The Walking Dead returned with a bang on Sunday night.
Or, to be more precise, The Walking Dead returned with a bat on Sunday night.
And that bat was slammed into the heads of two main characters, both of whom were killed off the show in very gruesome fashion.
Rest in peace, Abraham. And rest in peace, Glenn.
Both of these heroes lost their lives at the hands of Negan on The Walking Dead Season 7 Episode 1, with the drama’s most frightening villain to date making it very clear that he’s in charge.
But don’t take our word it.
Take the word of Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes.
“Let me put this to all of you as clearly as I can,” he says in the extended preview above. “I’m not in charge anymore. Negan is.”
Elsewhere in this trailer, we see Daryl getting shown the scary ropes of the Saviors’ territory by Dwight, as Negan makes another point clear:
“I don’t think you get it yet,” he says. “You work for me.”
Aside from the promo featured here, AMC also released a clip from next Sunday’s new installment, which is titled “The Well.”
It features Carol on the mend in the Kingdom with Morgan, who tells his friend of the Kingdom leader: “He does his own thing.”
“Uh, what does that mean?” she asks.
The Walking Dead Season 7 premiere has received some backlash for just how violent it was, setting a new standard even for a show who has violence to thank for its immense popularity.
Why did we need to see Glenn’s eyes pop out?
Why did the camera need to linger on his lifeless body in such a manner?
Explained director Greg Nicotero in a conference call with reporters today:
“It was important to launch us into this season by showing the extent of what Negan is capable of doing, because that drives so much of where the series is going from here on in.”
Moreover, to him Nicotero seeing Rick, “our hero, completely crushed… is more disturbing than the actual violence.”
Some folks out there might disagree.
Did YOU think the premiere was too violent? Did the series go too far on Sunday night?
Why did two people need to get killed off?
“We really needed to drive Rick and Negan’s story throughout the season, and we felt that one death would do the trick, but the second death – Glenn’s death – really propels us into a very different direction,” Nicotero said, adding:
[That second murder is] really about Negan laying down the law. So [it] has a lot to do with Rick’s future story, Maggie’s future story and certainly Daryl’s future story.”
Interesting.
You can use the following video to watch The Walking Dead online and see what the controversy was all about now:
Response to the premiere has been less than positive, with fans upset over the blood, gore and violence… along with perceived manipulation of producers waiting until halfway through the hour to reveal Negan’s victims.
What does Nicotero have to say to those who have threatened to stop watching?
“Listen… I’ve been shocked at the turns of events on [Game of Thrones]. But you know what? I still love it. And I’m still committed to seeing where that story goes.
“So I think it’s a kneejerk reaction that people have, because they care about these characters. That’s a tribute to every single actor on our show that has perished.
“It’s unfortunate that people want to take a negative spin on it… [and especially] if that’s really what’s going to happen [and they’ll stop watching], because the show still has a lot to offer!”
WILL YOU KEEP WATCHING THE WALKING DEAD?