The following contains references to suicide and self-harm.
Remember Beth Greene on The Walking Dead? She was sweet, innocent, and boy, did she sing show tunes. She also had a signature style, wearing cowboy boots, like the country girl she is. She was never remembered for those things, though, as most people picture her with her unexpected and gruesome death in season five.
The youngest Greene daughter, Beth was an original character on the show (i.e., she never appeared in the comics) introduced in the second season of the series. She was introduced alongside her older half-sister Maggie and their father Hershel. While Beth's storylines were never the most emotional, due to her quiet demeanor, it didn't make her death any less painful and frustrating for reasons entirely different from the death of Carl Grimes.
Updated September 22, 2024 by Katie Doll: Like many deaths on The Walking Dead, Beth's departure came as a shock to fans. Many even called for the sweet country girl's return. Unfortunately, her death was set in stone. This article has been updated to expand on Beth's background and contributions to The Walking Dead, as well as to adhere to CBR's most current formatting standards.
Who was Beth Greene on The Walking Dead?
As sisters, Beth and Maggie Greene were polar opposites.
Beth Greene was the youngest daughter of Hershel and Annette Greene and the half-sister of Maggie Rhee and Shawn Greene. The second season of The Walking Dead She starkly compared Beth and Maggie as two sides of the same coin. They both had a warm side that meant any loss would hit them hard. But while Maggie was fierce and outspoken, Beth was quiet and reserved. When she met the new group of survivors who had moved into her home, she seemed to realize her incompetence as a survivor. She kept to herself and only went out with her boyfriend Jimmy, which made her sink into even more surprising despair.
Beth mirrored her father's emotions a lot, so his renunciation of the world was a signal for her to do the same. She attempted suicide in season two after losing her mother and living with depression. Over the next two seasons, Beth underwent significant character development. Now equipped with a gun, essential survival skills, and new friends willing to protect her, her confidence skyrocketed. Beth and Maggie almost changed sides in the face of tragedy when Hershel lost his leg. Beth was optimistic about Hershel's survival, and Maggie retreated to accept her father's impending death.
Using music to bring light into the darkness, Beth has become one of the greatest beacons of hope in the The Walking Dead group. She became Judith Grimes' guardian while Rick was busy fighting battles with the Governor or upholding his responsibilities as the group's leader. When the fight between Woodbury and the prison was reaching the point of no return, Beth stepped up as a hero to get her group back in line as they were bickering among themselves. During the final fight against the Governor, Beth risked her life to find all the children and bring them to safety. She undoubtedly became someone anyone could trust. She even briefly had a new boyfriend in season 4, but he died in the same episode in a tragic accident. However, she held her head high. It was a sign of growth and maturity, but heaven rarely lasts. The Walking Dead.
How Beth Died in The Walking Dead Season 5
Beth sacrificed herself to help Noah escape
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Beth Greene's Lifespan The Walking Dead |
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First appearance |
Season 2, Episode 2, “Bloodletting” |
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Last appearance |
Season 5, Episode 8, “Coda” |
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Age of death |
18 |
Beth wasn't exactly what many would call “prepared for the apocalypse.” She certainly had to adapt to the ever-changing world built without laws, but she didn't do it quickly. The love her family and others gave her gave her the motivation to survive, especially in the events of season five when she was separated from them.
In The Walking Dead Season 4, Beth was separated from Daryl after their expedition to find her an appropriate alcoholic drink turned into a friendship-building exercise. She was kidnapped by a group of former officers who ran a hospital in Atlanta, where she worked as a ward that was supposed to fend off perverts and selfish lawmen. Beth had to develop a new side of herself with leader Dawn and the police.
At the same time, she had to act as a hero to the people the cops were trampling, while also playing by Dawn's rules to stay alive. Her ability to keep a straight face and belief in herself showed how much Beth had grown from the teenager who flinched at the slightest sign of trouble in season two. When the time came for her and partner Noah to escape, Beth was crushed in the process. But seeing Noah escape made her smile, as she was willing to give up her own freedom to free him.
When Rick and his team came to rescue her in Season 5, Episode 8, “Coda,” Dawn asked Noah to take the place of Beth, who Beth had become friends with. Beth glared at Dawn, telling her, “I get it now,” — either in the sense that she knew Dawn was using her as a submissive substitute for power or that Beth now understood what she had to do to survive — before attempting to stab her. The attack prompted Dawn to shoot Beth in the headwhich Dawn later seemed to sincerely regret.
Beth's unexpected death changed the course of The Walking Dead
Already existing in a world almost without hope, the TWD survivor's lost hope with the death of Beth
After Beth's death, The Walking Dead took a dark and hopeless path. The survivors were skeptical of empty promises, and although they tried to survive, many of them had little reason to actually live. Another character who brought levity to the series, Tyreese Williams, died in the following The Walking Dead episode, continuing that darkness. Beth and Tyreese were the last losses of innocence that broke the survivors, making them lose hope for humanity as a whole.
Particularly, The Walking Dead explored grief in various ways after Beth's death through Maggie and Daryl. Maggie, the last living member of her family, was consumed with misery after being promised that her sister was alive, only to find her dead. Daryl suffered from the feeling of having failed to protect Beth, even going so far as to self-harm by burning himself with a cigarette. The two shared the same pain, firmly believing that now that Beth was gone, the world was completely irredeemable. While decidedly depressing, The Walking Dead he needed this period of pessimism to compensate for the carefree nature of the future Alexandria.
“I'm not Michonne. I'm not Carol. I'm not Maggie. I survived and you don't understand that because I'm not like you or them. But I did it and you can't treat me like shit just because you're scared.”
Maggie and Daryl both kept Beth's memory alive years after her death. Daryl wore her shoelaces around his boots, and Maggie kept a painting of Beth hanging at Hilltop. Although it's not explicitly mentioned, Maggie's son, Hershel Jr., is more like Beth than anyone else: he has the same musical talent as Beth, and there's no doubt that Maggie sees her little sister in her son. It may have been frustrating to watch Beth casually make a move that ended her life, but in retrospect, it was the right move for the series at its peak.
Beth's forgotten legacy represented the frenetic nature of the Apocalypse
Maggie was forced to move on quickly after Beth's death
Daryl and Maggie kept Beth's memory alive by transforming their cynical worldview into a more optimistic one in later seasons. But their actions don't justify the fact that Beth was largely ignored after The Walking Dead Season 5and especially after season 7. When Judith grew up, no one ever mentions how much Beth took care of her as a child when her biological mother died and her father was away for a while. Maggie only tells Daryl in season 10 that she told stories about her family, including Beth, to Hershel so he would know her family. But there were already inclinations in season 4, after the governor's attack on the prison, that Maggie cared more for Glenn than for her sister. After Glenn's brutal death in The Walking Dead Since Negan, Maggie's entire existence has been shrouded in grief for Glenn. Maybe it's because she shares a son with Glenn, but everything she does is in his memory.
One argument for Maggie never mentioning Beth is that the timing of her death occurred during a trying time in the lives of the survivors. The time span between seasons 5-8 is just under a year, which means dozens of people died in that time, including Abraham, Glenn, Tyreese, and Sasha. Maggie's life has also changed a lot; she found out she was pregnant, her husband had died, and she became the leader of the Hilltop. Maggie had to quickly adapt to the breakneck speed of the apocalypse. It's still a little weird how Maggie never mentions her, even years later when things have calmed down but people were forced to move on quickly to survive. The only reason Maggie can never come to terms with Glenn's death is that his killer is still alive and psychologically torturing her, while Beth's killer was killed instantly. Maybe Maggie got the closure she needed over time. Beth played a pivotal role in the group that changed the lives of some survivors for the better, but ultimately she was just another victim of the apocalypse's lack of mercy towards humanity.
The Walking Dead is available to stream on Netflix.