8 Reasons The Walking Dead Has Lost Its Way This Season
5. Completely Wasting The Season's Best New Character
The Walking Dead introduced an incredibly layered, interesting new character this season. He has a compelling back story. He's intimidating. His presence demands attention.
No, we're not talking about Negan - he's a one-note caricature. We're talking about a man who keeps a pet tiger - Ezekiel. Who could easily have come off as cartoonish as well, were he not so ably portrayed by Khary Payton.
Ezekiel's story, that he took on the role of a powerful King, keeping his tiger close to impress his "subjects" while actually being nothing more than a zookeeper is actually some of the best writing the series has had in ages (of course, it's lifted from the comics, but regardless, it's well executed). He showed fantastic chemistry with Carol. He has a chance to be a fan favorite.
So of course, after a standout performance early in the year, he's almost completely forgotten, and instead we focus on his second in command, the generally banal Richard.