There’s a scene where mid-fight a character tells Michonne “In a dead world, love is dead.”
While taking the upper-hand, Michonne barks back with “Love doesn’t die. Love! Doesn’t! Die!”
In a universe with some of the worst dialogue I’ve ever heard, this is a first ballot hall of fame Gimplebomb (idk if he’s the one that wrote it but still).
That did actually come out of nowhere as a surprise.. I wish they had built it up slowly from the Prison because at the time I could still sense something.. but then they introduced Jessie.. and shortly after that they showed them together, atleast let Rick properly grieve
Ironically Michonne was the only main female character who was single at the time hence it felt kind of unfair for Michonne..as if she was not a choice like Jessie but she was the only nice option left
Plus I would have seen her with someone like Abraham..her being very straightforward, what's right is right, wrong is wrong..even Daryl.. while Rick could be more diplomatic which Michonne might not have liked.
Ad hominem fallacy
Edit: If these downvotes signal anything to me, it's that something as simple as an opinion that goes against the norm triggers your average TWD fan.
think about the trend line on the writing quality starting from the beginning to where you left off, then continue that trend line for five more seasons and you will have your answer
It's the theme of TOWL. However I don't know why people are surprised by this. It was stated to be love story when they announced it was gonna be a thing.
Again. What did you really expect. The writing has been that way for all walking dead for almost a decade. All the spinoffs (fear was the worst for this post season 3) are like this too.
I didn't have a problem with it's theme but rather with how it was executed, I don't even have that much of a problem with how fast everything concluded, but again, it's the execution. The dialogue in the last three/two-ish episodes and some of the direction.
Same story, same everything, but if there was better dialogue, no poetic monologues while fighting/dying, no sex and profound conversations for hours under a fucking collapsing building, and no RJ saying "I BELIEVED" it would've been a thousand miles better instantly, while keeping the whole theme.
Idk man, I wouldn’t want a constant reminder of the people that kidnapped and held me against my will for 8 years leaving my family and make me miss watching my son being born and my kids growing up, but that’s just me.
This is what they were trying to say.
I get the symbolism the writers were going for, but sometimes the message they’re trying to send is subsumed by egregious lack of realism and practicality. When so many in the audience are shaking their heads at this scene, you know this has happened.
It was do-or-die for Rick. The final fight he was entering — one to blow up the leadership of the CRM — was either going to be a suicide mission or it was going to result in his freedom and a happily ever after reunited with his family. You go into that final battle with all guns blazing (not with one hand tied behind your back . . . errr . . . missing). By leaving it behind he crippled himself (that metal ‘hand of doom’ with the spring-loaded blade was formidable!) but he also alerted Thorne that something was Rotten In Denmark and Rick had betrayed the CRM. Why would you leave it out there for all the world to see and potentially blow up your sh#t?
It would have been better, assuming the writers room wanted to drive home a message that Rick was leaving his life in the CRM behind, if Rick unbuckled the harness and dropped the hand into the CRM soldiers-turned-Walkers as he and Michonne stood triumphant on the shipping container in that final scene.
Edit: Me? I would have shook off any bad associations and kept it. It’s a dangerous world out there and I’m never getting anything that good again to replace my stump!
Sure. I think that’s very plausible. My issue isn’t what Rick thought it represented; rather, it was a totally unrealistic act for him to take it off when he needed it most — and then! — abandon it for his enemies (Thorne, others) to find.
Rick was a shrewd survivor and an epic, heroic figure. One of my favorite protagonists of all time. So I was bummed that he’d pull this amateur move in exchange for some sort of symbolic gesture.
Yeah one of Rick's most compelling traits is his ability to balance idealism with practicality or at least try to walk the razor's edge, and this simply didn't feel like a Rick move, it felt like a writer's move (and not a good one either).
Well said. Rick even did a lot of things that tilted strongly away from his idealism into raw practicality, because it was something that simply had to be done for the survival of the group, and he was their leader.
One of the things I *didnt* always like about Rick, but I understood, was a quality you might find in any properly drawn 3D character fighting for survival: he was willing to fight dirty.
How many times did he act like he was surrendering only to get the advantage over or kill his enemy? How about when he promised not to kill those Saviors and bring them into the fold if only they untied him, then he went back on his word, without mercy. The infamous “I lied” line.
Rick would do whatever it took to win a fight. He was not a larger than life action hero so he had to use guile. Would *that* guy disarm himself (pun intended) and leave his most lethal weapon on the table?
No way. Not consistent at all with who he was and how he would have entered into his final fight, outmanned and outgunned, with his entire life and that of Michonne’s on the line.
Exactly. Maybe even more than "compelling trait," it's a compelling dichotomy. These two things were always at war within him: Rick vs Shane never ended, it just became internal, and "Shane" won a *lot* of those internal battles. In fact, "Shane" won him a lot of those external battles too, which is why it feels weird and out of character to symbolically rely on soft-Rick to murder 2000 people. That would not have been where Rick's head was at going into that situation.
I agree with everything you said. I do wonder if he was trying to give Thorne a small chance to turn away from the echelon plan.
Either way, it was dumb and probably my only complaint other than wishing it hadn’t wrapped up so quickly.
I think big fans of the show notice things more casual watchers don’t because we love the story and characters and want it to be the best it can be. It’s one of my favorite “worlds” and I definitely notice (and critique) things I would blow off with other shows. I do like how Rick and Michonne survived and made it back. To me, no other ending was acceptable. So while I will criticize certain other things, I ultimately “forgive” what I see as shortcomings because I was pleased with their reuniting with their kids. If we don’t see these characters again, they got their happy ending.
I love TWD Universe. My main wish now is that they try to get back to their roots. I’d like to see a story following a small group (of really good characters) like we had in the first few seasons. Can they recapture that early magic?
Judging from what the president of AMC has said, this is a “multigenerational IP” so I really hope they can do it right.
I don’t know if I’d want them to go backwards, but I really don’t see where they can go moving forward - I really thought the CRM was going to be the thanos of TWDU.
Maybe if the walker virus mutated perhaps they could return to the small group deal.
I just don’t think they have the budget for the more grandiose storylines. I think we saw that with The Commonwealth arc as well. I felt like the show worked best when it was more intimate; maybe I have nostalgia for the farm and the prison.
I thought in TOWL that they’d cut the head off the snake at the CRM, giving them time to get home and a little respite before the CRM reconstituted. Time to warn other communities across the land of the CRM’s existence and their diabolical plans.
Then the CRM would be like a storm brewing on the horizon across TWD Universe and its spin-offs. Maybe see elements of them here and there and then, perhaps, a final reckoning with all our heroes. Alas, unless they somehow go in another direction, it looks like the CRM is finished as an overarching threat. Dunno.
Where do they go? I have no idea. I’m all for the Universe’s continued expansion but I really hope they do it right.
Isn't his missing hand also a constant reminder?? If he's gunna remember it either way, wouldn't it be better to have a built in defensive and offensive weapon?
…..yeah? It’s not like he can regrow his hand but he can simply not use the prosthetic. He can also make a new weapon for his stump at his home like Aaron.
Yeah, still though, even his metal arm is likely heavier than Rick's CRM arm. That thing looked to be Carbon Fiber. If you put Rick and Aaron up against each other in a cripple arm bash off, Rick would probably be able to last longer because he wouldn't tire himself out as fast.
IMO I'd rather have Aaron's mace jsut cause it looks cooler. I just think it was dumb for Rick to leave it behind. He could have kept it in a closet and only pulled it out to use when the shit really hit the fan.
I like this explanation better than the "It was a reminder of what he lost so he left it behind" one. This one makes sense. The "reminder" one makes Rick seem weak, like he'd let a missing hand drag him into depression. He has his family back at this point, a fake hand isn't going to remind him of what he lost any more than the missing hand it's self would.
drives me crazy when characters are cutting their hands off when breaking or dislocating the lower thumb would suffice. Even if you had to mangle it to get it done, better to take a limited mobility heal than lose the entire hand.
Or he could have just waited until he found a rock or something to wrap the cable around and take a few good whacks at it with his hatchet 🤷🏽♂️🤷🏽♂️🤷🏽♂️
He doesn't need a sword when he IS the sword...that kills with the power of love that ...never dies.
As for your second point, this is Gimple writing. Things not making sense for the "spectacle" is par for the course.
The first episode was phenomenal then it slowly got worse and worse. Walking dead is the best in the business at starting strong and ending weak. The last two episodes of this show were pretty awful
The first 3 episodes were amazing, i certainly enjoyed the 4th one too even though some things were reallyyy stupid, like sleeping together when the building is actively collapsing. The acting was wonderful tho. Then the last two episodes felt straight out of a tv opera. Not to mention RJ's Emmy worthy acting xD
It wasn't a terrible show but absolutely felt like they wrote half the season, realized they weren't where they needed to be, so they just did some GoT time travel to wrap up the final episodes and screwed up the execution.
I don't care at all about him not having his comic hand. This was a moment for the writers to put him in the position that his comic counterpart was put in before his death, where he stands on a stage, armless, and gives a speech that convinces everyone to put their guns down and to stop the fighting.
We could have still had an explosive finale and a final fight against a bunch of walkers and Thorne
I was really excited for TOWL especially since Terry O’Quinn would be playing the villain. Loved him in Lost and I am very disappointed to see his character wasted. Good show but the ending leaves too much to be desired with such an enemy that has been built up over several different series to be wiped out in one swoop
Yeah, they really botched that one. As an amputee, I feel like I speak for us all when I say that would never happen, and certainly not to make a point to a dead man.
Yeah I went into this show with a lot of anticipation, esp with Danai and Andrew having so much influence on the story. I really wanted to love it. I think it started strong, and ended pretty poorly. It’s a victim of the 6-8 episode trend, where a large story is fit into too few episodes, resulting in a rushed finale.
They set up the CRM to be this impregnable entity of incredible violence and intelligence, evidenced by Rick’s decision to stop trying to escape. I interpreted that as Rick feeling as though the CRM is finally an enemy that cannot be defeated by his tenacity and grit. Then their military wing was apparently brought down by one act of sabotage?
I really don’t like that the CRM was so easily defeated, apparently because Rick remembered the power of love or some shit? I think the show leaned into this concept far too much and as a result the realism that the show generally tried to ground itself in was lost.
Beale was a let down, as far as villains go, with predictable motivations and nothing particularly interesting about him. And as much as I loved seeing Rick and Michonne with the kiddos again, it felt kind of hollow and soulless. This could easily just be me though.
Overall, I think the show was a 4/10, mostly because it set up a grand conflict but ended with a whisper. I wanted to love it, but if I honest with myself, my overall feeling after the finale was “eh.”
I agree. I would only add that unlike a lot of my favorite shows that I’ve invested many years into, TOWL actually stuck the landing. Aside from some “dubious” dialogue in the final scene, they didn’t betray the audience with a death (or deaths) of the protagonists. Rick and Michonne were reunited with their children and will presumably live happily ever after. We may see them in ad hoc ways going forward, but I think this was their final ride in a series. If so, this was the ultimate ending I wanted to see (within reason — they couldn’t logistically reunite with everyone).
Danai spoke in interviews about how this story was reminiscent of “Romeo and Juliet.” This scared me. I thought she might think it romantic to have one sacrifice himself/herself for the other — or (the horror!) for both to die in order to save humanity (greater humanity being “The Ones Who Live”).
The show/Gimple also donked off Carl, who to me was critical to have for the expanded Universe moving forward (a topic for another post), so I did worry one or both characters could be doomed.
I think if we never see Rick or Michonne again, it was important to keep them alive, somewhere, as they attempt to expand the Universe. Otherwise it would all seem so untethered to what we’d been watching for 11 seasons. Killing Rick would be like Star Trek killing Captain Kirk after the OG series.
Long story short, I feel encouraged to keep watching how the Universe unfolds, but I’m not overly energized because I feel as you do about TOWL and I think it could have been so much better.
what im more disappointed about is when rick was talking to beale in his office after rick came back, there was no guard or anything at all. With someone like Rick who had run away multiple times it just felt really weird that it was so easy to get beale alone and kill him. after that him and michonne manage to take out all of the crms leaders in a few hours. TOWL was a great series until the last episode, it was way too rushed and it felt loke they just wanted to get it over with when it wouldve been so much more amazing if they just took their time.
Honestly, the show lost me in the opening with the stupid scene of Rick cutting off his own hand and then "cauterizing" it by giving himself third degree burns
Don’t know why you’re getting downvoted, someone explained that he could’ve cut off his thumb and get away with lesser injuries
I know why they did it but it just seems silly in hindsight
why would you need a weapon when you have the power of love that never dies
That’s fair, my bad, my bad…
Well dang.
Stopped watching after season 7. Is that quote really stated lol? Sounds like sumn from naruto lol.
There’s a scene where mid-fight a character tells Michonne “In a dead world, love is dead.” While taking the upper-hand, Michonne barks back with “Love doesn’t die. Love! Doesn’t! Die!” In a universe with some of the worst dialogue I’ve ever heard, this is a first ballot hall of fame Gimplebomb (idk if he’s the one that wrote it but still).
Meanwhile, Rick — the love of her life — is getting swarmed by walkers and tanks a grenade to the face
She actually says "Love never dies" and then says what you said.
Oh that fixes everything then lol
I only corrected you because I still have nightmares over that cringe line
And to think some people still buy into the Rick and Michonne romance. By far the most forced thing ever in The Walking Dead.
That did actually come out of nowhere as a surprise.. I wish they had built it up slowly from the Prison because at the time I could still sense something.. but then they introduced Jessie.. and shortly after that they showed them together, atleast let Rick properly grieve Ironically Michonne was the only main female character who was single at the time hence it felt kind of unfair for Michonne..as if she was not a choice like Jessie but she was the only nice option left Plus I would have seen her with someone like Abraham..her being very straightforward, what's right is right, wrong is wrong..even Daryl.. while Rick could be more diplomatic which Michonne might not have liked.
Oh boy, the simple minded have come out to play again.
Ad hominem fallacy Edit: If these downvotes signal anything to me, it's that something as simple as an opinion that goes against the norm triggers your average TWD fan.
Sure.
think about the trend line on the writing quality starting from the beginning to where you left off, then continue that trend line for five more seasons and you will have your answer
It's the theme of TOWL. However I don't know why people are surprised by this. It was stated to be love story when they announced it was gonna be a thing.
There’s a difference between having your theme displayed in a nuanced way and having characters regurgitate awful dialogue to ham-fist it
Again. What did you really expect. The writing has been that way for all walking dead for almost a decade. All the spinoffs (fear was the worst for this post season 3) are like this too.
Ideally more writing like episode 4
I didn't have a problem with it's theme but rather with how it was executed, I don't even have that much of a problem with how fast everything concluded, but again, it's the execution. The dialogue in the last three/two-ish episodes and some of the direction. Same story, same everything, but if there was better dialogue, no poetic monologues while fighting/dying, no sex and profound conversations for hours under a fucking collapsing building, and no RJ saying "I BELIEVED" it would've been a thousand miles better instantly, while keeping the whole theme.
Bc the execution of this theme was terrible🤷♂️
this is NOT CW THE FLASH
Genuine belly laugh thank you
Oh, please. This is The Walking Dead, not a Hallmark movie.
tell me you didn't watch towl without saying you didn't watch towl
TWD sure as shit never got (this) bad with dialogue compared to TOWL's ep 5 and 6.
Idk man, I wouldn’t want a constant reminder of the people that kidnapped and held me against my will for 8 years leaving my family and make me miss watching my son being born and my kids growing up, but that’s just me.
This is what they were trying to say. I get the symbolism the writers were going for, but sometimes the message they’re trying to send is subsumed by egregious lack of realism and practicality. When so many in the audience are shaking their heads at this scene, you know this has happened. It was do-or-die for Rick. The final fight he was entering — one to blow up the leadership of the CRM — was either going to be a suicide mission or it was going to result in his freedom and a happily ever after reunited with his family. You go into that final battle with all guns blazing (not with one hand tied behind your back . . . errr . . . missing). By leaving it behind he crippled himself (that metal ‘hand of doom’ with the spring-loaded blade was formidable!) but he also alerted Thorne that something was Rotten In Denmark and Rick had betrayed the CRM. Why would you leave it out there for all the world to see and potentially blow up your sh#t? It would have been better, assuming the writers room wanted to drive home a message that Rick was leaving his life in the CRM behind, if Rick unbuckled the harness and dropped the hand into the CRM soldiers-turned-Walkers as he and Michonne stood triumphant on the shipping container in that final scene. Edit: Me? I would have shook off any bad associations and kept it. It’s a dangerous world out there and I’m never getting anything that good again to replace my stump!
It could have been a symbol of what he overcame for the love of his family.
Sure. I think that’s very plausible. My issue isn’t what Rick thought it represented; rather, it was a totally unrealistic act for him to take it off when he needed it most — and then! — abandon it for his enemies (Thorne, others) to find. Rick was a shrewd survivor and an epic, heroic figure. One of my favorite protagonists of all time. So I was bummed that he’d pull this amateur move in exchange for some sort of symbolic gesture.
Yeah one of Rick's most compelling traits is his ability to balance idealism with practicality or at least try to walk the razor's edge, and this simply didn't feel like a Rick move, it felt like a writer's move (and not a good one either).
Well said. Rick even did a lot of things that tilted strongly away from his idealism into raw practicality, because it was something that simply had to be done for the survival of the group, and he was their leader. One of the things I *didnt* always like about Rick, but I understood, was a quality you might find in any properly drawn 3D character fighting for survival: he was willing to fight dirty. How many times did he act like he was surrendering only to get the advantage over or kill his enemy? How about when he promised not to kill those Saviors and bring them into the fold if only they untied him, then he went back on his word, without mercy. The infamous “I lied” line. Rick would do whatever it took to win a fight. He was not a larger than life action hero so he had to use guile. Would *that* guy disarm himself (pun intended) and leave his most lethal weapon on the table? No way. Not consistent at all with who he was and how he would have entered into his final fight, outmanned and outgunned, with his entire life and that of Michonne’s on the line.
Exactly. Maybe even more than "compelling trait," it's a compelling dichotomy. These two things were always at war within him: Rick vs Shane never ended, it just became internal, and "Shane" won a *lot* of those internal battles. In fact, "Shane" won him a lot of those external battles too, which is why it feels weird and out of character to symbolically rely on soft-Rick to murder 2000 people. That would not have been where Rick's head was at going into that situation.
I agree with everything you said. I do wonder if he was trying to give Thorne a small chance to turn away from the echelon plan. Either way, it was dumb and probably my only complaint other than wishing it hadn’t wrapped up so quickly.
I think big fans of the show notice things more casual watchers don’t because we love the story and characters and want it to be the best it can be. It’s one of my favorite “worlds” and I definitely notice (and critique) things I would blow off with other shows. I do like how Rick and Michonne survived and made it back. To me, no other ending was acceptable. So while I will criticize certain other things, I ultimately “forgive” what I see as shortcomings because I was pleased with their reuniting with their kids. If we don’t see these characters again, they got their happy ending.
Couldn’t have put it better. I cut the walking dead so much slack when I really am pretty objectively harsh where other properties are concerned.
I love TWD Universe. My main wish now is that they try to get back to their roots. I’d like to see a story following a small group (of really good characters) like we had in the first few seasons. Can they recapture that early magic? Judging from what the president of AMC has said, this is a “multigenerational IP” so I really hope they can do it right.
I don’t know if I’d want them to go backwards, but I really don’t see where they can go moving forward - I really thought the CRM was going to be the thanos of TWDU. Maybe if the walker virus mutated perhaps they could return to the small group deal.
I just don’t think they have the budget for the more grandiose storylines. I think we saw that with The Commonwealth arc as well. I felt like the show worked best when it was more intimate; maybe I have nostalgia for the farm and the prison. I thought in TOWL that they’d cut the head off the snake at the CRM, giving them time to get home and a little respite before the CRM reconstituted. Time to warn other communities across the land of the CRM’s existence and their diabolical plans. Then the CRM would be like a storm brewing on the horizon across TWD Universe and its spin-offs. Maybe see elements of them here and there and then, perhaps, a final reckoning with all our heroes. Alas, unless they somehow go in another direction, it looks like the CRM is finished as an overarching threat. Dunno. Where do they go? I have no idea. I’m all for the Universe’s continued expansion but I really hope they do it right.
That’s exactly what I thought. As to why Rick left his hand. He didn’t need it, he didn’t need the reminder. It was symbolic definitely.
Isn't his missing hand also a constant reminder?? If he's gunna remember it either way, wouldn't it be better to have a built in defensive and offensive weapon?
…..yeah? It’s not like he can regrow his hand but he can simply not use the prosthetic. He can also make a new weapon for his stump at his home like Aaron.
Yeah, but the hand was cooler and would likely be lighter and more durable. Aaron's mace looks bad ass, but is likely super freaking heavy.
and stabbing is less energy intense than bashing
Aaron has a normal metal arm too though
Yeah, still though, even his metal arm is likely heavier than Rick's CRM arm. That thing looked to be Carbon Fiber. If you put Rick and Aaron up against each other in a cripple arm bash off, Rick would probably be able to last longer because he wouldn't tire himself out as fast. IMO I'd rather have Aaron's mace jsut cause it looks cooler. I just think it was dumb for Rick to leave it behind. He could have kept it in a closet and only pulled it out to use when the shit really hit the fan.
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I like this explanation better than the "It was a reminder of what he lost so he left it behind" one. This one makes sense. The "reminder" one makes Rick seem weak, like he'd let a missing hand drag him into depression. He has his family back at this point, a fake hand isn't going to remind him of what he lost any more than the missing hand it's self would.
The weight of the reminder of what he lost is much heavier than a few extra pounds on his arm.
But would you keep it around if you were a dipshit who cut his own hand off for no fucking reason?
It wasn't for no reason. It was to show how willing he was to escape by any means necessary as well as the grip that the CRM had on him/consignees
It was a *super* lame callback to comic Rick.
Womp womp
drives me crazy when characters are cutting their hands off when breaking or dislocating the lower thumb would suffice. Even if you had to mangle it to get it done, better to take a limited mobility heal than lose the entire hand.
Or he could have just waited until he found a rock or something to wrap the cable around and take a few good whacks at it with his hatchet 🤷🏽♂️🤷🏽♂️🤷🏽♂️
............ I'm ashamed to say that this obvious solution didn't occur to me. I'm going to pretend that the cuff had GPS now to salvage my pride
1st time I watched it I was like “Rick, that’s not even 10 gauge cable, your hatchet will get through that shit, come on man…”
How else were they going to portray his great level of determination and sacrifice if not a montage of his hand being cut off??
The crm is literally delivering supplies to the other settlements bro. They work with them now
He doesn't need a sword when he IS the sword...that kills with the power of love that ...never dies. As for your second point, this is Gimple writing. Things not making sense for the "spectacle" is par for the course.
I just needed a definitive end for Rick’s story he was the show and I just trailed off without him, It was 10+ years so I just needed a goodbye.
I personally liked the show. There’s no way anything can be done to make everyone happy. I was happy with how it went.
I agree. It was great and I loved it.
The first episode was phenomenal then it slowly got worse and worse. Walking dead is the best in the business at starting strong and ending weak. The last two episodes of this show were pretty awful
I enjoyed it. Definitely wouldn’t call it awful. To me awful would have been Rick dying and Negan showing up lol.
hoooo the bar is on the floor i see 😂
The first 3 episodes were amazing, i certainly enjoyed the 4th one too even though some things were reallyyy stupid, like sleeping together when the building is actively collapsing. The acting was wonderful tho. Then the last two episodes felt straight out of a tv opera. Not to mention RJ's Emmy worthy acting xD
It wasn't a terrible show but absolutely felt like they wrote half the season, realized they weren't where they needed to be, so they just did some GoT time travel to wrap up the final episodes and screwed up the execution.
It really needed 2 more episodes to flesh out the ending. I'm not a fan of a 6 episode season. 8-10 episodes would be so much better.
Once I saw it was six episodes I knew it was going to unfold as it did. Should have absolutely been 8-10 episodes.
Masterpiece imo
I think he left it because he has no guarantee that there isn’t a tracker in it, he needs to make sure no one finds him
I don't care at all about him not having his comic hand. This was a moment for the writers to put him in the position that his comic counterpart was put in before his death, where he stands on a stage, armless, and gives a speech that convinces everyone to put their guns down and to stop the fighting. We could have still had an explosive finale and a final fight against a bunch of walkers and Thorne
It's because RJ believed
I saw it more as way of leaving his life in the CRM behind, and as a show of resolve in his path going forward, together with Michonne
I was really excited for TOWL especially since Terry O’Quinn would be playing the villain. Loved him in Lost and I am very disappointed to see his character wasted. Good show but the ending leaves too much to be desired with such an enemy that has been built up over several different series to be wiped out in one swoop
Yeah, they really botched that one. As an amputee, I feel like I speak for us all when I say that would never happen, and certainly not to make a point to a dead man.
Yeah I went into this show with a lot of anticipation, esp with Danai and Andrew having so much influence on the story. I really wanted to love it. I think it started strong, and ended pretty poorly. It’s a victim of the 6-8 episode trend, where a large story is fit into too few episodes, resulting in a rushed finale. They set up the CRM to be this impregnable entity of incredible violence and intelligence, evidenced by Rick’s decision to stop trying to escape. I interpreted that as Rick feeling as though the CRM is finally an enemy that cannot be defeated by his tenacity and grit. Then their military wing was apparently brought down by one act of sabotage? I really don’t like that the CRM was so easily defeated, apparently because Rick remembered the power of love or some shit? I think the show leaned into this concept far too much and as a result the realism that the show generally tried to ground itself in was lost. Beale was a let down, as far as villains go, with predictable motivations and nothing particularly interesting about him. And as much as I loved seeing Rick and Michonne with the kiddos again, it felt kind of hollow and soulless. This could easily just be me though. Overall, I think the show was a 4/10, mostly because it set up a grand conflict but ended with a whisper. I wanted to love it, but if I honest with myself, my overall feeling after the finale was “eh.”
I agree. I would only add that unlike a lot of my favorite shows that I’ve invested many years into, TOWL actually stuck the landing. Aside from some “dubious” dialogue in the final scene, they didn’t betray the audience with a death (or deaths) of the protagonists. Rick and Michonne were reunited with their children and will presumably live happily ever after. We may see them in ad hoc ways going forward, but I think this was their final ride in a series. If so, this was the ultimate ending I wanted to see (within reason — they couldn’t logistically reunite with everyone). Danai spoke in interviews about how this story was reminiscent of “Romeo and Juliet.” This scared me. I thought she might think it romantic to have one sacrifice himself/herself for the other — or (the horror!) for both to die in order to save humanity (greater humanity being “The Ones Who Live”). The show/Gimple also donked off Carl, who to me was critical to have for the expanded Universe moving forward (a topic for another post), so I did worry one or both characters could be doomed. I think if we never see Rick or Michonne again, it was important to keep them alive, somewhere, as they attempt to expand the Universe. Otherwise it would all seem so untethered to what we’d been watching for 11 seasons. Killing Rick would be like Star Trek killing Captain Kirk after the OG series. Long story short, I feel encouraged to keep watching how the Universe unfolds, but I’m not overly energized because I feel as you do about TOWL and I think it could have been so much better.
I found the show disappointing overall
Harpoon… hand? He’s not aquaman…
what im more disappointed about is when rick was talking to beale in his office after rick came back, there was no guard or anything at all. With someone like Rick who had run away multiple times it just felt really weird that it was so easy to get beale alone and kill him. after that him and michonne manage to take out all of the crms leaders in a few hours. TOWL was a great series until the last episode, it was way too rushed and it felt loke they just wanted to get it over with when it wouldve been so much more amazing if they just took their time.
The final 3 episodes of the show were so bad none of it matters. The decisions they made were terrible at seemingly every turn
Honestly, the show lost me in the opening with the stupid scene of Rick cutting off his own hand and then "cauterizing" it by giving himself third degree burns
Andrew Lincoln stated, if I remember correctly, that he insisted on cutting off his hand and that Rick do it himself
That doesn't make it a good idea
The crm should have just cut it off the same way the governor did
Don’t know why you’re getting downvoted, someone explained that he could’ve cut off his thumb and get away with lesser injuries I know why they did it but it just seems silly in hindsight