This Walking Dead Episode Was The Exact Moment The Show Fell Off
The Walking Dead’s status as an all-time great survival series is beyond reproach, but it’s also widely accepted that the show fell off big time during its later seasons. While it picked up a little during the home straight, a string of episodes between seasons 6 and 8 made many longtime fans switch off.
While there are several episodes of The Walking Dead that made viewers quit the series, if we look closer we can pinpoint a single moment which began its downward trajectory. This episode definitively turned the show’s central protagonist Rick Grimes into a different character, who was less forgivable and harder to identify with.
Once Rick crossed the Rubicon in season 6 episode 12, there was no turning back, and we’d never think of his entire group the same way again. While it’d be a little harsh to place it in the category of a terrible episode from a once-great show, “Not Tomorrow Yet” burst the dam and brought
The Walking Dead’s Season 6 Episode “Not Tomorrow Yet” Was The Moment The Show Fell Off
Deep into season 6, the series reached a point of no return, pushing our sympathy for its most important character beyond limits we were willing to tolerate. While some viewers may point to the earlier “Dumpstergate” episodes or season 7’s premiere as the beginning of the show’s decline,
But the fake-out of Glenn Rhee’s death and the moment of his eventual demise didn’t fundamentally alter the trajectory of the show, as infuriating and upsetting as both of these plot points were. On the other hand, the way Rick Grimes behaved in this episode was a betrayal of his essential characteristics.
As Andy from the Hilltop told him, “The Saviors, they’re scary, but those pricks got nothing on you.” Character development is, of course, critical to the success of any longrunning series. But developing your main character beyond recognition is a mistake you don’t come back from.
Rick’s Decision To Hunt The Saviors Crossed A Line The Show Couldn’t Come Back From
Andrew Lincoln’s best Rick Grimes performances in The Walking Dead generally portrayed the character as a true hero and inspirational leader, who earned our profound sympathies despite his flaws and occasionally disturbing actions. There was always a justification for whatever he did, and his most extreme measures were taken in direct retaliation for something worse.
That is, until “Not Tomorrow Yet”, when Rick decided to preemptively attack the Saviors, justifying his decision by telling his group, “This is how we eat.” Yet, nothing about this decision was prepared by preceding episodes. The group was eating well at the time thanks to their alliance with the Hilltop.
Morgan Jones proposed a less violent alternative that made more sense, but Rick laid down the law to the group, under the phony guise of a democratic discussion. More than anything he’d done before, this decision dehumanized him – a development that was reinforced by his general demeanor throughout the rest of the episode.
The Walking Dead Only Got Worse After This Episode
If “Not Tomorrow Yet” permanently robbed Rick Grimes of his humanity, then things only got worse for The Walking Dead from there. If Glenn Rhee’s miraculous survival following his apparent death at the hands of walkers was bad, then the end of the season 6 finale was beyond the pale.
The series continued to go downhill after this cliffhanger, which was resolved with the unspeakably brutal death of Glenn at the start of season 7. Glenn’s bizarre survival story in season 6 could have been forgiven, were it not for killing him off this way just a few episodes later.
After that bombshell, the rest of The Walking Dead season 7 was fraught with inconsistent writing, terribly misguided character twists, and offputting pacing problems. Season 8 wasn’t much better, and got rid of one of the show’s most beloved characters, Carl Grimes, in the worst possible manner. It may have improved in subsequent seasons, but the damage was already done.
Leslie Jones details embarrassing encounter with Pedro Pascal
Leslie Jones took embarrassingly long to learn Pedro Pascal's name.
The former Saturday Night Live cast member returned for the big SNL50 anniversary special in February, where she met Pedro, whose name she couldn’t remember.
"And Pedro, is it Pedro?" she asked on Vulture's Good One podcast, still finding it hard to remember the Last of Us star’s name.
She continued, "Let me tell you, [I] called him Pablo until he told me his name is Pedro. So, I was like, 'Pablo, Pablo.' And he was like, 'Pedro.' And I was like, 'Pablo.' He's like, 'Pedro.' And I was like, 'Who the f— is Pedro?' And he was like, 'That's my name.'"
"I was like, 'Oh, okay. I'll call you Pedro. Even though Pablo's better,'" she said with a laugh, before adding, "He's so cute, too."
Pedro joined the episode as one of the non-cast performers. He was featured in a
He and rapper Bad Bunny played Domingo’s hot brothers. Others in the sketch were Sabrina Carpenter, Kyle Mooney, Beck Bennett, Andy Samberg, Martin Short, and Molly Shannon.
The Game of Thrones star hilariously missed his cue to sing three times in the skit.
"I was the first record scratch of the night by missing my cues like three times in a row," the
"I was really, really upset with myself for missing the cues. I feel like there was a cognitive and auditory failure on my part where I was so nervous I really couldn't hear what was happening or what the cue was. I guess no matter what kind of singing and how bad or funny it's supposed to be, I have just sheer terror of having to sing in any kind of capacity," Pedro Pascal added.
