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The Walking Dead: Carl’s Death was the Show’s Biggest Mistake and Sent the Ratings into a Nosedive

Carl Grimes was the future of The Walking Dead. Don’t believe me? Carl’s death was also the biggest error in the writing of the series. Still don’t believe me? How about if I said that Carl’s death was the worst death in television history? Let me prove my point!

Chandler Riggs, who played Carl for 8 seasons, didn’t want to leave The Walking Dead and Carl Grimes was never supposed to die in the first place.

The Comic Book Source Material of The Walking Dead and Carl Grimes

Robert Kirkman, the creator of The Walking Dead comic book, surprised fans when he abruptly ended the series at issue 183. Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) is the protagonist of the novel. However, as Rick aged and became disabled, it was evident that Carl would be a crucial figure in future issues.

The future of the series shifted to Carl in the later editions of the comics. In the end, it was clear that Carl was the main character and acknowledged Rick’s legacy. Rick’s ultimate success was in allowing his son to survive and grow up in a peaceful environment.

The latest story lines on The Walking Dead, the Whisperers, Lydia, and future story lines with the Commonwealth are all based around Carl. On the show, Henry assumed the narrative of Carl’s life with Lydia. With Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), Judith took up where Carl left off . And who knows where the writers will end the show now that Carl isn’t a part of it.

The Walking Dead: Carl's Death was the Show's Biggest Mistake and Sent the Ratings into a Nosedive
Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes – The Walking Dead _ Season 8, Episode 16 – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC

The Show’s Material

In Season 8, Carl Grimes was killed after being bitten in the side while defending Saddiq (Avi Nash). The episodes with his death were difficult to watch. Rick’s (Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne’s (Danai Gurira) devastation was soul wrenching.

It was also difficult to watch other characters grieve. It didn’t, however, shape the narrative of The Walking Dead or provide closure for viewers’ minds with regard to his death and the timing of it.

Remember how Lori died? Remember Rick just after Lori’s death? He was a catastrophe. When Lori died, he bore the brunt of it much more severely than when Carl died.

Rick’s main attention throughout the entire eight-season run of The Walking Dead was for Carl’s safety and well-being. He wanted to provide his son a future. Other characters constantly made sacrifices for Carl. Yes, Judith is still alive, but because Carl was the future leader and studied from his father, he was learning to take over for Rick. Carl was the future of The Walking Dead.

The Walking Dead: Carl's Death was the Show's Biggest Mistake and Sent the Ratings into a Nosedive
Photo Credit: Jackson Lee Davis/AMC

The death of Carl had no narrative purpose. Carl died because he sacrificed for the safety of another person, and there’s nothing more to say about it. Siddiq was a physician who did some good things, but did they advance the plot or change the world? No.

The program appeared to imply that his death would bring about a ceasefire between Rick and Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and their respective factions. It didn’t, as it still resulted in fighting.

What is Carl’s legacy, in the end? Perhaps it was simply that he rescued Siddiq so that Siddiq could have a kid. Is this child destined to be something exceptional in the world of The Walking Dead? If that’s the case, there’ll be no emphasis on the youngster. And it will take a long time to construct this story line.

carl grimes death on the walking dead was the worst death in television history
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Chandler Riggs and the End of Carl Grimes

Chandler Riggs didn’t want to leave The Walking Dead. Between statements made by Chandler and those made by his father, Will Riggs, it was clear that Chandler did not want to leave. Rumors and accusations of contract disputes, money, and other terms abound. However, it is curious the timing of his contract with his death.

There have been clear, defining moments on The Walking Dead when audiences have quit watching in big chunks: the deaths of Abraham and Glenn, as well as the death of Carl and Rick Grimes’s departure.

These situations are always telling, since they signal viewers’ dissatisfaction with the program, which is the most convincing proof of if the creative team got the narrative right. They didn’t, as the show’s ratings nosedived after these characters departed the show.

Carl Grimes didn’t have to die. Chandler Riggs didn’t have to leave. And, The Walking Dead would be in a better place right now with him on the show. Therefore, it’s the worst death in television history and The Walking Dead‘s biggest mistake.

But is Carl Grimes gone forever?

I was at a recent The Walking Dead Fan Fest Event and there was a lot of buzz regarding if Carl Grimes would ever return. One of the most interesting ideas shared was that the writer’s would have an opportunity to reintroduce Carl Grimes in Rick’s spinoff through hallucinations, serving as Rick’s ethical compass. Past sequences in the series have hinted at Carl’s potential reappearance in this manner. Rick’s envisioning of an older Carl can address the character’s premature exit, mending a narrative gap left by his departure.

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