It felt like an eternity but it’s finally time for The Walking Dead season 7 premiere! The last we saw the Alexandrians, they had been captured by the Saviors, forced to kneel in front of Negan (that’s kind of his thing) and been informed they now worked for him. To make his point perfectly clear, he pulled out Lucille (his baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire) and beat someone to death. Since this is The Walking Dead, they decided to make us wait six and a half months to find out who died. So why am I excited for tonight? Sometimes my love for this show confuses me. And the scary part is I’ve been warned that finding out who got Eeny Meeny Miny Moe-ed won’t be the most heart wrenching event of the evening. Sigh. If this show wasn’t so good I’d walk away right now. We all know that isn’t going to happen so let’s jump right in (well, as soon as I get my emotional support dog firmly in place).
Rick is dazed with a streak of blood across his cheek. He looks the most scared I’ve ever seen him. It’s not fun being powerless in the face of pure evil. But he hasn’t given up yet. “I’m gonna kill you,” he rasps. Negan can’t believe what he heard so Rick repeats it, louder. “Not today. Not tomorrow. But I’m gonna kill you.” I’d say he’s just being cocky but he made the same promise to Gareth in season six (red handled machete, anyone?) and he followed through shortly after. But Negan isn’t worried. He has a plan. He asks for Rick’s weapon (this time an axe) and drags Rick into the RV. On the way, we get a gratuitous close-up of the as yet unnamed pool of blood (don’t worry, we haven’t forgotten). Negan throws Rick to the floor, stabs the ax into the table and starts the RV. He taunts Rick that his only chance is to grab the axe and take him out now. “Grab the damn axe!” Rick does but Negan pulls a gun on him. “Drop it.” Negan seems to be an expert at mind games. Give them hope and take it away. Wash and repeat. As they start to drive away, Negan instructs him, “I want you to think about what could have happened. Think about what happened. And think about what can still happen.”
They stop driving and Negan tells Rick that he belongs to Negan. That the people back there belong to Negan. That Rick’s axe belongs to Negan. He opens the door, tosses the axe into the zombie filled fog and orders Rick to go get his axe. When Rick just sits there stunned, Negan waves a blood covered Lucille under his nose and repeats, “Get my axe.” As Rick is fighting his way through walkers, without a weapon, he sees memories of his friends: Rosita, Glenn, Eugene, Aaron, Abraham, Maggie, Daryl, Michonne, Carl. Overwhelmed, he climbs on top of the RV. He realizes that Negan brought him to the bridge where the Saviors hung a man in warning. This is enough to bring him to his knees. But Negan isn’t done with him. “Bet you thought you were all going to grow old together, sitting around a table at Sunday dinner and happily ever after. No. It doesn’t work like that, Rick. Not anymore. Think about what happened.”
And we’re back to the Eeny Meeny Miny Moe moment. Negan is walking around the circle, choosing who he is going to kill. We see him stick the bat in everyone’s face. Who will it be? It’s Abraham! He brings the bat down hard on his skull but Abraham gets back up. And in typical Abraham fashion, he has to have the last word. “Suck. My. Nuts.” So Negan hits him again. Sasha and Rosita are besides themselves but no one can do anything. They know if they move an inch Negan will kill them too. It’s heartbreaking. Negan continues to pound Abrahams skull. He’s having fun. All of the Alexandrians are openly weeping. Sasha’s body jerks with each thump. Negan flings some of Abraham’s blood across Rick’s cheek. Then he sticks his bloody bat in Rosita’s face. He points out that there was a reason Abraham had to die. “He just took one (or six or seven) for the team. So take a damn look.” He waves the bat in her face again. “TAKE A DAMN LOOK.”
Finally Daryl can’t contain himself anymore. He jumps up and punches Negan. No! He already warned you about that. Is he going to kill Daryl now too? Noooo! Negan has the same response I did. “That is a no no. The whole thing. Not one bit of that shit flies here.” Dwight asks if he should kill Daryl but Negan has other plans for him. “Nah. We don’t kill that. Not until you try a little.” They drag Daryl away. Negan reminds them that he warned them about trying anything. “Now I don’t know what kind of lying asshole you been dealing with but I’m a man of my word. First impressions are important. I need you to know me. So, back to it.” And he slams Lucille down on Glenn’s head. What?! Oh my god! What the fuck?! Ahhhhhh! This is too much! Not Glenn. Not now. His face is bloody and an eyeball has popped out but he sits back up anyway. He’s trying to speak. “Maggie, I’ll find you…” Negan apologizes for how hard this is on everyone but explains that he did warn them. And then he finishes Glenn off. Thwack. Thwack. Thwack.
Rick remembers all of this as he lies on top of the RV. Negan points out that everyone else doesn’t have to die. “Get me my axe. GET ME MY AXE.” By this point the RV is swarmed by walkers so when Negan starts shooting through the roof the only thing Rick can do is cling to the hanging walker. As the walkers on the ground tear at his swinging feet his extra weight starts to pull the head off the hanging walker. Right before he falls to the ground, Negan shoots a clear spot for Rick and he’s safe for a moment. “Clock is ticking, Rick. Think about what can still happen.” Rick sees Rosita get hit with the bat, then Sasha, Eugene, Aaron, Maggie, Daryl, Michonne, Carl. He can’t let them die so he finds the axe and fights his way back to the RV. But the door is locked. Another mindfuck. Finally, Negan opens the door, shoots a bunch of walkers and Rick scrambles in. He hands the axe to Negan but if looks could kill, Negan would explode in a ball of flames.
They head back to the circle and Negan continues to play mind games. He cleans the axe with rubbing alcohol and hands it to Rick. “I think you’re gonna need it. I just got a feeling.” I’ve got a feeling this isn’t going to end well. Negan explains that they took that roadtrip because of the way Rick looks at him. “But you’re still looking at me the same damn way. Like I shit in your scrambled eggs. And that’s not gonna work. So, do I give you another chance?” Rick stutters out a yes but I’m terrified what another chance means to Negan. He warns Rick that what he does next will decide if everyone lives or dies. Then he calls Carl over. He puts a tourniquet on Carl’s arm and pushes him to the ground. He draws a line on Carl’s arm and tells Rick to chop it off. Are you kidding me? Michonne pleads with Negan to stop. “You don’t have to do this. We understand.” But Negan doesn’t think Rick gets it yet. So Rick begs Negan to cut his arm instead. Not good enough. Rick can’t make himself do it. Negan starts counting down and Rick is blubbering. He gets to “one” and Rick grabs Carl’s hand. Carl realizes it’s the only way and tells his dad to do it. Rick picks up the axe and just as he’s about to swing Negan stops him. “You answer to me. You provide for me. You belong to me. Right?” Rick repeats it. He’s broken. Negan won. “That is the look I wanted to see.” Happy with his success, Negan loads Daryl into a truck. “He’s got guts. Not a little bitch like someone I know. I like him. He’s mine now.” He tells the Alexandrians he’ll be back in a week to collect his dues and the Saviors leave.
Finally alone, the Alexandrians have a moment for all of the horror to sink in. Their lives have changed. Nothing will ever be the same again. Maggie is the first to get up. She stumbles over to Glenn’s body. Rick tries to comfort her but she pushes him away. She no longer cares about seeing the doctor. She wants to return home so they can prepare to fight the Saviors. No one even knows what to say to her. “They have Daryl,” Rick reminds her. “They have an army. We would die. All of us.” Maggie demands that everyone leave. She thinks she can get home by herself but she can barely stand. And then the truth comes out. “You were out here for me.” She’s not blaming Rick, she’s blaming herself. Sasha goes over to Rosita and Abraham’s body. “I’m gonna take him. That’s what I’m gonna do.” Rosita agrees. They make peace over their shared loss. Aaron, Carl and Rick ask Maggie to allow them to carry Glenn’s body. “He’s our family too.” She finally breaks down in Carl’s arms. As they carry Abraham and Glenn to the RV, we hear Negan tell Rick, “Bet you thought you were all going to grow old together, sitting around a table at Sunday dinner and happily ever after. No. It doesn’t work like that, Rick. Not anymore.” And we see them all sitting around a table, sharing food. Glenn is there,holding his son. Abraham is laughing next to Sasha. And then Glenn and Abraham smile at each other. But the fantasy fades as Rick bends down to pick up his axe. That’s not their future. Not anymore.
Next week: Morgan wheels a recovering Carol around the Kingdom. He wants them to return to Alexandria once she’s feeling better but she still wants to be left alone. Hopefully we meet the tiger. I really need to meet the tiger after tonight’s episode.
I fast forwarded most of the episode, so recap filled in the horrifying gaps. Thanks LC! I need that tiger too.
It is amazing how much you can love and despise a man at the same time. Jeffrey Dean Morgan is killing it with his character. No pun intended. I have always loved him since his Supernatural days. He is absolutely amazing.
Sont forget denny on greys anatomy!!
He’s a bit too smarmy for my taste
The best (and worst) villain we’ve had!
I’m a huge fan and yet I feel duped/tricked. The show is good enough without these gimmicks. I don’t know if I should continue to watch. The writing was so good on this show and now I feel that these tricks have devalued the stories.
That’s how I felt after Glenn died/didn’t die last season so I get it. But I think they’re taking us somewhere with this. It was a horrible episode but also incredibly done. As heartbroken (and stunned) as I am, I’m hooked.
I’ll probably just read the recaps from now on hahaha but I’ve been saying this since last season and can’t stop watching.
I agree Lady C…
My husband and I curled up into the fetal position after Glen was killed. Of all people Glen! He’s avoided death so many times, and he was the first person Rick met after he woke up from the coma. Aaahhhh! Great recap!
I wholeheartedly agree with your reaction but Glen wasn’t the first person Rick met after his coma, Morgan and his son were the first people Rick encountered.
I really enjoyed your recap Lady C. This episode was too brutal for me, it left me sick at my stomach. Glen was my favorite next to Rick. I was a Darrell fan but he is too greasy and nasty looking nowadays, let the man get a trim and a bath. The show has lost a piece of its heart and that is sad. I will still watch but I will no longer be vested in the characters. It has become just another cartoon show now. I will say I thought the acting by Andrew Lincoln was outstanding. Eugene hiding his face at the horror of it all was a great touch. I need me some Carol time and soon.
I have this on dvr but after reading this I don’t think I am going to watch this season. I hated the show during the “Governor” storyline, and this sounds even worse. I don’t like a lot of blood and gore. I prefer the storylines about the relationships between the characters. Plus I don’t want to watch my celebrity crush Jeffrey Dean Morgan playing a bad guy.
Oh, but he’s such a great bad guy! The epitome of love to hate, hate to love.
I love me some Jeffrey. You have to watch just for his amazing acting. His hotness also helps.
I am going to miss Abraham’s one liners desperately….and Glenn, just no words. I knew it was coming but that doesn’t make it easier. Horrible to see Rick and the group so broken down, I think this season is going to be very tough to watch.
YES! Abraham’s one liners were awesome. “Mother D#*k”, “Son of a D*#k” …..
Dolphin smooth!
Yea. This is no fun anymore. Brutality and sadism. Not my cup of tea.
I’m with you, Katherine 2.0. I was a TWD fan from the teaser/previews for SEASON 1, but I started BACKING AWAY from it last season and after last night – which in my mind was sadistic torture porn – I AM OUT. This is just my opinion, but this show is BETTER than falling back on the same story lines all the time – increasingly sadistic villains with omniscient power who torture, kill, menace and emotionally snap Rick’s mind for the 278th time before eventually being conquered by the Grimes Gang over a mounting body count. I liked this show when it was more allegorical. I also know it sounds strange to finally break with it over violence, but I think the difference is in the NATURE of the violence now.
That’s exactly the issue. Well said, SLM.
I also think that when this show was at its finest, it transcended the genre (and don’t get me wrong, I’m not putting down the genre of zombies – I love a great zombie movie or tale, that’s what first drew me to the show). The writing, acting, character studies and evolving relationships used to spin a great dramatic yarn for us while also giving us the thrill of a zombie infested landscape. It was gory and violent, but a lot of it still felt a bit cartoony enough to shock but not traumatized and assault us as viewers. Now I feel like it’s a gone down a path where they are using unrelenting sadism and brutality as their stock “twist,” only now it’s predictable and morally stomach churning. Not to mention, is EVERYTHING in this universe ALWAYS about Rick?! We get about 3 minutes out of that episode to see the reaction of those who were closest to Abraham and Glen (Sasha, Rosita and Maggie) and 40 minutes of Rick’s mental aftermath. I think I could respect the writers if these constant breakdowns and obliterations of Rick’s sanity went somewhere, but he always miraculously “snaps out of it” at some point (either after exacting revenge in some Beserker fashion or after a heart to heart with another character, as in his talk with Hershel after Lori’s death, which REALLY stretched credibility because if Rick were at the point of hallucinating and hearing voices, does he really just “get better” after a few sit downs with the wise old doc???) until the next time, so they carry no emotional weight anymore. Also, once again, if I were a fan of torture porn, I’d watch movies from the Hostel franchise or Saw, but I am NOT and I expected more out of this show than to devolve into this. Just my opinion. Not asking anyone to agree with it.
Well said.
I know we’re all feeling bruised ((hugs)) but I’m excited for this season. Don’t give up hope. We might be broken but we’re not lost. And it’s going to be so satisfying to watch Maggie eventually kill Negan (just my theory).
I hope you are right Lady C. Maggie certainly deserves the satisfaction. I’ve been unable to watch until a little while ago. I feel sick about losing Glenn. But very happy that the season has started and as equally happy that you are recapping. Thanks for another job well done. As always…we appreciate you!
Great words Lady!
Hopefully the viewers look past this episode’s gruesomeness. Ezeqiel, Negan, and Jesus have a whole new world to show us.
This is a show I have enjoyed watching with my teenage sons. I was just sickened last night and thought what mother allows their kids to watch this? While zombies have always been gruesome to watch, this was a whole new level of violence. I did not even remotely enjoy, at all.
Soooo much better than watching! Thanks
I was and still am absolutely devastated. I recoiled in terror all the while screaming ‘No, not Abraham’. Then just when I was getting over the shock, Negan killed Glenn. I honestly couldn’t say anything. I realized I was crying when hubs handed me some tissues. I have no idea what’s going to happen the rest of the season, but I’m all in. They’ve got to avenge them.
My husband had to ask me to sit down. I didn’t realize I had gotten up and walked to the tv. I’m not sure what I was thinking I was doing…he was probably worried I was going to break the tv.
I’m out, y’all.
Even though I knew the writers were setting us up for Glenn’s death, their efforts did not soften the blow (no pun intended) for me. I have zero interest in watching anymore. I feel like this show is just way too heavy now. I don’t care what happens to the rest of the characters… not even my favorite gray haired shero, Carol. I’m done. I’m just emotionally tapped out.
Beautifully recapped, Lady C! Thank you so much!
This time, I was GLAD I was unable to watch. I didn’t think it could get any worse than the revolving door death. I was wrong.
But the writing on this show is amazing! I love the way they did this episode. Of course, if I had actually seen it, I may have felt differently.
But for months, we have been wondering if we were losing Glenn, as in the comics storyline. When reading that Abraham was chosen, I relaxed a little. Whew! Glenn is safe!
Then, they shocked me by killing Glenn, too.
I’m IN! Looking forward to the next recap!
Man, how utterly tragic. Not Glenn! Abraham I understood, his character had basically nowhere else to go, and to be blunt about it I didn’t much care for that character, and the way the actor portrayed him. I always viewed that character as pointless.
And for a few minutes there I managed to convince myself that the killing was done, and all of my favorites were safe. I confess an immense sense of relief actually at that point, but they stole that moment from me quickly enough.
I was watching Talking Dead once and on of the writers, or one of the producers said that a gruesome death for cast members was a badge of honor. The problem with that is that at some point it becomes too much. After how brutally Glenn died, I mean seriously where do they go from here?
You don’t name a bat Lucille (I only just realized it’s probably named for Lucille Ball for her flaming red hair, and the frequency with which blood drips from it) and call her vampire after killing two main characters and not have Lucile turned against you in some way, so I’m guessing Lucile is going to be used to kill him eventually.
Hopefully quickly. I’m just seriously gutted by Glenn’s death. I so very much hoped he would make it the end of the show, but even still he’s so much a part of the show I don’t think I could think of the show and forget about him, as I have other characters already.
Damn it they’ve got me upset over this one!
Jeffery Dean Morgan has shared that Lucille is named after Negans wife and hopes the producers give the audience the back story.
I sure hope so.
I love Jeffery as an actor. I am confident he wouldnt have taken this role if it wasnt rich in story. He promises Negan will be one of the most beloved villains we’ll love to hate.
Im in.
I hope not, and I hope the Lucille Ball flaming red hair/blood version takes off because it also works with Ball and bat. that’s a lot more interesting than it’s named after his wife unless maybe she was a real ball buster.
Yeah it looks like it’s going to be a crazy season.
I just read an interview with Jeffrey Dean Morgan discussing how horrendous filming this episode was for him and the rest of cast. He said it was emotionally exhausting and at one point he didn’t want to do it anymore. Then he goes on to say that Negan has more to his character than just being a sadistic killer. He hopes that the audience will get to a point where they “love to hate, not just hate, Negan”. I just don’t understand if even the cast couldn’t stomach this episode, why did production take it so far?
Also, Teresa, what kind of sick, twisted writer freaks want us to come to feel some level of love for a character who sadistically and graphically BEAT TO DEATH two of the show’s protagonists IN GRAPHIC DETAIL to make a point?? And did anyone else notice that AMC censored Negan’s curse words, but showed us the simulated destruction of two living humans’ heads without flinching??? I kind of felt violated by them.
I agree completely. It was too much and I even changed the channel before Glen. I read the comics until this point and that was nothing compared to the show. They should be ashamed and I hope the ratings take a plummet.
It’s either they jumped the shark or their claim that this was necessary for the reset. Jury is still out for me, but leaning toward the former.
I’ve been having this very discussion with all my friends since Sunday who’ve been TWD fans. I completely understand that this follows much of the comic universe, as so many of my friends defending the premiere keep telling me, but I think it’s a BS excuse. This show from the beginning prided itself on taking the graphic series as a start point and expanding on it. Also, they’ve deviated quite a bit from the TWD comicverse, so to try to defend themselves now about what happened as they were trying to follow that series doesn’t hold. Also, the details of what actually happened aren’t even the same from graphic to episode. For clarity, I never read any of the graphic series until maybe two years into the show and only in parts at request of friends who did. I have been informed quite heavily by friends, though, of differences in the comic versus show, so I have some knowledge in this, but not comprehensively.
They do this to further develop the characters.
I kind of “get” what is going on with all of this brutality. They are really are “into” the special effects. There is a whole cadre of people that pride themselves on how grotesque/real they can make the zombies. Well, that is apparently getting kind of tiring for them and they are now focusing on the main characters getting special effects. On Talking Dead they showed how they did the makeup on Glenn and Abraham. They were so proud of the way they made Glenn’s left eye look gruesome etc. They are so used to it they don’t realize how really real/shocking it is for us when we don’t see the work that goes into it like they do.
I quit reading the comics at this point, and I’ll probably quit watching the show now too. I had to change the channel after the first whack that Abraham got- I already knew what was going to happen, I predicted that Abraham and Glen would die, and that they would take Daryl. My friend watched at 9 and confirmed I was right. So that means that not only has the show become predictable, but for the first time ever I had to change the channel because the show was too disgusting. I was crying after Abraham. I know we’re not supposed to like Neagan, but it goes beyond that with me- he just gets on my last nerve. Yeah, everything is yours. Jesus Christ. Why any of them would choose to stay in Alexandria, idk. But I don’t think I’ll be staying either. Never thought I’d see the day when I liked the spin off show better than the original- but it has happened.
When describing the impact of this episode, these words begin spashing into mind:
Disgusted. Violated. Drained. Emotional. Broken. Shocked. Horrified. Hurt. Loyal. Mourning. Devistated. Shaken.
And still, the story has jolted into another hemisphere and although gruesome, the story is not always this dramatic. I am….
Intrigued. Curious. Amazed. Invested. Excited…
I am a loyal Walking Dead fan. All of these comments that confirm that the audience was hit in the jugular speaks to the acting, writing, special effects, music, and production magic…
I too dont agree with the level of graphic voilence but i respect the craft of this team and cast. I understood where the audience needed to go. I accepted that Rick needed something this traumatic in order for the series to shift its power. Recalling storylines from the graphic novel, I know that this event evolves a lot of the cast dramatically.
It’s genius. v
They have also said that the more graphic the death, the more beloved the character AND the actor.
Remember when Glenn had the flu? He said on “The Talking Dead”: “Please don’t have Glenn die from the flu. He deserves a better send off than that.”
Or something to that effect.
I totally respect your opinion, Cat. I just can’t find any personal justification anymore for watching this show. Despite what they say, this was an exercise in straight up sadism and I felt assaulted by it as a viewer. What if Negan had done the same thing – in gory, brutal, simulated detail – to say, Sasha and Maggie? Or Baby Judith? Would people still be defending it as a necessary, exciting twist? Would they talk about just loving to hate Negan? In my opinion, NO. I also don’t agree that this whole thing is an attempt at character development – we’ve seen all these characters broken down, brutalized and snapped before. Many times. Especially Rick, who I think has spent half the last two seasons covered in blood with a patented look of madness in his eye. It’s redundant to me. I loved this show when it was brave and original. Simulating the pulverizing of two characters we know to be good people while they are restrained in from of those they love and care about isn’t brave it’s sick.
Right!?
For steven to ask gimple not to give that death to anyone else speaks volumes about the power of death in this story. I get that Abraham being part of Glens death sequence was just to throw off the audience from the graphic novel. Still maybe we should still have Denise and have let red take the arrow back at the train tracks so that Glen didnt have to share this glory. Glen was there since day 1. Abraham, no matter how charasmatic, was introduced way later.
In other TWD talk, did any one notice all the hidden gems?
Steven Yeun (Glen) and Micheal Cudlitz (Abraham) names in the opening credits spaz out and no one else in the cast had there name effects tampered with. After the show removed steven’s name from the dumspter scare to through off the audience, i always pay attention to the opening credits. That was no coincidence.
The dinner table flash dream forward had four candles on the table and only two were lit. theres always easter eggs on this show. are two more deaths coming this season from this table!?!
Carl was a bit relaxed. Was he intrigued by Negans power? Maybe the acting is not as strong as the adult counterparts but i caught him staring almost mystified by Negan.
Anyone else notice others???
I have always wondered if Carl would turn evil. There’s something about that character….