Why I Am Officially Breaking Up with 'The Walking Dead'
There isn’t a show on air today that takes advantage of its fanbase like The Walking Dead. Other shows may kill off favourite characters (Red Wedding, *cough, cough* ), but there is something about The Walking Dead that makes me feel used. Time and time again, the show has managed to earn my trust and make me feel invested in a character or narrative only to leave me abandoned as a viewer. And on Sunday night, during the Season 7 premiere, my patience for the show was finally bashed to death by a baseball bat named Lucille. The show has become torture porn, disguised under the bloody veil of a hollow narrative.
Image Credit: AMC
This breakup was a long time coming; No one can say I didn’t try. I remained loyal throughout a wasted Season 2, which was mostly spent searching for young Sophia, only to find out she was undead all along. I stayed tuned in even when Dale, spiritual sherpa extraordinaire, met his gruesome end to a walker and again when my beloved Hershel was horrifically decapitated in front of his daughters, Maggie and Beth. Would Dale have survived outside the confines of the farm? Probably not for long. Would Hershel have survived hobbling through the backwoods of Georgia on one leg? Definitely not. So, I get it. But things got worse.
Image Credit: AMC
Ridiculous hospital-from-hell story arc that ends in innocent Beth’s death just as she was developing as a character? UGH! Okay. Let’s have Bob watch as a group of cannibals eat his amputated leg? Screw you, but fine. Let’s chop off Tyreese’s arm for kicks and then make sure he is dead before he can say goodbye to his sister, Sasha. I hate you Scott Gimple, but I understand Tyreese as a character reached his catharsis. (RIP TYREESE, YOU ARE FOREVER MY LOVE.)
Years went by and I kept watching because I could understand the producers’ methodology. Each death seemed to serve a higher purpose. They were martyred for the sake of the story. This is why I was able to defend the show’s more ribald qualities. In the beginning, the series balanced violence with sincere character development, creating a rarely profound horror-drama hybrid. It was a powerful potion and I was addicted to the psychological marathon each new episode took me on. Then everything changed.
Negan confronting an emotional Rick in Season 7's premiere episode of 'The Walking Dead.' Image Credit: AMC
Last season, I truly lost my respect for the series as the show seemed to sacrifice genuine narrative and character development for cheap manipulation and rating. When they faked Glenn’s death, I immediately thought, “This show thinks it can get away with anything.” That was the dramatic turn in which the show began to care more about its hype than its content. Moreover, producers prolonged Season 6 with Negan Easter eggs to further torture fans. The show obviously became completely dependent on uninspired gimmicks.
I was extremely close to giving up on the show then and there, but a single thing stopped me. The show’s saving grace has always been its cast, which is nothing short of spectacular. No one can argue the fact that The Walking Dead has one of the most ferociously talented casts on television today. But even a cast of gold won’t save the The Walking Dead’s soul, which was disgracefully expunged from the show on Sunday night.
Abraham shortly before his death. Image Credit: AMC
After a tacky cliffhanger capped off an unbalanced Season 6, fans eagerly awaited to see which one of their heroes would have their brains smashed to bits by Negan, Villain Supreme, played by the brilliant and dashing Jeffrey Dean Morgan. I will cut to the chase. Abraham dies. Then Glenn dies. Glenn dies hard. His eyeball pops out. To quote Negan, it was “gross as shit.” Even though I loved Abraham (aka Mr. Mother Dick), seeing him die was a bit expected, especially if you follow the comics. His death was sad, but that is not why I was upset. Abraham was only sacrificed to make Glenn’s death more distressing, which is a pathetic ploy to manipulate the audience. I am not amused.
I will admit, Glenn’s death was a bit of a shock. Even though his character falls victim to Negan in the comic, the narrative has diverted from the comic’s plot line before. Even though I have rooted for Glenn since Episode 2, the fact he died is not why I am giving up on The Walking Dead. The show has always been a game of emotional Russian roulette. It is why and how he died. Glenn’s death was disgusting. He deserved more. You may be thinking: This is a show about a zombie apocalypse, of course it is going to be gory. I accept that. But gore for gore’s sake is cheap. Seeing Glenn’s head bashed into a literal oblivion was entirely unnecessary. This was not good television. This was torture porn, and I am not the only one who feels this way. Twitter has been flooded with criticism since the show aired Sunday night. Here are some of the best responses:
In addition to the two major kills, the episode also featured a barbarous moment of extreme tension between Rick, Negan and Carl. Viewers are led to believe Rick will have to cut off his son’s arm (COORRRRRALLLL) just to further assert Negan’s authority. It was sadistic. It was grotesque. And then(!), just to make sure they sucked out every last drop of forced emotion from their viewership, producers had the nerve to throw in an alternative scenario sequence dubbed with a sappy cello score. Please. Make. It. Stop.
An accurate depiction of my feelings towards 'The Walking Dead' after the Season 7 premiere. Thanks, Steven. You're a dreamboat. Image Credit: Steven Yuen, Instagram
It is obvious the showrunner’s employed such a brutal display of sadism in the Season 7 opener in order to make the fanbase hate Negan. They think Rick’s lust for revenge will be enough to keep them watching. Well, they were wrong (at least in my case). I have officially given up on The Walking Dead. I have decided to keep my emotional integrity and watch shows that actually respect its audience rather than bribing them with cheap cliffhangers and torture porn.
P.S. I STILL LOVE YOU, CAROL.
