Kneel Before Negan: Walking Dead Season 7 Review
The Walking Dead Season 7 premiere had all our favorite characters on their knees in front of new villain Negan. Warning: Spoilers Ahead!
I missed the first 10 minutes of the season. I was on a store run to Walgreens but once I got in front of a live TV, I was ready for the season 7 premiere of the Walking Dead. Here’s a review, in case you missed it:
Rick is on the run from a horde of walkers. From what I’ve gathered, he’s on a mission for Negan. He is ordered to retrieve an Ax in time to save the group. Oh the suspense!
Rick hanging on
While on the run, Rick makes it to a RV, where he climbs to the top, lays down next to his retrieved task and reminisce of about the group and their unknown fate. All appear in his vision: his son Carl, his lover Michonne, Maggie, Glenn, Daryl, Sasha, Rosita, Eugene, Aaron and Abraham. As leader, Rick has to do whatever to save them. Rick is snapped out his daydream when a series of bullets from below him cause him to be on the run. He grabs a nearby walker hanging from a noose before falling to the horde. Negan, opens the RV window, shooting at the walkers, saving Rick from death. Did I really miss the point of all of this? Negan could just eliminate Rick right there and enslave his people. Turns out, this exercise is all about making a point, which takes us to…
A commercial break and the many more to follow. I use those times to grab a snack.
Okay, we’re back. Rick dragged from the RV and displayed in front of his crew. We get a preview of what happened. All our favorite characters are back on their knees and the suspense of the Season 6 finale is revealed. Negan takes Lucille (his barbed-wire baseball bat) to Abraham’s head. At this time, I breathe a sigh of relief because as much as I’ve grown an attachment to the main stars, I can live without Abraham. As the muscle of the group, it’s a fact that Abraham contributed to how far the group has come. Abraham doesn’t go without a fight…he tells Negan to “suck his balls” to which he enjoys with a great laugh, long before telling Abraham that he taking his beating like a champ. The group whimpers. You would think the game is over…but wait, there’s more.
Fan favorite, Daryl Dixon, takes a swing at our newest villain. I start to panic…oh no, don’t kill him…Negan compliments Daryl on his bravery, tells his man to restrain him before he takes a whack at…Glenn. That’s right fans, two deaths, one season premiere. As Glenn’s mangled face displays on the screen he musters a few words to Maggie… “I will find you.” Even facing death, Glenn is amazing. I almost thought he was telling Negan he would find him and I almost asked how? But Talking Dead elaborated, Glenn was talking to Maggie. Love is not dead ya’ll, some of you guys need to be more like Glenn.
Glenn escaping death SEASON 6
(sidenote: Glenn escapes death not only once but several times in the series. Ultimately, I thought the dumpster fall was it. No one in the world could survive that, but Glenn did. So it was kind of hard to accept this final death. Although it’s true to the comics, it doesn’t make it any easier).
The group is crying and sobbing. Negan feels that hope is still present. He wants to make sure that all the members know that they belong to them. All the members need to know this, including Rick, but as resilient as he is, he is on his knees but he’s not taking it like a bitch. The show takes it back to the little exercise of the Ax. Negan takes Carl from the line up. He ties his arm with a belt and asks Rick to cut off his kid’s arm. Now, all hope is lost. Rick has to decide, amputate Carl or everyone from the group dies.
“Just do it” – Carl Grimes
Negan gives him less than 30 seconds. No move means everyone dies, a move means his kid is walking around with less body parts. Rick begs, the group begs, there is no negotiation. Carl gives his dad the best look of 2016, he doesn’t have time for this. “Dad, just do it,” he instructs slowly and firmly. Negan begins the count as the guns are aimed at everyone’s head. Rick grabs the Ax, I close my eyes in suspense. Negan stops him, hope is all gone. Carl is saved, the exercise is over. Rick now knows he belongs to Negan and he knows the consequences if he thinks otherwise. Negan takes Daryl as his new crew and leaves the group to their own devices. There is a new world order, kneel before Negan.
Everyone sits in silence. They are left with the RV, broken spirits, surrounded by two headless bodies. Maggie is the first to get up. At this time, I’m pretty sure she miscarried her baby. She can barely stand up and all the stress of what just transpired is weighing heavily on everyone’s heart. Each member of the group try to convince her to stay in place but she gathers her courage to tell them to get ready to start the war on Negan. At this point, I’m trying to figure out how she can still have any hope left. After battling the Governor, Terminus, the Wolves, and the many deaths, the group has been through so much in a short amount of time. Only one decision is made, they carry the remains of Glenn and Abraham to be buried. I see a new person in Rick. Many kudos to Andrew Lincoln. In the beginning of the episode, I saw the Rick that would gather the strength to take down Negan. By the end of the episode, I saw a defeated Rick: his eyes widened, his words shaking, and his will for defiance gone. Looking forward to episode two.
Rick and his group belong to Negan now
Kaye’s Thoughts: good start for a new season. Can’t believe Glenn is finally gone and let’s not forget that Daryl prompted Glenn’s beat down by punching Negan in the face. Negan really shows how far humanity would go in the event of an Apocalypse. Unlike the governor, Negan is methodical, cunning, and patient. He knows how to break people. The most crazy part, Abraham’s blood splat got on Rick’s face. It’s almost as the group’s safe-haven