These have trying days for the fans of THE WALKING DEAD as many of them have found the first half of Season 7 not to their liking, beginning with a premier episode that turned out to be maybe the grimmest 90 minutes in TV history as two beloved characters, Glenn and Abraham, had their heads bashed in by the Lucille wielding Negan. After the long hype over the summer, this bleak opening to Season 7 left a very bad taste in the mouths of many long time watchers of the show, one that got even more foul as time went on. Then in the proceeding episodes, the show seemed seriously go off the rails as we got "bottle" episodes featuring only one character (Tara at Oceanside) while others went AWOL – if you are a fan of Carole and Morgan you saw them only once, and after that, the Kingdom and all its plot threads were nowhere to be seen. All of this really tried the patience of many good and faithful DEAD watchers.
More than that, I think many viewers who were not regular readers of the comic book, really did not take to Jeffrey Dean Morgan's Negan; this great villain ruled on the comic page, but on the screen, his cruelty was just way too over the top. To many, the TV version of Negan is no Walter White or Tony Soprano, but a scummy sadist who killed two characters they loved for no good reason. They also didn't like the sight of Rick Grimes as Negan's whipped dog after all he has endured; watching Rick say how high when Negan orders him to jump was at times painful to see.
Happy to say that the mid-season, titled Heats Still Beating, went a long way toward getting things back on track as we followed multiple characters in different locations all work their way to a climax that was satisfyingly upbeat after all we've been through. The central story was still Negan's visit to Alexandria after returning Carl to his home after the kid journeyed all the way to the Saviors' Sanctuary for an aborted attempt to kill the Big Bad. Multiple plot lines worked themselves out as Rosita planned her own assassination attempt with Eugene's home-made bullet, while Spencer plots to stab Rick in the back, as Negan sits back, holds Judith, breaks bread with Carl, plays pool and thoroughly enjoys making everyone sweat. Nothing works out as planned, with really bad consequences for Spencer and potentially worse ones for Eugene. Meanwhile, Rick and Aaron attempt to cross a Walker filled lake to get on a scavenging mission; at the Kingdom, Carole and Morgan listen to a pitch by Richard on the necessity of fighting back against the Saviors; as Michonne is on a revenge trip of her own, one that seems to have been written in just to get her out of the way for most of the episode; at the Sanctuary, Darryl, with the aid of an unseen friend, makes a break for freedom, and luckily for him, Jesus is in the neighborhood. And at the Kingdom, a pregnant Maggie sadly contemplates her life without Glenn.
The heart of the show was the moment at Alexandria when it all hits the fan and Spencer's guts are in the street and Negan just can't help himself and gloriously gloats over all the mayhem he has caused in front of Rick. This is the catalyst for Rick regaining his senses, that and a talk from Michonne. There's a final scene where almost all the gang is back together and the fateful decision is made to fight back. Negan is going to find out who he has been screwing with and though he doesn't know it yet, he's done. He's most definitely done.
But Olivia and Fat Joey, they deserved better.
And who is the man wearing the boots and spying on the compound in the final scene? Maybe the long awaited return of Morales? Or is it one of the Whisperers? They're out there, watching and waiting.
More than that, I think many viewers who were not regular readers of the comic book, really did not take to Jeffrey Dean Morgan's Negan; this great villain ruled on the comic page, but on the screen, his cruelty was just way too over the top. To many, the TV version of Negan is no Walter White or Tony Soprano, but a scummy sadist who killed two characters they loved for no good reason. They also didn't like the sight of Rick Grimes as Negan's whipped dog after all he has endured; watching Rick say how high when Negan orders him to jump was at times painful to see.
Happy to say that the mid-season, titled Heats Still Beating, went a long way toward getting things back on track as we followed multiple characters in different locations all work their way to a climax that was satisfyingly upbeat after all we've been through. The central story was still Negan's visit to Alexandria after returning Carl to his home after the kid journeyed all the way to the Saviors' Sanctuary for an aborted attempt to kill the Big Bad. Multiple plot lines worked themselves out as Rosita planned her own assassination attempt with Eugene's home-made bullet, while Spencer plots to stab Rick in the back, as Negan sits back, holds Judith, breaks bread with Carl, plays pool and thoroughly enjoys making everyone sweat. Nothing works out as planned, with really bad consequences for Spencer and potentially worse ones for Eugene. Meanwhile, Rick and Aaron attempt to cross a Walker filled lake to get on a scavenging mission; at the Kingdom, Carole and Morgan listen to a pitch by Richard on the necessity of fighting back against the Saviors; as Michonne is on a revenge trip of her own, one that seems to have been written in just to get her out of the way for most of the episode; at the Sanctuary, Darryl, with the aid of an unseen friend, makes a break for freedom, and luckily for him, Jesus is in the neighborhood. And at the Kingdom, a pregnant Maggie sadly contemplates her life without Glenn.
The heart of the show was the moment at Alexandria when it all hits the fan and Spencer's guts are in the street and Negan just can't help himself and gloriously gloats over all the mayhem he has caused in front of Rick. This is the catalyst for Rick regaining his senses, that and a talk from Michonne. There's a final scene where almost all the gang is back together and the fateful decision is made to fight back. Negan is going to find out who he has been screwing with and though he doesn't know it yet, he's done. He's most definitely done.
But Olivia and Fat Joey, they deserved better.
And who is the man wearing the boots and spying on the compound in the final scene? Maybe the long awaited return of Morales? Or is it one of the Whisperers? They're out there, watching and waiting.