'The Walking Dead' Recap: 'Honor'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK... 

You know, I think it is high time we address the six-hundred-pound zombie in the room when it comes to The Walking Dead, in that, I’ve never seen the fan base so riled up over a character death. Sure, I watched fans weep and step away from the show when Glenn and Abraham met their fate in the season seven premiere, but the notion that Carl Grimes is going to die from a bite seems to be more than the fans can bear and I think I finally understand why; because horror stories are supposed to serve as a proverbial ‘safety net’, and if that sounds silly, bear with me for a moment.
 
Because shows like this, while they are designed to terrify and disgust us, always return us to the safety of our everyday lives. We can go on a rollercoaster ride here and come out just fine in the end, but when lead characters begin to die in awful fashion, especially ones we have spent years getting to know, that safety net is removed. Suddenly the show forces us to feel some tough and ugly emotions and while I get that people are upset with that, I personally think it’s a genius move. Because stories that don’t make us feel safe are the ones that truly move us and last night’s episode of the show, ‘Honor’, definitely did just that since we did indeed bid farewell to young Carl in heartbreaking and beautiful fashion.
 
Yet, while much of this episode revolved around Carl’s farewell, it also did something extraordinary by using his final moments as the bookend to an exploration regarding the duality of man. Specifically how we are capable of great beauty and great cruelty, and the latter component of this part of the human condition was examined by way of Morgan, because he and Carol took it upon themselves to rescue King Ezekiel from the Saviors and well, this segment of the story was simply fascinating to watch since Morgan slowly gave in to the darkest parts of his soul as he put down one Savior after another.  

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But his darkest moment didn’t come into play until the final push to save the King arrived, wherein Morgan actually managed to rip a man’s guts out in order to win a brutal fist fight and while that should have been enough to demonstrate how ugly man can be to one another, the show took it one step further by having Morgan hunt a wounded Gavin, to allow for him to experience true terror and fear before meeting his maker in the most surprising of fashion, since it was young Henry that put him down, not Morgan.
 
However, there was a rhyme and a reason to having Henry perform such a chilling act in that…this is what the world has become, and this is what is being taught to a future generation, which brings us back to Carl’s story. Because in his waning moments, he took the time to express to his father and anyone who would listen in that dingy sewer, that the world simply does not have to be this way, mankind can be better, mankind can indeed be given a second chance to do things right this time and well, this noble plea and everything surrounding it, made his passing the most beautiful and wholesome death in the history of the show. 
 
Because his final moments on earth weren’t just about teaching everyone a lesson, it was about celebrating a life, and saying goodbye and this allowed for the audience to have the opportunity to process and brace themselves for his farewell and it was just wonderful to see everyone thank Carl for all the things he’s done, and I love that Daryl pointed out what a hero he turned out to be and while his final moments were downright heartbreaking and tear-jerking through and through, Carl went out on his own terms in meaningful and magnificent fashion and it was such a refreshing change of pace to not have a main character’s death be violent and jarring to the point where the audience in essence needed a moment with their friends and family to properly process the horror they had just witnessed.

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​However, it was wonderful to see the series once again focus on the fact that the world could finally become the utopia mankind has always wanted it to be if everyone worked together to make it as such. Yet, while Carl’s message served as a beautiful foil to Morgan’s fury, there is of course a big question that looms large over the All Out War story arc now in that…can Rick Grimes learn from his son and honor his wishes to make the world a better place? Sure, he vowed to do so, but with the war still on and Alexandria in ruins, and his son gone forever, such a task may be easier said than done…
 
In the end however, I really have to give the series props for making a decision as bold as this one and for taking us out of our comfort zone and this new direction for the story, one free from a fair chunk of the comics makes the future of the series an exciting prospect indeed. Plus, I also need to take a moment and tip my cap to Chandler Riggs for his phenomenal performance last night, because none of this would have worked without some fine acting and I have to admit, I’m curious as to how much of Chandler was on display in this performance simply because…it felt far more personal than expected.
 
In fact, I remember hanging out with him in the Green Room of a convention a few years back that I was covering, and at one point, Chandler told me to go ahead of him at the snack table, something that caught me off guard, and well, my personal interaction with him at that con, and the humbleness and kindness he exhibited to everyone that weekend, seemed to be on display again during last night’s episode and well, if they did indeed let Chandler be Chandler at the end, that’s a classy way to send him off into the night. Either way, I wish Chandler nothing but the best in his career going forward, and regardless of the fact that I fully understand the storytelling side of the decision to kill the character off, the fan in me knows full well it’s going to be strange to tune in to The Walking Dead, and not see Carl Grimes anymore…

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