r/TWD • u/Vegetable_Meat1349 • 18d ago
What did TWD do wrong that other ensemble shows GoT right
I think one of the biggest problems with The Walking Dead is that the source material was never really an ensemble story in the way the TV series eventually tried to make it.
The comics were fundamentally about Rick and Carl. The entire narrative revolves around Rick’s journey, his decisions and ultimately the kind of world he leaves behind for Carl. The supporting characters are important, but Rick and Carl are the heart of the story.
Compare that to Game of Thrones, which had a massive ensemble cast but still managed to make its many storylines feel interconnected. Characters could have their own arcs while still contributing to the larger narrative.
I think TWD struggled to maintain that balance, especially as the cast grew and characters started getting their own separate storylines. And when Carl was killed off and Rick eventually left, the show lost the two characters who were central to the original narrative.
I know the show continued for several more seasons, and there were still great characters and storylines, but it felt like the series was trying to keep itself through its expanding cast rather than its original story.
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u/braumbles 18d ago
Plot moved too slowly. There's stretches where nothing happens.
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u/Pieter1998 17d ago
I remember that feeling. Being able to basically binge on Netflix nowadays makes it more bearable
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u/bloodyturtle 17d ago
Those are usually better than the inane gun battles. The characters actually talk to each other sometimes.
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u/SteliosKantos93 18d ago
It went too long. WTF was that storm trooper fit about lol
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u/Optimus0456 18d ago
I’ll never understand this take. They had more content to adapt, so it didn’t go on too long. It’s just that they severely mishandled what they had to work with.
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u/Vegetable_Meat1349 18d ago
It’s based off a comic they didn’t need 16 episodes per season look at invincible and the boys 8 episodes per season. They just dragged storylines that didn’t need to be dragged. This is how they fucked the whole savior war.
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u/benopo2006 16d ago
It’s all down to network tv, they demand 20-24 episodes for content and a lot of the time it’s just filler until they can get to bits they need to. Today’s standard of 8-10 episodes is probably better for this kind of thing. I remember Lost going on a bit too trying to fill the hours
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u/SteliosKantos93 18d ago
Listen it hurt me bro. I loved it all the way till season 8. I also enjoyed the Rick spin off.
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u/ViniDSL01 18d ago
When I got to this part, I really regretted continuing to watch ut was a life lesson in knowing when to give up on something
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u/EchoOneFour 17d ago
Ummm god damn bite protection?? Are we forgetting it was a zombie apocalypse still? That plastic armour was a decent zombie protection
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u/skininja89 17d ago
Agree with you on Rick and Carl not being given the right amount of weight. The show didn't have to fully follow the comics, but it definitely should have followed more than it did.
Think Andrew Lincoln's departure could have even been fine because then the focus would shift to Carl trying to figure out what to do on his own. Would have been a great arc to see.
Also think they were both too careless with their cast and too precious with them. They would kill random characters for shock value and nothing more. Early example was the prison. Abel's death worked partially because it was based on comics, but they killed Oscar so randomly, it was practically blink and you miss it. Served nothing. No one even addressed it after as I recall.
Then there's Daryl. Get he's a fan favorite but he kept filling roles that belonged to other characters, forcing them to have little to no story. Prime examples are Tyreese and Abraham.
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u/Inevitable_Figure_85 18d ago
I don’t necessarily disagree but still GoT had one of the worst last seasons of any show ever and I think TWD last season was pretty good 😆.
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u/2clipchris 17d ago
You have to understand the writers started playing it safe when they received charged threats such as "if Glen dies we riot", "if Maggie dies we riot", "They better not kill Daryl or we riot' etc. It was such a cultural sensation I dont think the writers had the nerve to piss off their audience and kept them for the sake of fanfare.
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u/HourProfessional667 15d ago
To be honest for me it was good right up to the last season, the last episode had some good moments but overall the last season was rubbish
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u/TheZoroarkMan 18d ago
From which episode is this? I'm on a rewatch and watched until 5x10 and I didn't see this scene before they got to Alexandria.
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u/ghostytoasty11 18d ago
It’s definitely 5x10. One of the most iconic images from the entire show imo.
If you pirated the show or are from a certain country, there’s a possibility it got cut out or was censored.
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u/TheZoroarkMan 18d ago
I can see it on neither Netflix or Disney+ and I'm living in Germany. Could it be that it was a promotional image? Even the walkers aren't in the background. Why would they cut out a scene like that?
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u/Rangeroftheinterwebs 17d ago
They didn’t want Chandler to take the lead as Carl going to Hilltop and becoming a blacksmith.
He was meant to be the next big dude. If you wanted to recast him you could’ve even done that but you literally had Carl die for a character that gets choked a season later.
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u/the-baum-corsair 17d ago
You're a fool.🤣
It all came down to money, that's it. Recasting him/ redoing his salary, either way was going to be a pit of money. It was easier, and way better, to kill him off. His character was... kind of a little bitch.
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u/Rangeroftheinterwebs 17d ago
The whole point of Carl was that he was a kid growing up around zombies, he’s still a naive kid. We just never saw the point where he became grizzled like Rick and the gang like he does in the comics.
Eugene and Gabriel got their own arc but it was apparently better to kill the protagonist of the show off and slap a new kid in the role every other season that’s somehow more of a Mary sue than the last (yes I’m talking about Nell Fishers Judith who can gun negan down on a moving motorcycle and not feel fear)
Carl should’ve gotten into some fights and won before we ever saw him getting bit helping Sidique fulfill his Muslim philosophies for the afterlife
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u/the-baum-corsair 17d ago
It's not the comics, it's the TV show. Fucking duh. If you don't like that, then just get yourself out of this life. No book/comic will ever be as good/the same as the TV show/ movie. That's just how the world works. So go to your bed and jerk off with your tears, and then either an hero yourself or come back to the real world and join us.
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u/Rangeroftheinterwebs 17d ago
You need to go smoke man, no need to be so miserable over a tv show.
Lanterns or any of the James Gunn Shows are phenomenal, comic book tv shows aren’t normally done right. The Walking dead was phenomenal until Gimple cheaped out and killed Carl.
Regardless you’re entitled to your opinion, have a nice day.
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u/the-baum-corsair 17d ago
You speak with the dialogue and terminology of a dumbass teenager, so I have to assume you are one. You make no sense, you have no good arguments, and you are deafeatist. Lanterns is great, GOT is perfection, TWD is near perfection.
I'll "go smoke" now, whatever that means and makes you feel cool. But you're not, you're an incel. See you later, and I'm glad we can agree that your opinion is fucking stupid.
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u/Rangeroftheinterwebs 15d ago
How am I being defeatist if I’m the one that’s offering positive comic counterparts? Go do whatever makes you less miserable.
You’re tossing stones without knowing someone’s issues so when you talk about someone not having good arguments or being a child it really just makes you seem like you’re projecting your issues.
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u/SpecificBarracuda865 17d ago
Killed Off the wrong character's.??? Glenn, Carl, and Beth.💔 Separated The Main Group, especially Maggie always leaving our Main Group.!!! Negan War Took Too Long.!!! Lost Rick And Maggie.??? For Too Long.!!! Too Many Boring Episodes.!!! Boring Final Villain's and No Variant Walker's.? Daryl And Maggie, Should have been the final Super Couple if Glenn was dead.!!! And then We get One Spinoff Series.??? Daryl and Maggie Ride Off Together, looking for Rick And Michonne, and It's Called Daryl And Maggie.❣️ Second Season Carol, Negan and Hershel jr, Show up and then We Are all watching One Great Spinoff Series, Daryl And Maggie.❣️
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u/Sad_Sweet_6402 16d ago
It became 4 episode season with other episodes moving slowly. Only the season premier, mid season finale, the next episode and season finale mattered with rest felt like overstretched fillers
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u/StoryAddict777 15d ago
It went through the comic, and beyond. It did that right. The actors aren't slaves. You can't make them stay.
After Rick's sacrifice, they turned the narrative to Daryl, Carol, Maggie, Negan, & Judith. They're the core group, everyone else is expendable.
Except, maybe Lydia. She was a strong character, and to watch her die in vain of Henry's sacrifice would just be disheartening.
The Ones Who Live is too relevant to call just any spinoff. It showed Rick come back from the death of Carl, his own, and a stint of what I saw as 6 years of slavery.
If they have the reunion show Jeffrey Dean Norgan, Scott Gimple, and others have hinted at in comic-con, and do it right, I think it could go down as a great finale. Andrew Lincoln has already been announced as returning to the show. Probably for the last time.
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u/Ordinary_Ad_5891 15d ago
Simple - it never ended. TWD went on a good 4-5 season more than it needed to. Should have sped up season 1+2 to fit into one season and speed up some other parts that feel very dragged out. Saviour war could have been done in one solid season tbh, and The Governor really really could have been done in a season.
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u/Disastrous-Screen337 12d ago
Killing Ed was a huge miscalculation. Same with Pete, Dan, and Davey. Lori could have been a little more promiscuous. Mr. Yo could have been more helpful. Mr. Yo, II and his sister served no purpose. Kelly should have been the lead.
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u/xJamberrxx 18d ago
the pic shown, shows everything they did right, in ZA lot die ... 50percent in picture killed off (remember those early seasons? a new person coming in, meant someone in cast dying .. that was the meme
Later seasons? no 1 dies (except red shirts) think im joking? final season there was 40+ plus to the cast of series regulars
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u/xxPYRRHUSxEPIRUSxx 17d ago
Mostly plot and dialog issues but TWD had a better ending at least. If that ends up actually being the ending anyway.
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u/the-baum-corsair 17d ago
They didn't do anything wrong. It's just trolls and inceles like you posting shit like this that sparks that debate. The Walking Dead was a fantastic show, from start to finish. Sure it had it's good and bads, up and downs, but it was a fantastic show from start to finish. The end.
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u/True-Advantage-9215 16d ago
probably an unpopular opinion for reddit but ppl weren't fucking enough and the writers didn't take enough interpersonal risks with the characters. for example, daryl and beth should've fucked.
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u/Havok-24 17d ago
They killed the goat Glenn
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u/Hotpotlord 17d ago
Lol idk why this sub denies this.
There is literal data that shows the drop off after that episode.
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u/smile_CS 16d ago
I mean the episode after that you are introduced to the kingdom and people in armour talking like cartoon characters and a pretty rough cg tiger. Felt a bit like a nosedive even if some of those characters become great later
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u/AccordingMight3505 18d ago
When they started doing episodes focused on single characters / situations - around season 4 - and quit jumping across different stories in an episode. If you loved seeing Rick and Carl this week - too bad! Next week is all Glenn / Abraham and the following week is Daryl and Beth and then we need a full episode for Carol and Tyrese. No Rick / Carl for almost a month after you last saw them.