I don't have confidence in it either anymore. The death of Carl was the final nail in the coffin. I think it could manage to "kind of" be good again if it tried, but it will be forever overshadowed by the potential it threw away. It will never be what it could have. The writers have an uncanny way of manipulating viewers and then making the same old mistakes again. They never should have outed Darabont. He knew what he was talking about when he criticised AMC and the writers years ago. He knew this would happen.
To be fair, the comic book hasn't reached any hints of end-game either. Kirkman says he has one in mind, but when it happens will be anyone's guess. TV shows can be successful enough to continue for years. The Walking Dead won't be one of them at this rate.
I think the actors know it. Andy, Danai, Lauren appear to be looking elsewhere or talking about it. They will jump ship when they can! It's a shame. Perhaps The Walking Dead from this point in the show will be adapted better in film version one day in the future, and do right by this arc.
I'm not okay if they kill Maggie. I would rather Maggie walked off into the sunset in search of a better life, with her child. Fans often say "they should kill them" or "I'm okay with it", and then when it happens they realise it was a bad idea. Look at Carl. Enough with the lazy "let's kill them off then" concept.
And I'm not a fan of Dante/Alden in both mediums either. But as per usual these days, the show will adapt it in a way that makes you hate it even more. Why can they not do one thing right these days?
I didn't give a flying f**k about Carl really, so it didn't really impact with me. Danai starred in two big Marvel movies and got even nominated for a saturn award for black panther, so yeah, she has good chance, plus she's an Tony-award winning playwright.
Lauren has also a big movie role coming up, Mile 22, directed by Peter Berg and starring Mark Wahlberg. Good chance it might give her some more box office mojo and maybe even acclaim, as she plays an "cold CIA-oprative, who's also a mother"(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZepU2ARP58).
The show went downhill since Terminus in my opinion. The moment they were together in that train-cart, all together was epic, and then they just blew past it and split up again!