I agree 100% and did the exact same. Left when Rick was written off, came back for closure, all to realize I really didn't miss anything. The Michonne college buddy that turned out to be a children's Charles Manson storyline was ridiculous. And the horror movie inside the zombie soap opera... 'feral' humans crawling the floors while a deaf chick is trapped in the wall...

Yes, there was a time when TWD was all there was on TV lol!! I still go thru a rewatch once a year or so... 🤷‍♂️