The Walking Dead: The Saddest Death From Every Season
Plunged into a dystopian wasteland where the dead walk, death is a given. Faced with starvation, disease, and flesh hungry monsters, humans no longer thrive, they simply struggle to survive. Sometimes the most dangerous things in their paths are not the zombies, but the other survivors that they meet along the way.
It’s been more than ten years since the premiere of AMC’s The Walking Dead, and the epic, post-apocalyptic drama has seen its fair share of bloodshed. Many beloved characters, young and old, have been lost over the past ten seasons, but some of these losses have broken hearts much more than others.
10 Season 1: Amy
Part of what made Amy's death so painful was not only that it was one of the show's first major losses, but that it was so sudden and unexpected. Gathered around for a fish cookout, the group's peaceful night is ruined when Walkers amble into camp, taking them by surprise.
Amy is bitten while stopping by the RV for a bathroom break, and by the time Andrea hears her screaming sister, it's too late. Though she stays with Amy until the end, Andrea is never quite the same after her sister's death.
9 Season 2: Dale Horvath
Dale Horvath was the sweet, level-headed grandfather of their little band of survivors. He bonded with each of them in the ways that they needed it most, providing a comforting ear, dad jokes, and sage advice. He and his RV were central to the group's formation, but it was his kindness that really held the group together.
He is perhaps the last character that deserved the agonizing death of being horrifically disemboweled by a Walker. His death struck an intense emotional chord in both the audience and the survivors that had grown to care for and rely on him.
8 Season 3: Merle Dixon
Merle is an example of a character's death that was not heartbreaking because of his loss, but because of the reaction of a character around him. Merle Dixon was hardheaded, racist, sexist, and a bad brother, but Daryl's heart-wrenching sobs as tears ran down his face at the sight of his big brother dead and turned is not something that is easily forgotten.
It only made it sadder that Merle had recently turned from his cruel ways and his alignment with the Governor, and tried to make an effort to be a better person.
7 Season 4: Hershel Greene
Hershel's death was inevitable, but that didn't make it any easier to accept. The kindly, protective older man had opened his heart and his home to the survivors, filling Dale's shoes as mentor and patriarch. Previously a veterinarian, he also provided the group with desperately needed medical care.
The tough old man is also one of the few to survive a bite by immediately having his leg amputated. His kindness and tenacity made it all the more painful when he was used as an emotional pawn by the Governor, and beheaded in front of all of his family and friends.
6 Season 5: Beth Greene
Beth was sweet and endlessly compassionate. Known for helping take care of baby Judith and singing to soothe the souls of the weary survivors, she emanated with an air of innocence that was uncommon for someone living in such a brutal world.
Much like Amy, her death was sudden and shocking, coming when she was on the brink of being saved from Dawn by all of her loved ones. Fans may not agree on their opinion of her, but Daryl loved her, and seeing him cry as he carries her limp body out of the hospital, knowing that he has one less friend in the world, is a terrible loss.
5 Season 6: Denise Cloyd
Denise Cloyd was an anxious but empathetic and softhearted survivor that worked as a doctor at the Alexandria Safe-Zone. One of the few LGBTQ+ characters on the show, she also formed a romantic relationship with Tara during season six of the series.
Denise's death is sudden and accidental, coming shortly before the introduction of Negan, the next season's big bad. Amid a passionate speech, she is cut off by an arrow meant for Daryl as it pierced straight through her eye, killing her instantly.
4 Season 7: Glenn Rhee
Perhaps the most painful loss of any season of the series was the graphic and vicious murder of Glenn Rhee. Eager to make a point, Negan gleefully proclaims that he is going to kill someone from Rick's group, thoroughly enjoying his sinister game of "Duck, Duck, Goose" as he paces the half-circle as if he is making an informed decision.
When Daryl lashes out at Negan after he kills Abraham, Negan decides to kill another person as punishment, and Gleen is the unlucky chosen one. The first blows crush Glenn's skull and knock his eye out of his socket, and Negan laughs at the mess that he's made of the brave and kindhearted pizza boy. His last words are a garbled whisper of words that imply his endless love for Maggie.
3 Season 8: Carl Grimes
A death has to be sad if it even makes Negan cry. Carl was bitten by a walker while trying to save a stranger's life, and more than anything, that exemplifies who Carl was becoming as a man. Though the younger Grimes has gone through many moral and emotional ups and downs, he was ultimately becoming a better person than his worst days.
He was doing the best that he could in the savage environment that he grew up in, constantly exposed to death and violence from a tender age. His death was slow, but it was surrounded by loved ones. He will be missed.
2 Season 9: Henry
Orphaned and adopted by Carol and King Ezekiel, Henry finally had a stable home and a family that loved him. He even had a growing relationship with Lydia, the estranged daughter of the leader of the Whisperers.
Henry's death at the hands of Alpha wasn't necessarily sad because the audience was attached to him, but it affected Carol so much that she ended her relationship with Ezekiel and ran away into seclusion. Henry wasn't an audience favorite, but he was a key part of the happiness of certain characters, and his loss was significant.
1 Season 10: Siddiq
Siddiq is a good man and the community doctor in Alexandria after Rick's disappearance. A casual relationship with Rosita results in the unexpected but welcome addition of baby Coco into their small town, but their time is cut short.
Once he realizes that Dante is a Whisperer infiltrator that means them harm, it's too late. Dante overpowers him and chokes him to death, leaving the baby without a father and Alexandria without a primary doctor. There are still a few episodes left of the extended season of The Walking Dead, so there is always the possibility of a more painful death. Fans will just have to wait and see.
No comments: