How Much Violence Is Too Much Violence?
The Walking Dead | Photo Credit AMC
Fans of The Walking Dead wanted the violence dialed back, so the production company decided to abide by their wishes.
This means that it’s unlikely we’ll see any favorite characters—like Abraham and Glenn—bashed by Lucille when the series returns in February.
The UK version of the show actually cut out some of the violence after the American backlash and editors cut some of the Fat Joey death scene from the finale as well.
Turning Fans Away
The Walking Dead | Photo Credit AMC
Essentially, the deaths of Abraham and Glenn were so horrific that they turned fans away, rather than making them feel mournful for the loss.
Some of this disgust came later with Maggie, but thousands of viewers had already left the show before that.
“We were able to look at the feedback on the level of violence,” said executive producer Gale Anne Hurd at an NATPE conference.
“We did tone it down for episodes we were still filming for later on in the season.” She also used the phrase “torture porn,” saying that was not something they were trying to convey.
Too Extreme With Little Value
The Walking Dead | Photo Credit AMC
For those fans who were expecting Glenn’s bulging eye to pop out, based on the comics, perhaps this is just too much for television. One Forbes writer wrote, “The show lost something here. This sequence, in which two beloved characters were killed, was consumed by the violence and gore because of how extreme it was.”
Likewise, a GQ writer said the violence was “unearned,” meaning that it didn’t convey enough emotions outside of the gore. Either way, the show will likely spend the next eight episodes trying to find the balance of gore and emotion that has led the show to what it is today.
Do you think the show will tone it down too much next season? Were the deaths of Abraham and Glenn too excessive?
