10 Times The Walking Dead Traumatised Fans
5. The Whisperer Border
Season 9 Episode 15: "The Calm Before."
Even this late in the game, The Walking Dead can still be full of twisted surprises. In Season 9, tensions between the four communities and the Whisperers escalate after our group repeatedly ignore Alpha's demand for a separating border. But, when things seem calm for some time, the Kingdom proceeds with its plan to host a celebratory fair. A decision that ultimately backfires.
Alpha sneaks into the fair under a disguise, and, at first, her motives are unclear. The residents of our communities soon notice that several people are missing, and a small group, including Daryl and Carol, go out to search. This soon leads us towards the Whisperer's border where we discover the decapitated heads of the missing residents lined up on spikes.
Why is this traumatising? Because it's an absolutely devastating and harrowing moment. In the comics, we discover the heads of Ezekiel and a pregnant Rosita (which in itself is rather brutal), but in the TV show the biggest reveal is the head of Henry, Carol's adopted son.
The decision to include Henry in this line-up is what creates the most trauma. Carol already suffered the death of her daughter in the second season, and now, when things seemed settled in her life, she is forced to look upon her son's decapitated head. It's an effectively evil decision by the writers.