Damn that was a looonnngggg and boring death scene. Seriously, if it hadn't been for Carol and Morgan I might have fallen asleep, but even in the Kingdom we just seemed to get a lot of speechifying. Carl's death went on so long it nearly entered parody.
I'd rather have characters actually
being characters, instead of jumping from one action set piece to another with no heart (or other motivations not supporting the story) like most fantasy films and TV series of the day.
I've stuck with this show a lot, even after Glenn's death, but I think I might be starting to reach the end of my tether. There's nowhere for the show to go unless they radically change things. They can't just keep killing off the hopeful characters, they can't just keep having the same build society/fight evil man and his army/repeat storyline.
I've made the same argument--eventually, the hopeful have to be the dominant influence. The problem is modern TV (modern as in the past 30 years) loves (to the point of obsession) to believe dysfunction and brutality = drama. Its overused, and a cheap fallback for bad and/or hive-minded, hack "writers" who have bought into that idea, and cannot think of doing something requiring more normal human behavior. TWD has flip-flopped with writers using that fallback, while others explored characters and growth. The inexplicably maligned season two was one of the best in my view, as it firmly set the course for and really explored the main characters as we would come to know them going forward. The only dysfunction was Shane--and he was treated as an aberration (rightfully so) in normal human relations, not the template for it. That contrast is what makes great drama, not
everyone behaving like they're in need of a straight-jacket and anti-looney drugs.
People say Carl surviving the bite negates the drama, I disagree. First off just because one person survives a bite it doesn't mean everyone will, secondly it provides the possibility of life returning to normal (well as normal as it could do)
But that would require an explanation Kirkman absolutely refuses to address or explore.
I just wish the show would do something radical. Carl could still have died, but not turned. Where are the scientists, the government
Remember, there is a large part of TWD's fanbase who support cowardly Kirkman's avoidance / resentment over any story (e.g., season one's great
"TS-19" as written by Darabont) attempting to bring scientists (who were working on a cure) into the show. Kirkman runs away from even hinting at what caused the outbreak, suggesting some fear of being criticized for creating a cause that might not hold up to scrutiny...
....but this
is fantasy, not a documentary, so a fantasy explanation about an equally fantasy-based disease/affliction that cannot be held to some scientifically plausible explanation is fine. It never stopped George Romero and John Russo from
Night of the Living Dead referring to "radiation contamination" from a Venus space probe as the likely cause of corpse reanimation/cannibalism. They rolled with it, and audiences accepted that in-story explanation.
thirdly it gives you the potential for Carl to become a symbol/Christ like figure, or even a commodity to be fought over (much like sighted people in Day of the Triffids).
The series had a few characters either make direct Christian refereces, or refer to it in behavior, but I doubt the current AMC/production staff would have gone in that direction. ...and again, people fighting over Carl for his resistance to the disease would require an explanation Kirkman will never explore/address.
where are the nuanced villains who can be bad yet still have a point of view you can empathise with
To be fair, how many productions have that--particularly the most successful franchises? Look at the MCU--can anyone empathize with Red Skull, Loki (or the rest of Thor's on-screen adversaries), Thanos, or anyone working for Hydra? I'm guessing the answer is no. Can anyone empathize with
Star Wars villains such as the Emperor, Darth Maul or even Vader--until his last minute change in
Return of the Jedi? The Master from Doctor Who? Any filmed version of the Joker, Lex Luthor or General Zod? Nope.
Oh and Negan hugging Judith in the fantasy scenes, I nearly laughed which isn't the response they were looking for I guess.
It was about Carl leaving the mortal world with a hope for peace--which was understandable, as one of the running messages of certain characters throughout the series (Hershel, Andrea, Dale, et al.) is that wall-to-wall, neverending anger/violence is pointless.
