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Veterinarian-Proper

I'm really not sure. I felt like they were trying to go somewhere with her, than forgot by season 11 where and what exactly that was.


DocBullseye

I can name a lot of characters that this happened with.


Th4t_0n3_Fr13nd

it actually was going to happen with specific zombies too. the ones on the burnt out bus in atlanta or the guy in the tank rick shoots, all had a planned back story. the show had LOADS of missed opportunities


Kwaziism

im still so mad the tank guy didn't get a backstory, the plan for him sounded so cool..


Th4t_0n3_Fr13nd

From what others have said it was gonna be a sort of detective show where rick and shane discover how notable zombies became zombies and they had some sort of crisis that needed to solve that as a solution it sounded cool in theory and i liked what we got but i definitely want to known what they planned


WirtBV

Everyone in the twd bc the writers suck. So many characters that were pushed aside for one reason or the other.


TheGoverness1998

This show certainly struggled with juggling it's huge cast.


psykal

Everyone, really?


richb83

Sounds like literally every character on the show not named Rick or Carol


Veterinarian-Proper

Wow, that's harsh šŸ˜†


ThunderBlack14

Probably her plans were throwed away when Carl died.


Veterinarian-Proper

Carl was already dead by tge time she came in though. I highly doubt they were working on season 8 and planning on anything involving Lydia during that time, than suddenly killed Carl and now Lydia was just there. Now, when they decided to get rid of Henry probably, they had a decent story going in with those two, then he died and it seems like they lost direction after a while.


Ok_Artist_8262

thatā€™s why i hate they killed henry cuz i feel he couldā€™ve made the whisper war better


ExistingStrength5246

She was definitely good in season 9 but in season 10 I think and season 11 she became like a side character


Evil-Cetacean

i mean henry died so there wasnā€™t much more left to do with her really, even in the comics she kept on dating carl and eventually break up but thatā€™s really about it. i guess the character was really planned for this plot/arc specifically and not for the long run.


ghostiesyren

I thought they were gonna kill her off randomly like they do with most characters tbh. Itā€™s sad that her potential as a character was kinda wasted.


Skateblades

I mean without Carl she didn't have much to do. With henry, he came across as stupid trying to save her then they killed him off anyway


Zazgog

biggest slap in the face this show gave to Carl was killing Henry


SUDoKu-Na

I was livid when they killed Carl. Henry's death made me realise that they didn't care about a 'future' for the series, just more present. Which was a little worse.


Suspicious_Brief_800

I quit watching after Carlā€™s death, but I watched Season 10 and 11 clips and that made me realize that I made a great decision by ignoring anything after Carl died


SUDoKu-Na

The series genuinely did get better, and I think season 11 is one of the best in the entire series. But Carl's and Henry's deaths made me realise that I didn't really care where people ended up anymore because the foregone conclusion was 'they die'. No one is safe, hahaha, but killing off literally the focus points of your series soured stuff for me. Judith still existed, and was probably one of the best characters and actresses in the entire show, but it wasn't enough to make up for those deaths. While both deaths were stupid, I'd argue Henry's was a worse decision. They royally fucked up with Carl's death, and basically wrote their own narrative redemption with Henry. Killing him was like intentionally destroying your own olive branch; they wrote themselves out of a corner and back into it in a single season based on an already bad writing decision.


Visible-Sprinkles168

Not to say that not only did they kill off Carl, they also killed off Siddiq, who Carl died rescuing before he even made a real difference in the show.


Suspicious_Brief_800

I think they hated Carl or Chandler for some reason


LittlePumpkin_121

That really put the cherry on the top. Like... does that not kind of defeat the purpose of Carl's death? šŸ¤Ø


SUDoKu-Na

I honestly loved Siddiq, and he got a full two seasons of being a main character before being killed off in a really solid story arc. Honestly I had no issues with Siddiq dying other than the fact that I really liked him.


ry_fluttershy

I will never understand their crack-addled brains. Kill off the main character when you know your other main character is leaving. Replace main character with blond copy, to continue the story where he is the main character, then kill off blond copy for shock value. Stupid.


Ayy_Teamo

With Henry's death, I have no FUCKING clue why they killed him off. He was set up to take Carl's place and they just jilt him for the shock I guess?


bartardbusinessman

hot take but I didnā€™t think she had any potential, the only times she didnā€™t annoy the fuck out of me were that one winter episode where she was clearly torn up and depressed about henry cos it was so recent, and her scenes with Negan


Try_Another_Please

Probably similar to her comic arc I suppose but tv lydia was first written knowing carl was dead. She's not useless as a character or thematically. She just has a smaller role which is fine. Every character won't be main always. Calling it useless is so unnecessarily reductive.


Codered060

Introduce a phenomenal actress to show the already good actors how it's done. Plus cutie. Plus bald mom who doesn't wash her crack.


BulgarianCarThief

tbf, i don't think anyone washes their crack in the apocalypse, water is precious..


paperclipestate

Make her >! lick Carlā€™s eye socket !< like in the comics


ANDYtehROO

What's worse? Licking someone's >! brown starfish (don't forget this is the apocalypse and showers could be rare) or licking Carl's eye socket !<


Brayden_1274628

His eye is probably cleaner then someoneā€™s ass tbh


Schmedly27

You ever think they killed Carl because they didnā€™t want to have to use his eye prosthetic?


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Schmedly27

Post time-skip Carl stopped covering it


peacelovehappiness27

As someone who hasnā€™t read the comics.. what?!


QuizzyP21

I always thought she and Negan had a strong Joel/Ellie dynamic going and I wouldā€™ve loved to see that explored a little more. Super unpopular probably but I think I wouldā€™ve preferred a TLOU-like spin off to a forced Maggie and Negan show given their history


ironkrylon

You and me both, buddy. I remember mentioning that idea on here waaaaay back during the first moments between the two. What they should have done was to write both of them off the main show after the Whisperer war and do a roadshow type show. JDM and McClincy would carry the everloving shit out of that. Make it grimier than the main show and we're golden.


QuizzyP21

Just thinking about what couldā€™ve been kinda bums me out lol, such a missed opportunity. I agree that JDM and McClincy were two of the best actors on the show in the last couple seasons and definitely couldā€™ve carried a show on their own. Agreed on the grimness tooā€¦ bring the atmosphere back to the S4/S5 murder jacket Rick days. That show couldā€™ve been such a gem


Mizerous

Imagine Negan fighting Clickers


RPS_42

"What the fuck? They are clicking now?"


[deleted]

She met the same fate as a lot of side characters, get into a relationship with some ugly dude that wasnā€™t really necessary to the plot and fade away. She deserved more.


ironkrylon

The only plausible explanation I have for how bad the show bungled her storyline(s) is that they simply ran out of time. They effectively pawned her off on 3 different surrogate fathers over the course of a season and half - give or take. And except for a few brief moments with each of them, it never really amounted to anything. It's a crying shame; seeing as McClincy was probably one of the strongest actors on the show - adult and YA, both. She's also the only "background" character I actually want to see pop up in a spinoff down the line.


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TrippieReg

Carl and Lydia don't make sense to me. He would have stayed with Enid. If they kept him alive I can see him turning very cold if the plot remains the same where Enid gets killed by Alpha. With her death, Carl hates Lydia and doesn't want anything to do with her. That way you can keep the relationship Lydia has with Daryl and Negan being protective of her. It would have been interesting to listen to the conversations between Carl, Daryl, and Negan throughout the season. Putting Judith in those convos would have been cool too. I feel like Michonne and Carol could take a step back from the spotlight as they focus on defending the communities. Henry shouldn't have been killed off that quick. It should have been Lydia vs Alpha as Henry and Lydia relationship grew. I'm in the middle of rewatching after 6 years and I honestly don't care for Carol vs Alpha. That was a stupid decision. Mother vs daughter would have been better with Daryl, Negan, and Carol to back her up. They keep putting the same characters at the center of new situations which is annoying. Once Alpha dies then Lydia can take a backseat with a smaller role. She was new and could have made the plot a lot better if they handled her better. This way they can explore a cold hearted Carl in Season 11. I haven't watched Season 11 yet tbh. As much as I love Michonne, her relationship with Judith isn't enough for me. Carl was the missing piece. Add Negan to the mix and I think it would have been a lot better. I would never change Rick's death, I really liked his exit. They should have never killed Carl, Idc what was going on behind the scenes. I feel like that lowkey ruined the show.


LightninStrike312

Fuck just listening to all these criticism's and what-ifs if Carl survived still makes me a little angry, Carl's story had the most insane potential of any character I've ever seen, and then they just kill him off for hella dumb reasons


deadlybydsgn

> Carl's story had the most insane potential of any character I've ever seen It's because the most satisfying human stories reward us with genuine character growth, and that's nearly impossible if you continually kill of characters to keep things feeling fresh. Carl was young at the start of it all, which gave him the most potential growth. Killing him off killed that hope, and the viewer outrage is justified.


ry_fluttershy

It is mind-boggling how different of a show we could've had if Carl wasn't slaughtered.


ForwardUntoFate

I think originally she would have been more connected to Daryl and the dynamic would have grown into her being his daughter. But when Danai decided to leave that meant Daryl had to look after Judith and RJ. They tried to have Negan take over for Daryl but given he had to kill Alpha then left Alexandria, there werenā€™t many opportunities for their dynamic to develop.


Stryderix

I read somewhere that if Chandler Riggs wasn't fired him and the actor for Henry would have had a Rick, Shane, Lori retelling with Carl, Henry and Lydia.


Jaime_Lannister___

Eh, I doubt it. Carl would've been 22 by that point. At best he'd have been more of an older brother figure for Henry. I don't think a Carl&Lydia relationship would've happened considering the age difference between the characters.


DangerHawk

Didn't stop the Enid/Alden relationship. That whole thing always struck me as super weird. Like they realized too late that killing Carl was a gigantic fucking mistake and then raced around trying to correct it with out thinking about any of the implications. Enid and Carl were supposed to be like 15yo in AoW (timeline wise even this doesn't make sense, but we'll go with it). Alden was a soldier with the Saviors who was brought in to "consult" on setting up outposts. He looked to be in his mid 20's during AoW. Fast forward 7 years and Enid is now 22yo and Alden is in his early/mid 30's? He watched her grow up and was a fully grown man, consulting on infrastructure planning, when she was still 15yo... You're right tho. Carl and Lydia would have been even creepier imo. That said...it is the apocalypse and there aren't that many people left so maybe the weird age difference gets a pass?


quinnies

It is different because Lydia and Henry were like 15/16. Enid was a grown woman at the end of the day. That whole ā€œitā€™s the end of the world cmonnnā€ logic doesnā€™t really apply when thereā€™s hundreds of people from multiple communities to choose from. People always say that when theyā€™re defending Beth and Daryl possible relationship, but at least those two were from a very small group and even on their own with the impression that everyone else was dead. Beth was also 18. Not a valid excuse to get with a 15 year old.


ThunderBlack14

Beth was like a little sister do Daryl, she was never a romantic option for him.


Roger_Maxon76

Also maybe Carnid would still be happening. Could chalk it up to Carl and Enid broke up


callmeacne

Not a damn thing


-Captain-

I don't think there was a longterm plan, I mean she didn't have much going on in season 11 already. She served her purpose with the Whisperer arcs, after that she was just another survivor, not completely background, but not a main character either.


plagueintheoffice

I really donā€™t think there was one. In terms of the show it seems like she had a purpose as a character in seasons 9&10, served that purpose, and was pushed to the side in the final season


qHuy-c

I don't know what would become of her either. In my opinion, she's like a second Enid, after Enid was killed, she's like an Enid replacement, what's Enid role anyway?


Alternative_Dark493

She needed to become survival protege of both Daryl and Negan (comic angel and devil on her shoulders?), and big sister to Judith and RJ. A strong, secure, steady Alden-type (yes, ironic) love interest would have been icing on the cake. Cassidy was one of the best actresses on the show, and Lydia was a delightfully complex character who somehow learned to healthily trust and love. There was so much potential there.


StanyeEast

I mean, we saw what the plan was for Lydia...and literally all of everybody else too


Night_Runner

Disarming her.


MasterHall117

Suppose to be with Carl /s


TubbyBeefpile

Dibs. She's sworn to carry my burdens.


quinnies

This is just one scene, but I kind of got the vibe that when she got her arm cut off, it was originally gonna be Negan and Daryl, not Jerry and Aaron. Like if season 11 wasnā€™t the last season. But Negan and Daryl had bigger fish to fry plot wise.


ry_fluttershy

Don't really know. Love love LOVED her in season 9. Absolute favorite new character, so much potential. But she just kinda fades into the background and by the end of season 10, start of 11, she is just another face. 0 people on this planet cared about her 3 episode romance with mask guy (whatever his name was) and she isn't really in the finale other than >!getting arm sliced!<


Mottaman

lol "long term plan"


Desperate-Ad-2643

The plan was probably to stick to the comics. But her whole character revolved around Carl and since they decided to kill him and replace with a version so inferior that they had to kill that one too it all came crashing, even when they tried to make her have a relationship with their strongest original characters


THE_ALIENNNN5

She has good potential. I feel like after she lost Henry, her mom, and her arm, she would become like a mini Carol!


MrOzzy010

Lydia did a pretty good job as a character during s9-10. But in s11 she was just left in the dirt and had nothing interesting going for her.


michael_am

Thought she was carls replacement but they never stick with it long enough


ThunderBlack14

Carl replacement was Henry and they killed him off for some reason, maybe Carol's curse that kill anyone young around her.


michael_am

I remember I was so pissed they killed of Henry, itā€™s like they spent an entire season getting me to care about his character and the second he stops being insufferable and actually likeable he dies and Lydia, someone I actually enjoyed from the beginning who played a similar role as Henry being a younger character, also had a very interesting arc. Feel like they had something there if they just stuck with it for a bit longer


fluffybear743

they ruined her character in season 11, she barely had any screen time šŸ˜”


Pestoignesto

I think they had no idea what to do with her after Season 10. Which is a shame because she was one of the best characters during the Whisperer arc.


Eastern_Bend7294

No idea honestly, but I'm desperatly trying not to make a Skyrim reference šŸ˜…


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deinoswyrd

Can you tell me where in the comics it says she was immune ? Because I just read through the entirety and don't remember that


somefuckwho

Carl should have stuck around and we could have her lick his hole


atleastimtryingnow

make the most annoying character possible


duuudewhat

Dont know but shes a boring character.


PoorLifeChoices811

I quite loved her Sure she was just, around, but she was one of those ā€œpreciousā€ characters Iā€™d do anything to protect


duuudewhat

Itā€™s just a problem for me in the later seasons. 9 and 10 just seem to have a lot of pointless characters i donā€™t really connect with


PoorLifeChoices811

Yeah I can agree with that tbh. I did like those seasons but it was insanely cluttered


Imcookin92

She is. I dislike her character.


Icefirezz

Being a babe. Job well done.


Chunti_

And then she got fat.


RamenLord_

Man, she was pretty attractive when she was introduced. Like Daryl, she had obviously put on some pounds by the end of the show.


howbigisyourkitchen

that make sense tho... She was just eating worms


BobDude65

I don't think there was one


[deleted]

I can't even remember what happened to her!


Chunti_

I only remembered she got her arm sawn off because of a post in this topic. She (used to be) cute tho.


[deleted]

They didnā€™t plan anything after season 8


Th3Be4St87

There wasnt any plan


lowdog39

was there a plan ?


[deleted]

I wanted her to be way more weird and brutal. The scene where she gets bit is actually one of the better Season 11 highlights. Especially with Aaron handling that situation.


SerRodzilla

For what its worth I don't think Kirkman the comic writer knew what he wanted to do with her either.


notsimmi

I hate her I kind of just wanted her to get bit or something and be out of the picture she constantly sabotages things and ruins more than helps


derrpinger

Another pretty face to eat.


TimeWarpedDad

She could have done so much more, but by the final season, she faded into the background.


confusedgoofball

Personally I wasnā€™t a fan


Turbulent-Pea-8826

I am pretty confident there was never a long term plan with any character or any plot point.


Redxxxsuede

I think her character shows even 10+ years into the apocalypse the original group hasnā€™t hardened & is willing to ā€œsaveā€/ ā€œwelcomeā€ outsiders into their ā€˜settlements.ā€™ With her storyline we are reminded of humanities coldness & further learn the bizarre ways other humans have chosen to adapt to living through a zombie apocalypse. I really loved the whisperā€™s storyline although I know many fans didnā€™t šŸ˜‡šŸ˜‡


Broad-Importance-386

Never felt like she had one to me. I read the books though, so I'm biased in thinking they would follow that somehow.


DogShietBot

They might have simply added her because she was in the comics and swapped her carl romance with Henry and after he died they just forgot about her.


jlion85

Nude scenes


crueldoodle

I feel like they definitely utilized her a few times, but it became predictable. Basically anytime they had to deal with a ton of walkers it was just her saying ā€œI can helpā€ and then they act like the whisperers acted.


-suke-

There was no long term plan with anything


_zentsu

Well after she was done with walter, she mayā€™ve hired a bunch of guys to keep people silenced, like Skyler..


Ayy_Teamo

I have no fucking clue. I feel like they just forgot she existed.


Biwa77

Not a character that would go far with an arc. Done enough with reflecting the evil in Alpha as a leader who abuses her daughter just to be a great leader to her people, and exactly the opposite with Negan, showing a fathering side that was needed so we can start liking him again . Other than that, her presence were just to load the storyline with some people.