In the backmatter to The Walking Dead Deluxe #83 by Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard, Kirkman answers write-in fan questions while also taking a few pages to discuss/dissect the content of the issue itself. As long-time fans know, The Walking Dead #83 is the issue in which Carl loses his eye, a horrific moment that’s still one of the most shocking. However, as Kirkman himself notes in the backmatter, there’s another scene that’s just as noteworthy: the deaths of Jessie and Ron.

Jessie is a woman who forms a relationship with Rick Grimes, and Ron is her son. In the events leading up to this issue, it seemed as though Jessie, Rick, Ron, and Carl were becoming a new family, as Jessie was very obviously falling in love with Rick – if she hadn’t already fallen in love. But then, as they are walking through a horde of Walkers, covered in zombie guts and skin, Ron and Jessie are torn to shreds – and Rick is forced to say a heartbreaking goodbye.

The Walking Dead: Why Jessie & Ron’s Deaths Were Equal Parts Sad & Brutal

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Rick was the person Jessie trusted not just with her own life, but with the life of her son. Rick’s plan to escape a building they were surrounded in was for everyone to wear ‘Walker ponchos’ and then walk through the crowd of zombies. However, Ron wasn’t mentally prepared for that level of horror, and in his fear, he drew attention to himself and the whole crew. After Ron was bitten, Rick told Jessie to leave him behind, which – as a mother – Jessie simply could not do. Jessie was quickly overtaken by the Walkers just like Ron, all the while calling to Rick, begging him not to leave them there to die.

Unfortunately, Jessie had a firm grip on Carl, and if she wouldn’t let go, Carl would have died there too. So, Rick took his hatchet and hacked away at Jessie’s wrist until she let go of his son. The last thing Jessie saw before being totally consumed by the undead was the man she may have loved violently abandoning her, and her own son getting torn to shreds, scared and screaming.

The Walking Dead is No Stranger to Emotionally Impactful Deaths

The Walking Dead #100 by Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard

While the deaths of Jessie and Ron stand out even in the issue where Carl loses an eye, their deaths were far from the only ones that are emotionally impactful. One of the most brutal and heartbreaking deaths has to be when Glenn is beaten to death in front of Maggie by Negan. While Glenn’s death is one of the most infamous, it’s just another example of how The Walking Dead is no stranger to emotionally impactful deaths, and among them all, the deaths of Jessie and Ron are still notable standouts.

For a series filled with the level of drama and violence like The Walking Dead, it’s a rare accomplishment for one particular scene to stand above the rest for containing the “saddest and most brutal deaths in the series” – an accomplishment that Jessie and Ron can tragically claim.