(All the spoilers ahead for the mid-season finale of AMC’s “The Walking Dead”)
“The Walking Dead” left off with a pretty brutal final scene as it went into the mid-season break for Season 8, and plenty of fans are devastated.
The mid-season finale saw the Saviors escape from their base, the Sanctuary, which has been surrounded by walkers for most of the season. With the forces of Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) free, the war that Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and his allies have been winning suddenly went another way. The Kingdom fell to the Saviors and King Ezekiel (Khary Payton) was captured, but its people escaped. And Carl (Chandler Riggs) nearly sacrificed himself to save his people in Alexandria, but the town itself was destroyed by Negan and the Saviors’ attack.
But while those things were tough, the really painful moment was the reveal at in the final seconds of the episode. Carl and the people of Alexandria managed to escape into the sewers beneath the town, but when Rick and Michonne (Danai Gurira) found him there, Carl revealed that he’d been bitten by a walker.
Carl has become a fan favorite and much of the major arcs of the last few seasons have been about his growth as a character and the pain he’s suffered — including losing his eye. Rick’s son isn’t dead just yet, but Showrunner Steve Gimple confirmed on “The Walking Dead” aftershow “Talking Dead” that Carl won’t be surviving his injury. “It’ll play out as bites on the show play out,” Gimple said.
Needless to say, fans who’ve come to love Carl had a tough time with the news. Some people were in denial.
But really you can’t do that, why are you doing that, don’t do that… No it can’t be!!! #TWD
— Wendy (@WendyLuLuu) December 11, 2017
https://twitter.com/leebee4life/status/940063399114719232
Noooooooo! 😭
Somebody wake me up Sunday February 25th… I'm gonna go hibernate, now… G'night 😂#TheWalkingDead #TWD pic.twitter.com/5yBspvwR5q
— Dori McDowell (@Tatartot72) December 11, 2017
Others couldn’t believe it, and leaned into memes to deal with their grief.
CORAL!!!!!!! #TWD
— A. C. McLEOD (@CreeX5) December 11, 2017
Me right now #TWD pic.twitter.com/1XbWvbqnuq
— Sadie Burgess (@rnercedees) December 11, 2017
NOOOO!!!! CARL!! #TWD pic.twitter.com/MwFxFva5ji
— 𝙴𝚍𝚞𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚘 𝙷𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚣𝚊🐧 (@laleytor) December 11, 2017
A few folks couldn’t wrap their heads around the situation, and even had their own suggestions for who should have bought it during the mid-season finale.
Whhhhhy Carl… #TWD #Carl pic.twitter.com/d7Bmz0NbdB
— Keith (@mfresh03) December 11, 2017
So Gregory is STILL alive & Carl is dead?!? Mkay… #TheWalkingDead #TWD pic.twitter.com/YzN7wN0P3m
— Lipstick Tomboy (@Lip_stickTomboy) December 11, 2017
But most were just sad for Carl, and likely the fact that it’ll be another two whole months to find out what “unfinished business” he’ll need to deal with in his limited time at the start of the second half of Season 8.
MOOD #TWD pic.twitter.com/gassZpMfHD
— vero (@maximoffsalute) December 11, 2017
https://twitter.com/SwedishHoeFelix/status/940063352142704641
Everybody right now, after that ending #TWD #TheWalkingDead pic.twitter.com/4TF14tdmcL
— Soap Dude 2 (@Soap_Dude2) December 11, 2017
I CANT WITH THIS BYE #TWD pic.twitter.com/M9mxMSXrHD
— mily 🇦🇷 (@immily__) December 11, 2017
Not everybody has processed their grief yet, though.
https://twitter.com/angabrielle_/status/940063396002594816