'The Walking Dead' Mid-season Finale Review and the Actor's Harsh Departure

Originally I wasn’t going to write a review on this episode, but after watching, I just had to talk about it. 

The episode started off slowly, and it just seemed like a lot of pointless shooting and slow-motion shots of character's faces. Once the episode got going, I really enjoyed it. This episode was one of the stronger episodes of the series and really was a game changer. And I'm not just talking about the main death of the episode.

First off, let's talk about Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). Negan has been one of the strongest Walking Dead villains since Shane Walsh (Jon Bernthal). It's hard to compare the two characters since they are both great in their unique ways, but it is clear Negan is the villain the show has been lacking. In some sick and twisted way, I understand what Negan is doing and why he is doing it. It may be wrong, but a great villain is someone who thinks they are doing the right thing. Negan truly thinks he is helping people and in return for his help, he thinks he should be rewarded. Negan's character needs more backstory to flesh him out and make him an even better villain, but he is still great.

Not only is the character great, but Jeffrey Dean Morgan is fantastic at portraying Negan. It is like he stepped right out of the comic book onto the small screen. The chemistry between Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Negan is superb. You can truly tell the two characters absolutely hate each other. Watching the two of them fight was both brutal and satisfying. It felt personal and drew me to the show more than ever before. 

Another great aspect that drew me into this episode was the hopelessness. Of course, The Walking Dead isn't a bright and uplifting show, but the dreadful and depressing mood of the show has lost its touch over the years. I loved seeing some of these characters lose control of themselves because it made audiences once again feel truly hopeless. 

For example, I was shocked when Maggie (Lauren Cohan) took a Savior out of the prison and shot him in the face. It was brutal, unexpected, and out of character for Maggie, but it still made sense. Another scene that made me feel the same way was when Michonne (Danai Gurira) was looking for Rick in the ashes of their once lovely community and she is attacked by a Savior. She fought back with determination, strength, and badass skills like always, but then she lost control and took it too far. One of my favorite shots of the episode was watching Michonne repeatedly swinging at a man's face while her home burned and collapsed around her. It was haunting and felt out of place for her character, but it made sense. 

I think writing is The Walking Dead's biggest weakness, but the writers did a marvelous job with this episode. Normally I am left scratching my head after most characters make a decision, but everyone's motives were clearly understood in this episode. 

Not all character's got their time to shine, but with such a huge cast it just isn't possible. I wanted to see more of Dwight (Austin Amelio) because I feel there is so much more to explore with his character. He finally revealed himself as the spy within the Savior's ranks and it was great. Amelio is a great actor and you could tell Dwight took absolutely no joy in killing the Saviors, but he knew it had to be done for the greater good. I really hope he gets more screentime moving forward into the back half of season 8. 

That brings me to one of the biggest deaths of the entire series: the death of Carl Grimes. Carl, played by Chandler Riggs, has been part of the show since its first season in 2011 when Riggs was only 11 years old. Audiences across the world got to watch Riggs grow up as both Carl Grimes and Chandler Riggs. It really sucks to see him go and it will definitely affect the rest of the series. 

Carl went out in a great way. He has always been either the heart of the show or the harsh realization of the world the characters live in. Carl was bitten when helping a stranger fulfill his mother's wishes of freeing the souls of the dead. It was a stupid and childish thing to do, but Carl is just a child. It's hard to remember that after everything his character has been through, but he still has the heart of a child. There may have been times when that heart was hidden deeper than usual, but it was still there. 

Carl may have sealed his fate during that moment, but it was his final moments alive that also proved how far his character has come. Ever since season 2, people have been telling Carl that someday he would make the calls, just like his father. Carl had made some important calls in the past, but never like in this episode. He acted like a true leader and put his people before him; it was clear he was Rick's son. He also didn't regret helping the stranger that resulted in his death, but he embraced the fact he did it. Carl died as both the child we saw in season 1 and the man his character was always meant to be. 

Carl had such a huge impact on the show and is arguably the next main character behind Rick. He has been one of the constant main focuses of the show and was always the main inspiration behind Rick's actions. I always saw Carl's character as one of the very few untouchable characters, like Rick Grimes. I'm truly shocked they decided to kill him off, especially after learning more about what happened. 

I'm not the only one who was shocked, Carl's death shocked both audiences and fellow cast members.

"I always thought Carl was going to be the one who led the show forward," Andrew Lincoln told The Hollywood Reporter, "that Rick would hand over his boots and revolver when he walked off into the sunset in season 28."

Unfortunately, that dream will never come true. Rumor's of Carl's death on the show have been around for years. When the rumors resurfaced, I thought nothing of them, even though they were a bit more convincing this time. The rumors involved speculation that Riggs wanted to go to school and pursue other career options. When I found out he was killed, I immediately thought it was for the sole reason of Riggs wanting to move on from the show. I would totally understand if that was the case, he is a young and talented man who shouldn't be tied down from achieving greater! 

Apparently, there was some drama behind Riggs' departure from the show. On Riggs' father's Facebook page, Mr. Rigg was asked how he felt about his son's departure from the show. This was his response.

"Watching Gimple fire my son 2 weeks before his 18th birthday after telling him they wanted him for the next 3 years was disappointing. I never trusted Gimple or AMC but Chandler did. I know how much it hurt him. But we do absolutely know how lucky we have been to be a part of it all and appreciate all the love from fans all these years."

The comment has since been deleted. 

It's always hard for an actor when their character is killed off, but it seems especially cruel for Riggs. Riggs has always taken the show very seriously and it's messed up he was told he would be on the show for years to come only to be fired before his 18th birthday. 

Chandler Riggs also wrote to a well-known spoiler website for The Walking Dead, The Spoiling Dead Fans. Riggs wrote to the website, which has 461,518 likes on Facebook, asking for them to withhold information on his death from their fans. Riggs stated he was proud of his performance and thinks the surprise was crucial to his character and his performance. Riggs took a HUGE risk asking them for this. The website could easily have screenshotted his message and shared with the world as confirmation of Carl's death. Luckily, the website respected the young actor's wishes. The full post, along with Riggs' original message and a message to the fans, can be found here. 

Chandler Rigg's final performance was one of his best yet and it was an amazingly satisfying exit for him on the show. As much shit as Carl gets for killing Dale, not obeying orders, and being a moody teenager, he has always been a fan favorite and the heart of the show. The Walking Dead will never be the same. 

I give this episode 9/10 stars. 

"If you care, you do something. You don't just hope. It takes more than that. There's gotta be something after the fight's over." - Carl Grimes