The Walking Dead’s Downfall: The Pivotal Episode That Changed Everything

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Everyone agrees that The Walking Dead is one of the best survival shows ever made, but many feel the quality declined significantly in later seasons. Although the final seasons were a bit better, a stretch of episodes from seasons 6 through 8 caused a lot of dedicated viewers to stop watching.

Many episodes of The Walking Dead drove viewers away, but there was one specific moment that really started the show’s decline. This was the episode where Rick Grimes, the main character, changed in a way that made him less relatable and harder to root for.

When Rick made his fateful decision in season 6, episode 12, everything changed for his group, and we could never look at them the same way. Although the episode wasn’t terrible, “Not Tomorrow Yet” marked a clear turning point, effectively ending what many considered the show’s best era.

The Walking Dead’s Season 6 Episode “Not Tomorrow Yet” Was The Moment The Show Fell Off

Around the middle of its sixth season, The Walking Dead crossed a line, making it hard to continue rooting for its main character. Although some fans blame earlier episodes like “Dumpstergate” or the start of season 7 for the show’s downturn, the real turning point was the episode “Not Tomorrow Yet.”

While the fake-out and eventual death of Glenn Rhee were frustrating and sad, they didn’t really change the overall direction of the show. However, Rick Grimes’ actions in this episode felt out of character and like a departure from who he normally is.

Andy from Hilltop reassured him, saying the Saviors were frightening, but no match for him. Building strong characters is essential for a show that lasts, but changing a main character too much can ruin everything.

Rick’s Decision To Hunt The Saviors Crossed A Line The Show Couldn’t Come Back From

Andrew Lincoln’s strongest performances as Rick Grimes in The Walking Dead consistently showed him as a genuinely heroic and inspiring leader. Even with his imperfections and sometimes unsettling choices, we always understood his motivations. His most drastic actions were always a response to even more terrible things that had happened to him or those he cared about.

Things changed with the episode “Not Tomorrow Yet,” when Rick decided to launch a surprise attack on the Saviors. He explained his reasoning to his group by saying, “This is how we eat.” However, this decision came out of nowhere, as the show hadn’t laid any groundwork for it. At the time, the group was already doing well, having established a good relationship with the Hilltop community.

Morgan offered a more peaceful solution that seemed logical, but Rick insisted on his own plan, pretending to open it up for group discussion. This felt like a particularly damaging moment for Rick, stripping away his humanity, and his behavior throughout the rest of the episode only confirmed that shift.

The Walking Dead Only Got Worse After This Episode

Looking back, I think the moment Rick Grimes truly changed was with the ‘Not Tomorrow Yet’ episode. But honestly, things just kept getting harder to watch after that. When Glenn somehow survived what seemed like a fatal attack, it was shocking, but the way season 6 ended… that was just too much, even for this show.

After a dramatic cliffhanger, the show unfortunately declined in quality, especially with the shockingly violent death of Glenn at the beginning of season 7. While his improbable survival in season 6 was questionable, killing him off so soon after felt particularly unsatisfying.

Following that shocking event, the writing in the rest of The Walking Dead‘s seventh season became uneven, with strange character decisions and a frustratingly slow pace. Season eight didn’t fare much better, and it shockingly killed off a fan favorite, Carl Grimes, in a way that many viewers disliked. While the show may have gotten better later on, the negative impact of these earlier issues was already felt.

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2025-10-31 16:41