10 things nobody wants to admit about The Walking Dead

6. Killing Carl off was a huge mistake

You probably aren’t surprised to see this entry on the list. The untimely death of Carl Grimes was undoubtedly the most infamous event to ever go down in The Walking Dead. Now, sometimes, infamous events can create great stories and ultimately pay off as a result, but this is not one of those cases.

Carl was what Rick saw to be the future of the survivors. It’s understandable, really, because not only was Carl his son, he was set to follow in his footsteps, protecting people and helping build a better world for his sister Judith. But killing him off halfway through a season accomplished nothing but shock value, and even that didn’t last long.

His death didn’t amount to anything either. Sure, he helped bring in Siddiq to Alexandria, and his death sent Rick into a spiral, but what did it ultimately accomplish? Rick left the show half a season later and Siddiq was killed off in season 10. Oh, and they took that huge time jump in season 9 to distance themselves from their greatest mistake.

Carl should not have died. Heck, Rick was more expendable than Carl. That’s not to say that the show’s lead should have died either, but taking away the very thing he was fighting for (the future) just really drove home how directionless the show had become. Yes, the time-jump reinvigorated things, but the distance from Carl’s death could never truly erase the sin.

Lori wanted Carl to beat this world. He should have.