The Walking Dead has gone into its mid-season hiatus with a doozy of an episode, with surprising twist and turns, and one heartbreaking death. Hershel Greene is dead and while the characters will be dealing with his loss for many episodes to come, we have to look at who is most responsible for Hershel’s death.
Look, the Governor is obviously technically ‘responsible’ for Hershel’s death, slicing him open and guaranteeing his death. But it’s not so easy to make it black and white when the character is as beloved as Hershel. The Governor killed Hershel for a reason, and many people are blaming Rick Grimes for not giving into the Governor’s demands. But come on, people. This is television show that thrives on conflict – and the choices are always difficult, especially on a show like Walking Dead where the stakes are so high. It’s not just a matter of individual life or death, but taking care of the dwindling human community. Rick made a call to fight back, and that fight will obviously cost human lives, Hershel’s amongst them.
Unfortunately, both of Hershel’s daughters had to witness the Governor murdering their father in cold blood after Rick refused to let him enter the prison. In their grief and anger, will they blame the Governor or Rick, someone they can actually see and physically assign the blame to? They can’t get back at the Governor right away, but they can and will blame Rick for refusing the Governor’s orders, thereby guaranteeing their father’s death. Of course, then there’s also the trustworthiness of the Governor – who’s to say that he wouldn’t have killed Hershel anyway, regardless of whether Rick acquiesced to his requests?
Regardless, the latter half of Season 4 should be absolutely bonkers, if the first half is anything to go by. The Walking Dead will return on Sunday, February 9th, at 9 PM ET on AMC.
