From the first episode of The Walking Dead, “Days Gone Bye,” to wildly popular episodes like Season 6’s “No Way Out,” there are many installments in this lengthy flagship series that are considered the overall best. Most of these beloved episodes emphasize the iconic themes of the show, including action, violence, and bloody demises. These intense storylines represent the allure of the renowned horror TV show.

In addition to these popular episodes, many sequences in The Walking Dead deserve far more attention than they get. Aside from the prominent themes in the show, these installments focus on more complex concepts, such as morality and life’s purpose. These episodes might not be the most exciting or the most beloved, but they deserve a lot of credit for bringing a deeper meaning to the bloody, horrifying series.

15“Diverged” Is a Change Of Pace

Season 10, Episode 21

The filler episodes of this series are not often popular inclusions, and “Diverged” is the lowest-rated episode of The Walking Dead ever. There isn’t much going on in this plot. Daryl and Carol go their separate ways, and there’s tension between the two friends due to Carol’s risky choices. Daryl focuses on fixing his motorcycle while Carol returns to Alexandria to help with repairs and make everyone soup.

IMDb Rating: 4.1/0

This is a major change of pace compared to the various high-intensity, action-packed storylines. On the other hand, “Diverged” is one of the only times the show slows down to give viewers some insight into the day-to-day activities of characters when they’re not fighting for their lives. It’s disappointing to wait a week to watch this mundane episode, but upon a rewatch, some viewers enjoy seeing what the survivors do when they aren’t fighting wars or killing walkers.

14“Arrow On the Doorpost” Examines Post-Apocalyptic Leadership

Season 3, Episode 13

Another low-rated episode of The Walking Dead that doesn’t get the credit it deserves is Season 3’s “Arrow on the Doorpost.” At this point, tensions are high between the Prison group and Woodbury, and Rick meets with the Governor to discuss terms. The meeting is fruitless, with the Governor demanding surrender and Michonne’s life in exchange for the lives of Rick’s group.

IMDb Rating: 7.7/10

Like many other low-rated episodes, this one is unpopular because it lacks the excitement associated with the series. What this transitional sequence does offer, however, is an insight into the leaders of this world. The viewers see Daryl and Martinez share mutual respect after a little competition, and Hershel and Milton discuss research. This camaraderie is squashed by the hostile personality of the Governor, offering an interesting examination of how leaders can impact a people’s ability to interact with outsiders.

13“Here’s Not Here” Is About Life Choices

Season 6, Episode 4

In “Here’s No Here,” Morgan is trying to convince one of the Wolves that invaded Alexandria that he can change. The episode is mainly a flashback, beginning with Morgan when he was hostile, killing everything dead and alive. Then, he met a kind stranger, Eastman, who didn’t give up on him, even when Morgan repeatedly tried to kill him. Eastman died before Morgan went in search of Rick, but he was forever changed by the man’s pacifist perspective.

IMDb Rating: 8.2/10

This episode has one of the worst placements in the entire series. It was released right after a cliffhanger in which the audience is left wondering about an injured Rick and Glenn falling into a swarm of walkers. For this reason, “Here’s Not Here” has a bad reputation. Aside from where it falls in Season 6, the story is an excellent representation of overcoming trauma and choosing a fulfilling path in life.

12“Find Me” Is an Important Revelation

Season 10, Episode 18

“Find Me” is a controversial episode in The Walking Dead fandom. In this storyline, Daryl and Carol come upon a cabin that is sentimental to Daryl. This is another one told largely in flashbacks, revealing that Daryl began a relationship with a lonely woman, Leah, while he searched for Rick. Daryl regrets turning away from Leah when she asks him to be her companion, having an impact on the beloved character’s development.

IMDb Rating: 6.2/10

While some viewers believe this backstory is inconsequential to the overall arc, it’s monumental for Carol and Daryl’s characterization. The slow pace focuses on how Carol can’t forgive herself for Connie getting trapped in the underground cave, and Daryl can’t forgive himself for what happened to Rick years ago. This shines an important light on why both of these characters are so similar, loving their communities while yearning to run away and escape the pain of their past.

11“Indifference” Highlights the Harsh Reality Of This World

Season 4, Episode 4

There are two important missions in “Indifference.” Daryl leads a mission to find medicine for the prison, bringing along a distressed Tyreese who is overwhelmed with anger after the murder of his girlfriend, Karen. Meanwhile, Rick and Carol go on a supply run. Rick struggles with the knowledge that Carol killed two people to try to stop the spread of an illness, which becomes more difficult when Carol shows a lack of concern for two survivors in need of help.

IMDb Rating: 7.9/10

This Walking Dead episode is another slow sequence, but it never fails to be gripping. The way this dangerous and hostile world changes people is highlighted through Tyreese’s uncharacteristic anger and Carol’s indifference to life outside of their community. This episode emphasizes why many characters undergo such extreme changes throughout the series, especially relating to Carol’s complicated timeline throughout The Walking Dead.

10“18 Miles Out” Is a Fight For Humanity

Season 2, Episode 10

In this early episode of The Walking Dead, Shane and Rick go on a mission to drop off a hostage from a hostile group. During this journey, Rick finally confronts Shane about his affair with Lori and Shane’s obsession with his family. When they find out the hostage knows their location, Rick and Shane fight, with Rick wanting to address this with the group and Shane wanting to kill the man.

IMDb Rating: 8.4/10

This is a monumental point in the overall storyline. The group at the farm is struggling with their humanity, deciding if they want to hold onto their civilized values or embrace a life of violence and intolerance. Rick and Shane’s battle is a gritty, dark example of what happens when these people are forced to grapple with their morals and how it could impact their chances of survival.

9“What Happened and What’s Going On” Is All About Death

Season 5, Episode 9

“What Happened And What’s Going On” is one of the most heartbreaking episodes in The Walking Dead. After losing the prison, being separated and reunited, and losing loved ones while also finding new allies, the group journeys to Noah’s old community in hopes of safety. They find an overrun, destroyed place where Noah’s family and seemingly everyone else have died. Tyreese is bitten by a walker and eventually succumbs to his wounds after his arm is cut off in hopes of preventing the spread of the virus.

IMDb Rating: 8/10

Death is a key theme in the franchise, but few installments so pointedly focus on the concept as this one. This bittersweet event isn’t just about the hopelessness of finding a safe place and keeping each other alive. The sequence in which Tyreese sees the people who have formed him and how he finds peace with the people he’s loved is endearing, focusing not only on the heartbreak of loss but how it’s an inevitable end that can be just as wholesome as devastating.

8“Some Guy” Humanizes an Exaggerated Hero

Season 8, Episode 4

In this part of the Saviors War, King Ezekiel has just lost a group of his soldiers at a Savior outpost. Jerry and Carol, the only surviving members of his party, protect the leader despite his protests that he’s not worth their lives. This episode is well-known for Ezekiel’s tiger, Shiva, sacrificing herself for her king, leaving the leader feeling helpless and unworthy of his position.

IMDb Rating: 6.9/10

Ezekiel is one of the best heroes in The Walking Dead. Due to him presenting himself as a medieval-like monarch with honor and kindness, he initially seems extraordinary compared to other leaders in the post-apocalyptic world. However, this episode emphasizes that he is a normal man, as distraught about his responsibilities as anyone else. It also highlights that his people love him so dearly, not because he is their leader, but because he’s a kind and loving man who is worthy of admiration.

7“Nebraska” Features a New Side of Rick Grimes

Season 2, Episode 8

In this episode following the one when Shane opens the barn of walkers at the Greene farm, revealing Sophie’s undead body, the group tries to cope with the latest tragedy. When Hershel disappears to a local tavern, Rick and Glenn go to bring him back. While there, two men show up and threaten the three of them, forcing Rick to kill them and beginning a battle with the men’s unforeseen group surrounding the tavern.

IMDb Rating: 8.2/10

Viewers have seen Rick Grimes kill dozens of people defending his group. However, “Nebraska” is known as the first time he ever had to kill the living. The other people they encountered before this were just trying to survive, but in Season 2, they finally encounter a hostile group of people intent on causing harm. This episode was intense and action-packed, but it also marked a significant change in the stakes of the overall show.

6“One More” Questions Humanity Once Again

Season 10, Episode 19

In this latter installment of the series, Gabriel and Aaron are out on a supply run to help their struggling community. After they stop for the night, they awaken as hostages to a man named Mays, who forces them to play a game of Russian roulette, allowing them to aim at themselves or their companions. Mays gets irritated that they refuse to aim at each other, trying to prove the depravity of people, but eventually releases them before Gabriel decides he’s too much of a risk and kills the man.

IMDb Rating: 7.3/10

“One More” is another exceptional examination of how a world as dangerous as this one makes everyone question their humanity. Gabriel kills a man he deems unfit for civilization, proving their barbaric nature. However, their refusal to kill each other to save themselves is a representation of the sense of loyalty these survivors need to thrive in a world that constantly pits people against each other.

5“Thank You” Offers a Sobering Perspective

Season 6, Episode 3

As a herd of walkers head for Alexandria, a team tries to lure them away while Glenn and Michonne lead a group back to their community. Glenn and Nicholas get separated from the group, eventually getting trapped on top of a dumpster surrounded by walkers. Nicholas thanks Glenn before shockingly deciding to shoot himself in the head, pushing Glenn into the undead swarm.

IMDb Rating: 9.2/10

Nicholas was not a well-liked character, causing Noah’s demise, and he certainly doesn’t have one of the saddest deaths in The Walking Dead. His death served another purpose, which wasn’t solely to shock viewers and make them believe Glenn died as well. This sobering scene points out that not everyone is like the heroes who defy the odds to survive, and not everyone is equipped to withstand the devastation of this deadly world.

4“Still Gotta Mean Something” Is a Brutal Display Of Revenge

Season 8, Episode 14

During “Still Gotta Mean Something,” Rick and Morgan are being held captive by a group of Saviors. When walkers threaten them, Rick offers to help without harming the Saviors. However, after they’re released from captivity, they take down the villains who chose to trust them, unable to give the people the same courtesy.

IMDb Rating: 7.2/10

The Saviors War marked an important shift in the dynamic of the group. Though they were previously forced to kill other people to survive, this battle brought about a new wave of brutality for the survivors. Instead of simply not trusting anyone outside of their circle, they use manipulation to get the upper hand and take down the enemy. This is an important moment for two of the most beloved heroes in The Walking Dead, highlighting how the brutality of other people also made them more barbaric and unforgiving.

3“On the Inside” Is a Horrifying Episode

Season 11, Episode 6

On their own, Connie and Virgil take shelter in a seemingly abandoned house during a storm. However, they quickly realize they’re not alone. Feral people living within the home separate the two and force them to fight for survival. Connie saves herself and Virgil by letting walkers into the house, which quickly overpowers the primitive-like people.

IMDb Rating: 8.6/10

There are few episodes that are as horrifying as “On the Inside.” The show intensified the concept of barbaric people stalking the living as a food resource by placing Connie in their web, who has to survive by her wits due to her inability to hear them in the walls or coming up behind her. This is one of the few moments in which a disabled person is highlighted in The Walking Dead, creating an eerie scenario in which this deaf character is not only disadvantaged but proves to be the hero through her instincts and intelligence.

2“The Distance” Proves There’s Still Hope

Season 5, Episode 11

At this point in Season 5, there is little hope for the group that has withstood the odds and now faces hunger, thirst, and exposure. Their savior comes in the form of Aaron, who tells them about Alexandria and offers them a home. Though Rick is initially hostile toward Aaron, and the group has to battle through a herd of walkers, they eventually end up in the community that will prove to be their home for many years to come.

IMDb Rating: 8.4/10

“The Distance” is all about the lengths people have to go in this post-apocalyptic world to survive. It’s infuriating to see Rick treat Aaron so poorly, but understandable given their experiences with other people. Despite Rick being the supposed leader at this time, the group stands up to him and decides to take the chance at a safe community, emphasizing that the leaders of this world mean nothing without their allies, who choose to follow whoever proves themselves worthy of trust and respect.

1“Alone” Is All About the Importance of Community

Season 4, Episode 13

In “Alone,” Sasha questions Maggie’s desire to find Glenn at all costs, leading to Maggie abandoning Sasha and Bob to keep them safe. However, when they’re reunited, she decides that they’re better together and points out her mission is fruitless because their loved ones are worth the effort. Later, Beth is taken by the Grady Memorial officers, leaving Daryl alone until he reluctantly joins up with the Claimers.

IMDb Rating: 7.9/10

“Alone” has the most important message in The Walking Dead, which is reiterated throughout the series. Sasha finally realizes why community is so important to Bob, who pushes the idea that they’ll be okay if they stay together. Daryl joins a group he knows is bad because at least he won’t be alone. Throughout all the hardship and loss, the survivors always come to the ultimate conclusion that staying with people they care about and trust to build a community is what makes their difficult lives worth it.