The Walking Dead Season 8 (SPOILERS)

My Mercy prevails over my Wrath...

And so the dust has cleared; All Out War has officially come to a close. There was massive devastation with lots of casualties, with one in particular being the biggest death in the entire franchise. That death was none other than Carl Grimes! Yeah, who would've thought? It is clear that this death will change the direction of the show from this point on, for better or for worse. For all that's said and done, what's the deal with Season 8? Well it was, like many of the past seasons, a rocky roller coaster of ups and downs, but if I'm going to be honest, I didn't think it was that bad; in fact, I think it was one of my favorite seasons overall, mostly because it ended up wrapping all plot threads in a satisfactory way despite many of the flaws that plagued it. Now if I may confess, I was never a huge fan of the "All Out War" storyline in the comics. It felt very underwhelming for all the massive buildup surrounding it and ultimately ended on a rather anticlimactic note; that's why I had high hopes that the show would figure out a way to expand upon the story arc to make it better. They did make some changes, kept some things the same, and then took a huge departure from the comics to lead up to the ending. While there will be (and has been) massive repercussions going down the road, I think for the most part the show did its best in telling the story at hand, so let's see what Season 8 got right, and what it didn't:

UPS

1. The season, for the most part, was very well-paced. A major problem with the show is that it stretched many story arcs far too thin to fill the 16-episode slot, but this season did pretty well in moving the story along. It had a few sags here and there, but not one moment passed where I felt the showrunners were spinning wheels to get to the inevitable conclusion. Right off the bat, this season fixed a major problem that overstayed its welcome.
2. Morgan and Carol were in full form this season. Both characters have shared an arc for the past few seasons now that has been a major highlight for the series, and this season finally brought those full circle. On one hand, Carol is at her absolute best here, embracing her inner warrior while retaining a warm, motherly persona that showcases the humanity she has held onto all these years, while Morgan is at his lowest and darkest point here, and you wonder if he could ever truly come back before he makes a change at the end that sets him on a journey into a whole new world. All in all, both characters have both had equally compelling stories, and no matter where this world takes them, they always seem to come out on top. 
3. There is a great amount of showcase for a lot of characters this season. It really helps when a few of them needed this kind of showcase to bring them back into good graces with viewers. A few particular standouts are Ezekiel, Negan, Rosita, Simon, and Jadis of all people. Though a few characters got the short end of the stick, characters like the five mentioned really went above and beyond in stealing the spotlight and coming out of recent blights to their name, and that allows people to care so much more for them as time goes on.
4. Though I can never defend the decision to do so (which I'll get to in a bit,) I did end up liking how they worked Carl's death into the overall story, making it the catalyst that determined how the end of the war would play out. It certainly left a huge impact, that's for sure, and while there probably will be some consequences to exactly how the future of the show will look without him, I think they managed to handle the situation quite well for the time being. 
5. Overall, the ending of this season really moved me. It almost felt like instead of giving us something that I (and others) wanted, it gave us something that we needed! I'm sure a lot of people were going in expecting Negan to bite the dust and that the war would probably end in a massive bloodbath, but honestly, I was fine with the way it actually ended. After everything Rick and the group have been through, all the hell, pain, and devastation that led to this moment, it is honestly beautiful to watch as not only was Rick able to fulfill Carl's dying wish, but he now sees the world that could be rebuilt; a new beginning, so to speak. What a perfectly bittersweet way to end this season, and honestly, I wouldn't complain if this was the official finale of the whole series (and in a way, it kinda is.)

DOWNS

1. Okay, so I was fine with the idea behind Carl's death, but does it mean I'm okay with the decision: HELL NO! Honestly, of all the routes the showrunners could have taken, they thought this was the best move. Seriously, what the hell were they thinking? Did they honestly think they could get away without having massive repercussions along the way. I think not, no sirree. This will definitely go down as the single worst decision of the entire show, regardless of how well it was handled. 
2. Jesus, oh good Lord, JESUS!!! Out of all the adapted characters, he is quite possibly the worst translation from page to screen. He made a great first impression in Season 6, was heavily underused in Season 7, and then took a nosedive out a window this season when he took a complete 180 in his characterization, becoming the pacifist character (a staple characterization that has been recycled over and over again throughout the series) who will not kill, even though he shot a guy point blank in the head at one point and is more than happy to help Maggie kill Negan if push comes to shove (I know Scott Gimple said Negan was an exception, but still.) All in all, despite Tom Payne's excellent performance, one of the best characters from the comics has become one of the show's worst by far.
3. A lot of the OG characters weren't at their best this season. Daryl has been reduced to a grunting rabble rouser, Eugene spent the whole season talking in cryptic clues and rambles that made absolutely no sense while still making us wonder exactly whose side he really is on, and Maggie looks like she'd rather be anywhere else half the damn time. Rick was also kinda hard to root for, since it seemed he was all too willing to let revenge and bloodlust overtake him and prioritize that over the wishes of his dead son! Rick and Eugene were able to redeem themselves in the end, and Maggie is safe from her decisions on account of Negan, well, killing her husband, but it's really disappointing to see a character like Daryl lose a lot of what made him so great when it seems that he'll be taking over as the main character (oh yeah, we're gonna get to that.) 

OVERALL

Season 8 was, overall, a great season, and it was a step-up from the past three seasons for sure. Despite that, though, I still realize that as much as I love it, the show is starting to wear thin. With the ratings dropping consistently and the news that both Lauren Cohan and Andrew Lincoln (yes, RICK MOTHERFUCKING GRIMES) are exiting the show after Season 9, it seems the end is practically inevitable. Where does that leave me? Well, I have been wrestling with this decision for a while now, and I honestly have no idea what to do, but here is what I have set at the moment: I will still watch the show, and I will see where things go from there, but as for this blog, I probably most likely won't be posting as much about it anymore. I will still most likely do a review for Season 9, and I am going to post new updates of the Top 10 lists I have created with Season 8's end, but things such as predictions will probably come to a close. I will still remain a viewer and I will always remain a fan, but this blog will start to shift focus towards other things as time goes on. 

Well that's it for this rather somber post, guys. Tune in for more coming your way and till then, take care :)

When mom died, she told me I was gonna beat this world...you will...