The Walking Dead: Why Rick's [SPOILER] Was A Mistake

5. Rick's Departure Was Almost Perfect

It's worth noting that much of Rick's last episode is really, really good. Andrew Lincoln, as ever, gives a strong, stirring performance that typifies just why he's been able to carry this show for so long, and as we see Shane and then Hershell return the instalment becomes genuinely emotionally affecting. (Sasha's scene is good too, but it would've hit far harder with any number of characters Rick had actually been close to instead.)

The episode itself is well-paced, with its subplot - Maggie going to kill Negan, only to decide otherwise when he breaks down - fitting with where Rick is now: he made the decision to keep Negan alive in the Season 8 finale, and in his last appearance, she honours that. But really, it belongs to Rick.

We move along on his bid to find his family, with the visions coming and going like his consciousness: it's emotional, gripping, and nail-biting stuff. Seriously, it's up there with anything The Walking Dead has done over the last couple of years, and by the time he's on that bridge and pulling the trigger, it all makes complete sense. We've seen Rick come full circle, he's done all he can and fought until the very end, and he's managed to save his family one last time. Given that they only had five episodes to work with, it's difficult to think of how they'd write a more fitting conclusion, save for that Sasha vision being replaced by Carl or Lori.

And then...