Dear “Walking Dead”: Stop Killing Me with Boredom

The Feb. 25 mid-season premiere of The Walking Dead got one of the show’s lowest ratings ever. It also was the most heartbreaking episodes I have ever seen. To find out why, keep on reading–but only if you’re prepared for major spoilers.

The show featured the death of one of the show’s most beloved characters, Carl Grimes (Chandler Riggs), who has been in the show from its very first season. In December’s mid-season finale, we saw Carl sitting in the sewers with a walker bite in his side. Every viewer knew that there was no hope for Carl; the only question was how he was going to die in the mid-season premiere.

What we didn’t know was that the answer to this question would take the writers an hour and 30 minutes to drag out. Yes, his death was heart-wrenching and difficult to watch, but the hardest part was that it took f-o-r-e-v-e-r. It was one of the longest deaths that the show has ever played out. One positive was that, unlike all the other major characters that have been killed off on the show, Carl got to say good-bye to all the people he loved, including his baby sister, Judith, his father, Rick (the show’s main protagonist played by Andrew Lincoln), and his best friend.

“It was a very emotional episode. I think that it marks a turning point in the show as a whole. Things are about to change,” said FCHS junior Jared Newman, a dedicated viewer of the show. I totally agree with him. I think that the loss of his only son will changed Rick and how he will react towards his friends and foes. I’m hopeful that this event will bring an end to what has become a dragged-out, been-there-done-that battle between Rick and Negan, or that a new group or conflict will be introduced to the show.

One possible indicator of a change to the currently storyline is a new character called Siddiq (Se-deek). The whole reason Carl was bitten in the first place was because he was helping Siddiq, and you can tell from the look on Siddiq’s face while Carl is saying his goodbyes that he feels guilty about what happened to Carl, so this new character has potential.  

Whatever it is, something has got to change in a storyline which is rapidly becoming stale. Ever since the deaths of Glenn and Abraham back in 2016, the entire show has gone down hill. Most of the characters and conflicts involve people, not the walkers. Of course, the walkers will always be an issue because they are in the apocalypse, but even in the newer episodes, it seems like all we see is one long battle after another between Rick and Negan.

One indication of a possible change is that Carl’s last words were for his father and Negan to stop fighting and come together. The Saviors (Negan’s people) have just been on this shooting rampage killing anyone who won’t join their group. The entire show the last couple of seasons has just been a bloodbath revolving around two things: 1) Rick’s group trying to shoot and kill as many of the Saviors they can, and visa versa; and 2) leading people into traps, or trying to prepare for potential battles.

The Walking Dead has always been one of my favorite shows and I have always been excited on my Sunday nights to watch it. But now it just feels stale and repetitive.. Also, each episode feels as if it’s getting longer and longer, and in many cases, that’s because they really are, with a number of episodes extending to 70 minutes or more. That’s fine if an episode is exciting, but in too many episodes, I feel like crying “Okay, okay, I get it already!”

Overall, the show is going down-hill faster than any other show I have watched. Also, I have had a ton of unanswered questions from the beginning of this season. Is Maggie even still pregnant? How come it doesn’t even look like she is showing at all when she has to be like two years along? Is Eugene really on Negan’s side now? Is the group at the junkyard on Negan’s side or Rick’s? Is Jesus alive?

Viewers need answers and the show isn’t answering them. I hope that show gets better because it has always been one of my favorites and I feel like it can definitely get better again, but in the meantime, I have one last thing to say:

I’m bored and I want my walkers back.