The Walking Dead saw plenty of deaths in the original series, but nothing struck a strong chord like a Season 8 death The Ones Who Live references.

Everyone remembers where they were when certain characters died on The Walking Dead. Andrea dying was a bit of a shocker, given her character had a more substantial presence in the comics of the same name. Glenn Rhee was also a big one, surprising viewers who were tricked into thinking Abraham Ford was Negan’s only victim in the Season 7 premiere. But as much as people say Glenn’s death was the nail in the coffin for The Walking Dead, other viewers more in-tuned with the comics might say Carl Grimes’ death in Season 8 really pushed The Walking Dead down a pit it couldn’t climb out of.

Carl Grimes was a staple in The Walking Dead universe. No one can forget how goofy he looked with those long locks, Rick Grime’s oversized sheriff’s deputy hat and an eye patch that gave him some street credibility. Beyond his looks, Carl was his father’s entire reason for discovering a life worth living. The show began with Rick trying to find his wife and son, and while his wife passed away in Season 3, Carl still relied on Rick to make the right choices as a father and a leader. But then, Carl died in Season 8 at a young age, for reasons that are still quite perplexing to fans. His death shook the series at its core, which The Ones Who Live slightly acknowledges was a drastic call.

How Carl Saved Rick Grimes in The Ones Who Live For Some Time

Carl is long gone in The Walking Dead universe, but the pain of his death still lingers for his father. In Season 1, Episode 4, “What We,” of The Ones Who Live, Michonne struggles to break through Rick’s hardened CRM persona to identify the root of his issues. What is the one thing holding him back from abandoning his captors and living the life he deserves? It was losing memories of his son, and the worry that the same will happen to Michonne. interview with CBR, The Ones Who Live star Danai Gurira breaks down how she wrote Episode 4 and getting to the root of Rick Grimes’ trauma.

There was always an unsaid feeling that Carl would be the reason Rick wakes up to risk leaving the CRM with Michonne. Rick’s entire arc in Season 9 was about honoring his son’s last wishes, even if it meant losing valuable friendships and the trust of others. Now, in The Ones Who Live, he’s alone in his battle, even with Michonne by his side. He’s mentally struggling to not only escape the trauma the CRM caused, but to verbalize it as well. Not being able to see Carl prevents him from breaking through the mental wall he’s put up. The moment Michonne shows Rick the drawing of Carl is a profound scene that captures how hard it is to grieve someone who’s long gone, but it’s also a troubling reminder that Carl’s death didn’t have to happen.

People can argue all day about why Carl had to die on The Walking Dead. Some fans speculated it was a financial issue due to Chandler Riggs turning 18 and wanting to be compensated as an adult. The showrunner at the time, Scott M. Gimple, cleared the air with The Hollywood Reporter saying it was only a story-related decision. It’s not that Carl didn’t have a story to tell anymore, nearly 200 issues of comics prove otherwise. The writers wanted a reason for Rick to spare Negan, plain and simple. Carl was killed as a plot device to make Rick the morally good hero of the story. Rick wished to establish a civilization where murder was considered wrong on all levels, even of a man who pillaged communities and committed dozens of murders.

The Walking Dead always prided itself on going against the grain and changing storylines from the comics. It worked quite well to keep things unpredictable for a long time, but then the series started making changes that never fit the TV adaptation’s story. If Carl lived, Negan could’ve still had a redemption arc, and Rick could’ve still spared Negan like in the comics. After Carl’s death, The Walking Dead became a tired series that killed characters for shock value. Season 9 was a mass improvement from the previous two seasons, but unfortunately, Carl’s death pushed so many fans away already. Ratings and reputation-wise, it was a downwards slope from there.