The Walking Dead- Honour

Brother and sister Carl and Judith

The strength of a good drama lies in its abilities to move its audience.
Over it's past three seasons or so The Walking Dead has not failed to thrill and to provoke its sizeable fan base with  grittiness, violence and tense set pieces, but it seemed to have lost some of it's humanity, and the warmth ying that provides a necessary balance to its zombie yang.
Tonight, the balance has been restored when one of the original Atlanta four, Carl Grimes ( Chandler Riggs), finally died after being bitten by an arbitrary undead.
Now if we stuck with the series true timeline , Carl would be around thirteen at best, but only in the last year or so the actor has suddenly grown into his eighteen years and now looks his age. I suspect this is the true reason why the show has written him out which is a shame as tonight Riggs showed he could act.
Wisely Carl's demise was filmed in a gentle and almost sentimental way. Through flashbacks we see his tender goodbyes with sister Judith and as his father and a heartbroken Michonne look on, he shares his wishes for peace to prevail in this all too rather bleak world.
The episode was incredibly moving, (especially the moment when Carl told Michonne that she was his best friend) and for all of  The Walking Dead excesses, this emotional romp Was the right way to go.... It was warm and genuine and emotional and I hope this signifies a subtle change in the drama  from now on.
Excitement and terror and horror are vital for a good zombie drama but the drama is not a drama unless we care about the characters. To care for them we need to see them in a more rounded and in a  less frenetic way. Light and shade is needed, oh and a personal plea for a tiny bit more humour.
Humour would be vital in surviving the apocalypse I think.
And so as Carl bravely took his own life to spare any further psychological trauma to his already un hinged father, Daryl et al journeyed to Hilltop as Carol and the now psycho killer Morgan saved Ezekiel in a bloody kill fest to keep even the most geek of geek fans happy.
The scene is set for the final battle me thinks but now there is a hope that things will eventually get a tad more balanced.


10 comments:

  1. Oh, I shed a tear or two at Carl's passing. I thought it was handled well, giving him a grand send off to a wonderful character. Hopefully we will see him in another drama soon, he's too good not to see again!

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    1. I think Henry will take over his role

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  2. Well i thought it all a bit much.. They dragged it on too long. But thats just me.. So nice to see him in the after show with a hair cut.. lol I hope to see him in more shows..Hugs! deb

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  3. I gave up when the tiger got killed and haven't watched since. And I can't stand the bastard Negan.

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  4. Very good review John and I was sorry to see carl go and even though I knew it was coming I still teared up. I'd agree on the more humour.

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  5. As happens with a lot of shows I'm attached to,big events like this week's make me... nervous. Unsure of the future. Later on, of course, I can weigh the change more soberly and it often turns out great.

    The weird Carl aging thing (weird as opposed to Judith's aging or Maggie's pregnancy) has at least been resolved. I think they handled it as well as they could have - a seemingly random bite that was handkled with some great lines and good writing.

    Carl handled his last day with class, optimism, and hope. I agree with your assessment here and I'm still watching!

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  6. I will be watching tonight as it's too late for me to stay awake. I am looking forward to it after your review.

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  7. Agree; was done in a very lovely manner. I am not a fan of Michonne's, but the scenes with her and Carl were spot on.

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  8. Excellently put! I must say though that I'm awfully tired of Negan. Time to feed him to the "Wolves" (where are they?) and hire a new villan, I say.

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