The Walking Dead: Top 100 Moments

59. Carl Loses His Eye

Episode 609 “No Way Out”

Original Airdate: 2/14/2016

Submitted By: Sonya Iryna

There was a lot of speculation about whether or not the TV show would follow the comics and have Carl lose his eye. As the show storyline and the comic storyline started to overlap in season 6 it became likely that Carl would indeed lose his eye.

But knowing that it was probably coming still wasn’t adequate preparation for seeing how it played out on screen. There was so much going on in “No Way Out” that the moment almost got lost in the shuffle.

The image of Carl softly calling for Rick surrounded by walkers and bleeding from the eye was a shocking moment, even for those who knew it was coming. Carl losing his eye was pivotal to the story continuing but it had been so long since any of the core group had been seriously injured that it was jolting.

It was good that the show followed the comic storyline and had Carl lose an eye. Without the willingness of the show to inflict some grievous bodily harm on the main characters once and awhile the main characters become too much like superheroes.

The audience starts to feel like they invincible. And in the world of The Walking Dead no one in invincible. Even Rick Grimes or Carl Grimes.