RIP: Characters We've Loved and Lost

[Rosiejuliemom]

This show has the wonderful habit of making me love minor characters just before they are killed off. I know that it is intentional, but I still fall for it almost every time. Jim, Jaqui, Axel, Oscar, Jenner, Dr. S, Mika, Gargulio (mainly because I liked hearing Merle say that name), Milton, and many others. That doesn't even go into the feels regarding the loss of Hershel, Bob, Shane, Merle, Dale, and my beloved T-Dog.

 

The Governor's death made me cheer, as did Gareth's and Mary's.

 

Honestly, I didn't really care when Andrea was killed. Lori annoyed the piss out of me, but damn did her death scene jerk some tears. Well played by both Sarah Wayne Callies and Chandler Riggs. 

[kikismom]

Even though It's great when the bad guys die; I still loved Martin, Joe, Martinez, Dave-n-Tony, Gareth...so who cast the roles of Beth and the Governor? I also thought Clara was a little "stage-y", but I liked the guy on the railroad tracks, and Luke, and Molly.

[RedheadZombie]

I liked the governor (as a villain) and really liked the actor.  I'm going to blame poor writing and poor vision by the show runners.  I think the actor was competent, was able to play charming, a loving father, as well as sinister.  It's been rehashed a million times, but they revealed he was BSC too soon, and Woodbury may have been more affective if it was anchored by a more popular character than Andrea.

 

EK on the other hand - she's in a class of her own.  And that's all I'm going to say about that.

[kikismom]

I'll agree he was charming! But I can't blame the writers for his horrible accent---as discussed on this forum before, not everyone needs to have a southern accent. So if he couldn't do it right, best not do it at all. David Morrissey's performance would have been better without the distraction.

I do blame the writers for taking away the traits that made Daryl a standout character. He could have changed without losing his "colorful" ways.

 

Funny to think most of the villains were great performances...but the Grady cops were ridiculous characters played woodenly.

[ghoulina]

I agree, the Grady villains were the worst. Even though you obviously hate people like Gareth and Joe, they were compelling to watch because the characters were interesting and the actors were very good. Grady had a combination of mundane acting plus nonsensical storyline. I wish I could just wipe that entire thing from my memory. 

[AngelaHunter]

not everyone needs to have a southern accent. So if he couldn't do it right, best not do it at all. David Morrissey's performance would have been better without the distraction.

 

Can he do a "no accent" American accent? I believe a Southern accent is easier for Brits to do, since it's my understanding that Southern accents are just Brit accents that have been "corrupted" over time.

 

I wouldn't have minded had he used his own Liverpudlian accent but yeah, I thought he did a very good job with what he had to work with. There aren't a large number of actors (I can think of only a few) who can portray an evil character yet make us somehow feel for them.

[RedheadZombie]

Funny to think most of the villains were great performances...but the Grady cops were ridiculous characters played woodenly.

 

Except "Bob" - I thought he was good, and I bought that he conned Rick and Sasha.  Plus, I don't believe for a second his name was Bob.  I think he was clever and overheard them lamenting dearly departed Bob. 

[Irishmaple]

I liked Shepherd, the female officer.  She looked like a recruiting poster but lied like it was her job, and she was wily too.  I really liked the look on Rick's face when Shepherd swept Bob's death aside in favour of her own continued survival.  I was hoping she'd stick around because I enjoyed the actress and her role.  I was disappointed when she took over as Dawn's replacement and, presumably, will not be seen again. 

[kikismom]

  I really liked the look on Rick's face when Shepherd swept Bob's death aside in favour of her own continued survival.

yes! some of the best things only get a second or two on screen and get missed. I liked that moment too.

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

I'm pretty sure this will be a very unpopular choice, but I miss Andrea.  I know she made bad choices in shacking up with The Governor, and then didn't follow through on killing him, but I think she tried.  She easily could have left her old group out to dry and been all "I'm safe and happy here (in Woodbury)", but she still tried to seek resolution and was in the process of rejoining the old group before Psycho Pirate captured her and set up her death.  I'll never forget her calling Lori out in S2.  And from the shallow depths of the pool, she was easy on the eyes.

 

And related, in more ways than one, Amy was a pretty tough loss.  Talk about a shitty way to go.  "Hey, where's the toilet paper??"  *chomp* *chomp*

 

Bob was a very hard loss, just in the sense of enduring what he did.  Dying from a walker bite, and then freak cannibals decide to make you a 5-course meal!?  "Thanks God or whoever decides this shit.  No, really.  Fuck you!"

 

Kinda sucked when Dale & Hershel kicked it.  (see what I did there)  Sorry Gramps, but we ain't got no Geritol.  You were both pretty Dependable, but considering all the factors, your shelf lives were limited. 

 

I was completely unsaddened to see Shane, Psycho Pirate, the Claimers, and Gareth/Terminus bite it.  (see what I did there)

[BrokenRemote]

Actually, I miss Andrea, too. I didn't like where they took her toward the end, but as I look back on it I realize that a lot of it was that I had information she didn't have, and the way she shook her head around when she spoke (which is one of my pet peeves).  I wonder where she'd be now (I think I've heard she's quite different in the comics and I don't care about that--I think she'd have had to be different because she'd started a different arc.)  Her take-down of Lori (we don't all have a husband and a boyfriend...) was epic and I'll always love her for that.  I think she'd be an asset to the group now, maybe having grown somewhat.  

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

Wanted to add that the walkerization and then killing of walker!Sophia was just a huge frigging punch in the throat of the emotions.  Almost a full 7 episodes dedicated to her being lost and searching for her, and then to see her growlingly stumble out of that barn??  Forgot to wear the emotional nut cup before watching 2.7.  I will say that I had a lightning-fast insightful flash just before she was fully seen.  When she/the walker started making noise & it was clear it would be coming from the barn, I was all "oh no...!".  Thought they did a great job with how the group couldn't bring themselves to shoot her, even dickhead Shane who had just been yelling about her being gone and wasting time/effort/health & lives on searching for her.

 

I know she had to be put down, but watching Lizzie get euthanized was not easy.  Greatly disturbed and unbelievably dangerous or not, not easy to have to watch a child's brains get splattered on the ground nearby (or would have if shown the realistic outcome of that scene).  And Carol telling her to keep looking at the flowers?  *experiences some slight shudders of revulsion*

 

Not a death, per se, but the scene with Daryl/Carol in the abuse shelter place, and encounter a room that has the walker (mom) bang on the frosted glass, and then right after the other walker (daughter?) does the same?  And Daryl stops Carol from killing them (does it himself later).  Damn you show; for bringing out the feels of all kinds.

Edited January 22, 2015 by iRarelyWatchTV36

[NurseGiGi]

I think I will always wonder if Andrea's death was retaliation for her (can't think of the actress's name right now) speaking out about the firing of Darabont.  Dale's death was pretty definitely retaliatory but I've never been sure about Andrea.

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

I think I will always wonder if Andrea's death was retaliation for her (can't think of the actress's name right now) speaking out about the firing of Darabont.  Dale's death was pretty definitely retaliatory but I've never been sure about Andrea.

 

I don't know enough about all the BTS/inner workings behind the series to provide an answer or guess to that..... but I have to wonder if I pissed off a deity or two when I see someone like Andrea get killed off, and I have to suffer through watching guys like Eugene and Father Selfish be stupid and risk the lives of a 'bunch' of people because their too weak and spineless to do it themselves.  Not to mention do things like sneak out - for NO reason, really - and bring back a small herd of walkers to greatly endanger a woman, a child (chronologically), and a baby!  Michionne and Carl should have left his ass outside the church to be the walkers' chew toy.

 

Losing Andrea//Hershel/Beth/Bob gets me "Business Up Front, Party in the Back"!Eugene/Father Pisses-Himself-Regularly in return.  You're sense of 'fair trade' really sucks, show, just so you know.

[RedheadZombie]

Whenever I watch a season two episode, I'm reminded of how different Hershel seemed back then.  He was sort of sinister, stand offish, and hobbled around with a walking stick like a weak old man.  By season three, Hershel has the full beard and cool ponytail, and is hopping down the stairs on one foot, like a man half his age.  He's warm, loving, and maintains his morality, although we never really see him reading his bible after season two.  He does attempt to seek comfort from his bible after the whole flu outbreak, but seems unable to find peace from it, and cries instead.

[Nashville]

By season three, Hershel has the full beard and cool ponytail, and is hopping down the stairs on one foot, like a man half his age. 

 

Well, he did lose some weight.  That leg had to go forty pounds at least.

[ghoulina]

I remember him reading his Bible in season 3, when Rick is deciding whether or not to send Michonne to the Governor . He then tells Maggie and Beth that he would do anything to protect them. Afterwards he goes to Rick, ostensibly to talk to him about the Michonne situation. Rick has already changed his mind, so we never hear what Hershel was going to say. But I always wondered if he wasn't about to give his approval.

[GreyBunny]

Dr. Caleb Subramanian.  I really liked him and was hoping he'd become a main character.  Nope, got the flu and died.  *sniff*

[ghoulina]

That one was really sad too, because I think it totally gutted Hershel.

[Nashville]

That one was really sad too, because I think it totally gutted Hershel.

 

But Herschel did manage to keep it together and keep things going.  He didn't lose his head - not immediately, anyway.

[ghoulina]

For sure. Hershel was a champ in Internment. But then when he sat in his cell and cried at the end, gah. That just killed me.

[ghoulina]

RIP, Tyrese! You were a big ol teddy bear who just didn't have the heart for this world. It's okay, it's better now.

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

I will miss the character, but more the ideals of what Tyrese represented.

 

I know, that type of person isn't cut out for a humans-are-worse!ZA, but it will be hard to not have that 'light' to shine in all the darkness.  By my estimation, the only two things left among the core group that can be considered "pure" or "innocent", now, are Judith (a baby) and Glaggie's 'marriage'.  Everything/everyone else is tainted or damaged beyond repair.

 

 

(now please start the [hopefully short] timer on Father Life-Endangerer and BitF,PitB!Eugene's death toll clock, TPTB!) 

[BrokenRemote]

So I think this is the best place to ask this--I asked in the Beth thread, but I'm really interested in a broader range of answers.  A lot of people have said they expected more fallout from Beth's death in this week's episode.  It got me thinking about past deaths, and how little fallout there was from most of them--Lori's aside, but mainly as a device for Rick's cuckoo trip.

 

It's always seemed to me that there was little time to do more than cry for a few minutes right when the death occurs (if circumstances allow, which they frequently don't), then dig a hole, say a few words and then keep stoically holding it in while running/fighting/trying to stay alive.  Any other mourning was rolled up into other storylines, as moments here and there rather than the focus  (again, Rick's crazypants party aside, and I think that's different because he's the main character).

 

Anyway, that got me wondering, what character deaths would you like to have seen have more impact or fallout from, and what would you have liked to see done differently in the reactions of people to various character deaths, or in the impact to the group or story as a whole.  What should have been handled differently in any of the past character deaths?

 

I guess what I'm asking is what impact/effect/fallout should those deaths have had but didn't?

Edited February 9, 2015 by BrokenRemote

[HalcyonDays]

Herschel's death was more shocking to me, more just for HOW he died - i.e. the Governor decapitating him via Michonne's katana. It was sudden and cruel and disturbing. Carol shooting Lizzie was another tone, because MMB just made me cry, but she was so resolute that it was the right thing to do (and it was). I though this episode with T-Dog was good, but very trippy. The opening was a bit confusing, in the sense of if you didn't remember little details. But with T-Dog, all I could think about was the blood loss, and that he should have passed out long before they were hauling him through the forest. The hallucinations, I totally got and more people would probably experience that. But his was more long, drawn out and sad - but also avoidable. It's like CDB mentality is starting to invade again.

[ghoulina]

I don't think we needed more fallout from Beth's death. Yes, the death of a loved one is always going to deliver a crushing blow. I don't even know these people in real life and I felt like I couldn't function after Lori and Hershel died. But, ultimately, death is a part of this life and you just have to keep going. Look at how Rick went crazy after Lori. I can't necessarily blame him, but his leadership was severely suffering.

 

Plus, it had been 17 days since Beth died, and given I wasn't a huge fan of her, I'm kind of glad we were spared all that. 

[BrokenRemote]

After thinking about it, I would have liked to have seen--once everyone was back together--the group sitting around the fire remembering Herschel, maybe saying goodbye to him.  But then when I think of it, except these missing 17 days the only time the group has been together with down time to sit around (as far as I can recall and as far as they've shown us) was in the train car waiting to be brunch.

[Pete Martell]

I get why some Beth fans are upset. She had a rushed death and they were then misled into thinking there was going to be a funeral for her. Various characters spoke about her, and likely will again next week, but I'm sure some people wanted more. 

 

I get that, and I'm annoyed at how little we've seen of Maggie in any of this (although I will say that any of the fans who were endlessly bashing Maggie for a year and saying she only cared about dick and she was a bitch and all that are now acting like they're upset she's not getting airtime - I don't want to hear it). I get that we never had any real closure.

 

I guess it depends on what type of closure you want. Do you want some mentions of her and how her death affected people, and how she was a symbol of hope and goodness and so on, somewhat oblique but also direct? Or do you want something like what they did with T-Dog, where Glenn gave the "he picked up old people in the church bus" speech and then it was "T-Dog who?" from that point on?

 

I remember when Ygritte died on Game of Thrones, and they had a shot of Jon walking away from the funeral pyre he'd made for her, and we saw a big closeup of him crying beautiful man tears. The whole thing was straight outta fanfic and fanvids. It was a sop. Yet, I really liked it, and I needed it. Ygritte's story was all about her love for Jon and the division between her world and Jon's world. He lost much of himself with her. If someone was going to say goodbye to her, it mostly had to be him. And through him, I said goodbye.

 

In contrast, if we'd gotten another scene of Daryl's teary scrunch face as he remembered his lost little bird, I would have been annoyed. I would have felt like it was all about him, and I would have felt like I'd already seen it with Daryl before (more than once...more than twice), and I didn't need to see it again. I just didn't care about Beth's relationship with Daryl. I resented that so much of her story became about him. I like Daryl well enough, which sometimes doesn't come across in my posts, but I don't like manpain Daryl or woobie Daryl. Daryl is not how i choose to remember Beth.

 

So if I have to choose between less mentions of Beth, and more mentions of Beth that involve Daryl making faces like Samantha in Bewitched...I will choose the former.

Edited February 10, 2015 by Pete Martell

[BrokenRemote]

I don't know what I want to see with Maggie, but I don't think the 2 scenes of her on the ground sobbing did it for me.  I mean, sure, the character would cry, and she did when the gang brought Beth's body out of the hospital, and it was moving.  I feel like we don't really get anywhere with a second scene of her sobbing on the ground. I'd rather they spent that minute or whatever it was showing her remembering some good time she and Beth had or remembering some bad time they had together, or Glen holding her, or some different way of grieving.  I believe she'd cry a lot.  But we don't see every minute of these peoples' lives, so why not use that brief window into her grieving process for something more meaningful.

 

Unless she was sobbing in this week's episode for Tyrese, but I somehow find that unlikely, unless they want to say she's raw from one loss and another is doing her in.  Just because she hasn't been the sort to drop to the ground in hysterics over other deaths in the past.

 

(1000% with you, Pete Martell, in not needing to see Daryl's tears.  So relieved we didn't have to go there this week and so hoping we don't have to go there next week.)

[nodorothyparker]

I was relieved we didn't get an hour of watching characters sitting around sobbing.  I want to see how Maggie and now Sasha deal going forward but they simply don't have the time or luxury for extended grieving.  They don't have food or shelter and only a very vague destination based on little more than wishful thinking.  All of them are exhausted and strung out.

I've actually really liked the organic way characters have worked the dead into conversation over the seasons.  The small moment of Carol telling Carl that Lori would have been proud of him while they were out on guard duty at the prison.  Michonne talking about missing Andrea and Herschel.  Carl running down the list of female characters who had died when trying to come up with a name for Judith.  I even liked Carol and Rick trading stories about Ed and Lori in Indifference.  I'm not sure what more they can realistically do.

 

[kikismom]

I was relieved we didn't get an hour of watching characters sitting around sobbing.  I want to see how Maggie and now Sasha deal going forward but they simply don't have the time or luxury for extended grieving.  They don't have food or shelter and only a very vague destination based on little more than wishful thinking.  All of them are exhausted and strung out.

I've actually really liked the organic way characters have worked the dead into conversation over the seasons.  The small moment of Carol telling Carl that Lori would have been proud of him while they were out on guard duty at the prison.  Michonne talking about missing Andrea and Herschel.  Carl running down the list of female characters who had died when trying to come up with a name for Judith.  I even liked Carol and Rick trading stories about Ed and Lori in Indifference.  I'm not sure what more they can realistically do.

 

Perfect.

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

I do so miss Bob.....

 

Edited March 4, 2015 by iRarelyWatchTV36

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

Don't mistake this for actually missing him, but since I'm a big (college) bball fan and its almost officially March Madness... how can I not like this combination of my fave sport and one my fave shows?   I mean, who knew Phillip- aka, the Gov - aka, Brian - could 'ball'??  Talk about a hidden talent.

 

In case the person who made this GIF is on these forums, let me express my how much I appreciate it.  You are a wonderful human being.  :)

Edited March 10, 2015 by iRarelyWatchTV36

[raven]

Aw Noah :((  bad way to go, just when you decided to have a future.  Good luck on your new show TJW.

[MrsRafaelBarba]

RIP Noah...

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

Noah got a bad personal arc.  I mean, you could argue that because of him both Beth and Tyrese died.  But he didn't deserve to die that way;  both because of Dickolas, and then getting just torn apart like that.  Seriously wow.  That death was one of the toughest to stomach (if not the toughest), visually.

[editorgrrl]

Aiden's death was gory, then Noah's was even worse. "Spend" was directed by Jennifer Chambers Lynch—daughter of David Lynch. (At age 24, she directed the film Boxing Helena.)

[tennisgurl]

Poor poor Noah. I really grew to like him, especially in this episode. What a horrible way to go. 

[SyncMaster]

Well, I didn't love him and he was around for a very short time but I kinda liked the dude that was part of the prison posse during Too Far Gone.  When The Governor made his 2nd run at the prison and Rick talked about the Council making decisions for the prison there was a brown-skinned dude standing behind Tyreese.  He had a beard and medium-length curly hair and was about the same complexion as Dr. S.

 

When the shit hit the fan he was shown firing at the advancing posse and he hit one of The Governor's men.  He made a damned good move by flinging up one of those metal table/bench combos to use as a shield but when he had to retreat he was hit in the back and that was that.

 

It was good to know ya, bruh.