Warning: There are massive spoilers ahead if you're not caught up with "The Walking Dead."
They finally did it!
After months of teasing, "The Walking Dead" finally recreated one of the most iconic moments from the comics.
If you're a fan of the graphic novels, you probably saw this coming.
Last chance to head back before spoilers!
The mid-season premiere was a big tribute to issue #83 of the graphic series.
When we last saw the pack, Rick was leading his new (almost) girlfriend Jessie, her sons Sam and Ron, Carl, Michonne and more through a horde of zombies. Unsurprisingly, that didn't go over as smoothly as planned.
Not only do we see Jessie and her son get devoured by a few walkers, but we then see Rick have to use his hatchet to chop off Jessie's hand and set his son Carl free from her grasp.
Here's how it looked in the comics:
Yeah, it's a heavy episode, and it didn't stop there.
In a moment long-time fans have been waiting for, Carl gets shot by a rogue bullet that takes out his right eye. The audience doesn't realize it at first when they hear the gunshot.
It's not until Carl slowly turns to face the camera and calls out to his father that viewers see the damaged eye socket.
The scene directly mirrors the reveal in issue #83 of the comics.
The only major difference in the show versus the comics was the character who ended up taking out Carl's eye.
In the comics, it was the then-leader of Alexandria named Douglas.
In the show, it was Jessie's son, Ron, who has had his eye on gunning down Carl for awhile.
The scene may have come as a bit of a surprise even to the biggest fans because the series doesn't always do a straight adaptation of the comics. (We still haven't seen Rick lose his hand.) But as episode 9 director Greg Nicotero told Tech Insider before the season return, it sounds like there was never a question of whether or not they were going to have Carl lose his eye.
This is one of those moments that's tough to skip over because of its importance in the comic series. As fans will know, Carl's wound is vital in his future relationship with upcoming villain Negan, something which Nicotero pointed out.
"In the future, you know, Carl reveals, in the comic book, his wound to Negan and Negan and Carl sort of generate this weird friendship because Negan looks at him like, ‘Damn. You’ve been through a lot and you’re still here, kid,’" said Nicotero.
Before you freak out, Nicotero made it clear he was speaking strictly about the graphic novel.
Naturally, fans are freaking out about the reveal.
—NaS Vey (@NaS_Vey) February 15, 2016
—Amanda (@AmandaMPiper) February 15, 2016
—TWD Support Group (@TWDSupportGroup) February 15, 2016
—Nicole Hayley (@NicoleHayley_) February 15, 2016
—Leonte Garza (@LeonteGarza) February 15, 2016
—ѕєℓιиα ωнιтєѕι∂єѕ®© (@ShawnsWetDream) February 15, 2016
—mayo neilson (@_mianelson) February 15, 2016
—Morgan Gilbert Lytle (@moe764) February 15, 2016
—GERDINE ♡ (@Twitted__OnEm) February 15, 2016
Were you surprised by the big reveal on Sunday's mid-season premiere?
You can watch the scene again below:
