"O Captain! My Captain!" (Whitman)
Let me ask you something. Someone steals your vest, which you’ve been wearing for months without cleaning, and he starts wearing it like it was his this whole time. You find him and get it back, do you put it right back on? I mean, let it air out a little for God’s sake Daryl!
My intention was to move on to a new topic now that I’ve covered all of the seasons prior, and would return after this half came to a close. But if you read my last article and watched the mid-season premiere, you saw that all of my predictions were proven wrong. Even if Carl was immune, that bullet probably did the trick.
I hate the fact that my predictions were wrong. I’m happy the show has done something different from the comics, and I’m happy with this season so far. I know I have been very negative on the show, and I hope it hasn’t come across as being negative for negative’s sake.
I stand by my issues and complaints, but I will be the first to admit that the show does seem to be turning around. The real reason, however, for my disdain for my predictions being wrong… was that I wanted it in paper that I was right! That I called it before it happened! I wanted that satisfaction!
My one complaint about the episode, while I think they wrote a fair and pleasant send-off for Carl, was that it dragged at times. There were bits of dialogue of Carl’s that was moving but were immediately weighed down for something attesting to Rick changing him and saving everyone. This was implied, but actually putting it in words shifted the focus from his death to Rick being the messiah figure.
That took away from it, in my opinion. Now that Carl is dead, re-establish Rick as the messiah figure moving forward, but let Carl have this moment be solely about him. In doing that, the episode could have remained at the usually 42-45 minutes, without risking his death being rushed. All in all, the writers proved they did, in fact, have the gonads to kill of Carl, and the show seems to be moving. Which is awesome! I’m not so hung up on where the show moves to, as long as it doesn’t feel like the story is at a standstill.
It looks like it might be headed in a very interesting direction; Rick bleeding at the stoop of a tree and Negan in the “future” Alexandria with Judith. In the comics, Negan is kept as a prisoner and develops somewhat of a fatherly relationship with Carl after Rick and Co. win All Out War. The show revealed that the “Old Man Rick” flash-forwards were apart of Carl’s dream for the future.
Perhaps some of these scenes are in fact just “dreams” and maybe some are actually moments of what’s to come. Like the Negan one for example. What if Rick, in fact, dies from the gun wound or matching zombie bite that we saw him with at the very end of the episode? What if this new Alexandria is led by Negan, and he becomes the show’s lead?
(That reminds me, I’ve been too hard on Jeffrey Dean Morgan. I know he wasn’t in this episode (cause he costs too much) but I re-watched the mid-season finale and he’s great in it. He was funny and villain-esque and charismatic. All the things he is supposed to be. I’m still standing by all of my previous complaints; this is the only one I’m admitting I was wrong about!)
That could be interesting. I very much doubt this, but if it’s right, here in print this theory appears! It was here first and if it’s right I get that satisfaction! You can see I’m desperately trying to prove I predicted something right; I love a good fan theory and I just want to have one that’s entirely mine that I started and is right!
Flip the coin, how about this; Rick, while bleeding out beneath the tree, envisioned everything that is happening, even Carl’s death, as a way to say goodbye. Why he would imagine his son dying in order to say goodbye is beyond me, but I’m trying to have all of my bases covered. Plus, I brought attention to every pattern the show follows, all signs pointed to Carl NOT being dead!
It’s not fair, I should be right! Notice, we didn’t see Carl pull the trigger, so maybe he isn’t. I know I’m pulling at strings and the scenarios I have detailed have roughly zero chance of being accurate. But if they are, you read it here first!
Anyways, for now, it looks like Carl is dead, which begs the question, how can they keep Tara who perpetually sucks? That’s a direct quote from my brother. He also mentioned how they got one last "cora" from Rick in while they still could.
I’m done with Walking Dead articles for now, until the Season ends and I can review this section of 8 episodes together. So until then, J.S.S.