( CNN ) -- `` The Walking Dead 's '' midseason finale on Sunday - watched by a staggering 14.8 million viewers - was about as intense as it gets . There was Abraham 's army returning to the church in just the nick of time and Rick putting down a cop who would n't stop running . Beth pushed yet another cop , the threatening O'Donnell , down an elevator , and Morgan found his way back to the church just as our group of survivors left it . But all of that action paled in comparison to the big , heartbreaking exchange at Grady Memorial Hospital ( and if you went to the show 's official Facebook or Instagram right afterward , you know what happened ) . Carol and Beth had finally been reunited with their people when Dawn demanded that Rick return her former ward , Noah . Rick objected , but Noah decided to go back . And then it happened : One of Dawn 's comments set Beth off , leading to an altercation that ended with Dawn shooting Beth in the head . It was a shocking , tragic end for a beloved character . The look on Daryl 's face as he carried Beth 's body , followed by the anguish on her sister Maggie 's face , said it all . One year after we saw the death of patriarch Hershel , the Greene family had lost someone else . Viewers struggled to come to terms with the character 's death on Twitter . `` If Daryl cries , you know it was a bad night on # WalkingDead . # RIPBeth , '' said Travis Radina . Christopher Cross did n't know how he was going to get through the work day after that death . Megan Mobley was `` Still crying because Walking Dead . '' Ken Jeong of `` The Hangover '' and `` Community '' summed it all up with `` Crying . '' So what can we expect next ? Unfortunately , fans will have to mull over this episode for a while , as `` The Walking Dead '' does n't return to AMC until February . What did you think of the finale ?
`` The Walking Dead '' aired its midseason finale Sunday . It was intense and tragic . But it also had a lot of humor, which is what makes the show so great.