Even with its two ongoing spin-off series, fans of The Walking Dead know just how much its world of zombie apocalypse-based drama loves to mess with their emotions and break their hearts by killing off characters they become so attached to. Especially with the romances between its characters, in the original show, there was never any guarantee of a happy ending, and the certain unexpected departure of a main cast member wound up putting an end to one of the most endearing relationships it ever had. The relationship that Carl and Enid had was truly special. Faced with a zombie apocalypse, those two kids found solace and comfort in each other’s company and their wholesome interactions were something that brought smiles to the faces of fans every time.

They changed both of each other’s lives for the better, but their time together was tragically cut short with the unexpected death of Carl, breaking further away from the narrative of the comics. Enid eventually found a new romance with Alden, but most fans would agree that it felt much less organic and that actress Katelyn Nacon just didn’t have the same natural on-screen chemistry with Callan McAuliffe as she did with Chandler Riggs. The decision to kill off Carl was one of the most shocking and baffling decisions that the show-runners ever made, and many fans, to this day, argue that it was a pointless death of an all-too-important character. It not only had a serious effect on how the rest of the story played out, but it also wound up having a serious negative impact on what was shaping up to be the show’s greatest romance story that never got to finish being told.

Carl and Enid’s Relationship Was Tragically and Unfairly Cut Short

Image via AMC.

Image via AMC.

Image via AMC.

Enid’s Romances on The Walking Dead
Played by
Romantic Timeframe

Carl Grimes
Chandler Riggs
Season 7-Season 8 (until his death)

Alden
Callan McAuliffe
Season 9 (6 episodes)

 

When Enid found her way to Alexandria after seeing her parents devoured by walkers, she was initially cold and reluctant to be a part of the group, but she couldn’t help but take an interest in Carl after he himself expressed an interest in her. During their interactions, Enid slowly broke out of her shell, and it was with Carl whom she felt most comfortable opening up about her past to. What started off as two friends who enjoyed the ability to still act their age around one another eventually turned into a much deeper connection.

In the Season 7 episode, “Go Getters”, the two solidified their romance with a passionate kiss, and it led audiences to believe that the slow-burn of their relationship was going to pay off in a big way that would define both characters going forward. Between all the gruesome character deaths and shocking twists in the show’s story, their friendship-turned-romance was a much needed bright spot of wholesomeness that brilliantly counteracted all of darkness.

Within the darkness of the Walking Dead universe and all the tragic romances that were doomed within it, from Glenn and Maggie to Abraham and Rosita, the relationship that Carl and Enid had was something that very likely could’ve endured until the very end of the show and beyond. Of course, it probably would have, had it not been for the controversial decision to kill off Carl midway through Season 8.

To call it an unexpected move from the writers would be an understatement, as even though the show had already broken away from the direct narrative of the comics in a few ways, Carl was an extremely important character throughout their run, becoming one of the only surviving characters by the end of the full story. His death was something that changed the course of the show as a whole, putting Rick on an entirely different path with his character arc and serving as a devastating blow to Enid’s as well. Before his passing, Carl wrote a set of letters to his loved ones, and Enid even reflected on the impact that the written words of her first love continued to have on her even years later in the Season 9 episode, “Bounty”.

I saw my parents die. It changed me. Became all about surviving somehow. And then, someone else close to me died. Someone special, with a big heart. He left me a letter, reminding me that just surviving… It isn’t living. And it took me way too long to get what he really meant. You live with it by staying who you are. By not letting the bad things change you.

Enid’s Romance With Alden Didn’t Click With the Fans

Both the Characters and Their Actors Lacked the Chemistry of What Came Before

Image via AMC.

In the six-year time jump midway through Season 9, it was shown that although Enid still held Carl close to her heart, she had found a new romance with the character of Alden. Pairing these two characters together romantically was another decision that the show’s audience couldn’t comprehend, as many seemed to think that the two characters didn’t quite match very well. Looking back, the pairing of Carl and Enid was one that, although it would’ve needed more screen time to be more fully fleshed out had Carl lived, worked because of how well-developed it was.

The characters got the chance to grow and develop from their time together, and it kept the viewers guessing exactly when the two were going to make it official. It wasn’t just in the writing, it was also in the authenticity of Chandler Riggs and Katelyn Nacon’s performances, as the two actors became legitimately close friends both on and off set over the years they worked together, and it really shined through in the strength of their on-screen chemistry.

Despite the show’s attempts, its audience just wasn’t able to get as invested in Edin and Alden’s romance. Not only did it feel sudden and admittedly forced, but most of the fans didn’t seem to think that Katelyn Nacon and Callan McAuliffe had any real chemistry, or at least not as natural as what she shared with Riggs. Even Nacon herself seemed somewhat confused by the decision, claiming in an interview with Business Insider that she not only believed that Enid would choose Carl over Alden if he had still been alive, but also theorized that her romance with Alden was a last-minute decision because of Lauren Cohen’s brief exit from the series.

Fans of the comics might notice that there are quite a few similarities between Alden and Dante, a character that Maggie becomes romantically involved with after Glenn’s death in the comics, and Nacon seemed at least half-convinced that Cohen’s departure from the show led to a re-tooling of Alden’s character arc.

Carl’s letter, I know was really important to her and I think it really affected the person that she is now, today, that we see after the time jump and everything…I think it shaped her to what she is…I don’t know if they were trying to do the Alden and Maggie romance and then that didn’t work out…I don’t know what their plan was.

Not Continuing the Romance Between Carl and Enid Was a Serious Mistake

It Could Certainly Be Argued That If Carl Had Lived, So Would Enid

Image via AMC.

All episodes of every show in the Walking Dead franchise are now available to be streamed on AMC+.
Season 3 of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon is set to premiere this Fall on AMC.

Those who have read The Walking Dead comics know just how important Carl was to their overall narrative, which is why, to this day, killing him off for the show is considered to be one of the biggest mistakes that almost killed the franchise. By the time Carl and Enid’s romance became official, it was something that the audience had been anticipating for years, and ending it so tragically just as it was only beginning didn’t just do a disservice for the show, but for the development of the characters themselves.

Carl was possibly the most important figure in Enid’s life, and his absense from her story had quite an impact as their relationship was something that could’ve no doubt been further developed into possibly the show’s most wholesome and endearing romance. Even though Enid’s journey continued, and viewers still enjoyed getting to see her grow into the strong woman that she became, her gruesomely shocking death at the end of Season 9 was something that she probably would’ve been able to avoid if she still had Carl looking out for her.

Looking back on the lengths that Carl would go to in order to ensure Enid’s safety (even locking her in a closet at one point to prevent her from traveling with Rick and the gang), it’s hard to imagine that she would’ve met the twisted fate that she did if he had still been around to protect her. He had an undying and loving loyalty to her well-being and constantly had her back, something that Alden could never provide in the same way.

If the show-runners really thought about it hard enough, they more than likely could’ve found a way to write him out of the series while still keeping a possibility for an eventual return open, like they did with Rick, Michonne, or Maggie in later seasons/spin-offs, while still leaving the door open to continue his romance with Enid. As much as the fan base still wish that things could’ve turned out differently for both characters, there is at least some comfort to be found in the idea that, through death, the two have been reunited for good.

For all of the dark and tragic moments throughout the series, their scenes together always felt like a warm embrace that would reassure the audience there was still goodness to find in the apocalypse and that everything would still work out. Although neither of their unfair and undeserving deaths deterred the most loyal of The Walking Dead fans from ditching the franchise altogether, the death of Carl and the subsequent death of the romance between him and Enid is one aspect of the show the audience will never stop mourning, and one of the biggest mistakes that the writers most likely will never live down.