The Walking Dead: 10 Best Deaths Of 2016

3. The Andersons

The Episode: No Way Out

How It Happened: With the massive walker horde having overrun Alexandria and Rick's little group forced to use camouflage to move through it, Sam decided it was the perfect time to have an emotional breakdown. He was immediately set upon by alerted walkers, which caused a distraught Jessie to shut down and be torn into as well. Almost immediately, Ron drew a gun on Rick - who had just got done hacking Jessie's arm off in an effort to save Carl - and got Michonne's katana through him as a reward.

Why It's On This List: The three-in-one death of the Anderson clan served to finally bring together a few threads that the first half of the season had spent laying down: Sam's innate fear of the undead, Ron's hatred for Rick and Carl, and Jessie's devotion to her ill-equipped and unstable children. The event lasted only a matter of moments, but it was completely effective, allowing the show to shed a bit of baggage and give weight to an already tense episode - which was punctuated by Carl being shot - and even opened the door for Rick to finally get together with Michonne.