The Seven Pillars ‘The Walking Dead’ Stands On

While The Walking Dead‘s unprecedented success as the top-rated show on cable is the culmination of all aspects both in-front-of and behind-the-camera, there are specific pillars on which the show continues to stand on.

Heading into the last eight episodes of its eighth season, The Walking Dead loses what was once a pillar of the show: Carl Grimes. Carl’s death will, as all deaths on the popular zombie show do, come with a backlash among fans. This one strikes particular nerves, seeing as it’s both a child actor who grow up on the show and a character once presumed to be its future exiting.

With each pillar’s inevitable fall as the show continues with no end in sight, the show’s impressive structure can become weaker. The Walking Dead only has so many remaining legs on which it can stand and continue to dominate cable but will have no problem doing so should they remain well-handled parts of the narrative moving forward.

Rick

Rick Grimes is the strongest and most important pillar on which The Walking Dead stands. He has been the show’s main protagonist, earned thorough development throughout the show’s eight seasons, and maintains relationships with every single character.

Rick’s death is inevitable. Robert Kirkman has promised as much. No matter how hard the AMC series tries, the character can not and will not be replaced. As Andrew Lincoln gears up to move on with his life, be it after Season Nine or after Season Twenty-Nine, the show will become a bit weaker. The narrative may be as strong as ever with new characters and cast members stepping in to carry the torch forward without Mr. Grimes but there is no question of the weight which Lincoln and his Rick Grimes shoulder. 

Losing Rick, as all of the rest of the show’s pillars, would not mean the end of The Walking Dead. It would, however, be the end of an era and prompt a large portion of the audience to feel as though their journey with the show is complete.

The Three Women

The Walking Dead houses three incredibly important female characters portrayed by three talented actresses: Melissa McBride’s Carol, Danai Gurira’s Michonne, and Lauren Cohan’s Maggie.

While losing one of these characters would damage this pillar, eliminating two of the three would make the entire pillar collapse. Each of the women have had some of the most impressive arcs within The Walking Dead. Maggie started as a sheltered farmhand and has emerged as a leader in a community reflective of her home. Michonne has put her devastating past away enough to form an intimate relationship with Rick and paternal stance with his kids. Carol went from a humble and abused house wife to the show’s most impressive and capable survivor and McBride relentlessly hands in brilliant performances.

All three women are characters who fans tune in for on a weekly basis. Lose one, the show goes on. Lose two or all three, and The Walking Dead take a shot in its heart. 

The Comics

The AMC series still has the fact that it’s based on a comic book keeping interest alive.

A fact proven by DC Comics and Marvel Comics films time and time again is that people want to see moments from comic book panels adapted to live-action. Robert Kirkman’s source material is well ahead of the AMC show’s current storyline. Despite Carl’s death creating a major void in upcoming stories, fans will stick around to see the Whisperers and Commonwealth communities should the show properly promise or tease their eventual arrival.

The Walking Dead‘s sibling series Fear the Walking Dead might even be an example of titles which suffer from not having comic book source material. The sibling series shares the Walking Dead name but brings in a fraction of the viewers despite having a stellar third season. Comics lay a groundwork for fans to talk amongst themselves and speculate about what’s next, creating Internet sensations and comment section buzz words, which The Walking Dead will continue to use a pillar for success. 

A Mysterious Future

Though the grand scheme of The Walking Dead is somewhat predictable as it follows the aforementioned comics, it retains an element of mystery regarding its future.

For example, the moment which saw a helicopter flying over Rick Grimes in Season Eight invigorated the fan base with questions and interest regarding the possibility of the world’s expansion. The thought of finding a truly modernized post-apocalyptic community or encountering another country which experienced the fall differently keeps fans’ minds racing.

Kirkman promises a cure will never be introduced and there is no thriving government ready to rush the American shores in an effort to come to the rescue but thoughts of such story lines or similar moments spark a feeling similar to the earliest seasons of The Walking Dead. Back then, every bit of expansion was brand new and exciting. Maintaining a mysterious future is crucial for the AMC show which has been locked into the Alexandrian setting for nearly four years. 

History

Few shows reach exceed the 100 episode milestone or reach Season Eight. In doing just that, The Walking Dead has established a rich and deep history along the way.

Carl’s farewell episode will serve as proof that The Walking Dead can delight its fanbase when paying homage to its earliest seasons. The character will verbally recall moments which fans hold on to, like Lori’s death or Rick’s days as a farmer at the prison with Hershel. The moments are rewarding for the millions of fans who have stuck with the show for eight years.

Going forward, The Walking Dead can find stability in relying on that history. Characters don’t have to directly call back to earlier seasons or unforgetabble moments but relationships can develop based on characters’ pasts. Fans know Maggie for seven years now. Morgan has been in and out of the show for eight. Carol has been developed for eight years but still has not allowed herself to commit to any sort of relationship. Relying on these elements, with fans knowing characters better than come of their peers do, can provide The Walking Dead with some emotional and compelling story beats. 

Creativity

As far as The Walking Dead has come, it has remained delightfully dedicated to creativity. Creativity is an important pillar for the series as it charges towards the 200 episodes showrunner Scott Gimple hopes to realize. 

Fortunately, the show has passionate visual effects genius Greg Nicotero serving as an executive producer and director for some of its biggest episodes. Nicotero’s team manages to create walkers day in and day out for the series but also brought a tiger to life, is introducing a naked zombie which made headlines this week, and will soon aim to introduce a batch of characters who walk around covered in walker guts.

Creativity, be it in the look of the undead, character deaths, or post-apocalyptic settings are crucial for The Walking Dead to keep from ever feeling stale. 

Shocks

Part of what built The Walking Dead in its early years was its “no one is safe” mantra. Fans were shocked to see Shane Walsh bow out in the show’s second season. Glenn and Abraham’s brutal murders in the Season Seven premiere certainly left fans in awe. Noah being devoured in a revolving door was a fairly appalling moment.

The shock value moments have been a huge part of The Walking Dead‘s foundation but the groundwork has already been laid out. The shocks will have to remain but it is time for them to evolve. Remember when the world discovered Eugene was not a scientist? How about breaking up a relationship by simply separating the characters and not killing one of them? Abraham and Rosita’s break up was one of the most talked about elements of Season Six’s second half. How about issues of trust like Rick’s with Lori and Shane in the early days which built the series? 

The Walking Dead needs to maintain its ability to shock its viewers but find ways to do so without killing fan-favorites names.