Before I start this will most definitely contain spoilers for the Walking Dead season 8 mid-season finale so if you don’t want to know what happened to stop reading now.
The mid-season finale featured a pretty major character death and a massive change from the comics but this doesn’t necessarily mean bad things! The tv series is very different from the comics which makes it such a brilliant franchise to read AND watch it takes scenes straight from the comics for the more hardcore follower to geek out over but is different enough to keep it exciting and lets you know that they aren’t afraid to tear the comics apart and branch off to something else.
The death of Carl, however, is a pretty huge changeup but the more I think about it the more I realize it kind of makes sense. I mean yeah I’m gutted we won’t get the eye socket lick scene but apart from that their isn’t really a major storyline that Carl needs to be there for and it could be the best way to get around a few things too. This is just me thinking and not by any means an informed take on whats going to happen but here goes.
One problem it may solve is to help TV Rick reach the mindset of Comic book Rick, TV Rick wants Negan Dead! No question no compromise he needs to die but comic book Rick doesn’t kill him he keeps him in jail and he ends up playing a pretty big role in things to come. So how do we get from tv Rick to comic Rick? Carl has to die! Negan cant kill anyone else that would just fuel Ricks vengeance and Negan definitely cant kill Carl that would send Rick into a death frenzy and Negan does not survive that! No Carl dying from a bite is perfect we get the emotional fade out for the episode, Rick and Carl get to say goodbye and Rick realize the futility of all the fighting and softens to the idea that there could be another way!
As for Carls storylines? He only really has a few big parts he talks to Negan in jail and forms a kind of relationship behind Ricks back and he gains his Independence and moves to the hilltop in a coming of age style tale but all this happens after the time jump and post time jump comicbook Carl is pretty much the same age as Tv Carl right now (Damn you nature) so if Tv Carl time jumps hes likely going to end up in at least his twenties and won’t have quite the same impact in a coming of age storyline so again kind of has to die so that they can time jump. Now if they Time jump -which I kind of hope they do even if I’m not a massive fan of old man Rick – they have the void of Teenage Carl to fill, in steps……… Teenage Judith!!
Teenage Judith could easily fill Carls role, she could form a relationship with Negan while speaking behind her dads back (possibly he’s the only one who will talk about her brother) then gain independence and move to the hilltop and even possibly take over after Maggie. Could even keep the Lydia storyline sans eye lick obviously but still justifies a Whisperers kid struggling to leave because of a lesbian affair
So there it is, my reasons why Carls death was totally justified and in my opinion a better death than having him die in a zombie fight and left to be eaten, this way he has some emotional scenes with his family before someone (could Rick bring himself to do it) has to end him as he turns!! Well, Played Robert Kirkman and Scott Gimple well played!
Brian Isaacs - Executive Editor / Publisher