AMC's Walking Dead Gave a Major Rick Moment to Tara

WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for the latest episode of AMC's The Walking Dead.

The Walking Dead, Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard’s ongoing comic book saga of survival horror, has always kept its main focus squarely on the character of Rick Grimes. Even in recent years, when the series has undergone several shakeups that move the focus on some secondary characters (most notably the villainous Negan), the comic always swings its eye back toward to Rick and the choices he’s forced to make for the greater good.

AMC’s adaption of the comic more or less does the same thing. Actor Andrew Lincoln, who portrays Rick in the show, remains top billed and still calls the shots. But the biggest difference between how the comic handles Rick and how the show does is how several big character moments are handled (or rather, how they are not handled).

When Rick Grimes Should Shine

The latest episode episode, “Do Not Send Us Astray,” is a prime example of the show stealing Rick’s thunder. During this episode, we learn that the infected weapons will indeed turn those wounded by them when Tobin is injured by one and dies shortly thereafter. Later, in the midst of a confrontation, Dwight, who has been working with the Alexandria camp behind Negan’s back, shoots Tara with an arrow that is presumed to be infected with walker blood. As far as the audience is meant to believe, the arrow he used will to have the same effect on Tara as the infected knife had on Tobin.

However, fans of the comic are likely more than a little confident in Tara’s survival because on the page, this ordeal happened to Rick. During the “All Out War” story arc of the comic, Rick is shot in the side by Dwight, much to Negan’s delight. With Rick presumed dead, Negan and the Saviors approach the Hilltop Community gates and demand to speak to whoever is now in charge. Here, much to Negan’s surprise, Rick Grimes marches out like a gladiator. And while the readers of the book knew Rick was fine, Negan did not, and the moment he realized his mistake was fantastic.

Given how the show is known for focusing on individual characters more frequently than the comic to the point where key protagonists are absent for several episode stretches, this could have been an incredible reveal on screen. Now, however, it looks like we may have lost the chance for it to happen.

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Probably the biggest change to Rick’s character from the comic, at least aesthetically, is that the version on the show has both hands. While this is pretty common knowledge among fans who do not read the comic, the impact it had was monumental. The main protagonist getting maimed in such a horrific manner set the tone of the comic, proving that even if Rick Grimes seemed to be bulletproof, he wasn’t invincible.

Myriad think pieces have been written debating whether the show’s decision to omit this was the right call. No matter what side of that argument you come down on, the shock of that moment from the comic has never been replicated. Now, by transferring another classic Rick development from the comics to Tara, we've lost yet another crucial moment that would have been amazing to see played out in live-action.

Rick Is Not Alone

While many characters from the comic, most prominently Carol and Morgan, have actually been given more to work with in the show, iconic moments from the page have often been given to different survivors on TV. One of the more notable changes involves Tyreese. In the comics, during the siege on the prison in one of The Walking Dead's best storylines, Tyreese is held captive by The Governor and is eventually decapitated with Michonne’s sword in front of his friends and loved ones. It’s important to note that Tyreese and Michonne were in an intimate relationship at the time, so the poetry of a man being murdered with his lover’s blade is pretty heavy.

In the show, this fate befalls Hershel Greene. To be fair, the show did a lot to build Hershel up way more than the comic ever did. This, coupled with the fact that Tyreese showed much up later, did make the Greene patriarch’s death resonate with viewers. But the overtly melodramatic horror that readers felt from the same moment in the comic just wasn’t there.

Even poor Glenn’s death was defanged in the show to a certain degree. While most of what occurred on screen was pretty true to the comic (at least in the gore department), what happened on page was a random act of violence, not a huge lead up and temporary bait and switch like we got in the comic. As a result, it felt cheaper than it sold have.

AMC’s The Walking Dead wants to spread the love around, which is certainly admirable. The show is filled with fantastic actors and has some of the best production quality of any show on cable, so there’s no reason not to put some shine on every aspect of the series. However, spreading that love should not come at the cost of taking away emotionally resonant moments that are so prominent in the comics. By shifting the focus of Dwight's subterfuge from Rick to Tara, the series has effectively ensured one of the comic's greatest pay offs will never play out on television, at least not with as much heft as it had in the source material.

Airing Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on AMC, The Walking Dead stars Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes, Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon, Lauren Cohan as Maggie Rhee, Danai Gurira as Michonne, Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier, Lennie James as Morgan Jones, Alanna Masterson as Tara Chambler, Josh McDermitt as Eugene Porter, Christian Serratos as Rosita Espinosa and Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan.