After having missed an entire one and a half seasons of The Walking Dead, the withdrawal was horrific, tuning into the season six finale was a bit disconcerting. Apart from the obvious question, “Who does Negan bash with Lucille” (and in the comics we know that it is Glenn’s turn to take the big dirt nap) there is the whole Rick storyline to consider.
No one looked to be doing very well in the last episode. Maggie looks grey, so much so that Walker ash could be her next skin tone. Daryl has been shot and those dark circles under his eyes made him look more corpse than not. Carl (we won’t make fun of Rick’s pronunciation here) has that bandaged eye, although the uncovered one had enough venom in it to kill rattler.
Physical conditions aside, this was a frustrating episode to watch and it was not all down to Rick’s little band being herded into Negan’s hands. Carol (Melissa McBride) goes through her own hell after doing another “Rambo” earlier. Morgan (Lennie James) takes out after Carol and saves her from a fate worse than death; having to listen to her attacker ramble on and on while shooting her occasionally.
Many fans are upset at the cliffhanger ending. Not happy that it looks like Daryl could be the one that Negan (played brilliantly by Jeffrey Dean Morgan who just chews up the scenery with unabashed vigor and vitality) decides to beat to death. A number of fans, who only recently threatened to kick off if Glenn died under that dumpster earlier in the season, are now clamoring for his demise.
Regardless of who gets Lucille, the worst part of the episode was Rick’s look at the end. As Negan gloats over his victory and the gang are all on their knees, Rick’s eyes spoke volumes. Trapped, hopelessness, anger and even fear were reflected in the leader’s eyes.
It was dismaying and upsetting to see this man being overrun by Negan and his crew. However this had to happen eventually as the show is moving ever closer to the comic verse of the series. The Walking Dead has deviated a few times, or more, from Robert Kirkman’s original comic. Creating new characters and opting to let other’s live and altering the time line considerably.
What is interesting to note, over and above the “who bought it debate” is the parallel between Carol and Rick (Andrew Lincoln) as the sixth season drew to a close. Both reached a point where they gave up. Carol prepared to die as her attacker decided to shoot her slowly to death and Rick’s end of the road meeting with Negan leaves him with no one to help him.
It says a lot about The Walking Dead that after a forced abstinence of the show, it took literally moments to get back into the story and into the heads of the characters on-screen. The big question now is just who will end up taking that dirt nap after Negan swings that bat.
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It’s fun to look at all the angles of TWD finale’s and cliffhangers. I remember causing a stir when I surmised that the plate of meat served up at Terminus (long time back) was actually Beth! LOL It made sense to me, at the time…
Here’s a thought. Big swerve: He bashed one of his own followers, just to scare the crap out of EVERYBODY and prove he’s not the kind of psycho anyone wants to fight.
That probably won’t happen, bu that would be interesting, to say the least!