Like many fans, I was devastated when showrunners Ian Goldberg and Andrew Chambliss decided to kill off Madison Clark (Kim Dickens) on the popular Walking Dead spinoff, Fear The Walking Dead. This controversial decision was solidified as beyond a shred of doubt by the showrunners shortly after the episode aired, leaving fans with a sinking acknowledgment that this standout character had fought her last battle.
Although the scene itself is incredibly moving and a somewhat fitting end to Madison Clark, the timing of the decision felt a little off given the status of some other actors on both this show and the flagship series. Watching the show from the beginning to the end of the original showrunner’s departure, fans could easily tell this was not the plan he had in mind when he laid the groundwork for Madison’s character development.
In the most recent seasons, it appears the showrunners have started changing the finality status of Madison Clark to tease fans with her potential return to the show somewhere down the road. However, I believe it’s fitting to point out exactly why fans shouldn’t expect this to happen and the underlying reasons why it happened in the first place.
Sexism, Plain And Simple
Kim Dickens made it perfectly clear that, unlike Frank Dillane, she didn’t want to leave the show. It wasn’t her idea, she didn’t even get a say in the matter. The reason I bring up the point that this decision was sexist has to do with both the history of other male leads in the Walking Dead universe and who she was ultimately replaced by.
Fans were teased that a character from The Walking Dead was crossing over to become a main cast member of the spinoff, though AMC did not reveal who that would be. Eventually, it was revealed that Morgan Jones (Lennie James) was the character in question. However, fans did not expect this casting to come at the cost of losing Madison Clark.
On one hand, yes it’s great that the showrunners wanted to add a bit more diversity to the main cast, but on the other, replacing one of the few strong female leads of a show like this ultimately feels like a terrible sexist decision in sacrificing a her for a him. Honestly, Morgan had his turn and in the end, he’s just been a horrible replacement. Woefully unable to match what Kim Dickens brought to the table.
Another point to bring up bolstering this argument can be stated with one name: Andrew Lincoln. From the first episode of The Walking Dead until his personal decision to leave the show, Lincoln was, without a doubt, the main protagonist, the stalwart character, and the beloved leader in the original series. And it’s in those facts that I make the case for intentional sexism. These showrunners, had they been hired to run the original show, would NEVER have killed Andrew Lincoln off without his consent, especially not in the first run. Why should that be any different for the female lead of the spinoff? For a character that’s been in the show since day one?
Truth be told, Kim Dickens deserved and deserves better. For her to agree to return at this point would mean she would have to swallow her pride to a point unimaginable. Though she’s made comments about her desire to return and how she thinks that could happen, the likelihood of it actually happening is slim to none. For the showrunners to just get rid of her like a common guest or recurring star and then beg her to come back to only likely do the same somewhere along the line, is a slap in the face to both Dickens and the dedicated fans who long for her return.
It’s A Shameless Bid For Attention
Teasing fans with their innermost desires is a tale as old as time in television. Even with no intention to follow through, showrunners and network heads tease fans with bits like this all the time so they’ll keep watching. Watching and waiting, holding on to that sliver of hope they’ll get what they wanted as a reward for their continuing devotion. More often than not, however, these are empty promises, carrying about as much weight as Charlie Sheen starring in an unwanted reboot of Two and a Half Men.
What the teasers and vague statements really say about the return of Madison Clark to TWD franchise can be summed up in one simple word: viewership. The spinoff series has never really been able to match the ratings of the original series and while it has been able to stand on its own, it’s definitely not at its best any longer. Game of Thrones employed similar methods during its run, but rarely ever did they come to fruition other than the predictable and overhyped return of Jon Snow. The new showrunners made the decision to kill off Madison as soon as they entered their position, deterring far from the plan set by the show’s original runner.
What it comes down to is basic trolling. TV executives, showrunners, promoters, and even actors, know that teasing the return of a beloved character (even with no intention), is a winning formula to keep people watching. They don’t ever have to make good on it, just keep teasing. They’ll say, “As you’ve seen, it’s not this episode or this season, but it might be the next one. You’ll have to keep watching to find out.” Even the tease she may return in the upcoming anthology spinoff, Tales of The Walking Dead, is complete and utter bull.
Chambliss & Goldberg Should’ve Never Been Hired
Given the history of Andrew Chambliss and Ian Goldberg, it doesn’t seem implausible to ask why they were hired in the first place. Goldberg’s own history should speak for itself. He worked on several TV productions that were either canceled right out of the gate or slid down an irreparable path of self-destruction.
These include short-lived series such as Related, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior, and the more recently canceled Freeform series, Dead of Summer. Chambliss had gems such as Dollhouse on his resume. And then together, the two helped run Once Upon a Time, the beloved ABC fairytale drama series, right into the ground. Coincidentally, Chambliss and Goldberg stole the opening credit sequence for Fear the Walking Dead from the former series in which they both wrote for and produced.
While it seems this series is headed for the end sooner than the flagship, it’s luckily not without some meritable episodes here and there. The first run of episodes that Chambliss and Goldberg put out was pure and utter trash and should’ve gotten them fired just for the idea. It has made some improvements since then, but the shameless notion of bringing back Madison Clark is not a winning strategy to employ. When the show reaches its end, as long as these two and others keep promoting the idea, the fans will never forgive them for not just simply stating the truth that’s become so obvious to so many of us.
Madison Clark is never coming back.
Fear the Walking Dead returns for its 7th season on October 17th, 2021, only on AMC and AMC+.