(Some comic spoilers ahead, but nothing major to impact the show)

Came across this article, and while I don't agree on all of the author's points, I wanted to highlight a few. Being that this article was written only a few weeks ago, I find it to be very relevant to this season and a lot of complaints from some of people here. TWD will always be my "ride and die" show, and I'll be watching until the end, but this season has been a huge step back in terms of quality.

LINK

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15. The Zombies
The zombies in the show aren’t scary or intimidating at all! They’re supposed to bring a degree of horror and fright with them but honestly, they’re so lethargic and slow that any suspense you’d like to see always ends up falling flat. The series would be so much more exciting if the zombies were like packs of rabid dogs, as seen in Zack Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead.

I personally don't agree at all with the author and this article immediately loses its credibility with a stupid point on preference. Fast moving zombies would make this a very short series, because to be honest you aren't surviving that shite. My issue with the zombie is the inconsistency in their strength and also their seemingly stealth like ability to sneak up on someone without making a sound. No consistency. That said, some of the best looking zombies on any screen.

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#14 The Villains
Every time we come across a villain in the show, they feel oddly familiar to what came before. We get it, people will be selfish, bitter and deadly to get what they want to survive, but honestly, a little differentiation would be appreciated. The Governor and Negan, for example, feel the same in the show, yet in the books, they came off differently. The former was ruthless but cerebral, while Negan was just chaotic.

I agree here, but it's also post-apocalyptic fiction 101. There is always going to be a ruthless "Big Bad." That said, I actually like the show's Governor and Negan more so than the comics. However, it gets stale.

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#13 The Tone
The show’s tone is so inconsistent that you can’t help but feel frustrated. At times, it feels like a soap opera, then at others it tries hard to be an action-driven series. When it’s not attempting to do both, it then tries to give you horror and gore. There’s no problem in attempting all these themes but a balance must be struck or else the show will just fluctuate and end up all over the place.

Sums it up well and I agree here. Just all over the place.

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#8 LGBTQ Characters
The show hasn’t handled LGBTQ characters as well as the books. On the television show, the writers take such a novelty approach to homosexuality and you actually feel like they’re plugging in such relationships because they have to meet a quota of some sort. The series, for some reason, doesn’t allow such relationships to flourish like the straight ones do in the air-time given

To be honest, while I have no issues with LGTBQ characters, they were forced in the books as well as the show. Poor writing, by both Kirkman and the show writers, does them no favors.

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#7 Romance
When romance is charted in the books, it’s organic and feels natural, but in the show, there are quite a few cases where it feels forced. Rick and Michonne is a prime example. Their relationship came out of the blue and felt very rushed. There wasn’t much chemistry, especially because just one season before, Rick was interested in Alexandria’s Julie. The lack of chemistry is also apparent with Carol and Ezekiel, and with Abraham, Sasha and Rosita.

Ain't no way I'm leaving Rosita for Sasha. And the Rick and Michonne relationship was extremely out of left-field. The feelings he had for Julia felt real. This relationship with Michonne is just forced. And Carol and Ezekial? It's like they forget they tried to pair them up.

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#4 Character Intelligence
This show legit has some of the dumbest character decisions in the history of television. Rosita asking Eugene to make one bullet to kill Negan, Daryl acting up and infuriating Negan causing him to beat Glenn to death and Gabriel trying to save the villainous Gregory only to end up in a bus with Negan are just some of the moments that leaves us wondering how did these people survive such dire circumstances.

I understand that for the sake of the show, characters cannot always make the most informed and logical choice, but some of the decisions they make are just beyond stupid.

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#3 Actions and Fight Sequences
The fight scenes have always been average on this series. Apart from Rick going up against the Governor or the few scenes where Morgan uses his staff, there’s no real intensity. This is a shock because AMC has already done brilliant fight sequences with its kung-fu western Into The Badlands, so maybe Kirkman and company should be employing those choreographers.

There's too many guns and unlimited ammo, and it's dragging the show down. Guns should be used in only extreme circumstances, with the majority of weaponry being blades and staffs.

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#1 Carol
For someone who Kirkman kept alive despite killing off in the book, the series has shown no growth with Carol. She moved from a sweetheart and survivor in Season 1 to someone who lost a lot and turned into a stone-cold killer. Yet the show constantly has her carrying out questionable decisions, then shaping her as a leader, before making her a murderous outsider once again. They then rope her back in as a hero, before rinsing and repeating in a vicious cycle.

One of the most popular characters on the show has become stale. She is basically the Terminator mixed with the Angel of Death, and no matter the situation she comes out ahead with a trail of bodies in her wake. I don't know what her direction is anymore or even her intentions, other than to kill them all!