[Spoilers] The Only Reason The Ending of The Walking Dead Mid-Season Finale Was So Wrong

While it is certain that there are many different reasons as to why many people may have disliked or disapproved of Carl's foreshadowed death to end the Mid-Season Finale, after having roughly three weeks to settle down and truly dissect the situation, there is nothing truly incorrect or wrong with Carl's possible death except for the single-most important aspect to any television series:

Believability and Consistency in terms of both Plot and Characters.

In this case, that of the most important character in the television series: Rick Grimes.

Disclaimer: Having never read The Walking Dead comic book series and instead only exclusively watched The Walking Dead television series, I base all of my following thoughts only on what is actually seen within the television episodes, nothing more, nothing less, so if the comic books may disagree, I apologize in advance.

Rick Grimes is the protagonist of The Walking Dead television series. No other character even comes close to almost having a chance of maybe one day possibly reaching Rick Grimes' level of importance to the show. Without Rick Grimes, there is no show. The Walking Dead television series belongs to Rick Grimes. Based purely off of evidence provided within the show's overarching plot, it's his show, not anybody else's, no matter what anyone else may claim (looking at you, Michonne).

Given this fact, the reason that Carl's death is by far the worst mistake that The Walking Dead could make is because everything that has been presented to the audience for the past 8 seasons has demonstrated to us that Rick is a package deal with Carl, and not the other way around: If Rick Grimes were to die in the next episode, with Carl still fully alive and well, Carl could and would continue, as his character's history has established that he has a future in mind, and that his existence depends on no one's outside of his own. The kid witnessed his mother die during childbirth and then put a bullet into her head afterward and is still walking around relatively sane to this day. The guy is a legend.

Meanwhile, time and time again the show has proven to us on multiple occasions that the character of Rick Grimes cannot exist without Carl. Rick's past, present, and future all revolve around ensuring the health and safety of one person and one person only:

Carl.

• In Season 1, his one and only goal and motivation was to find his only son, Carl, and his wife.
• In Season 2, it was to provide food and shelter for Carl at the Farm.
• In Season 3, it was to keep Carl safe at the Prison. After Lori died, Rick went insane for a while but was able to recover because he knew that's what he needed to do in order to protect Carl.
• In Season 4, after the Prison was attacked, the first and only person that Rick cried out looking for was Carl, bursting into tears upon finding him alive, and only remembering Judith's existence after Carl's safety was secure. Then, after seeing Judith's empty carriage, Rick and Carl both cried, but Rick was the one who helped Carl continue, as Carl was much more affected than Rick was. And on the way to Terminus, Rick even ripped out a man's throat with his teeth just to save his son, Carl.
• In Seasons 5-6, Rick worked so hard to ensure the group's entry into Alexandria so that Carl would have a safe home and neighborhood to grow up in. When Carl had his eye shot out in Season 6, Rick immediately lost consciousness and fell into a state of shock, leading to a suicidal rampage, running directly into a horde and attempting to kill as many as he could with nothing but an axe and no other plan.
• And now in Seasons 7-8, Rick has fought against the Saviors because their continued existence is a threat to Carl's safety. Hell, in the Season 7 premiere, Negan beats two of Rick's closest and most trusted friends to death with a baseball bat right in front of his eyes, then throws him out to fight against a horde in the hopes of breaking him, with neither act having any significant effect on Rick. However, once presented with the task of merely cutting off Carl's hand, Rick is immediately reduced to a sad pile of mucus (almost literally).
  

Rick Grimes does everything that Rick Grimes does for one reason and one reason alone: his son, Carl. Carl is Rick's only purpose in life, his only source of motivation and the only reason that he does anything that he does. Without Carl, Rick would have no compass by which to guide his life, with absolutely no sense of direction or self. Without Carl, Rick Grimes has nothing. Carl is Rick's everything: his past, present, and future, all of his joy, and all of his sorrow. Sure, Judith exists, but compare the way Rick feels for Carl to the way he feels for Judith and, right or wrong, the comparison does not even come close.

Carl is the meaning of Rick Grimes' existence. Rick Grimes needs Carl in order to exist. And AMC is going to take Carl away, taking away the one and only purpose and motivation for the show's protagonist to continue surviving. That is what is so wrong about the ending of the Mid-Season Finale.

In order to continue the series, The Walking Dead is going to need to take Rick Grimes completely out of character, to the point where he won't be recognizable as Rick Grimes. If the show were to remain believable and consistent with its protagonist, the resulting plot would need to revolve around Rick Grimes' brain completely and finally snapping all the way, removing any sense of fear or self-preservation, and have him go on yet another suicidal rampage, only this time, headed directly for the Sanctuary, where he will massacre hundreds of Saviors singlehandedly, deal the killing blow to Negan, and finally end the war, before ultimately succumbing to his wounds sustained throughout the rampage, dying alone on-screen, and thus ending the series, leaving the door open for the various spin-offs to commence.

But that won't happen, because AMC is full of greed and wishes to milk this series as much as it possibly can until it is forced into its cancellation. Therefore, the most likely scenario is that Rick will be "Crazy/Depressed Rick" for 3-6 episodes before coming to his senses either close to or during the season finale, winning the war, and then letting Negan live and going on to the next season as if nothing happened only to repeat the same story with a different evil group at a different location. If the Rick Grimes we have known from Season 1 Episode 1 all the way through Season 8 Episode 8 were to have his son die, there would be no mercy or hesitation whatsoever for any being, living or dead, and indirect suicide would be the only likely outcome for Rick. Anything less would be completely out of character and 100% inconsistent and unbelievable as to who Rick Grimes is and what his goals, ambitions, and motivations as a character are and have always been. Nothing and nobody in the television series will ever be able to replace Carl in Rick's heart and mind, and thus the character the audience has known for 8 seasons will cease to exist. Instead, a shell of Rick will take over from this point on, which will make for a depressing and disappointing show indeed.

That, and that alone, is what is so wrong about this.

Submitted December 30, 2017 at 08:21AM by LeoLaker http://ift.tt/2Cr1yvU