The Walking Dead ended its sixth season on a huge cliffhanger that has left long-time fans of the show outraged.
If you havenāt seen the sixth season finale of The Walking Dead and prefer to avoid any spoilers, we suggest you stop reading now. If you have seen it and want to hear our thoughts keep reading.
After a huge build up, Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) finally made his debut in the final minutes of the season 6 finale. Armed with his trusty baseball bat Lucille, Negan gave an epic monologue before using Lucille to beat someone to death. With most of the main characters on their knees in front of Negan as his cronies looked on, the jury is out as to who the unfortunate victim is going to be.
The much-hyped finale divided fans with the majority admitting their frustration via social media at not getting the pay off they were expecting. Regardless, we all know that everyone will tune in come October and whoever gets killed off is unlikely to be a popular choice.
Season 6 has been the usual rollercoaster for The Walking Dead with ups and downs, some dull episodes, plenty of new characters and deaths, and dare I say a bit of plot recycling? I love The Walking Dead, I really do but if itās going to keep my attention for much longer the show needs a shake-up and thatās what Negan promises to deliver.
Ahead of the showās return later this year, Iāve compiled my 10 things that I want from the seventh season.
1. Abraham (Michael Cudlitz) to be Neganās victim. OK hear me out before you head to the comments to complain about my choice. The show runners have said itās going to be a main cast member that is loved and Abraham has become more popular the longer heās been in the show. In the comics itās Glenn (Steven Yeun) that gets offed by Negan but Abraham feels like heās come to the end of his storyline. The forced love triangle with Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green) and Rosita (Christian Serrato) isnāt in the vaguest bit interesting and now Eugene (Josh McDermitt) is stepping up, do we need Abraham any more? Not really.
2. Negan to be more than a one-dimensional baddie. We know that Negan is a powerful presence in the comic books and Jeffrey Dean Morgan definitely made an impact in the season 6 finale. I really hope thereās some exploration of why Negan is the way he is rather than him just being a 2D bad guy there to kill a few people.
3. A thinning of the cast. The Walking Dead is notorious for introducing and killing lots of characters. Right now the case feels bloated and thereās a lot of characters that donāt really add anything to the show such as Rosita and Spencer (Austin Nichols). Iād like the show to focus on its core characters and give them some meaty storylines.
4. Carol (Melissa McBride) to get her groove back. What the hell happened to Carol this season? She went from bad ass right back to whiney and Iām not OK with that. Sure she had a personal crisis but it didnāt feel authentic to me. Would Carol, given all sheās been through, really return to the fragile woman she once was? For my money Carol passed the point of no return a long time ago so to push her back a few season is a disservice to the character and to Melissa McBride.
5. Give Daryl (Norman Reedus) something to do. Can anyone name a single memorable thing Daryl did this season? No I canāt either. The once badass character was relegated to the sidelines for much of the season and he barely uttered a word.
6. Maggie (Lauren Cohan) to live and give birth to a healthy child. There has to be something hopeful for the group and Maggie has been through a hell of a lot after losing her entire family. It wasnāt pleasant seeing her pregnant, in need of medical help and pretty much begging for her life. Give the woman a break!
7. Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne (Danai Gurira) to be more than just another romance. Them getting together has been on the cards for a while but they wasted no time after the death of Jessie (Alexandra Breckenridge) and since theyāve been together the characters have become a bit dull.
8. More of Jesus (Tom Payne) and the Hilltop Colony. Lots of ideas and people were introduced in season 6 but it didnāt feel like many of them were really fleshed out. The group visited the Hilltop Colony but we didnāt spend much time there so hopefully itāll be revisited in season 7.
9. Carl (Chandler Riggs) to get a bigger role. Since having his eye shot out (which is understandably very traumatic) Carl hasnāt had all that much to do. Iāve been waiting for him to try and usurp his father as the leader of the group but itās yet to happen. If the show follows the comic books then Carlās relationship with Negan should make for pretty interesting viewing.
10. Morgan (Lennie James) to have a purpose. Iām really hoping that Morgan and Carol will rock up and save the day seeing as they werenāt captured by Negan the Saviors. Since he came back Morganās done pretty much nothing other than argue with Carol. Give the man a storyline and integrate him better into the group.
The Walking Dead will return to AMC in the US and FOX in the UK in October. What do you want to see? Leave your comments in the usual place and please keep the discussion respectful.