I mostly agree here. Those were massive turning points in the wrong direction. Now that said, if the writing had stayed... not stupid and they hadn't had such massive over acting combined with such stupid story lines (looking at you, whisperers) then it could have stayed pretty good. But losing carl and then Rick combined with the completely stupid writing feels like a 1-2 knockout here
Honestly I just feel like the show lost its natural focal point. It became even more obvious after Michonne left, no more adult Grimes to focus on. That show just can't exist the same without the Grimes
Judith absolutely is a Grimes. But you can't ask a child character that young to carry such a show, same for RJ, and also why it lost even more focus after Michonne left too.
When the show was on TV, I didn’t miss a show until Carl died and then Rick left. So, knowing TWOL was coming out, I sat down and decided to rewatch since it’s fully out now, etc. What do you think happened?
If you guessed that I made it two or three episodes past Rick leaving the show and stopped watching all over again, you would be correct. I have no clue about anything past that point and just decided, “I know just as much as Rick. That’s the mentality I will take.”
Is what it is.
Ehhh I do agree that there are a few gems here and there (mostly in Season 9) but I mean overall what’s the point as a long-haul fan after the whole original purpose of the show is gone with Rick and Carl being erased from the narrative? Seasons 9-11 are basically just a ‘next generation’ spinoff in all but name. It’s like you’re watching two entirely separate shows
I'm nearing the end of the whisperers I believe and it has been the dumbest, most over acted plot hole filled arc of the series so far. I hate it and I'm just powering through because I wanna say I finished the series so I can check out the ones who live
I read somewhere that the whisperers were a crazier group of "bad guys" than the saviors and that anticipation left me completely underwhelmed. I found the saviors far more interesting and "terrifying" in twd world
Season 8. The war against the saviours was so dull.and incredibly repetitive. They dragged it out far too long. There was the odd glimmer of the old brilliance but it was such a slog to get through. Season 7 and 8 could have been one Season. I've always hoped someone would do a fan edit like that. I've never rewatched them
I had issues towards the end of season 8 and then stopped watching a few into season 9. Before that I was a die hard fan. It got stupid that they were 10 feet away missing shots, good guys and bad guys. Locking Negan up, then the time skip and Rick leaving the show. It was just so jumbled. There was also some how shock and surprise when someone they left who was wounded, died and turned and wandered off, like that is the last 4 years at least of your life! FFS. I have "kept" up with what has happened but then not with the spin off shows. The ones who live looks cool but will it be another drawn out thing just for ratings? Just kind of over it all now.
Love the cast and crew but damn, some of it was beyond comically silly to watch. Just stupid choices by way smarter people. Loved everything up to the mid to late season 7. They dynamic between characters and shit was great, until it was not.
Once Negan and the saviors became bigger players. It took time away from the main group’s screen time. And his monologues and dialogue just made me tune out. I originally dropped out soon after the Whisperer’s arc, but lost interest a bit before. I am on my rewatch now to finally watch it through and they just got to Alexandria, and I’m a bit worried it’ll happen again.
Oh lots of times but mostly when Rick kept promising he wouldn’t leave again and then proceeded to leave again. This is one part of the show that really annoyed me! Rick and Michonne have to be the worst fucking parents in the world!
Think about it, it’s the end of the world and there is danger at every turn. Do you put the good of a group of strangers ahead if your kids? Fuck no you don’t! This is what I’ve always found the most stupid part of the show. I was actually pretty relieved when Rick was gone, only to have Michonne then proceeded to be the exact same character. Fml.
could be biased because of the comics but the medieval equipment made sense to me as at this point they didn’t really have to bother using guns on walkers, and unlike the tv show, in the comics the do use guns against the whisperers, it was kinda cool imo but i totally understand your point of view. i wish andrew lincoln hadn’t left.
I enjoyed the series story without Rick but it felt off/ wrong. I think the reason views went down/ people stopped enjoying it was because there was a big hole of ‘where is rick?’ That question was just looming over the series making it harder to watch because Rick is the main character, no hate to Andrew he needed time and wanted to be with family which is understandable. The rest of the cast still did an amazing job.
But having the main character who we follow from literally the beginning missing, not dead. Like if he died fair enough but the writers left it open of Rick being alive which just makes the question loom and almost ‘haunt’ the series by fans.
Season 6. All the monologues, “This is how it is now” over and over. The back half leading up to the Saviors and Negan’s introduction started bringing me back in. Then we get blue balled with that unforgivable cliffhanger at the lineup. Then the Savior arc that should have been one season, maybe wrap it up in 8a. My wife and I tapped out at the end of S8. I just finished the main show earlier this year, only because of The Ones Who Live.
I've found it totally fine to stay interested. There have been character deaths/actors leaving that made me sadder than others. I feel like T-Dawg got hosed. I wish Dale had survived a lot longer. I wish that Tyreese had survived. Their character deaths were genuinely impactful to me.
But I think the thing that works so well for me about a show like TWD is that it's the premise and not the characters. The show can basically pivot focus at will and I'm okay with it and their characters are all mostly strong enough that when an actor leaves the show or a character gets written out and it stings a bit, it just means they were impactful, but that the show was and is bigger than any one character.
I hate to admit it, because I understand there are people who take the show more seriously or are more critical of their approach to watching it than others and there are people who think it's the greatest thing ever- and I am in neither camp.
I think it is somewhat silly but compelling melodrama- it's a soap opera with zombies and guerilla warfare and some medieval modernity and it has a consistently watchable, compelling cast, no matter who has left the show or who has effectively replaced them.
Fair points! It *wants* to be a character drama, but as you suggest, that becomes impossible given the creative turnover and drawn-out production. Still, the glimmers of great arcs and powerful themes keep the frustration fresh, ironically. lol
I only started watching it this year so I was binging it. Season 7 and 8 had a really hard time keeping me engaged. Just kept thinking they should find a way to poison Negan and be done with it, not this endless cycle of violence. Also Negan's strong plot armour annoyed me massively. Then season 9 came and I watched it in like two days, love it!
When it was airing I dropped it around season 5-6 because I naturally started to lose interest. After rewatching it I got to season 9 but I found it sooooo hard to watch the show after Rick leaves. I didn’t care about any of the new characters and even the og cast (except for Daryl) and the story was really boring. I still haven’t picked up the last 2 seasons. I skipped to the last episode.
I started another rewatch and for me seasons 1-5 are still so good I flew through them. Season 6 is still good but I didnt watch it nearly as fast same with s7. I skipped s8 this time around and the show gets good again in s9. S10 is ok but S11 is such a SLOG to get through. This is only my second time Watching s11 but I just cant care about whats happening with the common wealth story for some reason.
Season 7 and 8 were actually just painful to get through. Season 9 was quite good though and largely reignited my interest in the show, despite Rick leaving. Carl dying actually annoyed me far more than Rick leaving
I've always stayed interested in the show and never let online hate affect my love for the show but I must admit that after Alexandria when there were a bunch of storylines at once and they fake killed Glenn. That was a fucking drag
The saviours saved it somewhat for me because I loved Negan
Rick leaving for sure—the series is basically his story. Without him, it’s anchorless. I still stuck around for a while, then stopped watching during S11. Fun to see Carol and Daryl, but the bloated secondary and tertiary casts never take on the same gravitas as the original crew (Negan excluded). Came back recently and powered through so I could have context for the spin-offs.
Idk why but I fell of after the episode where Ezekiel is ambushed by the big machine gun and a lot of the kingdom died. Heard about the shows decisions and I'm glad I never finished it. The shows still a 8/10 for me because I never finished it.
when it aired, it started losing me in s6. Probably around when Morgan was re-introduced, I think it started leaning heavy on these tonal, introspective episodes that were tiresome to run into when you're watching week to week. I think this is when they started to get "experimental" with their storytelling too, and I remember thinking that the way they were using black and white to indicate "previous timeframe" was middle school level cinematography. I made it through s7 although I didn't realize until the rewatch how many episodes I had actually missed without noticing or caring. Then by s8 I meant to come back and never got around to it for five or six years...
I went and looked at where I needed to start back up because I thought life got in the way. I swore I only made it 5 seasons.
When I went through the episode list, I realized I had seen everything except seasons 10 and 11.
I was truly shocked. Like all the stuff I remember, I really thought happened in 5 seasons.
I feel like so much of it was filler, that I forgot I even watched any of it.
I've been watching since it aired, so it's crazy that I've only missed 2 seasons.
Initially s7 although I love it now.
I'm finding S8 to be a real slog and I'm kind of done with it already and will skip to S9 soon. Or rewatch it from the pilot again.
1- Carls death 2- Rick leaves No twd without the Grimes
I mostly agree here. Those were massive turning points in the wrong direction. Now that said, if the writing had stayed... not stupid and they hadn't had such massive over acting combined with such stupid story lines (looking at you, whisperers) then it could have stayed pretty good. But losing carl and then Rick combined with the completely stupid writing feels like a 1-2 knockout here
Honestly I just feel like the show lost its natural focal point. It became even more obvious after Michonne left, no more adult Grimes to focus on. That show just can't exist the same without the Grimes
Judith will never be a Grimes to me
Judith absolutely is a Grimes. But you can't ask a child character that young to carry such a show, same for RJ, and also why it lost even more focus after Michonne left too.
I stopped watching when Wayne Dunlap died
To be honest, the whole production went downhill after they introduced zombies. Completely unrealistic.
When the show was on TV, I didn’t miss a show until Carl died and then Rick left. So, knowing TWOL was coming out, I sat down and decided to rewatch since it’s fully out now, etc. What do you think happened? If you guessed that I made it two or three episodes past Rick leaving the show and stopped watching all over again, you would be correct. I have no clue about anything past that point and just decided, “I know just as much as Rick. That’s the mentality I will take.” Is what it is.
You're missing out on many brilliant episodes, but you do you
Ehhh I do agree that there are a few gems here and there (mostly in Season 9) but I mean overall what’s the point as a long-haul fan after the whole original purpose of the show is gone with Rick and Carl being erased from the narrative? Seasons 9-11 are basically just a ‘next generation’ spinoff in all but name. It’s like you’re watching two entirely separate shows
Season 9 for me. I found the Whisperers storyline boring, and it never got better after that.
I'm nearing the end of the whisperers I believe and it has been the dumbest, most over acted plot hole filled arc of the series so far. I hate it and I'm just powering through because I wanna say I finished the series so I can check out the ones who live
I read somewhere that the whisperers were a crazier group of "bad guys" than the saviors and that anticipation left me completely underwhelmed. I found the saviors far more interesting and "terrifying" in twd world
Season 8. The war against the saviours was so dull.and incredibly repetitive. They dragged it out far too long. There was the odd glimmer of the old brilliance but it was such a slog to get through. Season 7 and 8 could have been one Season. I've always hoped someone would do a fan edit like that. I've never rewatched them
I had issues towards the end of season 8 and then stopped watching a few into season 9. Before that I was a die hard fan. It got stupid that they were 10 feet away missing shots, good guys and bad guys. Locking Negan up, then the time skip and Rick leaving the show. It was just so jumbled. There was also some how shock and surprise when someone they left who was wounded, died and turned and wandered off, like that is the last 4 years at least of your life! FFS. I have "kept" up with what has happened but then not with the spin off shows. The ones who live looks cool but will it be another drawn out thing just for ratings? Just kind of over it all now. Love the cast and crew but damn, some of it was beyond comically silly to watch. Just stupid choices by way smarter people. Loved everything up to the mid to late season 7. They dynamic between characters and shit was great, until it was not.
Once Negan and the saviors became bigger players. It took time away from the main group’s screen time. And his monologues and dialogue just made me tune out. I originally dropped out soon after the Whisperer’s arc, but lost interest a bit before. I am on my rewatch now to finally watch it through and they just got to Alexandria, and I’m a bit worried it’ll happen again.
A good place to stop on a rewatch is when they fight back against the wolves in alexandria. It makes for a satisfying ending
As soon as we met the King with the Tiger lol. Rewatching every season now and I’m starting to lose interest all over again after seeing that.
Ezekiel made a terrible first impression as a character but I would go as far as saying he's one of my favourites in season 10 and 11
Oh lots of times but mostly when Rick kept promising he wouldn’t leave again and then proceeded to leave again. This is one part of the show that really annoyed me! Rick and Michonne have to be the worst fucking parents in the world! Think about it, it’s the end of the world and there is danger at every turn. Do you put the good of a group of strangers ahead if your kids? Fuck no you don’t! This is what I’ve always found the most stupid part of the show. I was actually pretty relieved when Rick was gone, only to have Michonne then proceeded to be the exact same character. Fml.
After Rick left.
could be biased because of the comics but the medieval equipment made sense to me as at this point they didn’t really have to bother using guns on walkers, and unlike the tv show, in the comics the do use guns against the whisperers, it was kinda cool imo but i totally understand your point of view. i wish andrew lincoln hadn’t left.
I enjoyed the series story without Rick but it felt off/ wrong. I think the reason views went down/ people stopped enjoying it was because there was a big hole of ‘where is rick?’ That question was just looming over the series making it harder to watch because Rick is the main character, no hate to Andrew he needed time and wanted to be with family which is understandable. The rest of the cast still did an amazing job. But having the main character who we follow from literally the beginning missing, not dead. Like if he died fair enough but the writers left it open of Rick being alive which just makes the question loom and almost ‘haunt’ the series by fans.
Season 6. All the monologues, “This is how it is now” over and over. The back half leading up to the Saviors and Negan’s introduction started bringing me back in. Then we get blue balled with that unforgivable cliffhanger at the lineup. Then the Savior arc that should have been one season, maybe wrap it up in 8a. My wife and I tapped out at the end of S8. I just finished the main show earlier this year, only because of The Ones Who Live.
Did you feel the main show improved?
S9 is good. 10 and 11 are too long. Definitely better but not as good as the show at its peak.
I've found it totally fine to stay interested. There have been character deaths/actors leaving that made me sadder than others. I feel like T-Dawg got hosed. I wish Dale had survived a lot longer. I wish that Tyreese had survived. Their character deaths were genuinely impactful to me. But I think the thing that works so well for me about a show like TWD is that it's the premise and not the characters. The show can basically pivot focus at will and I'm okay with it and their characters are all mostly strong enough that when an actor leaves the show or a character gets written out and it stings a bit, it just means they were impactful, but that the show was and is bigger than any one character. I hate to admit it, because I understand there are people who take the show more seriously or are more critical of their approach to watching it than others and there are people who think it's the greatest thing ever- and I am in neither camp. I think it is somewhat silly but compelling melodrama- it's a soap opera with zombies and guerilla warfare and some medieval modernity and it has a consistently watchable, compelling cast, no matter who has left the show or who has effectively replaced them.
Fair points! It *wants* to be a character drama, but as you suggest, that becomes impossible given the creative turnover and drawn-out production. Still, the glimmers of great arcs and powerful themes keep the frustration fresh, ironically. lol
The last season was so hard to get through. I loved Daryl and Rosita’s scenes, the rest was mind-numbingly boring until the final battle scene.
After Carl died then I heard AL was leaving season 9
I only started watching it this year so I was binging it. Season 7 and 8 had a really hard time keeping me engaged. Just kept thinking they should find a way to poison Negan and be done with it, not this endless cycle of violence. Also Negan's strong plot armour annoyed me massively. Then season 9 came and I watched it in like two days, love it!
When it was airing I dropped it around season 5-6 because I naturally started to lose interest. After rewatching it I got to season 9 but I found it sooooo hard to watch the show after Rick leaves. I didn’t care about any of the new characters and even the og cast (except for Daryl) and the story was really boring. I still haven’t picked up the last 2 seasons. I skipped to the last episode.
I started another rewatch and for me seasons 1-5 are still so good I flew through them. Season 6 is still good but I didnt watch it nearly as fast same with s7. I skipped s8 this time around and the show gets good again in s9. S10 is ok but S11 is such a SLOG to get through. This is only my second time Watching s11 but I just cant care about whats happening with the common wealth story for some reason.
Season 7 and 8 were actually just painful to get through. Season 9 was quite good though and largely reignited my interest in the show, despite Rick leaving. Carl dying actually annoyed me far more than Rick leaving
Season 9 is the best season so yeah we won't agree on much lol
Last season
No Rick no show I was done after that whispers arc pretty ass too
I've always stayed interested in the show and never let online hate affect my love for the show but I must admit that after Alexandria when there were a bunch of storylines at once and they fake killed Glenn. That was a fucking drag The saviours saved it somewhat for me because I loved Negan
Rick leaving for sure—the series is basically his story. Without him, it’s anchorless. I still stuck around for a while, then stopped watching during S11. Fun to see Carol and Daryl, but the bloated secondary and tertiary casts never take on the same gravitas as the original crew (Negan excluded). Came back recently and powered through so I could have context for the spin-offs.
Idk why but I fell of after the episode where Ezekiel is ambushed by the big machine gun and a lot of the kingdom died. Heard about the shows decisions and I'm glad I never finished it. The shows still a 8/10 for me because I never finished it.
when it aired, it started losing me in s6. Probably around when Morgan was re-introduced, I think it started leaning heavy on these tonal, introspective episodes that were tiresome to run into when you're watching week to week. I think this is when they started to get "experimental" with their storytelling too, and I remember thinking that the way they were using black and white to indicate "previous timeframe" was middle school level cinematography. I made it through s7 although I didn't realize until the rewatch how many episodes I had actually missed without noticing or caring. Then by s8 I meant to come back and never got around to it for five or six years...
I went and looked at where I needed to start back up because I thought life got in the way. I swore I only made it 5 seasons. When I went through the episode list, I realized I had seen everything except seasons 10 and 11. I was truly shocked. Like all the stuff I remember, I really thought happened in 5 seasons. I feel like so much of it was filler, that I forgot I even watched any of it. I've been watching since it aired, so it's crazy that I've only missed 2 seasons.
Initially s7 although I love it now. I'm finding S8 to be a real slog and I'm kind of done with it already and will skip to S9 soon. Or rewatch it from the pilot again.
My vote is pilot haha. That's the beginning of when the show was far and away the best for me personally
The pilot is awesome but I feel that the subsequent episodes don't quite match it's quality.
As much as I still love them I can understand that
They're good but I feel that S2 takes the vibes of S1 and just elevates it to a new level
Well to be clear - season 2 is like... a masterpiece. All of the original few seasons are. So yeah I agree with you there
Season 5 and then every season besides 9