We need to talk about The Walking Dead and how it relies on shock character death to change other character’s paths. Diverging from the source material is one thing, doing it for the “greater story” is another.
Up until December 10th, I didn’t realize that I cared too much about Carl Grimes. “How It’s Gotta Be” hit me a lot harder than I ever anticipated. Even going in, I had Carl as my list of deaths just because it would tip Rick over an edge (into violence not mercy). Michonne was also on my list.
Then Carl revealed he had been bitten while helping Saddiq in the woods. He spent the entire episode keeping it to himself, writing his dad a goodbye letter (more on this later), and figuring out a way to sacrifice himself to save the ASZ.
Carl is a good kid. He didn’t listen well and never stayed in the house, but he could handle himself and grew up really fast after he had to put down his own mother. After the prison fell, he took care of his father, he was almost raped by a man in Joe’s group, he had to deal with his dad acting totally out of character to pursue another woman, was shot in the head by said woman’s crazed son, watched Glenn be murdered, and had his life threatened several times by Negan.
He’s been through some shit.
Which is why his death makes no sense. This season focused on Carl trying to live up to Lori’s words before her death. To not let the world make him a bad person. To not take the easy path, but be the change. He does act on this by helping Saddiq but that shouldn’t have gotten him killed.
Carl in the comics eventually takes over his father’s role as leader. That won’t happen on the show anymore.
Andy Lincoln spoke about Carl’s death and what that meant for the future:
“Glenn was so radical, but this — with the repercussions of it and what it means to lose a boy — to lose this significant character from the comic books is an extraordinary call. They made the call. They could’ve played safe and had the hero live and take on the show. They didn’t do it. They shouldn’t. He’s the new hero, he’s the hope and the humanity, and everything left in this guy — and yet they took him down. The torch is the kid. They can’t pass the torch on to the kid. That’s the standard way to do it and they’ve not done it. I mean it’s incredibly courageous and I have to commend AMC and Scott, and the writers for making the most daring call they could possibly have made.” {Via EW}
I disagree. This wasn’t a daring decision because of what they hoped to gain as the consequence of that decision–Rick’s character growth and change. They’ve used this same plot device of “man pain” to further other characters arcs in the past. There’s nothing new here.
According to showrunner Scott Gimple:
“It will be very apparent, the relationship of this awful incident — this very intense story turn — to the greater story. I don’t even need to answer because I know as you’re watching it into the next half of the season that you’ll get it. It has everything to do with what happens throughout the rest of season eight.” {Via EW}
Here’s the deal, I’m not here for non-answers and the “greater good” anymore. I fell into this narrative back in S5 when they stuck Beth Greene in Grady, had her sexually harassed and almost assaulted then murdered in front of Daryl Dixon to give him a darker arc (man pain) for not saving her.
Gimple went on to say that the back eight episodes:
“The next eight are about who he is going to be.” {Via EW}
So again, we have traumatic character death for another character’s growth. Why are we on this tired train again? Rick is a grown man who knows the consequences for his actions. He knows what pushing Negan will get him. He shouldn’t have to figure out who he is going to be anymore. He should know by now.
If Carl’s death is simply a way for them to justify Rick sparing Negan’s life after all the horrible stuff he has done, they need to be better writers. Negan can’t be redeemed or justified in anything he has done.
Rick doesn’t need Carl’s death to show him a different path because how can there be a different path after seeing his longtime friend, Glenn, be brutally murdered in front of him weeks before? Abraham as well.
It also hasn’t been that long since Rick saw Beth die or Hershel for that matter. Rick Grimes can’t even stay focused on who he is based on which moral compass just died on the show.
Plain and simple, Carl’s death is Gimple’s way of keeping Negan around because people like JDM. I agree, he’s a charismatic asshole, but Negan shouldn’t live. If they wanted a deviation from the comics that would shock people, kill Negan instead of locking him in a basement and having him ultimately escape. Current whereabouts unknown.
And if that letter Carl left for his dad contains some reasoning as to why Rick should spare Negan, and Rick shares that with Negan and they call a truce for a bit, I will flip a table. I swear.
Y’all, Carl Grimes deserved better. Chandler Riggs deserved better, too.
