Major spoilers ahead as The Walking Dead season 7 premiere finally resolves its season 6 finale cliff-hanger…
This review contains spoilers.
Last season left the viewer waiting, blood-stained bat hanging in limbo.
Otherwise, read on past Daphne the spoiler squirrel.
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So what was the point?
Glenn, the character, has been mourned over a year ago.
Abrahams death is perfectly in character.
He takes a shot on the head, wobbles, but doesnt go down.
Hes bloody and bashed and dies a heroic death.
Abraham takes it on the chin and it has emotional impact.
Glenns death, however, isnt heroic.
Glenns had his heroic death; this is Glenns goofy death.
Its supposed to be horrifying.
Negans jokes about it didnt help.
Actually, Negan never stops making jokes, no matter what is going on.
Thats not Jeffrey Dean Morgans fault; he actually gives a great performance as Negan.
Hes swaggering, confident, manipulative, and cruel beyond measure.
Once again, Ricks leadership is found wanting, and his friends have died as a result.
Weve seen Rick like this, and weve seen Daryl like this, and its territory weve explored before.
All the while, Negan is reading him the riot act.
He pulls a gun on Rick, then sends Rick outside to go fetch the hatchet.
It took twenty minutes of screen time forThe Walking Deadto finally end the cliff-hanger.
Its interminable (and, quite frankly, infuriating).
Abrahams execution works; Glenns execution doesnt.
The emotional responses to the murders are fine, except for one.
Maggies response doesnt make much sense.
Perhaps its just poor planning on the part of showrunner Scott Gimple.
Then again,The Walking Deadonly really needs one baby-shaped plot anchor, not two.
The cliff-hanger was a really poor idea.
A show like this doesnt need something to bring people back; its got people watching already.
That was trying to fix something that wasnt broken.
The resolution of the cliff-hanger feels like trying to break something thats not yet broken.
MoreThe Walking Deadchat here.
Read Ronsreview of the previous episode, Last Day On Earth, here.
Find more by Ron daily atShaktronicsandPopFi.
