Ultimately, Richard’s death in the TV show means more than it did in the comics, so I applaud all involved for nailing this big change.
However, that comic death DID bring Shiva into the action, which did not happen in live-action, so maybe it’s a short round of applause.
To do that, though, Morgan had to show the Saviors that he understood their form of extreme corporal punishment by beating and choking Richard to death in front of everyone, an act that went against his “life is precious” mantra.
While fighting the urge to fully return to his pre-Eastman days of “going clear,” Morgan made the decision to carry out the main thrust of Richard’s plot: fooling the Saviors into thinking everything was kosher, so that the real revolution could be planned.