10 Moѕt Underrаted 'Tһe Wаlkіng Deаd' Epіѕodeѕ, Rаnked

The Walking Dead (TWD) aired for 12 years, 11 seasons, and a total of 177 episodes. It’s no surprise, then, that while some episodes remain engrained in our brains because they contained pivotal moments or intense action, others aren’t as memorable. But this doesn’t mean they weren’t good. In fact, some of the quieter, more subdued episodes of the post-apocalyptic series are its best, for varying reasons.

These are the underrated TWD episodes that shouldn’t be overlooked. They drove the story forward. They played a crucial role in a major or even minor character arc. For some, they represented a reprieve that was needed after several intense moments, perhaps even harrowing character deaths, on the show.

10"JSS"

Season 6, Episode 2 (2015)

There’s a deeper meaning behind this episode, even if it focuses on the Wolves attack of Alexandria and the group’s quiet attempts to thwart it. This episode answers what JSS, the three letters Enid (Katelyn Nacon) lives by, means. It’s “Just Survive Somehow” and it beautifully reflects exactly what everyone is doing in this moment. Morgan (Lennie James), fresh off his training in Aikido with Eastman (John Carroll Lynch), refuses to kill. He believes to survive means to show mercy. But Carol (Melissa McBride) is in her show no mercy phase and doesn’t bat an eye to slit someone’s throat. This is what she feels is necessary to survive.

This episode demonstrates the deep change in Carol but also her growing confidence. It also shows her incredible ability to think on her feet as she dons a hood, mask, and draws a “W” on her forehead to disguise herself as one of them. Conversely, the episode highlights how much Morgan has changed. It begs the question, whose method is the right one?

9"What We Become"

Season 10, Episode 13 (2020)

In its later seasons, The Walking Dead didn’t shy away from doing character-centric episodes. Michonne (Danai Gurira) was more than capable of heading up her own episode, but “What We Become” was very different than any other. After being kept in a cage by Virgil (Kevin Carroll), a man she thought she could trust, she realized she had been drugged and was hallucinating. Unlike the episode with Tyreese’s (Chad Coleman) death (also an underrated episode), Michonne doesn’t see all the people she has crossed paths with as if to say goodbye, but she sees what her life could have been like had she followed a completely different path. What if she killed Andrea (Laurie Holden) instead of helping her when they met? What if she was rejected by Rick’s (Andrew Lincoln) group and became a Savior instead? Seeing this alternate version of Michonne play out on screen as it was playing out in her head was fascinating.

A more ethereal episode, the internal conflict as Michonne sees herself do everything from bend to Negan’s (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) will to killing Rick was a conversation starter. It was easy to then take Michonne’s nightmares and wonder how things could have turned out differently for so many other characters, too.

8"When the Dead Come Knocking"

Season 3, Episode 7 (2012)

The love story between Glenn (Steven Yuen) and Maggie (Lauren Cohan) was a major part of the series. It culminated in that devastating moment when Negan brutally killed Glenn in front of Maggie and all the others in one of the most shocking plot twists on The Walking Dead. This continued throughout the show as Maggie was never able to forgive Negan, even years later following his redemption. In fact, the rift Glenn’s death caused continues to be the catalyst through the spin-off The Walking Dead: Dead City. But this otherwise underrated episode truly shows how deep and meaningful their bond was.

Both are taken captive and tied up in separate rooms. Knowing harm could come to Maggie drives Glenn to fling a chair around and fend off a walker while being subdued, beginning his hero arc. This is beautifully juxtaposed with the usually strong Maggie being shown in a vulnerable state for the first time when the Governor (David Morrissey) forces her to remove her shirt and bra. Maggie never needed a knight in shining armor, but the way this episode brings them together shows that Glenn wanted to be hers anyway.

7"What Happened and What's Going On"

Season 5, Episode 9 (2015)

Tyreese was a fan-favorite character, and since he was a main character in the comics on which the show is based, no one saw his death coming. Thus, it makes sense that an entire episode would be dedicated to it. But it was done in such a different way than what was typical of the show. Tyreese suffers from a walker bite and he starts to hallucinate. He sees many of the people he lost along the way, allowing for guest cameos in the episode. For the first time, fans see a reflection of the time between when someone is bitten and when their life reflects in front of them. It’s an enlightening, fitting send-off for the character.

It’s easy to see, however, that for those who watched the show week to week when it originally aired, this episode might have been considered week. It was single character focused and might have been frustrating to have waited an entire week just for this slow-moving episode. But when watching it as part of a series of episode, it’s easier to gain a better appreciation for the style, philosophical tone, and slower pacing.

6"The Storm"

Season 9, Episode 16 (2019)

Fans love a redemption arc, and there was arguably none better on The Walking Dead than Negan. From the moment he was introduced, viewers wondered how they might feel had the show been following Negan from the start and not Rick. He was cold-hearted, vicious, and downright evil. But from the perspective of other groups, so was Rick. Following Rick sparing Negan’s life, the show does a major time jump. After being in captivity for literal years, Negan is a changed man.

He slowly builds trust with the others, though it isn’t easy. The turning point for many, including Michonne, is when Negan trudges through a dangerous snowstorm to save not only Judith (Cailey Fleming) but Dog as well. The moment shows a depth of character and a level of commitment that Negan could have only shown with actions, not words. He went from the most hated TV villain to a valuable asset.

5"Thank You"

Season 6, Episode 3 (2015)

The reason this episode is so underrated is that so many people focus on how it ends, with Nicholas (Michael Traynor) dying by suicide, his body falling forward onto Glenn as the two drop into a pile of hungry walkers. Fans were certain that Glenn was dead in this episode and spent a week in mourning. That is until finding out in the next episode, in one of the most unexpected character returns in TV shows, that he was alive. Because of this, the episode was soured as fans felt it was an intentionally cruel misdirect. But there’s a lot more to this episode worth focusing on beyond that tease.

First, there were the moments that led up to Glenn and Nicholas being stuck, including the gruesome death of Noah. This moment shows the difference between bravery and cowardice. Despite knowing that opening the turnstile for Noah (Tyler James Williams) to come through will let in walkers, Glenn doesn’t think twice about doing so. However, Nicholas holds it tight, willing to sacrifice someone else for his own life. It raises questions about what type of person someone might be in a situation like this.

4"Killer Within"

Season 3, Episode 4 (2012)

This episode has so many crucial moments that are easily overlooked. First, it features the death of a beloved character in T-Dog (IronE Singleton). By this point, fans have already become used to seeing deaths, with characters like Sophia (Madison Lintz), Dale (Jeffrey DeMunn), and Shane (Jon Bernthal). But with T-Dog, there was a selflessness about his death that proved how close the group had come. T-Dog knew he was bitten and had limited time left. So, he sacrificed himself so that Carol could escape, showing how two people from two different worlds had come together in a way neither of them could ever have anticipated.

This is also the episode that sees the tragic death of Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies). The importance of this moment for Carl’s (Chandler Riggs) arc shouldn’t be overlooked. Not only does he bravely do the deed of mercifully shooting his dead mother in the head before she turns. He does this without any support from his father, or even his father knowing. It shows a sense of resolve in Carl that even he didn’t know he had. In hindsight, it foreshadowed the man he would go on to become.

3"Still"

Season 4, Episode 12 (2014)

In the fourth season of The Walking Dead, the series started to try something new once the group was split up after fleeing the prison. For the first time, they weren’t all in the same place. Rather than flip back and forth to follow several groups or pairings per episode, each episode followed different characters until they all eventually converged once again. This episode highlighted the unlikely pairing of Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Beth (Emily Kinney). He was still a hardened rebel and she the innocent teen. Their interactions were a mix of being like father and daughter, big brother annoyed with his little sister and even some odd flirtations.

Like the episode with Tyreese, this one may have been frustrating for those who waited a week to watch only to see just two characters and no one else. But re-watching it, there are tender moments between the two that are the first time fans ever see a softer, more vulnerable side of Daryl. Having Beth be the one to accomplish this is even sweeter and makes that later scene as Daryl carries a dead Beth’s body out of the hospital even more powerful.

2"Four Walls and a Roof"

Season 5, Episode 3 (2014)

This episode represents how much the world has changed and how those holding on to the “old world needed to wake up to that. It comes down to a pivotal conversation between Father Gabriel (Seth Gilliam) and Maggie. As Rick and his group kill people from Terminus amidst the church pews, Gabriel is horrified. He asks Maggie to at least find somewhere else to do these things and not “the Lord’s house.” Maggie’s reply? “It’s just four walls and a roof.” It’s a blistering wake-up call for Gabriel that the world as he knows it has changed, and they might need him more than ever to bring hope and faith beyond those four walls.

Another overlooked part of this episode is the moment when Rick savagely kills Gareth (Andrew J. West). That moment oozes with symbolism: Rick’s mannerisms and actions mirror what Shane was like in the beginning, and how Rick swore they didn’t need to become. There’s also foreshadowing in how Gareth is on his knees looking up at Rick, pleading for his life just as Rick will later do with Negan.

1"Mercy"

Season 8, Episode 1 (2017)

The Walking Dead is one of those rare shows that had a dip in popularity only to rise up again. The dip came in this season during the Saviors storyline, which some felt went on too long. By the time the eighth season commenced, fans had grown tired of not having a resolution and a new villain, not to mention angry at the brutal nature of those long-teased Negan deaths, and many abandoned The Walking Dead. Even though it takes the entire season for a resolution, there are important ways this inaugural season episode set things up.

First, there’s the fact that Negan is running for cover, finally not protected by his many followers. Ironically, he finds himself trapped in a trailer with Gabriel, the one person to whom he can confess his sins if he really wanted to do so, effectively nudging him to face his demons. Second, there’s the image of Rick, exhausted sitting against a tree uttering the words “my mercy prevails over my wrath.” It’s a flash forward to the end of the season and what he says after he decides to spare Negan’s life. Despite it all, Rick wanted to try and build the world Carl hoped could one day exist.