Warning, this article contains big time spoilers. You have been warned and now I am going to move forward.
The Walking Dead is one of my favorite television series. I started watching during the second season and I was hooked ever since. I enjoyed the character developments, story arcs, the villains, but the primary thing I enjoyed was how the plot was told.
As a writer, that good storytelling had me hooked right off the bat. I do not even consider myself a fan of the horror genre, especially with the overuse of zombies, vampires, and werewolves. However, the writers of The Walking Dead had a knack for making the episodes compelling in ways that were original and interesting.
I noticed a disturbing trend starting in the fifth season. I am not talking about the content, which is often graphic and horrifying, but specifically in how the story is told.
Immediately following the collapse of the prison story-line, the characters got separated for a time. Beth Greene (played by Emily Kinney) was taken hostage by this group of rogue police officers that had turned a hospital into a prison camp.
During a hostage exchange with Rick Grimes (the leader of the group played Andrew Lincoln), the leader of the rogue police officers shoots Beth.
It was utterly pointless and meaningless. There was no way the show benefited from Beth’s death. Most fans agreed. The outcry was so strong the writer’s considered making that plot a dream sequence. This idea was later cast aside.
It did not end there. I thought a few of the deaths such as at Terminus and later with the cannibal gang, were more shocking than anything.
Moving forward, since the finale of season six, we were introduced to the new villain Negan, who kills an unseen character in retaliation for Rick’s group killing his men.
The premier of season seventh this week finally revealed who it was. There was one problem, it was two people. First, he killed Abraham, a newer character. When Darryl tries to intervene, Negan then kills Glenn Rhee (portrayed by Steven Yeun).
Glenn was not a fly by night character. He was one of the original of the group to come from season one. One of the last original characters who was an absolute fan favorite.
This death was another one that was completely unnecessary. We already knew Negan killed Abraham. What was worse, like Beth, his death was pointless and done with absolutely no dignity. His character deserved better than that.
Previously, they had teased us with a possible Glenn death in season six. It turned out that he had survived. It was the same mistake the writers of The Matrix made, bringing back a character only to kill him off.
I know that on The Walking Dead, no character except Rick and Darryl are sacred, though now I’m wondering for how long.
The fans are outraged and I am among them. I will not say that I am totally done with the show, but this added another layer of frustration. They have started to sacrifice good plots for shocking material.
This a mistake. It is starting to alienate the fans, including me.
That is my opinion and I welcome yours. Like and share this article and don’t forget to subscribe for more entertainment and pop culture news.
