Comic book readers saw this coming, but that didn't make Sunday's events in Alexandria any less gruesome. Not only did several people die in one fell swoop, but Rick's son is going to be sporting a new accessory sooner or later. That's right, Carl lost an eye in The Walking Dead midseason premiere, after taking a bullet for his dad.
Before you start writing Carl Grimes/Arya Stark (who totally lost her sight on Game of Thrones last season) crossover fan fiction, let's refresh on how we came to this. After a struggle with the Anderson family while they were trying to go unnoticed through a hoard of Walkers, Jessie's son Ron pulled a gun on Rick and fired. Why was Ron bent on killing Recognized Good Guy Rick Grimes? It probably has something to do with the fact that Rick killed his father and clearly had a crush on Jessie, and that Ron had just witnessed the deaths of both his mom and his brother, Sam. It was a more than a little uncalled for at the moment, but I understand why Ron was upset with the sheriff on paper, and he had just witnessed something extremely traumatic. Ron probably blames Rick for everything that has happened in the past week, ending in the brutal deaths of his family. Michonne, however, didn't have time to consider all of these complex past events, and stabbed Ron before he could kill Rick, which caused Ron to shoot Carl's eye out as he fell.
Earlier in the episode, Edith focused on the Bible verse "Faith without works is dead" from the New Testament, the Epistle of James. Carl losing an eye was a similar call to action for the group. He's like a little Gavroche and he didn't even know it. He was rushed to the infirmary by Michonne, and an invigorated Denise took over. Rick charged out to meet the Walkers head-on, which inspired others to take up arms and join him.
Looking forward to Carl's new eyepatch and a more capable Alexandria? With Negan on the horizon, those may be the only things to look forward to on The Walking Dead.
Image: Gene Page/AMC
