The Season 8 midseason finale of The Walking Dead ended on a shock that few fans probably thought would actually happen in the series. The final scene revealed that none other than Carl Grimes had been bitten by a Walker in an area that could not simply be chopped off a la Hershel's leg. Carl is going to die in the second half of Season 8, despite the speculation that he would survive to the end and the fact that the character is still alive in the comics. Some fans are so upset about the twist that they're actually petitioning for AMC to fire The Walking Dead showrunner Scott Gimple.
The petition takes issue with both the plot twist for the sake of the show and for the firing of Chandler Riggs, who reportedly expected to have a role on the show for another three years. Chandler Riggs himself has been open about the devastation of learning that he would have to leave the show, and his father didn't mince words in a Facebook post (which has since been deleted) about how Scott Gimple allegedly went about breaking the news to Riggs. The petition was started earlier this week by an offended Walking Dead fan named Tyler Sigmon, and he finished his statement like this:
Gimple gave no explination as to why Chandler was killed off other than that it was because of 'the story,' and that it had nothing to do with personal issues but many speculate that the claim is false. Carl is still alive in the comic series and has gone on to play a pivitol role in every major conflict the group has faced. Some fans even speculated that he would do this in the TV show, being the last survivor in the apocalypse. A lot of fans have taken to social media to express their dissagreement with Gimples decision. Others have also expressed their feelings toward his decision calling for his immediate resignation. This petition is meant to bring AMC TV into the spotlight and fire The Walking Dead showrunner Scott Gimple for his actions and unfair treatment of actor Chandler Riggs.
Aside from some errors in spelling and punctuation, this petition (as posted on Change.org) clearly shows this fan's passion for the series, and he's not the only one. More than 27,000 people have signed the petition so far, and the number just keeps on climbing. I won't be in the least surprised if the petition reaches its goal of 35,000 signatures sooner rather than later. It will be given to AMC TV at some point, and it surely won't come as happy news to anybody involved.
That said, even if 27,000+ sounds like a lot of people, it's only a very small fraction of the total viewership for AMC's juggernaut zombie apocalypse series. The ratings for The Walking Dead have hit some disappointing lows in Season 8, but folks at AMC are probably more concerned with the bigger picture than this petition. Still, kudos to these fans for sticking up for what they believe in. Despite the reality that AMC probably won't give the axe to Scott Gimple due to fan pressure, at least the petitioners can rest easy knowing that they tried.
We'll have to wait and see what happens next for The Walking Dead. The show kicked off its midseason hiatus on December 10, and it won't be back with the second half of Season 8 until February 25. Our midseason TV premiere schedule can give you all the dates you need for the new year, and our 2018 Netflix premiere guide can help you plan your streaming lineup. Don't forget to check out our picks for Walking Dead characters that are better in the comics than the TV show.
