I’m an author and a huge fan of The Walking Dead series, so I can respect the difficult position the writers of the series are in.  Suspense is essential to any good story, and for a viewer, knowing that any character can die at any time keeps you constantly on the edge of your seat.  It amps up the suspense like nothing else.  Just ask George R.R. Martin, and any die hard fan of the Game of Thrones.  In the spirit of a no spoiler post, I won’t give anything away,  but if you’re the one and only person on the planet that hasn’t seen GoT, stop reading right now, and go watch it.   Really!  You can thank me later.

Oh look, I’m breaking promises already *** Spoiler Alert *** .  If you haven’t watched season 5 episode 8 “Coda” yet, you may want to stop reading right now.  Of course, if you saw the picture up top it’s probably too late.

If you’ve gotten this far, then you know that Beth dies in this episode.  You may also may or not be aware of an attempt by the fans to bring her back to the series.

At this point, I wish the group the best of luck, but I really don’t see it happening.  Sure, it was brutal the way she went, and the scissors were pretty pathetic,  but it’s made for some great drama.  For the sake of being the devils advocate,  I thought might be a little bit of fun, to exercise my writers muscle, and see if I can come up with some plausible plot twists to bring the character Beth back to the show.

It Was Just <insert character name here> Bad Dream

We’ve all seen this one done dozens of times before, in countless stories. While in the right hands, and handled skillfully, this can be pulled off, I’m not so sure it’s the right choice here. Fans of The Walking Dead series have come to expect more from the writers. Not to mention, the slippery slope that this creates. It’s one thing to use a shortened dream sequence to provide a small glimpse into possible alternative scenarios. But it’s another thing altogether, to revoke the events of multiple episodes for the sake of a twist. There’s simply been too much emotional investment on the part of the viewers, to set this kind of precedent. It opens up the door for all kinds of plot reversals. It’s also too easy. It’s sort of like clicking the big red easy writers button. I have to think the majority of the fans would be immensely disappointed, and they’d be far less trusting of other dramatic events that occur in the future. Basically, it spoils a lot of the possible tension in upcoming episodes. And in a show like this, that’s a death knell.

Turn Beth Into A Zombie

I know this is likely one of the least popular plot twists scenarios, based on what I’ve read from a lot of the fan posts online. But, bear with me here for a second. Sure, this seems like a horrible idea. Turning one of the most beloved and popular characters into the enemy seems like a bit much. And certainly, could be construed as a desperate attempt to placate the most ardent fans. while that’s all true, it also opens up one other interesting possibility. Imagine, that the characters in the show felt just as much for of Beth becoming a zombie, as fans.  What lengths would they go to not to have to kill her? This could become a whole new plot line. The writers already teased us for a bit about a possible solution to the whole zombie epidemic. While that plot line seems to be dead, suppose it really wasn’t … At least not totally. Perhaps they catch a bit of a rumor that maybe there still is a possibility for a cure in Washington. Nothing definite, just the possibility. Would that be enough for some members of the group (most likely Daryl) to want to keep that life long enough to find out for sure about a cure? Would Rick agree? With the others? And where do we go from there? I think you see where I’m going with this one. It’s definitely my favorite alternative plot twists.

Have Beth Become  A Figment Of Daryl’s Imagination Like Denny and Izzie on Greys Anatomy

If you’re not a fan of Gray’s anatomy, then let me explain. Basically, what you do here, is take a much beloved character, kill them off in the most heart rendering of ways, and then make it incredibly unbearable to live for another character in the show over the loss. Then, what you do, just to pour a little more salt into the wound, is to give the living character ghostly visions of the now dead character. This could work… Sort of. It would satisfy, at least for a short while the fans desire to see Beth for a little bit longer. Sort of a grieving. If you would. I can see, a where chance for the fans to see Beth perform a few more noble deeds, and perhaps some altruistic actions would be satisfying. At least to some. Others may find it incredibly painful, knowing the eventual outcome. But, it has possibilities. It certainly opens up a lot more options for the writers. That’s could be developed as a almost mystical guide for Daryl. Certainly, her character was one of the few glimmers of hope for a better place in the show. It would make sense, for her to be somewhat of a heavenly apparition in Daryl’s world. This is probably my second favorite choice for a plot twist.

I’d love to hear what the rest of you think. Any other possible plot turns? The series is about to start up again, it’s not too late;)