The Walking Dead's latest is a chore to watch, according to viewers who voted "Diverged" the show's worst-ever episode on IMDb. Part of the six extended Season 10 bonus episodes filmed amid the coronavirus pandemic, "Diverged" finds best friends Carol (Melissa McBride) and Daryl (Norman Reedus) at the lowest point in their friendship after their hunting trip ended with an argument in "Find Me." When the pair reach a fork in the road and go their separate ways, Carol returns to Alexandria and asks Jerry (Cooper Andrews) what she can do to help clean up the damage the Whisperers left behind.
Carol works her way through a list of chores: she tinkers with a solar panel, she scrounges up ingredients for a hearty soup, she prepares to cook a meal for the laboring Alexandrians. But when Dog gives chase to a scurrying rat on the loose, Carol assembles a makeshift trap and is determined to capture the pest.
"Diverged" is currently the lowest-rated episode of The Walking Dead on IMDb, where it's received a "4.5." rating from registered users. The episode went live for AMC+ subscribers on Thursday, March 25, before its television airing on Sunday, March 28.
As of March 28, "Diverged" is ranked lower than Season 7 episode "Swear," the former worst-rated episode ever of The Walking Dead with a "5.6" user score. "Swear" held that spot until last week when "Splinter," also part of the pandemic-proofed episodes, received a "5.2" rating as determined by the weighted average votes from IMDb users.
"Boring and pointless," reads a 2 stars out of 10 review from one IMDb user. "Won't miss anything if you skip this episode." Another user's 1-star review calls the episode "mundane, empty and pointless."
"It was an average episode that has nothing to offer," reads one user's 5 stars out of 10 review praising the episode's performances. Another 5 stars out of 10 rating calls "Diverged" the "worst episode of The Walking Dead."
More favorable reviews compared "Diverged" to the worst-rated episode of Breaking Bad, "Fly," which is similarly hyper-focused on a character's attempt to rid themselves of a pest. "This did develop Carol's character, by the end she learns she doesn't have to fix everything to feel like it makes her other problems fine," reads one 9 stars out of 10 review in part. "The acting was also great as usual."
Another user's 9 stars out of 10 review praised the episode's small cast, writing: "Melissa McBride, Norman Reedus, Cooper Andrews and Dog made this episode work with their stellar acting."
Here's what other Walking Dead fans are saying about "Diverged":