What It Did Right...
5. Rick Tells The Truth
Rick was in a tough spot after the end of Indifference he'd dealt with Carol's murders by sending her out into the world of the zombie apocalypse on her own, and while it was ultimately her decision to leave, Rick would have nobody to corroborate his assertion of Carol's guilt when he returned to the prison. Honestly, Rick's easiest course of action probably would have been to lie to the others at the prison about what had transpired between himself and Carol. Luckily for us, he didn't, and viewers were spared episodes of contrived drama that would never lead anywhere satisfying. The Shane/Lori secret dragged, Michonne's stubborn Season 3 silence irritated and Rick's concealment of Jenner's CDC revelation allowed Randall and Shane to reanimate and attack, all leading to painfully slow, obvious drama the viewer couldn't help but become frustrated with. It definitively proved secrets in the Walking Dead universe generally do much more harm than good, and writer Channing Powell allowed Rick to forego the route of inventing a less damning story to explain Carol's absence. Instead, Rick made the adult decision and told the truth about what Carol had done. Well, he told Maggie and Hershel. He may have left somebody important out of the loop. But that's for another part of the list.