Judith Grimes' narration made for a poignant farewell in The Walking Dead, but completely forgot someone who deserved far more credit than they received. Assuming the role her brother played in the original Robert Kirkman comic books, Judith Grimes was the heart of The Walking Dead's ending. As well as providing an introductory narration for each of the final episodes, Judith's hopeful and optimistic outlook underpinned The Walking Dead's finale, and the closing shot even saw her looking toward a brighter future with younger brother RJ.
The ending of The Walking Dead touched upon many of Judith Grimes' personal relationships. Her bond with Daryl came to the fore, and Judith's desire to reunite with parents Rick and Michonne set up future spinoffs. Judith's faith in Negan paid off with the return of an old gift after The Walking Dead finale's one-year time jump, and the closing episodes also saw Cailee Fleming's character reference deceased survivors such as Carl and Lori, wondering what they would think had they survived long enough to see the Commonwealth. Despite Judith waxing lyrical about past The Walking Dead characters throughout season 11, however, she made one glaring omission.
Judith Needed To Honor Tyreese In The Walking Dead's Finale
Although Judith spent much of The Walking Dead season 11 remembering, honoring, and immortalizing characters who made an impact upon her life, she made no mention whatsoever of Tyreese Williams. Played by Chad Coleman between The Walking Dead seasons 3 and 5, Tyreese single-handedly saved Judith after the prison battle against the Governor, caring for her on the road until the group reunited. Coleman's character also risked life and limb to protect Judith by brutally killing Martin from Terminus. Long before Daryl, Negan and Michonne became Judith's surrogate parents, she had Tyreese - and yet the youngster neglects to mention him in The Walking Dead's ending.
Granted, Judith was only a child when Tyreese took his place among her revolving door of guardians, but The Walking Dead made clear that the older Judith had been told stories about dead survivors from their group - especially ones she was connected to. It seems highly unlikely that Judith would not be informed about Tyreese's heroics, and even more unlikely that she would then ignore him when discussing the various major figures in her life during The Walking Dead season 11's last episodes. In the comics, Judith never escaped the prison alive. One would think she could spare a special mention for the man who stopped history repeating itself.
The Walking Dead Never Did Tyreese Justice
In Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead comic books, Tyreese was unquestionably a major player. His zombie apocalypse tenure was glittered with moments of outright badassery, and his rivalry-come-friendship with Rick Grimes served as a cornerstone of The Walking Dead's prison arc. Because AMC's The Walking Dead TV show had Daryl to replace Shane in that secondary male protagonist slot, however, Chad Coleman's presence as Tyreese was reduced to a supporting figure whose death was afforded only slightly more prominence than Background Goon #3.
Since The Walking Dead never made the most of Tyreese while he was alive, Judith's lack of acknowledgment in season 11 perhaps comes as no surprise. The Walking Dead dropped the ball with Tyreese, so lumping him in with the montage of other deceased faces during the final episode's "we are the ones who live" montage was maybe the predictable outcome. Regardless, Tyreese Williams deserved a more personal tribute from Judith in The Walking Dead's final season.