I watched Sunday's episode last night, and it just kind of dawned on me that I think the greatest source of my disinterest in the show is that over the last couple of seasons the show has kept the audience in a sustained state of melancholy, offering nothing outside of that, so much so that the show has just become monotonous and stale. Nothing particularly interesting is happening with any character in particular, nor are any of their respective stories really moving forward. It's just nothing but driving of sadness with no pit stops being made to explore any other forms of emotion.
Carol even emphasized that in her last conversation with Tobin. It's like the writers are so smart they're stupid (since they don't recognize how that pervades the efficacy of their stories). That is definitely how I feel, watching this much of the time... bored, lost in a gray lethargy. Every so often something provides a bit of interest and/or hope of something better, but it usually just goes right back.
Due to how prolonged this season has been, even Negan is starting to lose his thunder, and is actually starting to become more of sympathetic character than Rick (who's supposed to be the protagonist, yet as the series progresses I'm finding it harder to distinguish the lines between good and evil, as now it's mostly shades of gray and differing perspectives)
I think part of that is planned, based on what will probably happen when the storyline finally ends... but yeah -- I really am just tired of Rick at this point. It's okay to have a character who is struggling if you can maintain sympathy for the character, but the writing has basically made Rick so boring, repetitive, petty, and nonsensical that I just kind of want him gone. His behavior in this past episode did not strike me as some kind of "moral dilemma" where Rick is fighting for his soul, it's the same crap Rick has been indulging in for weeks/months of show time and finally hit a new despicable low that violates any sense of the character for me. But hey, I suppose now we're supposed to believe that since he manned up to finally read that disturbing freaky letter from his dead son in the last minute (who knew a piece of paper could be so terrifying?), suddenly he will have a change of heart and turn his entire life around. yeah. Sure. Whatever. and haven't we seen this before?
(Michonne has been kind of defanged as the "hero" for awhile, especially after she just became Rick's sidekick / love interest. I would say the heart of the show at this point is Maggie; I feel like she's the most ethical and one who most struggles over ethical questions even when she's veering in a grayer direction... When I watch her, I see the touch of her father in her, which is actually pretty meaningful from a character perspective. But everyone else is just on repetitive cycle autopilot.)
Negan was pretty fascinating in his early episodes, but now it becoming kind of meaningless even as he is becoming more sympathetic. This is an another negative effect of not resolving a storyline when it should be resolved and letting it drag out well past its natural expiration date.
