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

3. It Has Undermined The Show's Fresh Start

For the first time in many years, The Walking Dead is on the cusp of something truly magnificent. The show has thrived since wrapping up the Negan storyline, and Rick's departure hasn't changed this. The narrative is interesting, the conflict is rife and the dynamic between all of the settlements is really strong. Moreover, the new threat has the potential to be the best - or worst, for our survivors - yet.

After delivering three strong instalments, however, TWD falls at the final hurdle with Jesus' demise. Jesus' unique set of skills - both as a fighter and as a leader - could've been invaluable for the show's new era moving forward. Removing him from the series has left the group (and the writers) at a massive disadvantage.

Under Kang's control, The Walking Dead has surprisingly managed to shake off almost all of its problematic traits. However, the good ole' pointless-death-of-an-important-character trope raises its ugly head again during the mid-season finale.

Kang has said that she felt the show needed a surprising death as part of The Whisperers' introduction, but what she fails to realise is that surprises arise naturally with good writing - not at the expense of it. This is a common issue with The Walking Dead, and one that fans had hoped Kang would've sorted out. Unfortunately, this isn't the case. If anything, Jesus' death is an indication that the showrunners have yet to fully understand the reasons why people lost interest in the show in the first place.

Jesus' death has truly undermined the show's new beginning, and it doesn't matter if the writers manage to dazzle us with more great writing moving forward, because any new strides they might take in the future will be forever overshadowed by what could have been here.