There are many scenes that weren’t included in the final cut of “The Walking Dead,” scenes that would have made some interesting changes, both big and small, to the series. Here they are.
Warning, spoilers. The following article reveals key plot elements of “The Walking Dead.”
The 3rd part of the 11th and final season of The Walking Dead arrives this Monday, October 3 and will mark the beginning of the end of the long epic series. And you know it, the show, now cult, is full of scenes full of action, suspense and emotions that made the public addicted to the plot and the characters involved.
Throughout the making of the series, the showrunners had to make decisions about which scenes were the most important to include in the time allotted to each episode. However, several cut scenes should perhaps have been part of the final cut, scenes that would have provided clarifications (minimal or major) on the plot and/or the characters and which would have given The Walking Dead a sometimes different meaning. According to the ranking made by Screenrant, here are 8 that deserved to appear in the series.
BEFORE THE FARM
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After the group left the CDC at the end of Season 1, the survivors found themselves alone on the roads before finally stumbling upon Hershel’s (Scott Wilson) farm. In the first episode of season 2, they find themselves on the highway where they first see a horde of walkers pass before Sophia (Madison Lintz) disappears.
A deleted scene, which would likely have taken place before the incident on the freeway, would have highlighted the group dynamic from the start. Although there are surely several reasons why it was not included, such as having to reduce the episode time for example, it would have added more suspense to the new season.
This footage makes it clear that the Walkers aren’t the only threat the group has to worry about as they track down the gang of Guillermo (Neil Brown Jr.) who previously abducted Glenn (Steven Yeun) – and who turned out to be not that bad – completely decimated. And the clues are clear: it is not merchants who are responsible…
The scene would thus have given an early glimpse of the dangerousness of other humans. It won’t be until later in the season, when Rick (Andrew Lincoln), Hershel and Glenn meet two men dangerous in a bar that the human threat really began to take shape.
CARL TALKS ABOUT THE BEYOND
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There are obviously plenty of heartbreaking deaths in each season of The Walking Dead, but Lori’s (Sarah Wayne Callies) Season 3 death gave the younger members of the band a chance to consider their own mortality. They know at this point that the people they love are going to die but the concept of the afterlife is only briefly touched upon throughout the series.
In this deleted scene from Season 3, Carl (Chandler Riggs) and Beth (Emily Kinney) talk about death and what might happen after it. The sequence is a missed opportunity that could have contributed a lot to the development of the personality of the young man who here asks his friend if it helps to believe in paradise.
While Hershel is, for example, a religious character, it’s often unclear how other members of the group view death and what follows. Had that scene been included, it would have given audiences a chance to see what a group constantly dealing with death thinks about the afterlife, and how their opinions would change over time.
LORI ON A WALKER
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While Lori’s death was Carl’s greatest loss on the show, it also affected his father beyond repair. Rick loses a lot along the way, but the loss of his wife was significant to the character’s development, making him more “unhinged” and changing his personality for the rest of the series. After her death, he thus began to have visions of her.
In this deleted version of one of the scenes Rick sees Lori in after her death, he gets a glimpse of how she would be as a walker. This gruesome image may have been left out because those moments highlighted Rick’s journey to come to terms with his loss and this last sighting of her might have felt out of place. However, it would have helped show how he got out of his delusions instead of just toning them down over the episodes.
A LITTLE MORE HERSHEL
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During her time on the show, Hershel has spoken many words of wisdom, leaving audiences wondering who the next thoughtful character would be after her death. After giving medical attention to the sick in the prison, it was heartbreaking not to see Hershel again before the scene of his death.
While he and Michonne (Danai Gurira) are held captive, they chat with the Governor (David Morrissey). However, this deleted scene showed another member of the Governor’s party speaking to the captives. This scene was probably deleted as it was not deemed important enough for the storyline but if it had aired it would not only have given Hershel a bit more screen time before his death but also made the Governor’s group less blind to the terrible nature of the man and therefore less sympathetic.
CARL AND RICK HAVE A TALK
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The group is often too busy trying to survive to have nice family time. While Carl and Rick have escaped from the prison after its destruction, the boy barely speaks to his father and is considerably upset with the situation they find themselves in, believing that Rick is partly responsible for all of these losses.
When Michonne joins them, Carl’s hostile nature lessens a bit towards his father. It would have been a perfect time for a scene like this, in which Rick expresses how much he respects his son. Most of the show is combat and suspense, which doesn’t leave much time to dwell on how children growing up in this world are perceived. The footage also reportedly highlighted how the two reconciled after prison while providing audiences with a light-hearted father-son moment.
A MORE HOSTILE RICK
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At this point, the survivors have escaped the cannibalistic group at Terminus but they have not yet been taken to Alexandria. However, with Carol (Melissa McBride) and Beth imprisoned in an Atlanta hospital, they must devise another plan to save their loved ones.
In this deleted scene, Rick and Daryl (Norman Reedus) agree to kill everyone in the facility if things go wrong. However, the scene wasn’t shown in the episode, presumably because even after Beth’s death, they aren’t trying to take down the whole group within the hospital.
If Rick was willing to kill people before, he was changing his perspective before the Governor destroyed the prison and almost all of them were killed at Terminus. This little scene would have underlined to the audience that Rick was no longer interested in compromising.
BUT ALSO A MORE CONCILIANT RICK
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Many members of the group struggled to adjust to the easier and safer lifestyle of Alexandria. However, Rick seems content that things are working out for his family, while being ready to take the town by force if things don’t go in their favor.
As Rick begins to trust the people of Alexandria, audiences see him plotting and hiding weapons more than trying to conform to their way of life. In this deleted scene, however, he expresses a willingness to follow the rules put in place and allow their group to be unarmed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRfQZxRHzgQ
Had that scene been included, it would have exposed another side to the character: he wouldn’t just be someone who only cares about being armed and forcing Alexandrians to live differently. What’s more, these images wouldn’t have contradicted his other statements because here he ends his conversation with Michonne by noting that they are still able to defend themselves, even without weapons.
GLENN AND HIS SON
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Glenn’s death left the whole band, as well as the audience, devastated. And losing Abraham (Michael Cudlitz) at the same time was tough too. But the fact that Glenn never got to meet his child was an added tragedy.
If there’s a similar scene in which the band are seen having dinner cosily together in a dream future, this cut sequence goes further and expands on that point in particular, showing Glenn spending time playing and bonding. with his son, Hershel Rhee.
This sequence would have been much more emotional – and heartbreaking – than the vision of the “future” that we were treated to. While that might have slowed down the plot (the reason a shorter version aired?), it would still have been a nice way to end the story.
The end of season 11 of The Walking Dead will be broadcast from Monday, October 3 on OCS.