On The Walking Dead, walkers are still the biggest threat to humanity. One bloody Season 11 scene proves that no one is truly safe in the apocalypse.

The Walking Dead was once criticized for being too gory for cable television. But in Season 11, viewers are begging for more violence and blood since the series has toned down its number of deaths over the years, as highlighted by Forbes. The Walking Dead‘s latest victim of the apocalypse might not be dead, but their fate reinforces the show’s relatively realistic view of a zombie apocalypse.

In later seasons, The Walking Dead‘s apocalypse has seemed relatively easy to survive. Compared to the running infected and clickers of The Last of Us, living in the AMC series is a piece of cake. Even with the re-introduction of “smart” zombies that can climb walls and open doors, anyone who has encountered the Whisperers can make it out alive. The Walking Dead hasn’t been living up to its reputation of gore and death around every corner… until the penultimate episode “Family,” in which Lydia joins a long list of amputee survivors.

How Does Lydia Lose Her Arm in The Walking Dead Season 11?

While no major character dies in this episode (hopefully Judith isn’t included in that list), Lydia does get bitten by a walker. Aaron’s group is still on the (very slow) run from the Commonwealth, hiding within a walker horde using the guts and Whisperers technique. The group takes refuge in an RV, but Luke, Jules and Elijah are dragged away by walkers. Lydia, who has become romantically linked to Elijah in recent episodes, holds on to him but is bitten on the arm.

Of course, this means that it has to be amputated, and thankfully enough amputations have happened on the show that everyone is certified in the act. Lydia lives with one less arm, but does that mean she’ll get the Alicia Clark treatment? Alicia took her arm off and defied the laws of The Walking Dead by slowly succumbing to the infection for months, so Lydia might not be entirely in the clear. Whether or not she survives, the amputation scene was much needed in what’s been a dreadfully safe and dull season of the once-bloodthirsty series.

The Walking Dead Spinoffs Have Lowered the Stakes

In earlier seasons, The Walking Dead used to discard characters like bad leftovers. In the first four seasons alone, the show lost Hershel, Shane, Andrea, Dale, Lori and many others on a lengthy kill list. The same cannot be said in what was expected to be the most dangerous season, and it’s all because of the spinoffs. The spinoffs have left the most important characters untouchable; Daryl, Maggie, Negan and even Carol (who is no longer involved in the Daryl Dixon spinoff) all have journeys to take following the series’ end. Less popular characters are at risk to die, but their deaths won’t warrant a dramatic cry as a death like Daryl’s would. Or they will be spared to serve a spinoff character’s story, such as Annie dodging death.

At least Lydia’s near-death experience is a reminder that the world of The Walking Dead has no favorites — except those headlining a spinoff, of course. Still, it’s refreshing for lives to actually be at stake in a series that was once known for killing off beloved characters left and right. In Season 11, minor characters hated by people inside and outside the universe are the only ones granted a gory death scene. It’s satisfying to watch them get what they deserve, but less satisfying knowing it was entirely foreseeable. Now that both Lydia and Judith’s lives are at stake, The Walking Dead is back to showing no mercy in its cruel little world.