Over its ten seasons, the post-apocalyptic drama series has had some great episodes but it’s also had a fair share of bad ones. The series began way back in 2010 and continues to show no signs of slowing down. Over the course of ten years, the series has garnered two spin-offs, and there's even a movie series in the works.
The Walking Dead has divided fans many times on various storytelling choices and its adaption of the source material. The cast has changed heavily over the years with only two season one characters remaining with one being a TV series only character and the other dying long ago in the comics. There have been some very strong episodes in The Walking Dead, and the series continues to deliver good stories. However, for every hit, there have also been at least one miss, and the series has had a decent amount of misses during its ten-year tenure. These are the worst episodes of each season, according to the user ratings on IMDb.
Season 1 Episode 5: Wildfire – 8.3
The first season of The Walking Dead was a strong start for the franchise but relatively short compared to the rest of the series with an episode count of six. The penultimate episode steered away from the comics by adding in the storyline of traveling to the Centre for Disease Control in Georgia.
As the group leaves the campsite, Rick tries to radio Morgan to let him know that Atlanta is not safe. Morales and his family decide to travel to Birmingham, and Jim succumbs to a bite from a walker. The episode features the appearance of actor Noah Emmerich who plays Dr. Edwin Jenner, a scientist continuing to work for a cure within the CDC.
Season 2 Episode 4: Cherokee Rose – 7.6
The majority of season two takes place on Hershel’s farm after Carl is accidentally shot by Otis. Daryl begins to search for Carol’s daughter Sophia on his own as Rick and Shane are too weak. Meanwhile, as the group sets up camp on the father, a funeral is held for Otis.
The episode continues to slowly display Shane’s descent into darkness as he lies about Otis’ final moments, claiming Otis sacrificed himself for Carol when, in actuality, Shane shot him. Maggie and Glenn venture to a nearby pharmacy to gather medical supplies, and, while they’re gone, the two become intimate. The episode ends with Lori finding out she’s pregnant.
Season 3 Episode 13: Arrow On The Doorpost – 7.8
The long-awaited meeting between Rick and The Governor comes to fruition in this episode in an effort to form a peace treaty. Unable to find common ground, The Governor requests Rick hand over Michonne as a sacrifice, and then he’ll leave the rest of the prison alone.
Meanwhile, at the prison, Merle begins to prepare to take down The Governor and suggests they ambush him. The third season of The Walking Dead was a strong one and a stark contrast to the reception of season two, with the main complaint being that The Governor's storyline wasn’t wrapped up the following season.
Season 4 Episode 12: Still – 7.3
When the prison was destroyed in the mid-season finale, the group was forced to split up and go back into survival mode. This resulted in episodes devoted to specific characters, a trope the series used heavily as it continued. The episode was written by the future showrunner, Angela Kang.
After being on the road in search of supplies, Daryl and Beth, both non-comic characters, find a small cabin to hold up in. They grow closer as they drink moonshine due to Beth wanting to have her first drink. Beth tells Daryl that he will be the last man standing, and, as of season ten, he is one of the few remaining characters left.
Season 5 Episode 4: Slabtown – 7.5
Another Beth-led episode with the action taking place entirely within Grady Memorial Hospital. The last audience’s saw of Beth was when she was with Daryl in the previous season before being taken away in an unknown vehicle.
When Beth wakes up in the hospital, she is informed by Lt. Dawn Lerner that she was found unconscious and saved by her fellow officers. Forced to repay her debt, Beth begins to work at the hospital as a nurse. Beth befriends a boy named Noah, and the two begin to plan an escape, but, before she can enact the plan, Carol is rushed into the hospital.
Season 6 Episode 16: Last Day On Earth – 6.5
The episode where Negan finally makes an appearance and shows off how much Rick’s group underestimated the Saviors. After Maggie suffers severe pregnancy pain, a group from Alexandria led by Rick decides to take her to Hilltop. Along the way, they encounter numerous roadblocks caused by the Saviors and keep being met by Simon, Negan’s second in command.
Near the end of the episode, the group is surrounded and forced to their knees by the Saviors and Negan exits the R.V, introducing himself. The audience’s main grievance with this season finale is that it ends on a cliffhanger where it’s unknown who Negan has killed.
Season 7 Episode 6: Swear – 5.6
Unaware of everything that has happened back at Alexandria, Tara washes up on a beach and is found by a girl called Cyndie. Tara is introduced to a group called Oceanside, made up entirely of women and attempts to convince Oceanside to become part of her community.
Tara learns that the males from Oceanside were all killed by the Saviors. Oceanside then attempts to kill Tara so she can’t reveal their location, but Cyndie helps her escape. She then returns to Alexandria and learns of her partner Denise’s death, as well as Negan having killed Glenn and Abraham.
Season 8 Episode 3: Monsters – 6.3
Having encountered Morales, Rick learns he never made it Birmingham and that his family was killed. Morales pledges his loyalty to Negan before he takes an arrow to the head from Daryl’s crossbow. The group then continues their assault on the remaining saviors whilst simultaneously searching for guns to assist them in the war.
The episode received mixed reviews, as it did not add much into the overall storyline. However, aside from Morales’ death, Eric who was Aaron’s partner was also killed. The Kingdom also suffers heavy losses after a failed attack on one of the outposts.
Season 9 Episode 7: Stradivairus - 7.2
Two episodes after Rick was airlifted out of the show and into the spin-off movies, the show had to stand without Andrew Lincoln. The ending of episode five established that six years had passed since Rick’s apparent death. In that time, Maggie had left to join Georgie’s group and left Jesus in charge of Hilltop.
Meanwhile, Michonne gets to know the new arrivals from Magna’s group and escorts them back to their camp for supplies. She refuses to escort the group all the way to Hilltop, as she does not want to run into Maggie, presumably blaming her for Rick’s "death."
Season 10 Episode 2: We Are The End of The World – 7.1
Providing a backstory for Alpha and Lydia, we’re shown a flashback to several years earlier as the two try to survive the zombie outbreak. They learn to blend in with the walkers as a means of moving around unnoticed, but, when Lydia witnesses a woman being eaten, her screams alert the walkers of their presence.
Taking shelter in a sanitarium, they encounter another survivor who would later become Beta. Alpha kills a walker that had a connection to Beta and gets the idea for him to wear the skin of his fallen ally. In the present, the Whisperers round up more walkers to build a larger horde to be unleashed upon the communities.