5 Reasons It's Time To Let The Walking Dead Die

4. The Safest Apocalypse Ever

In theory, no one is safe in a zombie apocalypse. In a world where reanimated corpses of the dead outnumber mouth breathers probably about 1,000,000 to 1, the estimated life expectancy of any one person would likely be only a few seconds longer than that of cocaine at a party thrown by Robert Evans. While Max Brooks would wisely inform us that "no place is safe, only safer," there are definitely characters in The Walking Dead that the writers have seemingly dubbed both physically and emotionally invincible. Specifically (though not exclusively), I'm thinking of Rick, everyone's favorite mumbling sheriff, and Darryl, everyone's favorite redneck with the heart of gold. Bad things have certainly happened to these characters, but like the grime of a Marcus Nispel horror film, these bad things are superficial and unearned, neither natural nor threatening. Malignity is introduced to give off the appearance of giving these characters complexity and credibility, but these afflictions are never given enough time or attention to warrant any serious threat of infecting our characters with villainy or moral ambiguity. I'll admit to being surprised when Darryl abandoned the group for the sake of his brother, Merle, but I can't admit to being surprised when the writers brought him back to the group not even an entire episode later - God forbid that the audience be allowed to question Darryl's allegiance for an entire week. I can't tell you how many people I know who have said that they would stop watching the show if Darryl were killed. You think that fact is lost on AMC? Ultimately though, the show belongs to Rick. It's through Rick's eyes that we initially entered the zombie apocalypse, and despite moments of episodes where he's off screen, there's never been an entire episode where Rick has been absent, though there has been at least two ("Days Gone By," "When the Dead Come Knocking") where he's away from the larger group. The writers had a chance to do something interesting when he began to lose his sanity after the death of Lori, but instead of giving any substantial hint that the leader of the "Ricktatorship" would flounder and fall, what we got instead was A Beautiful Mind approach to mental instability, in which a simple acknowledging of a deteriorating mental state somehow implies coping and overcoming. Sure, Rick wandered around in a field for an episode looking all sweaty and grunting to images of his deceased wife, but aside from him very publicly losing his shit in "The Suicide King," Rick is still largely The Walking Dead's flawless patron saint. If the writers really wanted to take risks and stand out, they could take a cue from The Wire. David Simon and co. didn't care to whom you were attached, chances were excellent that they were going to be killed. Why? Not out of malice, but because that was a logical outcome of the environment in which the characters lived. But the writers won't take any chances because they know that straying too far from the status quo would see their viewership jump ship in droves. Perhaps I'm being unfair, though. There have been a good number of characters killed on The Walking Dead. How could I forget about Lori or Andrea, the two most hated characters on the show? Or how about T-Dawg, who spoke probably 7 words through three seasons? Oh, there was also Redneck Prisoner, Other Black Guy, Intimidating Spanish Prisoner, and Random Fucking Old Guy in a Cabin Somewhere. R.I.P. Red Shirts. Your lives were sadly sacrificed on the altar of safety.