The thing people complain about the most is the pace on this show. Yet it's been paced like this since season 2. I'll admit I almost quit that season. So people have had 3 seasons to decide if they like it or not, but still complain about it. The reason this show is so popular and has outlasted other zombie media is because of how it deals with characters living in a world with zombies. Every other creation is just a bunch of throwaway 2D characters who are simply vehicles for the viewer to experience zombie death and mayhem. Walking Dead still delivers this element, while delivering the characters and humanity. This aspect wouldn't really be possible if the pace of the show were quicker.
Like that payoff with Carol this season. Or Rick. These things wouldn't have impact or gravitas without building them up and then tearing them down. While it is a fine line to walk between aggravating viewers and having it be really satisfying and cathartic, I think they have generally worked out the balance of this type of narrative as opposed to season 2 where it didn't work at all. In order for the danger and death to mean something the characters have to have something to lose and it takes time to develop that. It's just one of those things where the devices Walking Dead uses makes it massively popular, but those same devices are going to alienate people.
And I don't understand people's problems with the acting, except for Carl and Beth. Like how can you not like Andrew Lincolns acting? I never notice the accent or anything. Not sure why he gets shit on. Reedus is amazing. Lauren Cohan is great. The ensemble is awesome. People on here act like film snobs for a show like this. Watch some really low budget indie films or some daytime soaps and then there will be bad acting to talk about.
I honestly loved the season finale. The last line was cheesy, and the dialogue exchange there could have been reworked. But that didn't ruin how I felt about the episode as a whole.
