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[Red Liquorice]

I think it would've made more impact to show the victim, like a flash of who it was as the final shot or something. Now it's just a cheap cliff hanger, and we're not just going to tune in to see who it is, it's all about the fallout and what happens next. I think it's just more frustrating than suspenseful.

 

[LegendofDragoonLives]

I think it would've made more impact to show the victim, like a flash of who it was as the final shot or something. Now it's just a cheap cliff hanger, and we're not just going to tune in to see who it is, it's all about the fallout and what happens next. I think it's just more frustrating than suspenseful.

No, they should have shown the entire brutality of it all, it would have been the most effective and jarring. Had this episode continued for 2 more minutes, it would have ended up as one of the best episodes of television I had ever seen. Now it's not even top 10 in WD or possibly top 15.

 

[zma1013]

I think it would've made more impact to show the victim, like a flash of who it was as the final shot or something. Now it's just a cheap cliff hanger, and we're not just going to tune in to see who it is, it's all about the fallout and what happens next. I think it's just more frustrating than suspenseful.

The first person perspective was honestly the dumbest and most cartoony way they could have possibly shot it. Like a gimmick.

And yes they should have shown who it was, but even more importantly, shown us the reactions of the group.

The thing about this sort of death is that it's not really about who dies, but about what it does to the surviving characters.

 

[Samurai G0SU]

Is this something that happens in the comics? Seems like an oddly specific thing to mention.

I was finally relieved that we're past all the stuff that has been endlessly spoiled in this thread so far, was hoping we could keep it that way.

Nah just basing it off of observations from the episodes and drawing some kind of universe theory or some crap like that hehe

plus i dont even read the comics.

 

[Alpende]

My guess... they filmed the scene and they didn't even know that AMC was gonna split it and be a cliff hanger, at least not until very recently.

That wouldn't surprise me to be honest. They screwed over Darabont after all.

 

[Surfinn]

The first person perspective was honestly the dumbest and most cartoony way they could have possibly shot it. Like a gimmick.

And yes they should have shown who it was, but even more importantly, shown us the reactions of the group.

The thing about this sort of death is that it's not really about who dies, but about what it does to the surviving characters.

But in this context, these things are intertwined. What it does to the characters is who ends up dying in that scene. It's supposed to be an emotional sucker punch, not just some random person being killed just for the sake of it. The person they/we love is supposed to be brutally murdered in order to drive that point home.

You don't get that same impact killing Tobin. It's from losing something (i.e. Glenn, Maggie, Daryl, Rick, etc.)

The POV absolutely ruined it all. Felt totally silly and gimmicky, I agree.

 

[Nameless]

What's the consensus on Jeffrey Dean Morgan's Negan. Im not a comic reader do I don't have this already iconic version to go off but I thought he was pretty great. The first part of his speech came off a little weird, but it got dark and intense quick. That second "Give me your shit" gave me chills.

 

[Surfinn]

What's the consensus on Jeffrey Dean Morgan's Negan. Im not a comic reader do I don't have this already iconic version to go off but I thought he was pretty great. The first part of his speech came off a little weird, but it got dark and intense quick. That second "Give me your shit" gave me chills.

My favorite line was "sucks, don't it.. when you realize you don't know shit.

I thought he did a great job. Not nearly as over the top and crazy as he should be, but this is probably the best you're going to get on cable TV.

They did a good job with casting him.

 

[bidguy]

What's the consensus on Jeffrey Dean Morgan's Negan. Im not a comic reader do I don't have this already iconic version to go off but I thought he was pretty great. The first part of his speech came off a little weird, but it got dark and intense quick. That second "Give me your shit" gave me chills.

i think he nailed it and was the saving grace of the episode along with rick

 

[Lord_Byron28]

But in this context, these things are intertwined. What it does to the characters is who ends up dying in that scene. It's supposed to be an emotional sucker punch, not just some random person being killed just for the sake of it. The person they/we love is supposed to be brutally murdered in order to drive that point home.

You don't get that same impact killing Tobin. It's from losing something (i.e. Glenn, Maggie, Daryl, Rick, etc.)

The POV absolutely ruined it all. Felt totally silly and gimmicky, I agree.

It could've been interesting if they didn't directly spell it out for us but from the 1st person POV they could've shown how the other characters were reacting. That way the audience could have a good idea as to who it is or narrow it down to a select few. That would've been a little better than the complete cliffhanger.

 

[IdreamofHIME]

My guess... they filmed the scene and they didn't even know that AMC was gonna split it and be a cliff hanger, at least not until very recently.

I can't believe that with the way it was filmed and presented (1st person death etc)...
..but I do believe thats what happened with the mid season finale. The way that ended made no rhyme or reason with what had come before.
I can honestly see an exec there saying "leave the action for after the break, it'll make for good trailers and commercials".

 

[Surfinn]

It could've been interesting if they didn't directly spell it out for us but from the 1st person POV they could've shown how the other characters were reacting. That way the audience could have a good idea as to who it is or narrow it down to a select few. That would've been a little better than the complete cliffhanger.

Yup. I would have much preferred to pan around and see everyone reacting with a slow zoom on Rick's face (last shot, possibly with a variation of the main theme ending the finale) and see him freaking the fuck out (all while you hear Negan/Lucille going to town in the background).

Instead they let all of that build up deflate and quickly disappear.

 

[TangoAlphaLima]

I just watched the season finale last night, so I missed out on the initial uproar following the live airing. Honestly, the ending didn't bother me at all. It's a typical TV cliffhanger. My guess is either Eugene or Abraham get knocked off. AMC won't have the balls to take out any of the other characters (either Glenn or Daryl should be the victim, in my opinion).

Overall, though, I think I might be forgiving the finale most because of how much better the second half of this season was than the first. It's the best this show has been in quite some time. And whether you liked the closing shot of the finale or not, you have to admit that the season finale as a whole was a lot better than that garbage mid-season finale (albeit a lot of Gaffers seemed to enjoy that one, but definitely not me).

 

[Surfinn]

I just watched the season finale last night, so I missed out on the initial uproar following the live airing. Honestly, the ending didn't bother me at all. It's a typical TV cliffhanger. My guess is either Eugene or Abraham get knocked off. AMC won't have the balls to take out any of the other characters (either Glenn or Daryl should be the victim, in my opinion).

Overall, though, I think I might be forgiving the finale most because of how much better the second half of this season was than the first. It's the best this show has been in quite some time. And whether you liked the closing shot of the finale or not, you have to admit that the season finale as a whole was a lot better than that garbage mid-season finale (albeit a lot of Gaffers seemed to enjoy that one, but definitely not me).

If you don't mind spoilers on who died (in the comic), you should read the issue where this happens and come back to us to share if you still feel like the cliffhanger was acceptable. I'm really interested to know.

And I agree that this finale (aside from the usual random hiccups) was the best this show has been in a LONG time (all season).

 

[ohNOitsRO]

I mean the finale is doing EXACTLY what the show runners wanted... Now we'll talk about who it was until the season premier/it leaks.

And am I the only one that kinda feels as if they made the tv version of this scene to be more about the introduction of Negan, as opposed to be about who was killed there..

I know it's terrible that we're losing a main character and we have to wait months to find out who it is, but when you think about it at this point, it doesn't matter who Negan kills, he's willing to do it to anybody at anytime at anyplace..

I personally didn't mind the ending.. Yeah it sucks that it's a cliffhanger, but goddamn the "masses" are overreacting once again, whoddathunkit??

Kinda sad that they're shitting all over that one scene when this has arguably been the best season of walking dead.

 

[SeanC]

I personally didn't mind the ending.. Yeah it sucks that it's a cliffhanger, but goddamn the "masses" are overreacting once again, whoddathunkit??

They went to the well one too many times this past season regarding the death of characters and wondering if they survive. Hell, they did it two episodes in a row and the previous one was treated like a footnote as a result. After a while, that loses its luster and it just says the show can't commit.

Having a major death on the finale would have made it arguably the episode of the series. That shows boldness and commitment and the second half of the season really needed that kind of spark and emotional arc. Instead, Walking Dead is content on playing games instead of doing that, and that game has overshadowed the good things the show has done.

 

[HanzSnubSnub]

Finale was great, especially the last 10 minutes with Negan. Trevor and Dwight were also excellent. The only thing that sucked was they never hinted at who died.

Overall, season 6 has been the most consistent season of the walking dead ever.

 

[Surfinn]

Overall, season 6 has been the most consistent season of the walking dead ever.

I mean the finale is doing EXACTLY what the show runners wanted... Now we'll talk about who it was until the season premier/it leaks.

And am I the only one that kinda feels as if they made the tv version of this scene to be more about the introduction of Negan, as opposed to be about who was killed there..

I know it's terrible that we're losing a main character and we have to wait months to find out who it is, but when you think about it at this point, it doesn't matter who Negan kills, he's willing to do it to anybody at anytime at anyplace..

I personally didn't mind the ending.. Yeah it sucks that it's a cliffhanger, but goddamn the "masses" are overreacting once again, whoddathunkit??

Kinda sad that they're shitting all over that one scene when this has arguably been the best season of walking dead.

Hell no.

And the entire point of Negan's introduction was to remind Rick/co. that the world they're living in isn't as safe/secure as they thought and that they were actually in way over their heads. The comic book death is used as a vehicle to bring that point home to deliver an emotional punishment for both the characters and audience alike. It worked perfectly. Whereas in the show it was all about Negan's introduction and much less about actually punishing/impacting anyone in a long lasting/worthwhile way.

 

[sometimes i game]

Are people actually considering other options? It's Glenn, it has to be Glenn, and it's not, the fact that it's not Glenn and a cliffhanger is in the Hall of Fame of annoying TWD stunts.

 

[TangoAlphaLima]

If you don't mind spoilers on who died (in the comic), you should read the issue where this happens and come back to us to share if you still feel like the cliffhanger was acceptable. I'm really interested to know.

And I agree that this finale (aside from the usual random hiccups) was the best this show has been in a LONG time (all season).

I've read some of the comics, but not that far, although I have been spoiled as to who the victim is there. And without reading it, I understand why comic fans would be angry, but if AMC refuses to kill major characters at this point, does it even matter? Isn't the significance there who gets killed as much as how? I feel relatively confident in concluding that AMC's Negan just took out a B-rank character at best.

Oh, and I don't disagree about the random hiccups of the season finale. As usual, the show is just plain stupid sometimes. Like Rick & crew seeing the chained up walkers, but not checking the embankments on either side of the road before moving to take down the walkers? At times the show portrays Rick & crew and shrewd and calculating, then other times they're just buffoons. But overall, this was a good season finale. Tension was high and they were doing something a little different than they've done before. Overall, popcorn entertainment like usual, but more solid than some of their recent endeavors.

They went to the well one too many times this past season regarding the death of characters and wondering if they survive. Hell, they did it two episodes in a row and the previous one was treated like a footnote as a result. After a while, that loses its luster and it just says the show can't commit.

Having a major death on the finale would have made it arguably the episode of the series. That shows boldness and commitment and the second half of the season really needed that kind of spark and emotional arc. Instead, Walking Dead is content on playing games instead of doing that, and that game has overshadowed the good things the show has done.

I don't disagree, that could have made it a fantastic finale if pulled off right. But I also think it's highly, highly unlikely that the result of this finale will be the death of a major character. This isn't Game of Thrones.

 

[bidguy]

i mean its definitely a huge possibility that its glenn since they obviously could have shown the reactions of the group at least. cant imagine maggie reacting the same to glenns and lets say abrahams death ...

still we did get the dumpster scene so anything is possible here

 

[UnforgivenTwin]

i mean its definitely a huge possibility that its glenn since they obviously could have shown the reactions of the group at least. cant imagine maggie reacting the same to glenns and lets say abrahams death ...

still we did get the dumpster scene so anything is possible here

The Eagles will come to save Glenn.

 

[Apoc29]

The following were NOT killed:

Rick, Carl - threatened to take out Carl's eye
Glenn - we would have heard Maggie screaming
Maggie - we would have heard Glenn screaming
Daryl - Too popular and they wouldn't kill him without a proper sendoff
Michonne - Rick would have gone apeshit
Sasha - Abraham would have gone apeshit
Rosita - Don't think the show has the balls to beat a woman (although they're cool with shooting them)

Ok, assuming the characters DID react audibly but the audience couldn't hear it for whatever reason, these people also did not have the character development this episode to justify their death.

Most likely candidates:

Abraham - I think some people are misinterpreting "Taking it like a champ"; that's very condescending and something you say to someone who you think is weak. Abraham was clearly not a weak-looking individual so I don't think it would make sense to talk down to him like that. So I don't think he's the one.

Aaron - Didn't get enough character development to justify it, so it's not super likely.

Eugene - He gave Rick the recipe for bullets, so he's useless now. He had his moment with Abraham. He also looks weak, hence "taking it like a champ" because no one expected him to take it. Eugene's done.

 

[Deaf Spacker]

I really think it's Abraham.

 

[icespide]

The following were NOT killed:

Rick, Carl - threatened to take out Carl's eye
Glenn - we would have heard Maggie screaming
Maggie - we would have heard Glenn screaming
Daryl - Too popular and they wouldn't kill him without a proper sendoff
Michonne - Rick would have gone apeshit
Sasha - Abraham would have gone apeshit
Rosita - Don't think the show has the balls to beat a woman (although they're cool with shooting them)

Ok, assuming the characters DID react audibly but the audience couldn't hear it for whatever reason, these people also did not have the character development this episode to justify their death.

Most likely candidates:

Abraham - I think some people are misinterpreting "Taking it like a champ"; that's very condescending and something you say to someone who you think is weak. Abraham was clearly not a weak-looking individual so I don't think it would make sense to talk down to him like that. So I don't think he's the one.

Aaron - Didn't get enough character development to justify it, so it's not super likely.

Eugene - He gave Rick the recipe for bullets, so he's useless now. He had his moment with Abraham. He also looks weak, hence "taking it like a champ" because no one expected him to take it. Eugene's done.

do you really think they put that much care and attention into what sounds/screams were heard as clues to who was killed? You're giving them too much credit. It can be anyone except for Rick and Carl

I don't think it's Glenn, if it was I doubt they would have done a cliffhanger because of the comics. My guess is Daryl

 

[The Artisan]

I believe there have been 83 episodes of the show so far, and that represents 100 issues at this point. So, on average, more than one issue per episode.

They stretched what should have been 2 or 3 episodes into 13. Horrible.

No doubt it's because they had like no budget and couldn't really afford any location outside of the farm or major action scenes. But, even with that in mind, it's still shot and written terribly. There were some cool moments there but they were ruined by constant horrible filler.

When people call any of the new episodes filler I laugh a little bit because "filler" in modern TWD is beautiful art compared to seasons 2 and 3 filler, which was genuinely awful.

I still don't understand how the show lived through that.

no, no it was not.



Season 2 had to do with

1) A hack show runner

2) A budget per episode that was less than budget per episode of Season 1(AMC even pitched to have half of the scenes inside because it's far cheaper to film inside than outside)

Well the farm encompassed, what, all of season two and it was like 5 issues. From issue 100 (season finale) to the end is like 28 issues. There is a LOT that goes on in those 28 issues that can be stretched to holy hell.

i'll respond to all you guys since we're talking about the same thing. the thing about filler is I feel like people mix that up with slow episode but there is a difference. an episode that is slow is still essential, something that is filler doesn't even advance the plot. sometimes it is necessary though.

as far as the rest, yeah season 2 stretched the story longer than it was supposed to but it sounds like they did it not to milk the story but because they didn't have a choice. they certainly could have done right by the end of season fucking 6 but they chose to fuck it instead. so fuck em.

 

[Apoc29]

do you really think they put that much care and attention into what sounds/screams were heard as clues to who was killed? You're giving them too much credit. It can be anyone except for Rick and Carl

I don't think it's Glenn, if it was I doubt they would have done a cliffhanger because of the comics. My guess is Daryl

No, I don't believe they would or should have included the reactions, just pointing it out because it would be relevant if their omission was not in fact a narrative trick pulled by the producers.

 

[poppabk]

I know it's terrible that we're losing a main character and we have to wait months to find out who it is, but when you think about it at this point, it doesn't matter who Negan kills, he's willing to do it to anybody at anytime at anyplace..

I disagree on this point. As a viewer, who gets killed plays a big part in showing how important Negan is as a character. I mean the terminus guys had a fairly big build-up, had almost the entire team at their mercy, and were seconds away from slitting glenn or Rick's throat. But they were only 'allowed' to kill a minor character because they weren't a big deal and we're quickly dealt with. If Negan killed Aaron, then we know that the stakes are not that high and we don't have to worry too much about a season 1 or 2 character unless they have a very special episode. If he killed Daryl then all bets are off on what this fight will cost. From a viewer perspective, Negan could be a massive deal or a Berlin (blacklist) who is just there to get us in to the next season before being unceremoniously nerfed and then dropped.

 

[dustyherb]

QUESTION

Spoiler

So how long is the rundown with the Saviors in the comics? After Glenn's death, how long until the war & stuff?

Will it translate to the whole of season 7 and the finale would be Negan's imprisonment? Or would the story arc carry into the 8th season?

Major Comic spoilers:

Spoiler

I personally think that the major Negan stuff, including the war will go into season 8. A lot of people think they could finish it all up in season 7 and honestly they probably could but dragging this part of the story out makes sense. It gives Kirkman time to get farther ahead with the comics and the gives the show a lot of time to work with Negan's character.

Spoiler

the earliest I see the war ending is first half of season 8. But after the war comes a major time skip and doing that in the middle of the season would be really weird.

 

[ItIsOkBro]

This guy is dead:

 

[Kickz]

I really think it's Abraham.

 

[TangoAlphaLima]

I can't remember, have any of the pre-Alexandria crew died since arriving at Alexandria?

 

[Pro]

Is everyone sure whoever it was actually died? Watched it last night. I thought Neagan just said he wasn't going to kill just beat the hell out of someone. I know it looked and sounded like those blows were killing blows but it wouldn't be a stretch to have the first hit to the head be a bludgeoning and the others be body hits that don't actually kill...

 

[dustyherb]

I can't remember, have any of the pre-Alexandria crew died since arriving at Alexandria?

I think Noah is the only one and that was in season 5.

 

[User 479360]

They tied Abraham's story up in a lot of ways, though.

- He made good with Eugene. Told him he was proud of him.
- He decided which woman to be with, and that he'd like kids.

Plus there's likely more.

It only makes sense that he died.

 

[crazyrabbits]

Season 2 had to do with

1) A hack show runner

2) A budget per episode that was less than budget per episode of Season 1(AMC even pitched to have half of the scenes inside because it's far cheaper to film inside than outside)

Pretty much. I'm more inclined to side with AMC for their decision during S2, despite the shenanigans they pulled.

i'll respond to all you guys since we're talking about the same thing. the thing about filler is I feel like people mix that up with slow episode but there is a difference. an episode that is slow is still essential, something that is filler doesn't even advance the plot. sometimes it is necessary though.

The problem is that the first half of S2 was "filler" by necessity. There were a whole series of events that happened that informed Darabont's choice on what to do, namely:

1) The budget went down something like $400,000 per episode, and as mentioned above, AMC were trying to cut corners because they not only wholly owned the show, but they were in contract negotiations with Matthew Weiner and Vince Gilligan at the time because they were lobbying for an increased budget for their shows. Darabont also alleged after the fact that AMC was pocketing the tax credit (for filming in Georgia) for themselves.

2) The first half was originally intended to be eight episodes, not seven. An entire chunk of the original premiere (originally called "Miles Behind Us") was deleted. Like I've mentioned before, there were allegations that Darabont had turned in unusable footage, but there are shots in the S2 teaser that look far better shot than what we see in the deleted footage found on the boxset. It's my belief that Darabont was deliberately fucking up the editing and choosing bad shots during the Vatos sequence in order to force AMC to beef the budget back up.

3) This was all coming off a first season where Darabont apparently fired his entire writing staff, although I'm still not certain whether he or AMC were telling the truth in the matter.

Then you add the filler like characters repeating the same conversations two or three times in the course of an episode, Madison Lintz's (Sophia) growth spurt - which caused the producers to kill her off, and a lot of scenes where the characters look bored and it all added up to a clusterfuck of a season. Things definitely got better after Darabont left, in my view.

 

[WaffleTaco]

I can't remember, have any of the pre-Alexandria crew died since arriving at Alexandria?

Noah the throwaway black dude that was made obsolete when Morgan took over...the hospital arc was so fucking pointless.

 

[dustyherb]

They tied Abraham's story up in a lot of ways, though.

- He made good with Eugene. Told him he was proud of him.
- He decided which woman to be with, and that he'd like kids.

Plus there's likely more.

It only makes sense that he died.

But maybe that's exactly what they want us thinking. Abraham just seems like the obvious choice.

 

[TangoAlphaLima]

I think Noah is the only one and that was in season 5.

Noah the throwaway black dude that was made obsolete when Morgan took over...the hospital arc was so fucking pointless.

Oh, that's right. Totally forgot about Noah. And yeah, he was a recent addition too, from the hospital arc.

They really are due for a major death, but I still don't think AMC will do it.

 

[Napoleonthechimp]

The following were NOT killed:

Rick, Carl - threatened to take out Carl's eye
Glenn - we would have heard Maggie screaming
Maggie - we would have heard Glenn screaming
Daryl - Too popular and they wouldn't kill him without a proper sendoff
Michonne - Rick would have gone apeshit
Sasha - Abraham would have gone apeshit
Rosita - Don't think the show has the balls to beat a woman (although they're cool with shooting them)

Ok, assuming the characters DID react audibly but the audience couldn't hear it for whatever reason, these people also did not have the character development this episode to justify their death.

Most likely candidates:

Abraham - I think some people are misinterpreting "Taking it like a champ"; that's very condescending and something you say to someone who you think is weak. Abraham was clearly not a weak-looking individual so I don't think it would make sense to talk down to him like that. So I don't think he's the one.

Aaron - Didn't get enough character development to justify it, so it's not super likely.

Eugene - He gave Rick the recipe for bullets, so he's useless now. He had his moment with Abraham. He also looks weak, hence "taking it like a champ" because no one expected him to take it. Eugene's done.

There was a lot of gut wrenching screaming in the leaked audio. It was muted here because we're hearing it from the person getting their head smashed in.

 

[Pro]

My initial thought was that it CAN'T be Glen, Maggie, Carl, Michonne, or Rick because anyone of those would have gone bat-shit crazy and disregarded the safety of the group on emotion alone to pull something. We didn't see or hear any of that. But then I thought, they can edit the opening scene in S7 to include the reactions.

 

[Nokagi]

Okay I'm putting all my fake NeoGAF money on it being Daryl and once I'm proven right I shall quote this post for all the world to see. And please don't ask me why I think it's Daryl cause none of my reasons make sense to anyone but myself.

 

[psynergylover]

What's the consensus on Jeffrey Dean Morgan's Negan. Im not a comic reader do I don't have this already iconic version to go off but I thought he was pretty great. The first part of his speech came off a little weird, but it got dark and intense quick. That second "Give me your shit" gave me chills.

As a comic reader they did a pretty damn good job, they got his character quite right; Negan is brutal yet somewhat comical, the only thing they can't completely imitate is that he swears up a storm; dropping f-bombs left and right

Negan is somewhat likable except for one aspect I won't get into. He's basically Rick if he had more time to build his group. On talking dead Kirkman summed it up pretty well that if the story followed Negan you would've thought that Rick was the bad guy(para-phrasing)

 

[WaffleTaco]

As a comic reader they did a pretty damn good job, they got his character quite right; Negan is brutal yet somewhat comical, the only thing they can't completely imitate is that he swears up a storm; dropping f-bombs left and right

Negan is somewhat likable except for one aspect I won't get into. He's basically Rick if he had more time to build his group. On talking dead Kirkman summed it up pretty well that if the story followed Negan you would've thought that Rick was the bad guy(para-phrasing)

I enjoyed Trevor more than Negan...but that's because I am hoping Trevor is Trevor GTA V and not just Trevor's actor.

 

[User 479360]

But maybe that's exactly what they want us thinking. Abraham just seems like the obvious choice.

Good point. Who knows.

 

[Brainfreeze]

Noah the throwaway black dude that was made obsolete when Morgan took over...the hospital arc was so fucking pointless.

To be fair, that revolving door scene was one of the best the show's had to offer so far.

 

[Napoleonthechimp]

After rewatching it: Carl's "Yeah, we end it" was so dumb. End what exactly? That specific group, or the one before it? Because the other 30 the group killed sure as hell didn't end it so what makes him think killing that bunch will do it.

 

[Sadist]

To be fair, that revolving door scene was one of the best the show's had to offer so far.

And that's why we'll see the Lucille's kiss on tv.

Or I hope they will show it. While Noah wasn't a great character, man his death was one of the most painful things I've seen on television. Damn. I wonder how much a prop of a Lucille victim would cost.

 

[Alpende]

What's the consensus on Jeffrey Dean Morgan's Negan. Im not a comic reader do I don't have this already iconic version to go off but I thought he was pretty great. The first part of his speech came off a little weird, but it got dark and intense quick. That second "Give me your shit" gave me chills.

I think he did a great job. He was intimidating as I expect Negan to be. In the comics he's a bit bulkier though, JDM is like a leaner version.

 

[Surfinn]

I've read some of the comics, but not that far, although I have been spoiled as to who the victim is there. And without reading it, I understand why comic fans would be angry, but if AMC refuses to kill major characters at this point, does it even matter? Isn't the significance there who gets killed as much as how? I feel relatively confident in concluding that AMC's Negan just took out a B-rank character at best.

Oh, and I don't disagree about the random hiccups of the season finale. As usual, the show is just plain stupid sometimes. Like Rick & crew seeing the chained up walkers, but not checking the embankments on either side of the road before moving to take down the walkers? At times the show portrays Rick & crew and shrewd and calculating, then other times they're just buffoons. But overall, this was a good season finale. Tension was high and they were doing something a little different than they've done before. Overall, popcorn entertainment like usual, but more solid than some of their recent endeavors.

If you read the issue, you would have a much better understanding of its impact.

Killing someone who's death is going to have a huge impact on the main characters and the audience allows everyone to experience loss, not just the threat of loss (i.e. killing someone we don't care much about).

It diminishes the purpose of introducing Negan to kill off someone the group/audience will be over in an episode. Why even watch if the main Atlanta/farm characters don't ever die? If we know they'll always be protected by the fans' investment in them?

It destroys the impact.