I could totally be off base here, but it feels to me like they are taking the show in a direction where it can make a clean break, of sorts, with the comic book. Up to this point, the comic has been the foundation of the story for the show. They have made a few changes here and there along the way, but last season they began to make really big changes. In an interview somewhere, it may have been Talking Dead (I don't remember), Robert Kirkman said that he was making changes in the show to "correct errors" he felt he made in the comic. One example of this, was Rick losing his arm during the Governor story arc in the comic book. Obviously, they didn't do that in the show with Rick, but have incorporated something similar with Aaron just recently.
I think the writers want to have the freedom of not being tied to the comic. That's a risky move because they don't want to alienate the original comic fan base, but in truth the show has just about caught up with the comic anyway. So, they can truthfully take it wherever they want at this point. Sure, purist will always cry foul when the story is altered from "the original", but the creators have a bigger vision at this point. We all know the overall goal is to make as much money as they can by using the power of TWD universe to tell as many stories as possible across as many media platforms as possible. We now have the comic, two shows, multiple video games, and movies about Rick in the works. This is much bigger than the comic book at this point. And the target audience has evolved as well. It is no longer a comic based fan base, but instead a TWD universe fan base who immerses themselves into this world across a variety of mediums.
In all honesty, for me, a clean break would be refreshing. I don't like the feeling I get when it looks like they are retreading a comic story point or character onto a different character in the show, i.e. Henry takes over Carl's role, Aaron loses an arm instead of Rick, Michonne becomes a weird hybrid of Michonne and Andrea, Carol takes on elements of Michonne's role, etc. etc.
In order for me to continue to enjoy the show, I'm making a transition of sorts in my mind. Basically, I'm trying to see the show and the comic as completely separate entities. I think of them almost like different dimensions or, for you DC fans out there, multiverses. This way I can enjoy each of them on their own and stop the comparisons that naturally pop into my head. So, for me, bring on the Whisperers and let's get to the point where the show overtakes the comic in terms of timeline. This clean break will help stop the cognitive dissonance that is gnawing away at my ability to just be entertained and to enjoy TWD.
