The Walking Dead spoilers for season 5 predicted Beth’s death at Grady Hospital but it was nevertheless painful and shocking to watch her die. In the mid-season finale of The Walking Dead season 5, fans were stunned by the death of character Beth Greene (Emily Kinney). Unlike many deaths of popular characters on the series, fans didn’t really see Beth’s demise coming. The lead up to her death was very short and quick and before many of us could grasp what was going on, she was gone.
Why was this character’s death so hard to take? We’ve watched many beloved characters die (Dale, Lori, and Hershel may have been the toughest), but all of those occurred with a little warning so we weren’t blindsided. Not so with Beth. It happened quickly and unexpectedly.
Perhaps her death was so hard because she represented a certain innocence that had not yet been tainted by the apocalypse Beth was living in. Beth was also one of the “kids” on the show and that made it hard because as in real life, we are supposed to protect our children. The character of Beth was 17 at her death, but was probably around 14 or 15 when we first met her in season two. We have watched her grow up over the last few years and seasons.
The death of Carol’s daughter, Sophia, was a tough one — she was the first child we had to “give up.” Now, we have watched Beth, Carl, and Judith ride along on this crazy apocalyptic merry-go-round and their youth gave us hope that there was something better down the road.
Beth’s death was difficult because, while Beth has been lurking in the background of the series for three and a half seasons, it wasn’t until she fled the prison that we started to really get to know her. We were able to see that she had a strength that had not yet been fully developed but was there under the surface.
When she got to Grady Memorial Hospital, Beth showed us that she had what it takes to survive on her own and it would have been nice to see that explored further.
Why was Beth’s death so hard to take?
We didn’t get a lot of time to really connect with Sophia before her death, but the death of a child is always a tough one. With Beth, many fans either identified with her because they were young and could put themselves in her shoes, or because they were older and could see their own children in her. Isn’t that why many of us clench our fists every time we see Judith? We are worried about the children because we can imagine our own kids in their places.
Beth’s death was difficult because she was our child. She was our young daughter on the cusp of womanhood, testing her wings and learning about herself. It was hard because her death was a reminder that in the world of The Walking Dead, much like the real world, life is fleeting and can be gone in a second, without warning. Come back to CDL for more The Walking Dead season 5 spoilers!
