Walking Dead fans will get to relive all of the chaos and tragedy of the past 16 episodes when The Walking Dead: The Complete Eighth Season hits Blu-ray and DVD on Tuesday, August 21. Perhaps the most tragic moments came in the heartbreaking midseason premiere, which focused on Carl Grimes' last days. Understandably, the Blu-ray's special features dive into that shocking turn of events, and below is an exclusive clip that looks deeper into the meaning behind Carl passing on the Grimes legacy to his sister Judith by way of the signature cowboy hat. Check it out!
The video starts off with the eldest of the Grimes family, Rick portrayer Andrew Lincoln, who speaks to how well co-star Chandler Riggs understood the gravity behind Carl's shocking death, and the emotional values and complexities behind passing his cowboy hat along to Judith. Hundreds of miles from where Judith was both conceived and born, as well as hundreds of miles from the Grimes' former family home, there really isn't a whole hell of a lot for Rick or Carl to bestow to others for a mournful situation like this. For this family, the hat transcends physical property and represents their legacy.
Of course, there were the letters he left for all of his loved ones that expressed his emotional approach to dying, and what he hoped for everyone else. But it was with Judith that Carl really pulled out the big heartbreaking guns to relay a message of hope and strength to the young girl who may never remember that moment. But, perhaps more importantly, Rick witnessed it all and got a firm grasp of just how much resilience and bravery his son was capable of exuding. Those are the kinds of thoughts that help to get a saddened person through the day. So even if we never see Carl again -- though there's a tiny chance we might -- we know we'll still be watching the Grimes family name living on through Judith, who will finally be at a communication-friendly age when the next season gets here.
Looking back, Carl's death and Judith's new hat are all the more heartstring-destroying after learning about Andrew Lincoln's impending exit, which will make Judith the only surviving Grimes family member, even if she wasn't actually Rick's kid. (And that's assuming Rick dies, which he almost has to, even if Maggie's exit will be open-ended.) Now, I kind of hope the series ends with Judith being able to pass on the cowboy hat to someone else of equal importance.
The Walking Dead: The Complete Eighth Season will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on Tuesday, August 21, and the sets have quite a few extras to keep viewers going even beyond rewatching the episodes. There are commentary tracks from cast and crew on three episodes, and beyond the Carl-centric in memoriam feature, there are others that dive into the season-spanning All Out War and the other big deaths that took place therein.
After getting the Blu-ray, don't forget to tune into AMC for The Walking Dead's Season 9 debut on Sunday, October 7, at 9:00 p.m. ET. To see all the other new and returning shows that are on the horizon, head to our fall premiere schedule.
