#BringBethBack Makes Waves With Their Change.org Petition

"I am strong" are words that have become synonymous with Beth Greene, and her death in the mid-season finale of The Walking Dead has produced a similarly strong reaction from fans around the world. So much so that they have created a petition by the name Bring Beth Back in order to, well... Bring Beth back. Too crazy to work? "It wouldn't kill you to have a little faith", they might say.

In AMC's hit show The Walking Dead's mid-season finale this week, we said goodbye to Beth Greene.

Wait. Another mid-season finale that resulted in the untimely death of a member of the Greene family?

Sound familiar?

But it's not just the mid-season finale's reuse of the plotline from last season's mid-season finale that has fans up in arms.

Beth was a beloved character; quiet, yes. In the background while others danced in the spotlight, maybe. But Beth Greene, in her own words, was "strong". In a world full of walking meatbags intent on making her their hors d'oeuvre, Beth never lost her ability to see beauty in life, no matter how short and thankless life in The Walking Dead always proves itself to be.

Such was the case with Beth. After being separated from her family since last season, she was finally reunited with them, only to have life stolen from her at the last second.

Critics are calling the episode "contrived", the characters' actions "out-of-character", and most significantly, Beth's death "a way to further Daryl's story".

And it would seem that the fans agree.

One dedicated fan created a petition on Change.org, creatively titled Bring Beth Back. As of this posting, the petition has 19,876 signatures from fans around the world.

Said one petitioner, "You've spent so much time building this fantastic character from "just another dead girl" to someone that despite everything, has made it. It just seems to be an unbelievable choice that after all of that development, you just wrote her off as what so many accused her of being at the beginning. You turned [her] back into just another dead girl when her story hadn't even begun yet and I think something, at least an explanation, is owed. There is a respect and a trust between writer and audience and you violated it."

The sentiment is one held by many of the petitioners who left comments.

But another fan brings up an interesting point.

Beth Greene, as you may know, began her story as a mousy, quiet farmgirl who, unable to cope with the darkness of the world, decided to take her life. Ultimately, she chose to live. She overcame her depression and (over the course of seasons three and four) eventually became a beacon not only her family and friends, but viewers around the world. To them, if Beth could survive and overcome her tribulations, why couldn't they?

Due to the sensitive nature of the comment that inspired the above (as it is attached to their name and involves topics such as self-harm), the comment itself will be withheld from this article.

Whatever the reason, Beth fans everywhere are rallying to her aid, despite knowing her as the girl who saves herself.

You can see the petition for yourself here.

Edit: It seems the above link is broken; the link to the petition is as follows:

https://www.change.org/p/the-walking-dead-bring-beth-back