Despite Carol's Efforts, TWD Is Still Hinting At Ezekiel's Tragic Ending
Warning: Spoilers for The Walking Dead season 11, episode 10.
The Walking Dead may be providing false hope for Ezekiel (Khary Payton), who could still be headed toward a tragic ending in season 11. Carol (Melissa McBride) now has a plan to make sure Ezekiel survives his cancer, but there’s no guarantee that her efforts will be enough. Currently, there are signs that she won’t be able to save him from his fate.
When Ezekiel realized that he had cancer, there was a sense that his character might not survive until the end of the series. However, there were theories from the beginning that The Walking Dead would use the Commonwealth to keep him alive. As he noted in an earlier episode, Ezekiel’s condition is one that can be properly treated in a normal world; it was the lack of medical resources that made Ezekiel’s chances of survival so small. It was for this reason that many were under the assumption that his situation would change for the better once they joined the Commonwealth, which is the closest anyone has come to the way society was before. But, The Walking Dead has since revealed that Ezekiel is so far down the list that he may not get the surgery he needs in time.
The Walking Dead season 11, episode 10, titled “New Haunts” indicated that Carol might be able to save him by doing favors for Lance Hornsby (Josh Hamilton). Not only that, but the episode’s ending suggests that the two are in the process of repairing their romantic relationship. The problem though, is that a spinoff series for Carol and Daryl (Norman Reedus) is on its way, which implies that the two will leave the main group for their own adventure. The idea that Carol will resume her romance with Ezekiel only to leave without him points to a sad conclusion to their story in The Walking Dead season 11. It may be that Carol will depart the group once Ezekiel dies at the end of the series and heads off somewhere with Daryl.
Ezekiel seems to know what’s about to happen. The scenes where he gave away Shiva’s collar and a box of Henry’s things were indicative of the character accepting his fate. He’s clearly giving away his treasured belongings because he knows he’s living on borrowed time. Carol, on the other hand, hasn’t given up. Through her, The Walking Dead has created hope for his future, but whether or not it will actually pan out remains to be seen.
If their standing with the Commonwealth suffers, everything Carol is doing for Ezekiel could end up being for naught. Ultimately, Carol’s arc in The Walking Dead season 11 part 2 could be all about securing Ezekiel’s surgery. If the show makes this such an important story and then ends it with Carol coming up short, it’ll make Ezekiel’s death all the more tragic.
The Walking Dead releases new episodes on Sundays on AMC.