The script for The Walking Dead was written by Seth Hoffman, and Ernest Dickerson directed the production. The fate of Hershel excited many fans of the television project. Some viewers at the time even lost interest in the franchise, considering it unfair what the writers did to this character.
Hershel Green first appeared on the show in the 2nd episode “Bloodshed” of the 2nd season of The Walking Dead. That role was played by the late Scott Wilson, who passed away in October 2018. He played a farmer who lived for many years in a remote area of Georgia with his family. Then Carl Grimes was accidentally shot by Otis, a resident of Farm Green. From that moment on, Hershel has been providing Rick and his group with the medical care they need.
Hershel Green is a former alcoholic who spent a lot of time at the Carriage Bar before the birth of his daughter Maggie. His first wife was Josephine Green. Hershel’s second wife and Maggie’s mother was Beth Green. After quitting drinking the day his daughter was born, he forbade keeping any alcohol in his house to avoid temptation.
When Rick first meets Hershel, the old man believes that the walkers are living but sick people. So he keeps them on his farm in the barn until he can find a cure for them. Hershel compares the walkers to schizophrenics. The old man hates those who exterminate walkers, considering it murder. Hershel is piously convinced of his truth, because he has long lived serenely on the farm and didn’t know much about the walkers. He watches the apocalypse on television. After the barn massacre, Hershel has an alcohol relapse, but then immediately quits drinking again, telling Dave and Tony during a bar confrontation.
Over time, Rick Grimes begins to treat Hershel as a mentor and father.
In what episode of The Walking Dead does Hershel die?
Hershel Greene dies in episode 8, titled “Going Too Far.” This is season 4 and the 43rd episode of the franchise as a whole.
In Season 3 Episode 2, Hershel was bitten on the leg, but Rick was able to save him by sawing his leg off. But who knew that after such a tragedy, Hershel would have an even worse ending?
The governor takes Hershel and Michonne hostage to force Rick to surrender. He demands that Grimes’ group leave the prison immediately or the hostages will die. Rick says the two groups can live peacefully together in prison. The governor objects to Grimes’ plan and cuts off Hershel’s head with Michonne’s sword. Maggie and Beth are shocked. They witness the murder of their own father.
Even the late actor Scott Wilson expressed surprise when he found out he was going to die in the next episode. But then expressed an understanding that sooner or later a great many of the characters would be written off by the writers and producers of the series.
Why did the governor kill Hershel and not Michonne? He was well aware of how important this knowledgeable and experienced old man was to Rick’s team. He posed no physical threat, but he was too rational. After Hershel’s death, the surviving team must have been weakened. The governor intended to kill Michonne as well. But the priority was to destroy Rick’s team.
In the end, Rick Grimes’ team attacked the governor after Hershel’s death and disintegrated, and Michonne escaped.
