Judith Grimes' narration made for a poignant farewell in , but completely forgot someone who deserved far more credit than they received. Assuming the role her brother played in the original Robert Kirkman comic books, Judith Grimes was the heart of 's ending. As well as providing an introductory narration for each of the final episodes, Judith's hopeful and optimistic outlook underpinned 's finale, and the closing shot even saw her looking toward a brighter future with younger brother RJ.
The touched upon many of Judith Grimes' personal relationships. Her bond with Daryl came to the fore, and Judith's desire to reunite with parents Rick and Michonne set up future spinoffs. Judith's faith in Negan paid off with the return of an old gift after finale's one-year time jump, and the closing episodes also saw Cailee Fleming's character reference deceased survivors such as Carl and Lori, wondering what they would think had they survived long enough to see the Commonwealth. Despite Judith waxing lyrical about past characters throughout season 11, however, she made one glaring omission.
Although Judith spent much of season 11 remembering, honoring, and immortalizing characters who made an impact upon her life, she made no mention whatsoever of Tyreese Williams. Played by Chad Coleman between and 5, Tyreese single-handedly saved Judith after the prison battle against the Governor, caring for her on the road until the group reunited. Coleman's character also risked life and limb to protect Judith by brutally killing Martin from Terminus. Long before Daryl, Negan and Michonne became Judith's surrogate parents, she had Tyreese - and yet the youngster neglects to mention him in 's ending.
Granted, Judith was only a child when Tyreese took his place among her revolving door of guardians, but made clear that the older Judith had been told stories about dead survivors from their group - especially ones she was connected to. It seems highly unlikely that Judith would not be informed about Tyreese's heroics, and even more unlikely that she would then ignore him when discussing the various major figures in her life during 's last episodes. In the comics, Judith never escaped the prison alive. One would think she could spare a special mention for the man who stopped history repeating itself.
In Robert Kirkman's comic books, Tyreese was unquestionably a major player. His zombie apocalypse tenure was glittered with moments of outright badassery, and his rivalry-come-friendship with Rick Grimes served as a cornerstone of 's prison arc. Because AMC's TV show had Daryl to replace Shane in that secondary male protagonist slot, however, Chad Coleman's presence as Tyreese was reduced to a supporting figure whose death was afforded only slightly more prominence than Background Goon #3.
Since while he was alive, Judith's lack of acknowledgment in season 11 perhaps comes as no surprise. dropped the ball with Tyreese, so lumping him in with the montage of other deceased faces during the final episode's "" montage was maybe the predictable outcome. Regardless, Tyreese Williams deserved a more personal tribute from Judith in 's final season.
