The Walking Dead: Why Rick's [SPOILER] Was A Mistake

3. It Undermines The Loss - And Reactions To It

Rick’s there, bloody and alone, his trusty pistol in hand, and he makes the devastating but correct choice: he blows up the bridge, destroys the herd, and kills himself in the process. He knows what this decision means, and so do his friends.

The reactions in this moment are sublime, from the look of horror on Michonne’s face, to Daryl actually getting to emote for the first time in years. It’s honest, raw, moving stuff.

And then they undercut that by having him being saved, and all sense of loss and grief is gone in an instant, replaced with a degree of confusion and an overwhelming feeling of 'for f**k's sake. Combined with the time jump, it means we’re robbed of seeing the impact Rick’s death has on those closest to him, save for that brief, brilliant snapshot. The jump opens up some interesting storytelling possibilities, but it loses a lot of great character work in the process, unless they’re going to have everyone mourning Rick six years on.