The first-half of The Walking Dead Season 8 attempted to shake-up the Walking Dead formula a bit, playing with different ways of telling the “All Out War” storyline. Now, did it all work? Not necessarily. For a show depicting such an epic story arc, things still felt fairly predictable from episode to episode. However, one twist that no one could have seen coming was the unceremonious death of Carl Grimes. Something, readers know, that has major ramifications on the story. Not only for the universe of the TV series, but also for when AMC plans future plotlines from the books (if they use the books at all).
There’s been lots of drama following Chandler Riggs departure from the show, with his family none-too-pleased with the way Scott Gimple handled this decision, but it looks like Chandler himself is at peace. Talking with Cinema Blend, the actor waxed nostalgic about his experience on the show, and also his life post-Walking Dead:
“Being on the show was such a great experience. It was so awesome and I loved working with everyone in the cast and the crew; the writers, everybody. It was a really, really awesome experience. It’s really unfortunate to have to leave, but it’s great, because now I get to go and do film and other TV shows and a bunch of stuff that I haven’t gotten to do before, and stuff that I’m really excited for. So it’s very bittersweet.”
SEE ALSO: The Walking Dead showrunner has described Carl’s death as “nuclear”
Leaving a show that you literally grew up working on must be a wholly unique experience; something akin to saying goodbye to family, one would think. What do you think about the decision to kill of Carl this season? Let us know in the comments!
All out war has had a devastating impact on every person involved. The communities themselves are fractured. Alexandria has been destroyed, the Hilltop finds themselves pinned, and the Kingdom is shattered — half of them dead, the other half controlled by the Saviors. At the very center — Rick, having been distracted by the conflict, has just returned home to learn that Carl, who heroically shepherded the Alexandrians to safety during Negan’s attack, has been bitten by a walker. Once his sole motivation in this otherwise stark existence, Rick is forced to deal with this reality. Carl has always been a beacon of hope, a symbol for the remaining thread of humanity — lessons that the survivors around him would be wise to take with them as this war surges onward.
But Rick isn’t the only person who’s living in peril. Aaron and Enid are in a dire situation at Oceanside — unclear if they’re in friendly territory, or if they’ve just made new enemies. Father Gabriel will do his part in attempting to smuggle Dr. Carson safely back to the Hilltop and a pregnant Maggie is wrestling with the many moral gray areas that come with leadership during war. In a standoff with the Saviors, she must decide how to proceed with the dozens of POW lives she’s currently in control of, as well as new complications that come with being a leader. In addition to the war, Negan continues to deal with struggles within his ranks as workers, traitors, and others’ thirst for power cause conflict at the Sanctuary. Having gifted the Saviors a major victory, Eugene’s loyalty is repeatedly tested as new obstacles present themselves.
As all-out-war consumes us, the line between good and evil continues to blur. People fighting for what they believe in. Everybody working together for something bigger — to feel safe and have a world worth living in.
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Originally published February 23, 2018. Updated December 19, 2019.
