hope for all these groups to come together in the end.
With all that said, I’m feeling much more conflicted the morning after. In an interview with THR, Chandler Riggs revealed that he didn’t make the decision to leave the show after all. “I’m taking a gap year right now to focus on acting for a while. Leaving Walking Dead wasn’t my decision,” said Riggs. “It was all story related. It made sense story-wise for it to happen for Rick and Michonne and all the other characters.”
For a while now, Carl has been a source of strength for Rick and the others. Even when Rick is having a hard time dealing with the cards that they’ve been dealt, somehow Carl always manages to stay strong. He’s also been a great moral compass for Rick. Most recently we’ve seen this come out more with how Rick has been dealing with the Saviors. Obviously, Rick has become very paranoid and is in his killing mode to protect those around him.
While Carl is trying to show Rick that not everyone has to die. Without trying to help others, what will their future be? Supposedly, Carl’s death is supposed to show Rick that he needs to alter his way of thinking in how he deals with his enemies going forward. It can’t just be a death sentence to everyone.
Honestly, I’m not really sure how the writers are going to bridge that gap though. Even though Carl didn’t die at the hands of the Saviors, wouldn’t the death of his closest living relative make him all the more protective of the others around him? I could see Rick shutting down from despair and losing his way for a while due to the death, but not getting any peace from it. The further along this group gets in the war the more violent they all seem to be becoming, and it’s hard to imagine that suddenly changing.
Additionally, I’m concerned about what Carl’s death means for the show overall. The show is about a zombie apocalypse, but there really isn’t a point in it without the chance for humanity to survive. Carl was a representation of that hope, he’s grown up in it since he was a young child and was growing into adulthood. Plenty of children have died on this show to prove that no one is safe, especially those that are particularly vulnerable.
But if a a kid as experienced as Carl can’t make it in this world, who can? What’s the point in all these adults trying to survive and build communities if they have no one to hand them down to? It’s obvious that Carl has been groomed this entire time to be a leader, if nothing else The Walking Dead mid-season 8 finale showed that he’s more capable of making good decisions than some of the adults around him. With Carl’s death, it’s like the symbol of hope is being wiped away too.
It could be argued that we still have Enid playing a similar role at Hilltop with Maggie. Enid does have the strength and smarts to make it in this world. However, since fans have only had the chance to follow her character for the last few seasons watching her grow isn’t as meaningful. Plus, there’s a lot we don’t know about her past. I hope the show does take the chance to make her character more meaningful, but it still won’t be the same as watching Carl grow.
Though, fans haven’t seen the last of Carl yet. As of now, he’s still alive — although it’s been confirmed that the mid-season premiere in February will be his last episode. That means Carl only has one more episode to convince his father that he needs to change his ways for the future of their friends and family. I’m eager to see Chandler Riggs give another amazing performance, but dread what will come after. Many fans are threatening to jump ship, and I honestly don’t blame them.