I've been one of the biggest apologists for this show for a long time now.
I didn't mind the dumpster - I was just relieved Glenn was still alive.
I accepted the S6 cliffhanger - I really enjoyed the finale and premier and I even had my own reasons for agreeing with the decision.
I coped with the apparently sloppy use of guns and the trash people - they might not be my favourite parts of the show but I tried not to let them bother me too much.
But no longer.
Carl's death was too much for me. It was too obviously done for shock value, and the circumstances and rumours that arose concerning Chandler being fired pushed me over the edge with regards to the show. Since then I've had a lot of thoughts about exactly where the show went wrong, and I finally came to a similar conclusion to I'm sure many other fans of the show: the S6 finale cliffanger, and more importantly, the handling of the entire Savior arc.
I believe that the show could have been handled in a much more effective way, not only to keep it fresh, but also to deliver one of the best season the show has seen.
The lead up until Negan's introduction was good, in fact I would go as far to say that aside from the cliffhanger, S6E16 is one of the best, most intense episodes of the entire show, however the first major mistake made was in who the victims of Negan were.
Although it is generally agreed (as far as I know), that Abraham and Glenn were suitable, poignant deaths, I do not think that they were the most effective. Looking back upon the line up, I believe there were two people whose deaths would have had a greater and more relevant impact on storylines going forwards, while also providing realistic, unforced shock value for the audience.
Daryl and Maggie.
It has been clear for a little while now that the writers do not know what to do with Daryl, and, despite him being a fan favourite, having him brutally murdered in front of the group would have broken them just as much as losing Abraham or Glenn, while also showing the audience that Negan is a serious and dangerous villain. By killing Maggie, a similar effect would be reached. It could create an interesting diversion from the comics, by seeing how Glenn would be able to cope with losing his wife and unborn child, and by seeing the potential for a conflicted character who starts to stray away from his normally moral self. This might have led him to leaving Alexandria for the Hilltop and leading a (similar) storyline to Maggie, thereby not straying too far from the comics, but also providing a refreshing change.
Abraham's storyline could also be an interesting diversion from the comics. Having him stay alive would negate the posibility of the moody Rosita storyline, which was also one of the major negatives for people throughout S7. It could also allow the show to explore his relationship with Sasha a bit better, and also show him being an important right-hand man to Rick, since Daryl would not be around anymore.
I think just by this switch, the show would already be off to a better start for S7, and hopefully allow it to avoid many of the mistakes that it made.
Aside from this, I think other important alterations that should have been made are:
1) Having stronger connections to the Oceanside community, rather than just Tara, and having one of their group join Alexandria on a temporary/permanent basis in order to remind people of the alliance and to keep them in the picture rather than just have them disappear for an entire season. 2) Make the trash people 'normal'. I was on board with an extra group from the comics, but the way they were handled was very underwhelming. Had they been an intelligent group of scavengers, they would have been far more appealing, and the betrayal would have felt more organice. 3) Given a more coherent idea about the strategies of both sides and the numbers/weapons that they had at their disposal. As it is for 8A, the writers have just been throwing fighters at each other with seemingly no care for any realism regarding the impact that this would have on the communities. 4) Do not kill Carl. Why would you do that? It is beyond belief. If they wanted a significant death in this episode there was numerous other options, but I think no major death would have been the best choice. They already lost Alexandria, the Hilltop rebellion has been repelled, the Kingdom has lost all of its fighters. That is enough loss, and the ending would still have been poignant with all our main characters cowering in the sewers, not knowing what to do next.
I think those are the main changes that I would make, but I think it goes to show that if the writers gave more thought to substance rather than spectacle, the show could easily have gone on a different route that I believe would be much more effective.
Obviously it is hard to know how my ideas would have turned out, and I'm sure in reality they would not be as good as I'm imagining, but then again, I'm not a writer for one of the biggest and most popular television shows on television.
Despite everything, I will carry on watching in the hope that things may turn around for the better, but I'm afraid I'm not hopeful at all. My only idea to salvage this now is to wrap this storyline up as quickly as possible and move onto something completely original, staying away from the comics. I'm aware this is a risk, but I think it has a higher chance of success than trying to carry out arcs that centre around a character that has just been killed off.
Sorry for the long post, I just thought I'd air my thoughts and see what people think about it.
TLDR: Kill Daryl and Maggie instead of Abraham and Glenn, have a better Oceanside plot, drastically alter the trash people, pay more attention to strategy and don't kill off Carl.
Submitted December 28, 2017 at 05:35PM by MyCommentingUsername http://ift.tt/2lnj4c8
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