The Walking Dead Flavour Premiere Recap: Run across the New Boss

The Walking Expressionless

The Mean solar day Will Come When Y'all Won't Exist

Season 7 Episode 1

Editor's Rating 5 stars

>>> Non TO BE USED UNTIL 10/24/16 at 1:00 AM EST <<< Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes - The Walking Dead _ Season 7, Episode 1 - Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC

The Walking Expressionless

The Mean solar day Will Come When You lot Won't Be

Season 7 Episode 1

Editor'south Rating 5 stars

Andrew Lincoln every bit Rick. Photo: Gene Page/AMC

Nonetheless catching your breath? Eyes bloodshot? Hands shaking? Heading into what was arguably The Walking Dead's most anticipated season premiere, in that location were plenty of questions near what the new earth would await like under Negan'south control. But allow'due south be honest: All we really cared near was knowing which character met the business organization end of that spinous-wire-bejeweled baseball bat.

My money had been on Glenn all along, considering how devastating it would be to Maggie, and how fell it would be for the graphic symbol to die at Negan's hand after surviving Glenngate. My very unscientific polling suggested Abraham was the leading runner-upward in the death puddle. But no one saw this 1 coming — a one-two gut-punch that turned the premiere into TWD'due south very ain Red Wedding.

The episode begins post-headbashing, with Rick warning Negan that he'd kill him — not today, not tomorrow, but somewhen. It'southward such a Rick thing to say, and such a bad idea. His threat leads Negan to accept him on a mini road trip that culminates with a game of "Get My Axe." (Negan really enjoys turning mundane tasks similar murder and psychological torture into fun activities. He's basically the world's worst camp counselor.) It's bad enough that Rick is thrown into a fog-shrouded mob of walkers; what's worse is hearing Negan's words: "Bet you thought you were all going to grow former together. Sitting around the tabular array at Sunday dinner and the happily ever after." (That's exactly the future Rick had envisioned.) "No. It doesn't work like that, Rick. Not anymore. Call up most what happened." Aye, all the talk today will exist about those ultra-vehement beatings. But this episode is too about Rick, Negan, and a most unpeaceful transfer of power.

Nosotros're a solid 20 minutes into the episode before Rick is on the roof of the RV, flashing dorsum to the moment when Negan sizes up his group for execution. We see the scene from Rick'south optics and feel his horror as the photographic camera finally pans to reveal who'southward "it" — the Sarge himself. Sasha gasps; Rosita cries. Abraham takes a brutal shot foursquare to the head, falls to the ground, and so rises up defiantly to say, as only the Sarge could, "Suck. My. Nuts." That'south when Negan unloads, swinging Lucille like he'southward trying to ring the bell on a "Test Your Force" carnival game. By the time he'due south finished, at that place's aught left of Abraham's caput. Information technology's another one of those moments when we're reminded that the human violence is far more shocking and repulsive than anything a zombie might do.

To risk speaking even remotely sick of the expressionless, Abraham was not bad — along with Eugene, he'd become the show's most quotable graphic symbol and provided the group with much-needed grit (along with dearest-triangle drama). But no one's taking a ill day to mourn his passing; he simply wasn't effectually long enough. So just as we're beginning to have his demise, TWD goes directly GOT. Daryl tin can't bear to picket Negan torment Rosita and manages to state a haymaker on that sumbitch. Like Rick'southward animadversion, it proves to be a bad move. Every bit Negan explains, he gave them one free pass — when Glenn cried out to defend Maggie in the terminal episode — and Negan is a man of his word. Side by side time someone acts up, he warned, he'll "shut that shit down." And so without warning, he spins and cracks Glenn twice, as anybody (including the states) watches in complete horror. What we come across next is, for me, mayhap the near unsettling scene in the show's history — Glenn's mangled and bloody face, his left eye bulging out of the socket from the force of Negan'due south blows, as he struggles to look at Maggie and sputters, "I'll find yous." I've had a nighttime to sleep on information technology and yet tin can't shake that image.

Negan'south monologue to end the flavour-six finale framed him as a villain you can't help but relish, with his devilish charisma and a Sarge-esque style with words (those ii probably would take been drinking buddies in the old earth). This episode changes that. As if information technology wasn't plenty to bludgeon two of his captives, Negan isn't convinced that Rick fully understands who'southward boss. And then it's time for some other game, this one involving a Sharpie and confusing Carl with the term "southpaw." Rick is given a selection — chop off his son's right arm ("Like a salami piece," advises Negan, "give us something to fold over") or else everyone gets shot point-blank in face, except for Rick, who'll get to live for a few years and call up about what he's done. Andrew Lincoln said that he slept for a week after shooting this episode, and no wonder — in this scene alone, he's crying and spitting and snotting and barely able to speak. Carl tells his daddy to do information technology, and just earlier Rick buries the hatchet, Negan stops him. Rick affirms that he — and by extension, all of Alexandria — belongs to Negan now.

By the hour's end, I was emotionally drained. I barely enjoyed Rick's foggy walker boxing with the gross goiter-zombie, the hanged homo's neck stretching similar putty, or his head chattering abroad on the ground. This episode feels like a series changer, for better or worse. The Governor was a rival who needed to be dealt with, a rabid dog to be put down, simply Negan and the Saviors are fully in control. Nosotros're also left with so many questions: How volition this massacre affect anybody who witnessed it, particularly the pregnant Maggie? What's Daryl'due south fate, now that he's go Negan's plaything? How volition Daryl cope with the fact that his burst led to Glenn'due south death? How volition Rick get his mojo back? Is Carl destined to be the postapocalyptic Charles Manson, as Negan predicted? Tin Alexandria squad up with Hilltop and those torso-armored dudes that Morgan met to dethrone the Saviors?

Nosotros're left to sentinel the heartbreaking scene equally Maggie cries out for retribution, then finally breaks down. Earlier, Rick imagined the dinner scene that Negan teased, with Glenn and his baby breaking breadstuff with Abraham and the rest of the gang. At present they're carrying away what'southward left of their friends and their hope for the future. As Rick drives away in the RV, he sees a walker stumble over and feast on the gore. Rick doesn't blink. Zombies are the least of his worries.

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