The Walking Dead

The Dude said:
I didn't really care for the last couple episodes.   I don't think the mid-season finally was as shocking as it was hyped up to be.
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But did you "see the moment that everyone's going to be talking about?"  God I'm glad I don't have to hear that every freaking time I turn to AMC now.

But I agree, the last couple were pretty meh.  I don't think it was that shocking but I'm happy it happened.

 
I think the 'shock value' is for the core fan base that also reads the comics.   This is a MAJOR departure.  Little things were irksome, like killing off Andrea, not making the Governor as ruthless as he was, but Carl...that's just WOW for the comic fans.

 
sho said:
I think the 'shock value' is for the core fan base that also reads the comics.   This is a MAJOR departure.  Little things were irksome, like killing off Andrea, not making the Governor as ruthless as he was, but Carl...that's just WOW for the comic fans.
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Was the carl thing not part of the books?

 
Yeah, Idk what they are doing.  I'm not like shocked, I'm just beyond confused.  Either they have some super interesting rewrite, or the show is tapping out.  Without Carl, so many storylines are basically null and void.  I don't get this move.  The whole Whisperer War is a Carl based story.  This is just weird.

Gimple tip toed around his death, I swear if it turns out they found a cure or Grimes are immune or some s#!t...

 
Redux said:
Yeah, Idk what they are doing.  I'm not like shocked, I'm just beyond confused.  Either they have some super interesting rewrite, or the show is tapping out.  Without Carl, so many storylines are basically null and void.  I don't get this move.  The whole Whisperer War is a Carl based story.  This is just weird.

Gimple tip toed around his death, I swear if it turns out they found a cure or Grimes are immune or some s#!t...
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I don't mean this as any offense at all, but those of us able to look at it with a bit more objective eyes (you're understandably invested in and biased towards this show being on and being good) have seen this since the start of the season, if not much earlier.

Season 8 has not been good. Poor storytelling, zero character development except for about 5% worth of Eugene, Negan and Gabriel (and even those aren't well-defined arcs but just giving them more screen time), and a confusing plot that seems exciting but doesn't really go anywhere. I guarantee the show doesn't have more than one more season left before they call it quits.

 
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It's not bias or refusing to be objective.  If I enjoy something, I enjoy it.  Just because it becomes cool or standard to hate something the more popular it gets,  this happens all the time with everything.  I'm  well aware many have soured on the show, and that's fine.  Yet several of you still tune in and take the time to gossip about it, but I digress.

Honestly as a whole the season has been pretty meh so far for me.  It started strong IMO and then started pace walking towards the mid season finale.  And it could have been 30 minutes shorter or cut into two episodes depending how you want to look at it.  The direcrion they have decided to take is either trying to make the show fresh by scrapping several source material plotlines in favor of their own, or they are finding a way to wrap it up.  I'm betting it's not wrapping up.

 
Redux said:
It's not bias or refusing to be objective.  If I enjoy something, I enjoy it.  Just because it becomes cool or standard to hate something the more popular it gets,  this happens all the time with everything.  I'm  well aware many have soured on the show, and that's fine.  Yet several of you still tune in and take the time to gossip about it, but I digress.

Honestly as a whole the season has been pretty meh so far for me.  It started strong IMO and then started pace walking towards the mid season finale.  And it could have been 30 minutes shorter or cut into two episodes depending how you want to look at it.  The direcrion they have decided to take is either trying to make the show fresh by scrapping several source material plotlines in favor of their own, or they are finding a way to wrap it up.  I'm betting it's not wrapping up.
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My guess...they would rather keep it going as long as they can.  I have to think that you want to cash those checks.

 
The fan base has turned on it, yet it still draws hella good ratings.  So yeah, it'll comtinue as far as they want it to go.

My gripe is that the war could have been bigger.  And by bigger I mean they could have actually had a war, the comics did this too.  Instead of a couple big battles, we got a mini showdown at the beggining and then a show of power in the finale.  The biggest detail they were missing on the show was bodies.  They do this all the time though even when just a group shot at a community, it feels like a ghost town because they don't wanna pay for a couple dozen extras?

All in all, the season was a little disappointing.  But it disappointed the comic readers too as far as reception went.  The Whisperer War was a lot more battle oriented in the comic, so hopefully that translates to the show IF they continue that way.  Killing Carl, all bets are off now.

 
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Something hit me today, a theory.  Mind you it's unlikely and probably not how it will play out, but here goes.

So the bite on Carl, it didn't look much like a walker bite to me.  Idk why, just looked too clean I guess upon initial viewing.  What if he wasn't bitten by a walker.  What if his bite came from someone posing as a walker, more specifically a Whisperer.  There were talks of teasing the Whisperers in season 8, what if we got that preview and didn't even realize it.  It makes too much sense honestly.  Killing Carl is dumb as hell, the previews for the 2nd half of the season look purposely misdirected with Rick at a gravesite and not really being burdened by Carls death in any scene after.  I believe it's Gabriel's or someone elses gravesite, Carl ends up not turning and nobody initially knows why until someone goes back to where he was bit and reveals the walker was a person in walker suit blending in with walkers.

Again, there are holes in this idea and it would feel like Glenn in the dumpster all over again.  But Carl is too damned important and the more I think about it the more I like this theory.

 
Redux said:
If I enjoy something, I enjoy it.  Just because it becomes cool or standard to hate something the more popular it gets,  this happens all the time with everything.
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Two things. I am also one that if I enjoy something, I enjoy it. Through seasons 6 and 7 I still enjoyed The Walking Dead even though I thought it had taken a turn for the worse as far as the quality of the craft and the story. Now, my opinion of the objectively worse product has been matched by a declining amount of enjoyment. Also, a lot of people do hate something because of the trendiness of railing against prevailing sentiment, sure. But a lot of people sour because they honestly think that it keeps getting worse and worse. I'm in the latter camp (currently undetermined if I'll check out the second half of the season), and have absolutely zero tendency to stop liking something based off of how popular or big or 'shameless' being a fan is.

Reality is, as far as I can see it, that they gave us an 'all out war' storyline with virtually zero stakes due to plot armor on any character we care about, several episodes telling us the same thing in a confusing, non-linear and unnecessarily 'secretive' way where we don't know what's going on, the best characters having nothing to do and being relegated into sidekick roles, and no arcs of character development other than stuff we've already seen before. When will Morgan stop relapsing into crazy? Why hasn't Carol had anything interesting to do other than wallow or be a cheerleader since season six? Etc.

Redux said:
The fan base has turned on it, yet it still draws hella good ratings.
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That's...not exactly true.

It's review numbers are the lowest they ever have been, and it's ratings numbers are the lowest they've been since season two. 

http://deadline.com/2017/12/walking-dead-ratings-down-fall-finale-low-chandler-riggs-amc-1202225089/

http://www.denofgeek.com/us/tv/the-walking-dead/268803/the-walking-dead-season-8s-ratings-continue-to-decline

http://ew.com/tv/2017/12/12/the-walking-dead-finale-ratings-lowest/

Edit: Also, Chandler Riggs has confirmed that his character is gone after the first episode of 2018.

 
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The show is trying to do toi much.  As I mentioned, the comic made the same mistake during this exact storyline so naturally the shoe is going to suffer as well.  As far as the ratings thing goes, I haven't looked at numbers, but decreased ratings are inevitable.  Yes it's due to people souring on the show, but it's also one of the highest rated shows I think ever so a dip in ratings is still pretty good ratings.

Now to my whole Whisperer/Carl not dying theory, guess I'm not alone:




I agree with this guy, Carl is probably dead and the idea likely doesn't play out this way.  But, and this is a big BUT, maybe Gimple sees the dip in ratings and hears the outrage.  This is his way out, his ex-machina if you will.  If he wants the show to survive he should take this opportunity.  Carl's story after All Out War is fantastic IMO and the Whisperer War and anything after will suffer without him, especially if they really replace him with Lydia...

 
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Television viewership is down in general.  TWD is still getting massive ratings compared to basically every other show out there.  If it does end soon that most certainly won't be the reason.

 
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