The Rick Scene That Went Too Far On The Walking Dead

With not many episodes left in the final season of "The Walking Dead," fans have been reminiscing about some of the show's craziest moments, with most coming courtesy of Andrew Lincoln's Rick Grimes. Looking back, it's hard to top what Robert Kirkman's fearless — and often ruthless — leader did in the finale of "TWD" Season 4, with even Lincoln himself saying he thought things might have gone too far.

"All I will say is that when I read [the script], I called up Scott Gimple, and I said, 'Scott, we've always been incredibly responsible with where we go and the darkness and the brutality of the world that we inhabit. Do you think we may be going a little bit far on this?'" recalled Lincoln during a 2014 interview with Yahoo TV.

Season 4 of "TWD" had seen Rick turn away from his brutal and violent side "for the sake of his son," as Lincoln described it. For years, we had seen the character violently throw caution to the wind while scratching, clawing, and killing everything and anything in his path to keep his loved ones safe. However, in Season 4, Rick ditches this bloodthirsty mantra and tries his best at "suppressing his brutality" out of respect for Carl (Chandler Riggs). It isn't until things ramp up in the show's finale — and Carl is put in grave danger — that we see cold-blooded Rick return.

It's a justified chain of events, but one that was just too much for a lot of people's liking. Rick Grimes, fresh from seeing his son Carl attacked and nearly raped by Dan (Keith Brooks), a member of the Claimers, is finally able to get his hands on the vile character after chomping down on the neck of Claimer leader Joe (Jeff Kober). "He's mine," Rick says, right before plunging a knife into Dan and repeatedly stabbing him way past the point of death — while Carl looks on.

"Basically, you will see a side of Rick that you haven't seen before or in a place that he goes to that he's never been before," Lincoln explained to Yahoo, describing the entire scene. "Like most things he's driven by, it's for the sake of his son," the actor added. Once the finale aired, it was evident from all the fan reaction — which is still going strong today — that perhaps Lincoln was right about things going just a bit too far.

"The squelching noise is so vile to me," said Redditor u/aqvamarine13 in a July 2021 discussion about "TWD" scenes that were too much. "They just show Carl's face and you hear Rick stabbing him past the point of him being dead." Redditor u/CivilCardiologist183 agreed with that sentiment, saying, "The scene when Rick bites the guys [sic] throat is gruesome." Nearly half a decade later, creator Robert Kirkman's series is getting ready to wrap up Season 11 and take its final bow, with the last episodes set to air over the next few months. But fear not, "TWD" fans. There are reportedly a number of spin-offs and other projects in the works.