7. The Battle At The Prison
At the end of season 3, the Governor came up short on the assault of the prison. His plan fell apart, and he didnt take it too well. We were expecting a slaughter at the prison, but the Governor jumped the gun, providing a massacre on the road. He throws a fit when Woodbury falls short of the prison, and many fans probably had a similar reaction. He destroyed his own army, but that was only a minor set back; the Governors previous intentions have been lingering in the air of the current season. Its unavoidable the audience needs to see this confrontation. Simply put, if the writers dont deliver this moment, then they deserve to go to a prison themselves. In the graphic novels, the final prison battle of Volume 8: Made To Suffer depicts the deaths of Lori and Judith. As Lori tries to run away with Judith in her arms, a bullet strikes her in the back. Judith dies in the same moment, hit by the bullet and crushed by her falling mother. With the amount of time Beth has spent carrying Judith, it feels as though the stars are aligned. Or maybe its the bullet thats aligned to go through both Beth and Judith. Furthermore, this fits in well to adjust the terms of Hershels suicide as it happens in the graphic novels. In the novels, Hershel breaks down after his sons death, accepting his death in the face of the Governor. Without a son, Beths death may cause Hershel to realize he has nothing left to live for. Hes constantly emphasised the need to do a job and to find something worth living for. If he loses Beth, he loses the most important thing hes been risking his life for. In that scenario, Hershels development throughout the season crashes down in a spectacular and compelling manner.