That's right guys: the host with the most, the man with the plan, the biggest showoff in wikia showbusiness...it's...TheBigSwingingDick!
. *TBSD applauds himself as he sits alone in his room*
Hey guys, TBSD here with (another) blog! This is another TWC blog, as well as an apology for my recent absense. Today's topic- Pointless deaths
Apology[]
First of all, I'd like to apologise for my absence. I've been more stressed out than than the Lib Dems in the next election lately, due to the evil invention of mock exams. I was planning on returning next month, but after seeing that I had been voted as Best Ranter in the User Awards, I felt that it was my duty to come back. Regardless of whether you want me, I'm back.
Introduction[]
With this rant, I'll be looking at what I consider to be the 'Top Ten' most pointless deaths in the franchise. In addition to this I will be discussing the reasons why I think they are pointless, and an alterantive death for each mentioned character.
10. Chuck (Video Game)[]
Just making it onto the list is Chuck, everyone's favourite hobo!
Everyone who's played the game tends to agree that Chuck is a cool dude, however I hate his death with a fiery passion. It wasn't that he wasn't another victim of The Curse of Ben Paul, just that he didn't even get an on-screen death. He was a very interesting character, and it would've been interesting to see him survive.
The ending of Season 1 could have a choice where Clem is told to either 'find Omid and Christa' or 'find Chuck'. This could change who you are with at the beginning of Season 2, either Omid and Christa or Chuck. In my opinion, this would be one of the big choices that the game needs more of, as the only ones so far have been the Carley/Doug choice, the amputate/don't amputate Lee choice, and the Drop/Save Ben choice.
My ideal death: For those who told Clem to find Chuck, he could take Omid's place in the opening scene. Otherwise, he could appear later in Season 2.
9. Allen and Ben (TV Show)[]
Allen and Ben's deaths were the epitome of 'abso-fucking-lutely pointless'. The younger of the two, who reminded me more of Ben Paul than comic Ben, died a redshirt's death. His father's death was even worse, a display of the Governor's psychopathy; which was pretty fucking pointless considering we had just seen him mow down his own people.
A redshirt, or even Shumpert, could've taken Ben's death pretty easily. As for Allen's death, we could've seen him survive in place of Karen. We still get a semi-interesting character who would help develop Tyreese, and we are spared the horrors of Melissa Ponzio's acting. Talk about killing two birds with one stone!
Every time I see Daniel Thomas May, who played Allen, I thank god that I did not have to take his role on TWD. A self-confessed lifelong comic fan, May has been dedicated to the comic since its early years. Imagine his thrill when he got the role as one of his favourite comic characters, Allen...and then imagine his anguish as Mazzara destroyed the character before his very eyes. I'd like to do the same to something Mazzara loves, someday...
My ideal death: My ideal deaths for Allen and Ben would be a mirror of Hershel and Billy in the comics. It would suit the characters, and it would be two more named deaths for the assault.
8. Douglas Monroe (Comics)[]
Admittedly not a massive waste, But I still feel that Douglas had a lot more potential. To be completely honest, his death felt incredibly out of character, mostly because it felt like nothing more than a convenient way for Carl to lose his eye. It came just before the introduction of the Saviors, it happened at a time when the Alexandrians were beginning to resent Rick, it was just before the other communities were revealed. It wasn't convenient as in 'I'm late to the bus stop but the bus is still here'; it was 'convenient', as in Princess Diana.
Douglas would've also been a brilliant character for the All Out War arc. Spencer could've asked Negan to make his father the leader again, only to suffer the same death he did in the actual comics. This would no doubt make Douglas unspeakably pissed at Negan, causing an interesting character change. Imagine seeing a militaristic Douglas on the warpath, determined to fight off the biggest threat to his group since Davidson. He'd also be another long-running character to perish in the war.
My ideal death: I think that Douglas would be best suited as a death in the war arc, after the aforementioned plotline. It would be a death later in the war, as Douglas would start out with wanting to use merciless brute force against Negan, and then would die saving the group after his actions caused even more problems. In my opinion, this would be much better than his 'convenient' exit in No Way Out.
7. Caleb Subramanian (TV Show)[]
This was just a missed oppurtunity. Doctor S was one of those characters who casual viewers knew of, but didn't get to know. He was like Jimmy or Martinez, not much of a role but still memorable enough. Why they didn't give his death to a redshirt, I don't know. We needed a character like him to die in the Prison Assault. He'd be like Patricia in the comics, not significant, but better than a redshirt.
My ideal death: As mentioned above, Doctor S should've died in the Prison Assault. They could've had him share some scenes with Sasha during the Infection Arc, and then had him stay behind to cover her escape in the assault. He would've been another death to make the fall of the prison a little more memorable, because casual viewers don't give a flying fuck about Julio.
6. Abraham Ford (Comics)[]
One of Kirkman's two Mazzara moments. Abraham deserved All Out War. An army man dying in a war, it would be perfect, it would be another massive loss to the group. But fuck that, Issue 98 was slow, so let's kill off one of the most significant characters in the entire fucking comics. This is something I would expect from Season 3, GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER KIRKMAN!
My ideal death: Abe had to dies soon, don't get me wrong, but he just needed a few more Issues for his storyline to finish. I could see him almost developing a grudging respect for Negan, and Abe's death would further Kirkman's goal of making AOW 'The biggest arc so far'. All Out War would be his perfect death.
5. Milton Mamet (TV Show)[]
Alas poor Milton, another victim of Mazzara.
It took me a while to figure this out, but Milton was the show's version of Alice. This was probably the only drastic change to a character that I have somewhat liked, because though I still prefer Alice in the comics, Milton was well written and interesting. Out of all the TV characters on this list, he is the one that I feel had the potential to last the longest.
My ideal death: The obvious one would be a death at the hands of the Governor, which would make the Prison Assult far more devastating. I could also have seen Milton dying at the hands of Negan in All Out War. An interesting angle to have pursued with him would've been a romance with Andrea, because they had more chemistry than an episode of Breaking Bad (That's a crap joke isn't it?).
4. Dale Horvath (TV Show)[]
Mazzara....why you do this?
Jeffrey DeMunn was stupid for asking to leave the show, we all know that, but he asked to come back. Mazzara had only written the scene when DeMunn begged to be reinstated, contrary to popular belief it hadn't even been filmed at the time, yet Mazzara still said no...this is why we don't have a good show, this guy was in charge for almost two seasons...
My ideal death: I won't comment on the best death for Dale, because both his potential and his best possible death have already been shown in the comics. That is all I have to say on Mazzara's despicable crime...
3. Alice (Comics)[]
This was Kirkman's other Mazzara moment...
As you all know from my previous blogs, my Alice obsession borders on unhealthy. Her death was useless! Her death was pointless! Killing her is one of the worst decisions that Kirkman has ever made!
My Alice obsession started during my first reading of the comics, when I thought she was going to be a significant character for a large chunk of the story. Her interactions with Rick screamed 'LOVE INTEREST!' louder than one of those comedy movies whre the geeky guy always gets the girl in the end; and although she was sidelined in The Calm Before, she seemed to be on the road to a good storyline in Made to Suffer. And then Kirkman came along and fucking killed her...
In one fell swoop, that bastard Kirkman killed off some of the most loved and most important characters in the franchise; Axel, Tyreese, Hershel, Billy, Patricia, Lori, Judith, the Governor, and of course, Alice. They all died good deaths, but why did that last one have to happen? Why couldn't she have been saved by Michonne, or have fled with Rick? She didn't even get an on panel death thanks to Kirkman, al we got was a picture of Captain Hook calling her a bitch instead. Thanks Kirkman...
My ideal death: My ideal death for Alice would be to die as an All Out War casualty. The lack of her death would have no significant effect on the impact of the Prison Assault, but would provide another long running character for Kirkman to kill in AOW, making it even more significant. You might think that Alice's death wouldn't be significant, but that's because you're thinking of how she had died in the prison. She would've been around for about 90 Issues if she had died in AOW, which would be an incredibly significant death.
2. Merle Dixon (TV Show)[]
Merle fucking Dixon, where do I start? One of my favourite characters in the entire franchise, and he died far too soon! If Mazzara had continued with the lone-wolf angle for Daryl's storyline in Season 3, he would've been a much better candidate for the death. Imagine the feels if Merle had to put down his little brother.
Regardless of Daryl though, Merle had the potential to be a major player in the show. Unfortunately, he was relegated to the role of cannon-fodder just as his development had started. His death had no effect on any character at all. Merle's death is symbolic of Mazzara-era TWD, they're both unwanted pieces of crap!
My ideal death: Merle's death should have been a death for the good of the group, similar to his actually death, but later. I'd also have liked to see Michael Rooker as a Hunters victim, as the 'Tainted Meat' line would really suit him. The other ways I could see him dying would be either as a casualty in the Prison Assault or as a casualty in the show's adaptation of All Out War. I tend to favour the AOW death for Merle.
1. Andrea (TV Show)[]
In first place, the one and only Andrea. Like most comic fans, I have an unspeakable hatred of what happened to Andrea in the show, however I still enjoyed her character. Her death was Mazzara's last middle finger to the fans, and it he wanted it to be a big one. Her death in the episode was badly written, badly acted, and overall a bad idea. TV Andrea has never had the potential to last as long as her comic counterpart. The minute she set foot in Woodbury, her fate was sealed. The Governor was Andrea's arc, and killing her before the end of her own arc was wrong.
My ideal death: Andrea should've taken Hershel's death in Too Far Gone. In my opinion that death was made for her; an outing with Michonne interrupted by the Governor. She was the one who brought the Woodburians to the Prison, dying to defend them would be a perfect end to her story. It would also free up Hershel to either take his comic death, with Beth replacing Jimmy, or die at the hands of the Hunters.
Roundup[]
So, as a roundup, my deaths would've provided between 4 and 6 extra deaths for the TV Prison Assault, and three for All Out War in the comics.
Polls[]
Here are some polls based around my list and comments:
You guys[]
Right then, that's me done. It's great to be back here and I hope you all enjoyed the blog! Please vote in the polls and leave comments below! Your suggestions for new rants are more than welcome too (I've forgotten my old ideas and I need new ones desperately...)