Should Merle have survived longer? The Walking Dead Hot Takes

[@Zeroshiki]

I think he died exactly when he was supposed to in a way that worked perfectly for his character, something that's really rare in this series. I just hate that the governor is the one that was able to best him, because he always looked way less intimidating than Merle imo.

[@jonfreeman9682]

His ending was perfect but just when he's been given a redemption and fans come to embrace him they kill him off. But they killed off so many great characters I think it was a perfect ending.

[@twilightgardenspresentatio6384]

@@jonfreeman9682 I think that’s what you’re supposed to do. You’re supposed to kill them off right as they gain redemption or right before. I like how many people he took out I like how visceral the fight was that took him out I expected more than just a one on one with the governor to take down Merle though but it did show how vicious the governor actually is

[@0fficalHellfire]

Completely agree about season 2. The grounded and emotional connection to the characters we gained from it makes it my favorite as well. Great video brother

[@theohuntt]

@@0fficalHellfire it was such a simple but effective season of television, thank you so much bro!

[@khleezy5839]

Originally he was supposed to live longer. But his death was last minute thing.

[@Diogo_7237]

But the thing is, Negan could've killed Merle after the punch so Daryl could feel guilty for his brother's death.

[@bruhhh_4203]

That’s a LONG ASS extra life for Merle.

[@daltonnash362]

I think he’s one of those characters that would work either way because his redemption arc on the back half of season 3 is really good and his death has so much development for Daryl it’s kinda hard not to have it so early but on the other hand it would be pretty cool to see how things would be in the long run

[@theohuntt]

Agreed! I thinks merles death was vital in the character development of Daryl.

[@jonfreeman9682]

He was such a great character and I'm glad he got a redemption but would be nice if he lived longer. TWD is the kinda show that isn't afraid to kill off great characters to keep the show fresh. But Merrill is the classic antihero.

[@BURP39R]

Darabont wanted to create a multi branch story. Gimple wanted a cash cow. Breaks my heart to hear what Darabont wanted. The most painful part is, they aren't even possibly expensive..

[@theohuntt]

@@BURP39R yeah 100% I wish we’d seen his vision play out :(

[@EmiliaDrozd-en3pv]

could you elaborate on what Darabont wanted to do with merle ?.

[@dnadz]

Great video man. I can totally agree with the fact that TOWL was rushed and it should’ve had more episodes. Thanks for choosing my hot take!

[@theohuntt]

@@dnadz of course bro thank you for sending it in! I hope they do a season 2 of TOWL!!!

[@TheRealBlackarrot]

I think if Merle joined Rick n' The Gang & at Terminus he took Bob's place & actually got stabbed in the eye it would've made the situation even darker

[@Cobrawolfwyvern]

I do agree that rick has a lot of plot armor, but a lot of twd characters now, but hands down rick and Daryl have the most, I would say rick has more then daryl, and his plot armor is way, way worse in towl (much more noticeable) And as much as I would have loved merle to live longer, I don't think Daryl would have become who we know him as today as much anways, and I think where merle died, was a good place to end him off I did enjoy s2, was good development for daryl and other characters, more daryls development though, I did hate the amount of drama in it, I loved the whole shane going down a dark path and shit, and the development of mostly daryl, and the friendship slowly growing with daryl and carol. And the whole humor with glenn and maggie😂❤

[@blakematthews6374]

“I have fear as the number 1 spinoff if we pretend it ends after season 3” is a wild take 😂. You can’t just ignore the terrible… parts of the show which is way longer than the good parts lol.

[@jonfreeman9682]

Fear is a fantastic show and great spinoff. I like the early seasons with Madison but Morgan coming in works too. I think the nuclear season and the final season is a perfect ending.

[@themoongateofficial]

“Hell yeah Merle should live longer” I said to my brother as I read the title

[@theohuntt]

Hahahah that’s class 😭😭😭

[@hollowinside1962]

this video is 5% about Merle

[@theohuntt]

@@hollowinside1962 that’s how hot takes work, I talk about lots of different subjects…

[@greenbeantm1096]

7:07 Morgan without a doubt has the most plot armor. Like I’m sorry he’s not surviving as long as he did just using a stick as a weapon and refusing to kill people

[@jamesbounds]

I would have liked him to have lived to at least the Savior ark.

[@theohuntt]

It would have been awesome to see him face to face with Negan!

[@jamesbounds]

@@theohuntt Agreed

[@insuchaway]

I didnt like how the Govna just ragdolled him...

[@BURP39R]

Saying Fear is the second best is like choosing a person that bullied you as a kid because someone else abused you. They're all tarnished by the failings. *And yes, I'm fine with S02 TWD. It's a light tone when you could just feel things had to change.

[@BURP39R]

Merle dying was excellent. Redemptive arc.

[@theohuntt]

Agreed!

[@DaLegend-nz6li]

My hot take is that Maggie should've died instead of Glenn, maybe not the line up since Negan doesn't enjoy killing women, but i just feel like after Glenn's death, she became a one dimensional character, she became fixated on hating Negan, on the other hand, seeing Glenn loose Maggie would've made him go through some interesting storylines, and having him around more would've helped the show.

[@HenzoW-cf3mh]

If Maggie died then Negan would not be spared. Glenn had to die to push the story forward for Negan as well as Maggie. Glenn or Daryl were the only choices that could’ve worked.

[@twilightgardenspresentatio6384]

When it comes to plot armor, I remember the video game Abe’s odyssey. The game was not about if you were going to make it, but the story of how you made it. You are the one who made it and that’s why we backtrack and look at your story. The story is not created as you go, but it’s told in hindsight.

[@naytny5819]

On rewatch Merle is probably atop 3 character for me. Daryl used to be my favorite in the 1st 3 seaons but Merle became my favoirte because of how complex he is as a character and his small redemption arc by the end of Season 3.

[@corbinowens2437]

I think they knew they weren’t gonna get Andrew or Danai back after TOWL so they knew they had to rush the CRM storyline. Which really sucks cause you’re right that should’ve been this universes Endgame

[@forcelord9999]

Good video But my hot take is Rick and Jessie were a better couple then Rick and Michonne and felt more Natural imo

[@dnadz]

Bro I lowkey agree I’ve always thought the same

[@Sutekh_a_Destroyer]

Finally someone else who likes fear The walking Dead

[@theohuntt]

@@Sutekh_a_Destroyer hahah there’s not many of us around lol

[@BlooDergon99]

Season 2 TWD after s1 was like the interviews with the tributes in the hunger games. Is a sick slow way to make us fall in love. V ote for our favorites. Betting on them. We are the viewers of this. And ofc people die and stop watching. Season 7 is less of an example because we already acquainted ourselves with our group. But I wish after every action packed season would lead to another slow burn.. Add more tributes to get to know. Hell season 5 could've started the exact same way but we saw more depth into their journey to Virginia ever was. It kinda felt like we jump from Atlanta to Alexandria with no breathing space in between. WHAT HAPPENED ALL IN BETWEEN THERE. Much more

[@skullskills7772]

Merle should have survived longer ps great video theo👍

[@theohuntt]

Thank you!!!! 🫶🏼

[@HenzoW-cf3mh]

Yh I agree that Fear is the best spin-off. I absolutely loved the season finale when Nick blew up the bridge and we have no idea who survived (let me cope). Such a brave way to end the show.

[@theohuntt]

@HenzoW-cf3mh yeah I wish we’d got a season 4 but oh well the 3 seasons of fear we did get were PEAK!

[@HenzoW-cf3mh]

@ fr

[@corbinowens2437]

7:12 real 😂😂 & man the shit Carol & Daryl be surviving 😂😅

[@notkoto]

Instead of Abraham it could’ve been Glenn and Merle that negan kills

[@dwight3555]

*have survived longer

[@theohuntt]

I’ve just changed it thank you hahah!!!

[@kaylemjoseph8727]

fear the walking dead season 3 is the best from twd spinoffs. (CRM was failed in ones who live episode 6)

[@theohuntt]

@@kaylemjoseph8727 I couldn’t have said it better myself

[@ilovesunsets]

Are you a journalist or an artist, a writer? Because the way you write and narate these videos is just *chef's kiss*

[@theohuntt]

Hahaha stop it you’re making me blush!!!

[@ilovesunsets]

@theohuntt as you should, king! 😘😄

[@BonesyTucson]

Good guy and Bad guy sound too simplified. Rick is clearly the protagonist though.

[@theohuntt]

Agreed it’s not as simple as good and bad

[@SagittariusQueen1993]

I cant really say if rick is good or not because if i was in a zombie apocalypse i might end up a villain 😂

[@theohuntt]

EXACTLY I think all of us would do things we probably wouldn’t be proud of hahaha

[@DylanDuncan-u3s]

Yoo the title is named after my hot take let's go

[@theohuntt]

Hahahah thank you for your hot take!

[@Tylerdurden977-l8c]

Hey Theo, I have a very controversial hot take that I know people are going to hate, both Lori and Andrea died too early, I think Lori should’ve died when she died in the comics not necessarily with Judith but just as she’s running, I also think that it would’ve been far more interesting to have Andrea be the lily caul of the tv show, say the governor made her pregnant and she lost the baby and the governor manipulates her into thinking it’s ricks fault and she participates in the final battle and kills Lori, immediately racked with guilt and despair for betraying her former friends; she kills the governor and commits suicide with her gun which is ironic as she wanted to die in season 1, I actually thought at the time this could happen as there were hints before with Andrea being influenced by both Shane and the governor and it even adds an interesting element between the Lori and Andrea rivalry, a very fitting end for 2 very unlikable but compelling characters

[@garymorris7472]

Merle vs. Beta would have been epic.

[@twilightgardenspresentatio6384]

For this to have taken nine years means the entire project was scrapped and restarted from nothing multiple times or they just wasted so much time doing nothing instead of writing

[@BonesyTucson]

My absolute favourite spin off is Fear.. at least for the first 3 seasons. I was all in on John Dorie too but f--- the show after killing him off.

[@theohuntt]

Yeah John Dorie was the last bit of light in FTWD that show had an obsession with children killing of its best characters

[@theruiner4272]

here are my thoughts on the hot takes: 1. Rick's spinoff show is surprisingly good, though it was rushed towards the middle an end and prob needed more episodes. i also felt like Rick chopping off his hand was just fan service. when it comes to spinoffs, i personally prefer the first two or three seasons of Fear The Walking Dead. as a whole though, even though The Ones Who Live isn't the best show, FTWD is MUCH worse than The Ones Who Live. I mean it'd be difficult to make a show as bad as Fear turned out to be. The Ones Who Live is more consistent in its quality. and it's decent and entertaining. whereas FTWD started off with two or three really good seasons (with some stupid shit in it like Travis's death), while the rest of the show is just shit. it isn't even the same show. as a WHOLE, the Rick spinoff is better than Fear. 2. Rick is, throughout 95% of the show, good guy. the "evil" things Rick has done was kinda unrealistic. And I'm not talking about the moment where he butchered the cannibals or when he bit off Joe's neck or when he went completely nuts towards the end of season 5, or even when he ran over that Grady Memorial Cop. I'm talking about when he needlessly sacrificed the safety of his group, his son, his daughter, and Michonne by raiding one of the savior Outposts in season 6, and killing a bunch of people in their sleep. That was not only straight-up evil, but it was poorly executed and poorly written. other than those instances, Rick is a good man. the "evil" things he realistically does in the show was to protect himself, his family, and his people. and that's just something you need to do in this world. Bro the guy was so good that he struggled to decided whether or not he should kill Randall, a man who was part of a group who almost killed Rick, Glenn, and Hershel. what you said about him is correct. what makes this man so interesting is the fact that even though the man does many ruthless things that would make people question if he's a good guy or not and yet still be a good guy is amazing and pretty much makes him the best character in the entire show. 3. season 2 is a bit weird to me. much of the show is very boring and some parts are COMPLETELY nonsensical. like the whole part where the group, for whatever reason, decided to send Glenn down a well to get an obese walker out of a well. the first half especially isn't very good and is nowhere near as good as the first season. but the second half of season 2 is actually really good. it still has some problems, like characters going from character to character saying the same things and also staying at the barn for too long. But the whole conflict between Rick and Shane, the whole Randall situation, what happened with the barn, Rick killing those two guys in the bar, and the finale of the show are awesome. as a whole, season 2 is like a 6/10. the good of season 2 is awesome. even brilliant at times. but the lows of season 2 are honestly even worse than some episodes in the later seasons. 4. I don't think Merle should've survived longer than he should've. by season 6, some characters were already overstaying their welcome. Even Daryl. Merle, although is a fantastic character (one of my personal favorites), isn't the kinda character who should survive longer than he should've. in my opinion, his death and character arc is one of the best in the entire show. to sacrifice that just so that he could get his head bashed in would be stupid. I mean what would the guy be doing between seasons 3 and his hypothetical death in season 7? Also, i think Daryl would do much more than a simple punch if Negan picked his brother. Daryl would probably do something even before Negan killed Merle. i have a feeling both men would end up dead if Merle survived just to get killed by Negan. ALSO i agree with what you said about T-Dog not surviving long enough into the group. Personally i think T-Dog should've survived and Tyreese should've never been introduced into the story. Because much of what Tyreese does in the show could've just been done by T-Dog, and it would've made things even more impactful since T-Dog was in the show since the very beginning. They're both strong, physically strong, non-violent and peaceful men. As for Sasha, alot of what she does in the show kinda mirrors what Andrea could've done had she survived (Sasha and Bob is like the show version of Andrea and Dale in that whole Fear The Hunters plot in the show and comics AND Andrea becomes a sniper-like character), so Sasha is another character who kinda doesn't need to be in the show. but that's a whole other topic. I do think the show really missed out on a reunion between T-Dog and Merle. Merle's death was also vital in fleshing out Daryl's character. I mean no doubt, the show could've done a better job at this. I mean Daryl hardly ever mentions Merle later on in the show. But not only does Merle's death make Daryl a much more hardened soldier, but it also sorta puts Daryl on a path of proving his brother wrong. i mean remember how Merle would talk about how Daryl is serving Rick and kissing his ass? Daryl becomes a more independent, yet also a more reliable character and he becomes Rick's prime enforcer (i wouldn't quite say he was Rick's right hand man until Glenn died. Glenn to me felt more like a right hand man or a second in command than Daryl. especially right before the group reach Alexandria.).

[@Submissive-Soul]

darrow and carrow definitely have insane plot armor

[@Papillon234]

I miss season 2

[@theohuntt]

Same 🥲

[@coolbeans7349]

yes, love merle!

[@steventomasi5557]

I do and don't agree with you on the Merle thing, yes he should have survived longer but I also say he shouldn't have lived long enough to make the line up. I feel like he either A should've had Hershal's show death where instead of kidnapping Hershal and Michone it should have been Merle and Michone give how much he hate both of them or B. He should have gotten the tainted meat death where Rick is the one to put him down since Daryl is in Atlanta and then Daryl uses the save Beth mission as a distraction from his brother's death thinking to himself "I got to save Beth since I couldn't save Merle" with Merle's last words being to Rick " take care of my baby brother officer friendly"

[@corbinowens2437]

S2 is Top 3 seasons for me

[@Rick79LUFC]

Morgan should of died back in S1 such a annoying character kill don't kill kill don't kill ...like make up your mind the man depresis the F out of me lol

[@Rick79LUFC]

Rick's fine I can't stand Meshon or how ever u spell her name as a couple they look ridiculous 🙄