The season finale of "The Walking Dead" had me feeling all types of emotions – and happiness wasn’t one of them. If I've learned anything, it's that Negan is one organized, power-hungry, bad mamma jamma. Rick and the crew thought that they could one-up Negan and maneuver quietly to the Hilltop to get Maggie some medical attention, but the Saviors obviously were running the show.
Meanwhile, Morgan found Carol wasting away on a stoop and tried to save her life, an act that she wasn’t too fond of at all. Carol is convinced that the only way to avoid killing is through isolation, but is that true? Seems to me like being by yourself brings nothing but difficulty; the moment Carol removed herself is the moment she was forced to gun people down.
Nevertheless, Morgan was forced to pay for his decision to keep Rick from killing the injured guy that slipped through Carol’s fingers. After taking such a long stance on refraining from killing, he ends up having to kill someone anyway – and the fact that it was to save Carol made it that much more ironic. In all the chaos, I don’t think one is ever free of taking another’s life.
Back with the main crew, Rick, Abraham, Sasha, Carl, Eugene and Aaron ventured out in the wild with Maggie, and she’s not looking so hot. Every route they took, the Saviors were multiple steps ahead of them and blocked every road that lead to anywhere. The decision was made to carry Maggie out on foot and have Eugene drive the trailer for distraction, but even THAT didn’t work. Since we’re on the subject of Eugene, can I point out how unbelievably useful he is? He came up with a design to create bullets; he’s no less than awesome. I’m guilty of underestimating Eugene as well, but I think we can all agree that he’s been a survivor through and through.
We’re finally able to see just how clever Negan and his Saviors are, and frankly, Rick underestimated them. The whole plan to take Negan and his people out was too messy and done with even more uncertainty. It’s not like the people of the Hilltop didn’t warn Rick and the crew of the Saviors possibly having more men than they could handle.
Rick jumped the gun and was cocky about his ability to handle the situation; that’s what ultimately got them caught up. Eugene’s sacrifice was noble, yet not enough to outsmart Negan. Everyone was caught, of course, and our favorite Alexandrians found themselves lined up execution-style in Negan’s sick circle of punishment and intimidation.
Negan. First of all: Jeffrey Dean Morgan is a great actor and a total, grade-A stud with the walk to match. Therefore, his role as a sadistic leader is breaking my heart. Negan’s introduction was everything I could have asked for.
I expected him to be someone similar to the Governor; nonetheless, he was the complete opposite. Negan was charismatic, intimidating, humorous and downright terrifying all at once. His introduction speech had my stomach churning and left me shaking in my boots.
Upon seeing Negan for the first time, it’s safe to say that all he cares about is taking your sh*t. He claims that as long as the Alexandrians work for him there’ll be peace, but not without sacrificing someone’s life. An eerie game of "eenie, meenie, minie, mo" left Rick helpless and reverted him to just another guy at the mercy of another.
Rick has lost control and can’t save anyone, leaving him to watch one of the people he loves being killed. And this killing is unlike any other we’ve seen on this show (if we HAD actually seen it, but more on that later ... ). Negan chose a winner to get his or her head bashed in with a barbed baseball bat. Rough.
The most annoying thing about this episode was that I waited 90 minutes to have to wait six months to see who actually died. Why on earth couldn’t we just see who it was so we can comfortably mourn over the next few months? Sick move, showmakers. Sick move. If you’ve read the comics, then you know that this is a painful and pivotal moment; however, the show doesn’t follow all of the comic's rules.
In the end, this season was intense, to say the least. A lot of people died or were completely reformed, and our favorite group of people got a taste of civilization – even if it was only temporary. Negan adds a lot of uncertainty to the Alexandrians.
Furthermore, what the hell is going to happen to Maggie? She’s not looking good AT ALL. It would be the hardest pill to swallow if Maggie ended up losing the very symbol of hope and love that life can provide in a dark world. She might be close to death, but I don’t think she’s the one who got her skull cracked open.
Who do you think ultimately met their maker on that bone-chilling night with Negan? Guess we all are left to our imaginations for the next few months. See you all next time for season seven of "The Walking Dead."
Zoe Benjamin, currently a senior at UW-Milwaukee, was raised in the South suburbs of Chicago. She is a foodie, an avid traveler and music junkie, with just the right amount of nerdiness to top it all off.
Growing up in a large Jamaican family exposed her to a lifestyle full of food, laughter and pride. Zoe’s appreciation for her family’s eclectic nature led her to celebrate the differences in others. She just so happens to especially enjoy the study of food, seeing that eating is her favorite pastime.
Ever since she was able to get on a plane by herself, Zoe has taken the liberty of traveling to every place within her reach -- whether that be the next state over, or across the seas. Her wanderlust has taken her to 10 different countries, with France being her favorite. Nothing excites her more than French food and wine. Zoe hopes to absorb and share as much culture as she can so that the world may become that much more accepting of all the bountiful diversity in the world.
