Will ‘The Walking Dead’ Get The Ax, Or Can ‘Bury Me Here’ Save The Day?

Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Walking Dead.

Truth be told, very few folks are happy with The Walking Dead these days. It starts with the fans, who are losing more and more of their numbers, as the show’s Season 7 continues to bore and disappoint. From there, the numbers cause concern for TWD producers and AMC executives, though they remain loyal to the Robert Kirkman-run series for the amped-up viewership that The Walking Dead has brought to the revamped AMC. On the other hand, even a series as powerful as The Walking Dead can only take so many hits, before people start questioning the validity of letting it die a slow, painful, and awkward death. For now, the question remains if this week’s episode, “Bury Me Here,” can begin to save the The Walking Dead from its own zombified existence.

The Walking Dead Fights To Thrive With “Bury Me Here”

When The Walking Dead picks up with Episode 13 tonight, Comicbook reports that much of the core group will find themselves on their own, struggling to win the day in their own unique circumstances. Topping the list, Carol (Melissa McBride) is hopelessly trying to gather intel on her friends, but her efforts are all for nothing, because no one seems willing to part with the truth.

Meanwhile, individual quests are further separating the group in “Bury Me Here,” as Daryl (Norman Reedus) heads off to Hilltop and Ezekiel (Khary Payton) tries to do nothing more than to hold his own. The synopsis for tonight’s episode of The Walking Dead also reveals that Morgan (Lennie James) is on the verge of losing it. Richard (Karl Makinen) has his own agenda and it seems that includes sending his people into war.

A battle of wills has been in play on The Walking Dead for some time now with Rosita (Christian Serratos) and Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green) drawing nearer to a big blowout, unless Tara (Alanna Masterson), newly befriended by Rosita, can bring a degree of common sense into the situation. If not, a Rosita and Sasha toss-up on Hilltop may be just the catalyst The Walking Dead needs for an all-out war.

Elsewhere, Daryl’s lie about what Negan did to the survivors is about to unravel, as Carol digs deeper into the mystery. Discovering the truth about Glenn’s fate may lead her onto a darker path.

Finally, “Bury Me Here” will bring The Walking Dead that much closer to war, as Ezekiel is pushed past his limit. It’s not revealed what exactly will serve as his trigger, but, once he reaches his limit, war will be inevitable.

As A Last Resort, The Walking Dead Might Just Rely On A Bit Of Irony

It’s beginning to look like The Walking Dead is gearing up for an inevitable war and that may be just what the series needs to pull itself out of the ratings slump, so one can already predict that “Bury Me Here” will not have a happy ending on all fronts. TWD showrunners may see an all-out war as the only way to draw fans back and save The Walking Dead, before dropping ratings bring it down to the level of the rest of AMC’s original content.

If that doesn’t work, Uproxx suggests that the only way to save The Walking Dead is to cancel it. Traditionally, revealing the impending cancellation of a series has worked to bolster ratings, stirring renewed interest in a dying fanbase. Lost, Breaking Bad, and Game of Thrones are just a few shows with improved ratings, following announcements that the series’ ends were in sight.

That’s not to say The Walking Dead‘s end needs to be some definite point in the near future. It could be two or three years down the line, or even farther off in the future, but knowing that an end is planned seems to make audiences appreciate the series and its characters that much more. In the end, if “Bury Me Here” doesn’t serve to incite more enthusiasm with fans, The Walking Dead may have to resort to cancelling itself in order to save itself.

The Walking Dead episode “Bury Me Here” airs tonight on AMC. Check local listings for exact times.

[Featured Image by AMC]