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The Objectively Worst Decisions Made On 'The Walking Dead'
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That Time Lori Left Carl Behind Without Telling Anyone
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Throughout her time on the series, Lori was something of a frustrating character. A lot of fans didn't like that she hooked up with Shane, and while that may have been a crappy decision, it wasn't necessarily a bad one. For all she knew, her husband was dead, and Shane was there for her and Carl. Looking beyond that decision, she didn't make a lot of great ones up until her death. The most idiotic of them had to be the time she left Carl to look for Rick without bothering to tell anyone.
She made this choice when Rick didn't come back from the city. Lori was freaking out, which is understandable, but instead of organizing a party to find her husband, she just up and left. She didn't tell anyone or organize any kind of real effort. All she did was leave - and her kid cried at the prospect of losing both his parents. She ended up crashing her car into a walker and nearly killing herself, but Shane was able to find and rescue her. It was a stupid decision that luckily didn't have too many negative consequences - if you exclude the anguish she caused her son.
Was this a terrible decision? - 2
Dwight And Sherry Rebuffing Daryl's Offer To Return To Negan
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When Daryl first met Dwight and Sherry, the Saviors were an unknown entity. However, it was clear these were two desperate people who would do anything to survive. Initially, Daryl was untrusting and antagonistic, but being the good guy he is, he recognized the situation for what it was and offered them the protection of Alexandria.
Instead of taking him up on the offer, they opted to rejoin the Saviors and return with them to the Sanctuary. This was one of the worst decisions anyone could have possibly made on the show. Dwight got half his face burned off for his troubles while Sherry returned to a life of abuse at the hands of Negan. She ended up taking the top spot as Negan's favorite wife while Dwight moved up the ranks, as well, but they would have fared far better had they taken Daryl up on his offer.
Was this a terrible decision? - 3
Sophia Running Away
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To be fair, Sophia was just a child when she was separated from the group. However, instead of running towards the living, she went off and partied with the dead. Sophia should have known better than to run away from the group. And she didn't just run a few hundred feet - she fled the area by several miles. After she went missing, the group had to split up to find her, and it fractured the already fragile band of survivors.
Eventually, she re-emerged as one of the walkers stuck in Herschel's barn. The revelation helped close out her story, and also proved that the best way to survive is to remain with the group. Her decision to run away may have been more related to her age than anything else, but that doesn't make it any less of a terrible decision.
Was this a terrible decision? - 4
Negan Incinerating His Only Physician
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In a world overrun by the dead, it's important to keep your resources close at hand. That includes everything from a bottle of pills to a can of food, but it also means the people with the knowledge and skills needed to keep folks alive. An engineer is good at building bridges and maintaining buildings, but a doctor is vital for the survival of everyone. They are rare in the world of TWD, which is why it makes absolutely no sense that Negan would kill the only one he had.
Upon learning Sherry was dead and had plotted with the good doctor behind his back, Negan doled out his own form of justice. Granted, it was all a ruse pulled off by Dwight, but that hardly mattered to Negan, who wouldn't even let the doc defend himself. He threatened to burn the doctor's face with an iron but instead picked the man up and threw him face-first into an incinerator. Doctors are hardly expendable, but Negan didn't even think about that when he made this stupid decision.
Was this a terrible decision? - 5
Beth Stabbing Officer Dawn
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Beth was held hostage for a little bit in a hospital run by a woman known as Officer Dawn. The whole setting was somewhat terrifying and disturbing; however, Beth was ultimately rescued. The group tracked her down to the hospital and met up with her in a hallway where they arranged to take Beth off Dawn's hands. It was all going perfectly fine until the moment Beth decided to stab Dawn. The officer responded by shooting Beth in the head; consequently, Daryl shot and killed Dawn.
It all went down in a split-second and left the group - as well as the audience - wondering what just happened. It was an instantaneous moment of violence, and there was absolutely no reason for it. Beth was free and clear but felt she had to exact some form of revenge at the last moment. Her decision resulted in her death, and this scene stands as one of the strangest and most hated of the series.
Was this a terrible decision? - 6
Spencer Attempting To Make A Deal With Negan
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Negan proved to be a deadly character when he first showed up, which is why it's completely mind-boggling that Spencer would try to make an arrangement with him. Negan was untrustworthy from the start, and he carried around various weapons used to terrorize his many enemies. However, that didn't stop Spencer from walking up to him with a handshake and a smile.
He tried to get Negan to take out Rick and put him in power, but the one thing Negan won't stand for is betrayal. That's true of his people, but it's also true of his enemies. He listened to what the man had to say and then quickly ended his life. It's always unwise to make a deal with the devil, and that's exactly what Spencer tried to do with Negan.
Was this a terrible decision? - 7
Not Finishing Off The Terminus Survivors
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When the group set out for Terminus, they clung to a shred of hope in an otherwise hopeless situation. A place that offered sanctuary to anyone who would come and take it was an offer that proved too good to be true. While they were initially skeptical, Rick and the gang went into Terminus and were immediately captured. Terminus residents put Rick and his cohorts in a train car and left them to stew in the heat, but the Terminus crew eventually removed the group in order to slaughter and eat them.
Fortunately, Carol came by and took on the whole compound. Using a variety of weapons and tools - including a horde of the undead - Carol managed to kill most of the Terminus residents and free her friends. The group was able to hobble away from Terminus and move to safety, but they didn't regroup and finish what Carol started. This was a terrible decision that resulted in Bob's death. Had they gone back and taken out the rest of the survivors, there would have been nobody left to capture Bob and eat his leg. Granted, he was a dead man walking anyway thanks to the bite, but that doesn't mean he wanted some psychopaths eating his leg while he was still alive.
Was this a terrible decision? - 8
Taking Out The Governor After His First Attack
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Before Negan came along, the Governor was the fan-favorite villain of the series. He was ruthless and methodical, but also charismatic and interesting. This was a guy who could not only lead his people, but also turn on them and mow them down when they put up a fuss. When he decided to attack the prison, he did so with force. However, his first assault on the compound ended in failure and he turned tail and ran back to Woodbury.
It was clear that a war was brewing and something needed to be done about the assault, but Rick didn't do what he should have. A full-scale assault on the city would have been an appropriate response to the attack, but the group never went on the offensive. Instead, they fortified their position and waited for an even larger assault to come. Michonne was the only one who went out looking for the Governor - even Daryl threw in the towel on the search. Eventually, the Governor returned with a new army and managed to behead Herschel and destroy the prison, forcing the survivors to hit the road once again.
Was this a terrible decision? - 9
Herschel's Filling Of The Barn
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Herschel was a sweet man, but he was naive to believe the walkers weren't actually dead. Since the beginning of the apocalypse, he became something of an undead wrangler. Believing they could one day be cured, he corralled as many undead as he could into his barn and protected them. He even had his children feed them live chickens, which was a terribly stupid idea seeing as those birds could have been used and eaten by the living.
Rick had to prove the walkers were actually dead by stabbing and shooting them repeatedly. Eventually, Herschel comes to the realization that the "people" he had been protecting in his barn were impossible to save and that the gang had no choice but to take out each and every one of them. While Herschel's decision didn't result in anything terrible, he did sacrifice his resources trying to keep them "alive," and that wasn't a good decision in the land of the dead.
Was this a terrible decision? - 10
Carl Not Killing The Walker That Killed Dale
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Before Carl passed, he was an incredibly efficient zombie-killer. This was a kid who grew up during the zombie apocalypse, and he made it into adulthood with the skills necessary to stay alive (up to a point, of course). But he wasn't always like that. When he was younger, he wasn't as willing to pull the trigger. This was a problem when he went out to kill his first walker.
When he came upon a walker stuck in some mud, he had every opportunity to take it out, but he didn't. Instead, he teased and watched it for a while, but ultimately let it continue to exist. In retrospect, this was a terrible decision. A short while later, that same walker found Dale and ripped his guts out. He might still be on the series had Carl had the strength to pull that trigger.
Was this a terrible decision? - 11
Rick Trusting The Scavengers
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Generally, Rick makes an effort to determine if the people around him are trustworthy and safe. He did not follow this methodology when he befriended Jadis and the Scavengers. He was desperate to find allies so he hastily accepted the group's help (after fully arming them) - and the decision came back to bite him.
He probably should have seen the betrayal coming after they threw him into a pit to fight an armored and spiked walker. Even though the Scavengers betrayed him, Rick brought Jadis into the fold after her entire community was slaughtered by Simon. When Rick was "killed," Jadis didn't take him back to Alexandria, opting to kidnap him instead. Granted, that was more about getting Andrew Lincoln off the show to set up some movies, but it also proves he should never have trusted Jadis in any capacity.
Was this a terrible decision? - 12
Ambushing The Saviors With Little Information
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The Saviors were an unknown element when the group decided it would be a good decision to raid their compound and slaughter them in their sleep. Don't forget, that's exactly what they did. They made a deal with the Hilltop to exchange supplies and form a sort of alliance. Then, with almost no intelligence on their numbers, tactics, or weaponry, the group led a team into the night and attacked what they believed to be the only compound held by the Saviors.
They ended up killing everyone in the place with relative ease, but it came at a cost. The Saviors either didn't know of Alexandria or they left them alone up to that point. The assault on the compound necessitated a response, which ultimately led to all-out war. Had they simply not attacked, or taken the time to gain more intelligence on their target, things might have gone differently.
Was this a terrible decision? - 13
Rick Banishing Carol
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When an illness overran the prison, resulting in the deaths of several people, Carol decided to execute those who were suffering most from the disease. She took it upon herself to kill Karen and David, since their inevitable deaths would result in a couple of walkers running loose in the prison. She may have been right, but her methods enraged Tyreese and the others to the point that Rick unilaterally banned her from the group.
This is a woman who had been with them from the beginning and had proven herself a capable survivor. Not only that, she was a member of the leadership council while Rick wasn't (at th time). He banished her without taking into account any of her past actions or her value to the group. Ultimately, she found herself back in the fold after saving everyone from Terminus, but she would have been a valuable asset when the Governor came calling.
Was this a terrible decision?
