[Steph]

We're all plotting Rick Grimes's death.

I've been neglecting this for thes ake of enjoying the show, but if Rick died, I figure they would pull a Red Dead Redemption and jump 4 or 5 years in the future, and we'd see Carl as a teenager/young man wearing Rick's hat and emulating his father.

But Carl's actor isn't grown enough for something like that, so let's say Rick died in this season - then I would expect Morgan to take over, him or Daryl. Those two are the only ones with enough significant character development and leadership qualities. Morgan could be a decent substitute for Rick and Shane - enough gun training, was a father at one point, batshit crazy. Daryl has that big brother bond with Carl. However, perhaps I'm biased, I don't feel like Daryl would stay 'main character' for long.

To answer your question, no, I would not stop watching The Walking Dead.

Not continuing to watch such an engaging show because a character I liked was killed would be silly.

It would be interesting to see where they go with it. Killing off the main character, the guy whose perspective we've followed since Season 1, takes balls.

I've never fully recovered from the end of Red Dead....

I'd HATE it if the show pulled that stunt on us.

[Singlyme]

I like AL but for me, he's ceased being the driver of the show. (Don't read the comics) The character needs a therapist and a bath. I find Hershel to be more the "brains of the outfit." Without Rick, I think Michonne would make a great stand-in parent. She could teach Carl a great deal about Ninja fighting and make him a badass adult fighter - with Hershel as the wise grandfather.

I'd watch the above scenario, so long as Carol and Daryl remained a part of it. If Tyreese and Sasha are developed, they would add to the ensemble in a great way.

So, yes. I'd watch if Rick died. It may have started out HIS story, but I no longer feel it. There are others just as important to me. But I don't want to lose him!

[Logan5]

Yes.

As a few others have said, this is Ricks story, the ZA as seen through his eyes, his group. And for me he is and will always be the driver for the show. I already feel they have killed off too many of the original cast. I have never read the comics and like others, don't care about them except as the foundation of the show. I feel for those who love the comics and see the TV show move away from what they know. The only Harry Potter movies I love are the first two as they stay pretty close to the books, much to the dislike of many fans of the later movies. But for me the other movies stray too far from the books.

I think that like many shows before it, TWD has a huge fan base because people have put a lot of time and emotion into the characters of the show, especially the original cast from S1. As someone mentioned with The Office, when the main character(s) leaves, so does a lot of the fans, at least the ones there from the beginning. Of course the setting of the ZA is not quite like the setting for most other TV shows, it is far more dangerous. In the comics you can kill off whomever you want, have a far smaller audience, smaller budget etc... But in the TV show its all about pleasing the most people you can to keep the ratings up.

Anyway, if Rick goes so do I. It was hard enough with the loss of so many of the original cast including Shane, who was a great character. It has also been hard putting up with S3, I hate the Woodbury and TG story line for a number of reasons, most of all because it took screen time away from Ricks group and the development of. I hope we see end of TG, Woodbury and the prison by the end of S3.

That is my 2 cents, still love the show (even with TG storyline), hope they can keep up the quality of the shows, and I hope the Mother Fuk'n AMC network does not screw the show over. It still burns me up how the Sci-Fi channel killed Farscape even though it was so popular and had high ratings.

Logan

[stickoffury412]

I wouldn't stop watching but something would always feel missing. What's weird is if I'm talking about characters to whoever(friend or family member) I usually never ever talk about Rick. Why this is I'm not sure but after 3 seasons I really don't feel a connection to his character.

I like rick I just don't care for him as much as the rest of the prison group (well besides Merle and maybe Maggie) but ricks kind of neutral to me.

Maybe its because ive never mentally prepared or ever though Rick would die. I think that's what makes you care for a character more and that's why I never get connected to lead characters because you know they aren't gonna die

There's no angst with him there's no close calls that actually feel like a close call and I think that's why I don't feel for him that much

[bulby37]

Rick is just as expendable as every other member of this highly revolving ensemble cast. With the course the story has taken, I would see it taking a little longer and meaning more than the deaths of others, but Kirkman has always maintained that when the story organically travels to the death of Rick Grimes, he's not gonna stop the bus. So long as they did not make a "death of superman" style TV event out of it, it would not kill or even cripple the show. Love Mr. Lincoln's acting and contribution to the narrative, but when his character's death makes more sense in the story than the other way, I believe it will happen.

[braindead]

Uh NO.... that is just stupid to kill off Rick

[Blasko_Z]

Uh NO.... that is just stupid to kill off Rick

Even if it were at the end of the show?

[Valleyaggie]

I would watch a couple more episodes out of curiousity.

Not only is Rick the protagonist, badass while being humble, and has the most compelling story, to me, but Andrew Lincoln's acting is sublime.

This. It's Rick's story. It begins when he wakes up and it will end when he dies. While the others are compelling, the story is all Rick's. That's why we don't see clips of other survival groups in other places and why we don't care about Woodbury.

And Andrew Lincoln is really hot.

[Steph]

Ayup.

[tigress]

Yes, it is Rick's story. A.L does an amzazing and worderful job protraying Rick, I would be upset if he were killed off.

[Shane is the Man]

I didn't stop watching when they killed off Shane, and if you can't tell, I liked Shane, A LOT.

[TangoJ]

^^Touche'.

I wouldn't stop watching immediately just because they killed him off. However, it would be a profound loss to the show, so they would really have to work hard with the storylines and character development to maintain my continued viewership.

[Zombies_Among_Us]

I can't see the show surviving if they killed off the main character now, or even next season. Like slimey said, one a main actor leaves a show, that show is never the same and viewers drop off.

While it's a different show.
Game of Thrones is still going strong after this little surprise

Spoiler

[Blasko_Z]

While it's a different show.
Game of Thrones is still going strong after this little surprise

Spoiler

That shouldn't have been a surprise to anyone after they saw Sean Bean cast as the character. He goes out of his way to die in movies, sometimes. Hahaha

[Steph]

While it's a different show.
Game of Thrones is still going strong after this little surprise

Spoiler

That shouldn't have been a surprise to anyone after they saw Sean Bean cast as the character. He goes out of his way to die in movies, sometimes. Hahaha

Haha so true about Sean Bean.

But anyone who has read the book wasn't very surprised by that scene. I nearly threw the book across the room when I got to that part.

[Dr Cank]

Just got my wife to start watching GOT. she was so shocked when when stark got thrown into the dungeon all I could think was: "you have no idea..."

But sa for whether or not I would continue watching if Rick died? If the writing hadn't fallen apart by then, sure. Of course then after every episode we would have a topic like "If Rick were still alive what would he have done about ......."

[SteadyEddie]

IF they kill Rick, they risk losing a good bit of their viewers.
So,
It ain't gonna happen.

[Matt G]

I mean this is technically Ricks story so I don't think he would be killed off but if he did I'm sure there will be less fans mad about that then Daryl dying. Book it.

[timmymacnj]

I'm a little late to the thread but I am going to say this. I am opposed to killing off main characters more often than not because when the shock value wears off, there is usually a void that hurts the value of the show. I can think of many shows I was a big fan of that were hurt by losing great characters. Lost, prison break, it felt they never quite recovered from some of the major deaths. So far I am happy with walking dead. I think they did an amazing job with Shane's character, and if they didn't do such a good job with the governor and the stepping up of Daryl, the show would be noticeably weaker. That's the problem I see with killing Rick, after the shock, it just wouldn't be as entertaining.

[shrike]

It depends on how long Andrew Lincoln wants to play the part of Rick as well. You don't have to worry about things like that writing comics.

I've read at least one interview of Andrew Lincoln where he teased his character dying.

If and when Rick dies; the show will go on and I will watch

[Zvivor]

Yes.

As a few others have said, this is Ricks story, the ZA as seen through his eyes, his group. And for me he is and will always be the driver for the show. I already feel they have killed off too many of the original cast. I have never read the comics and like others, don't care about them except as the foundation of the show. I feel for those who love the comics and see the TV show move away from what they know. The only Harry Potter movies I love are the first two as they stay pretty close to the books, much to the dislike of many fans of the later movies. But for me the other movies stray too far from the books.

I think that like many shows before it, TWD has a huge fan base because people have put a lot of time and emotion into the characters of the show, especially the original cast from S1. As someone mentioned with The Office, when the main character(s) leaves, so does a lot of the fans, at least the ones there from the beginning. Of course the setting of the ZA is not quite like the setting for most other TV shows, it is far more dangerous. In the comics you can kill off whomever you want, have a far smaller audience, smaller budget etc... But in the TV show its all about pleasing the most people you can to keep the ratings up.

Anyway, if Rick goes so do I. It was hard enough with the loss of so many of the original cast including Shane, who was a great character. It has also been hard putting up with S3, I hate the Woodbury and TG story line for a number of reasons, most of all because it took screen time away from Ricks group and the development of. I hope we see end of TG, Woodbury and the prison by the end of S3.

That is my 2 cents, still love the show (even with TG storyline), hope they can keep up the quality of the shows, and I hope the Mother Fuk'n AMC network does not screw the show over. It still burns me up how the Sci-Fi channel killed Farscape even though it was so popular and had high ratings.

Logan

This is exactly how I feel about the show. As the writers continue to degrade Rick in S3 and elevate the Governor, I worry. If this becomes nothing more than "fear the living", then how is it different from "the Postman" or 1000 other post-apocalyptic movies and shows. Morrissey is good but the Governor and the Governor's story is not one hair different from those. TWD has been different -- at least in S1 and S2, it sucked you into the story, made you care about the characters as if you knew them, made you try to figure out if you had the courage to do what they did or what you would do. The abuse heaped on Rick by the writers in S3 -- well, if they continue to prove Shane is right, if they kill Rick off and continue to make him as weak as he's been in S3 --- phooey, the Governor, Woodbury, all of Season3 is a dime a dozen. Bad guys versus good guys -- who cares? Plenty of that to choose from. Rick's promise-- and what made me love him as a character -- was his kindness and his courage. Very little of either have been evident in S3 and when he started talking about giving up Michonne -- a more cowardly act than any seen on TWD to date -- it is heartbreaking. Will I watch if Rick becomes this kind of coward or Rick is killed -- doubtful.

[bulby37]

They have said there will be more "fight the dead" next season, so I wouldn't worry too much about this little detour. I get what you are saying, but it will provide some good character development when these "hard decisions" are over with, and we can see Rick get back to trying to get his group a better life, rather than fighting for their lives. I still think Rick knows that TG's offer of peace for Michonne is a lie, but you have to look through the context provided and see that he is weighing the decision as a leader should, and won't give in to the temptation of something that is plainly too good to be true . At least we hope

[Viridiana]

It might work if they slowly shifted the story from Rick's to Carl's or somebody else's and made Rick's death natural and the plot ready to follow someone else. I don't know if the show would endure if they just killed Rick off without any preparations.

[Rick's Hat]

I wouldn't stop watching, but I hope it doesn't happen until Rick is a real old man and Carl and his son Rick Grimes the Second are the leaders of the town of Grimesville.

[mADAM Scorpious]

As much as I love the cast, I wouldn't be interested in watching if they killed rick, I would however like to read the comic even after rick dies.