S06.E16: Last Day On Earth

[TigerLynx]

I'd like to believe that, but I don't know that it isn't that easy when conditions become as extreme as they have - both from the dead and from people like the Saviors.

 

I do agree his takedown will be sweet and fully earned.

 

Some people will go along with what Negan wants because it's easier (in some ways) and they want to survive.  Some simply won't.  There would also be more Negan groups in a ZA.  Think of all the different barbarian tribes that took over when the Roman Empire ended.

[slade3]

I actually liked the slow build of no matter where the RV went they encountered roadblocks.  It was a good way to show the group being hunted and having no where to turn.   

I liked the roadblocks, too. What I found most frustrating were the commercials and how long it took to keep going back to the RV scenes. I think it did a disservice to the "hunting" that you mention. I thought AL did a great job here - each roadblock made Rick even more unhinged. He went from cocky to concerned to nervous to scared. I felt dread each time they reached one, and then I'd get annoyed because we'd cut to another commercial.

 

I think the editing doomed the episode, as well as the cliffhanger. The editing was designed to prolong everything to build tension. When you do that, there must be a payoff. 

[jsbt]

Did he know he was capturing virtually all of them (or rather, all that he could take out of play and pretty much dominate their settlement)? I think that's something worthy of discussion. I assume Negan knew enough to know he'd caught a lion's share, but how much does he really know about ASZ? Carol is still in play, but she's grievously wounded physically and emotionally and I'm not sure he knows about her specifically, really. If this was the Carol of a season ago the Saviors would potentially be facing some kind of threatening variable, but the Terminus gang was still chump change compared to Negan's numbers and apparent logistical sophistication.

Edited April 5, 2016 by jsbt

[catcory]

I think when Rick totally lost it was when they found the walker chain and that one walker had Michonne's hair and vest. You could see all the pain he was feeling at that moment in the RV.

[jsbt]

What they did with the walkers and using the gang's clothes was sick genius. That takes talent and real thought from real sadists, that's when things really began to turn for the RV crew. And Lincoln, Sonequa Martin-Green (watch her eyes around that segment and right after, and in the final scene - oof), Josh McDermitt, etc. played it very, very well with rising panic. Michael Cudlitz was in a way most impressive though, because Abraham is behind the wheel virtually the whole time and kind of has to visually exposit every time he sees something else first - he stays level but you can see something much more internal in his performance than the overt change in the others. You can see some kind of tremendous apprehension rising in Abraham while he remains focused.

 

It makes me wish I hadn't deleted the episode yet, because I really do think that 80-odd minute build was a master class in tension.

Edited April 5, 2016 by jsbt

[TigerLynx]

Did he know he was capturing virtually all of them (or rather, all that he could take out of play and pretty much dominate their settlement)? I think that's something worthy of discussion. I assume Negan knew enough to know he'd caught a lion's share, but how much does he really know about ASZ? Carol is still in play, but she's grievously wounded physically and emotionally and I'm not sure he knows about her specifically, really. If this was the Carol of a season ago the Saviors would potentially be facing some kind of threatening variable, but the Terminus gang was still chump change compared to Negan's numbers and apparent logistical sophistication.

 

Depending on how much intel work Negan had his crew do, he might have some idea about the fighters, leaders of the group etc.  However, he probably doesn't know that Carol took out Terminus, Rick ripped out a guy's juggler, and Michonne, Daryl and Glenn are way more effective when the writing doesn't require them to be idiots to move the plot along.  That comment about Carl as a future serial killer - Negan has no idea about how accurate that could turn out to be.

[Watcher0363]

I actually liked the slow build of no matter where the RV went they encountered roadblocks.  It was a good way to show the group being hunted and having no where to turn.   

I stumbled on to the Walking during the second season after I had exhausted my Netflix viewing. I was looking for new shows on Netflix and had remembered seeing something about the Walking Dead returning on AMC. So I went back to Netflix's, "just added", where the first season and half was. It spoiled me. The Walking Dead is best view in marathon style on Netflix. This episode will kill in a non commercial marathon watch leading directly into season seven.

Edited April 5, 2016 by Watcher0363

[Nashville]

Negan and his group will eventually meet with more and more resistance because at one time ALL of these people lived in a free modern world.  It isn't as easy to oppress the masses when they know and have had real freedom and autonomy in the past.

 

Problem is, Negan has one big thing going for him; success.

Think of Negan's organization (so far as we currently know it):

• Leader (Negan)
• Lieutenants (ex. Dwight)
• Soldiers (rank-and-file Saviors)
• Serfs (conquered communities)

I don't think it's a big leap to say (a) all but the bottommost tier benefit from Negan's strategies in varying degrees of profit-sharing, and (b) Negan has repeatedly demonstrated that employing his tactics with complete, dispassionate ruthlessness pays off BIG - enough so that substantial numbers of his conquered populations petition to join the ranks of their conqueror.

I mean - where do you think all those Saviors came from in the first place?

It's not like the entire crew (and pure guesswork on my part, but I'm thinking somewhere in the 200+ range) just dropped into town en masse and started conquering shit left and right. Negan had to have assimilated them from the conquered communities - separated the wolves* from the sheep.

And I also strongly suspect the wolves in question asked to join, which gets to yet another factor: loyalty. They have rules, and consequences for breaking them - but by and large the Saviors are a voluntary army, and those are the most loyal. Maybe not to Negan personally - but definitely to his strategy and tactics, from which all benefit.

Which means as long as his tactics are successful and everybody continues to benefit, their allegiance to Negan is going to be pretty dern near absolute.

* And no I don't mean Wolves - just, know now, regular garden-variety wolves.

Personality-wise, not literal quadruped carnivores.

It's a freaking metaphor, alright?

[dampfire]

Promotional trailers for S7 should be interesting.  Who the hell's gonna appear in the things?

[piequinn35]

Promotional trailers for S7 should be interesting.  Who the hell's gonna appear in the things?

Judith, Gabriel, Enid, Spencer, Carol, Morgan, Negan and lots of walkers :))

[Juliegirlj]

The roadblocks slowly built tension, which could have been fantastic, had they not cut off the head of this dragon of a storyline. All it ended up being was almost an hour ( and good part of the whole season) of buildup for nothing. With Glenn dumpster-gate, and now this, I think later on we will look back on this as the beginning of the end of a great show. I look back fondly on the good old days at Herschel's farm, and cannot believe I am saying it, but even the Terminus storyline. Now the show runners are pleading for us to wait until next season to make judgement on the cliffhanger- bulllogna! Do they think we are stupid? They just want viewers hooked in to season 7 so they can do damage control, and start baiting us for their next "big moment"...

[jsbt]

Promotional trailers for S7 should be interesting.  Who the hell's gonna appear in the things?

 

It's The Tara Show!

[Nashville]

Promotional trailers for S7 should be interesting.  Who the hell's gonna appear in the things?

Oh, they can show the entire cast.

It's just that 2/3 of them will always be on their knees.

And that reads a helluva lot more pornographic than originally intended, but so it goes.

[that one guy]

Totally totally agree. In the microcosm of the ZA, humans are re-enacting a few thousand years of social evolution in an extremely compressed time scale - and that historic trend has always been toward coalescence::
Individuals.
Tribes/communities.
Fiefdoms/nation-states.
Kingdoms/nations.
With CDB merging with the ASZ and extending recruiting efforts, Alexandria was already pursuing its own course towards conversion from Step 2 to Step 3.
Negan just did it faster.

 

Totally totally agree. In the microcosm of the ZA, humans are re-enacting a few thousand years of social evolution in an extremely compressed time scale - and that historic trend has always been toward coalescence::

• Individuals.
• Tribes/communities.
• Fiefdoms/nation-states.
• Kingdoms/nations.

With CDB merging with the ASZ and extending recruiting efforts, Alexandria was already pursuing its own course towards conversion from Step 2 to Step 3.

Negan just did it faster.

I  have to disagree. Not that we are seeing the emergence of Feudalism - that's absolutely what's happening, and it makes sense. 

 

But Feudalism in the West emerged gradually from the long, slow collapse of the Roman Imperial system. There wasn't a single "fall," in spite of the widespread but wildly inaccurate historiography that used to be taught in school. At least one person claimed the title Emperor of the Romans at any given time between 27 BC and 1806. But as the economy and trade collapsed the central government ceased to be able to fund a standing military and functioning bureaucracy, and over a period of centuries the system evolved into a hierarchical system of feudal relationships based on mutual obligation. So the trend hasn't always been towards coalescence - just like European history, the feudalism of the Saviors has emerged due to the collapse of the central authority.

 

It's strange that TWD and the 100 are set in the same spot, post-apocalyptic Greater Washington. I can see the world of TWD evolving into the quasi-feudal tribal society of the 100's Grounders in roughly 100 years. Lexa (named for Alexandria but based out of Annapolis) is in some ways just a less abrasive and more attractive Negan, still not above killing a member of your tribe

(the Ice Queen)

in order to force you to toe the line and join her coalition. One's a hero, one's a villain, but two sides of the same coin. I don't exactly like Negan, but I suspect he does believe he's saving the world.

[AnnaMayWong]

Why do some consider Rick to be near psychopathic and broken but not Carol ❓

Carol, who for quite some time, has truly slayed, slaughtered whether it be planned or unplanned, and, also, exhibited depressed 'breakdown' behavior.

Also, why is Rick blamed for EVE-RY-THING.

The Group is not a Ricktatorship ; it is a Rickocracy

Edited April 5, 2016 by BookElitist

[Persnickety1]

Gimple maintains this wasn't a cliffhanger but rather the end of the "tearing down Rick" story.

I might be wrong but it sounds like there may be a time jump and viewers may not see the actual murder...but I've had only half a cup of coffee so I could be wrong.

http://www.thterrortime.com/negan-and-the-walking-dead-season-6-finale-cliffhanger-showrunner-and-creator-weigh-in/

Edited April 5, 2016 by Persnickety1

[ghoulina]

I love that whole build. It just gets more and more harrowing, more about fucking with them with these horrific tableaus (the lumber catching fire out of nowhere while Steven Ogg's voice comes out of the mist was really creepy) and you watch them slowly become very concerned and then desperate and finally afraid. The whole episode was played like a rising ghost story. Everyone in the RV did amazing work.

 

I agree. I loved it. I have become so jaded with this show that it's been a long time since I was legitimately scared. But I was during this episode. I thought it had a real old school, horror movie vibe about it. But the end just fucking ruined it. Wah. 

 

Negan and his group will eventually meet with more and more resistance because at one time ALL of these people lived in a free modern world.  It isn't as easy to oppress the masses when they know and have had real freedom and autonomy in the past.

 

Thing is - this isn't a group like CDB, or even Terminus or the Gov, where the soldiers are pretty loyal to the leader. Some may be. But a lot I'd wager ended up in Negan's group the same way our guys about being brought in. Join or die. I wonder just how many would fight CDB/ASZ if Negan were the first one killed. 

 

I liked the roadblocks, too. What I found most frustrating were the commercials and how long it took to keep going back to the RV scenes. I think it did a disservice to the "hunting" that you mention.

 

I can't imagine watching an episode like this with commercials! We always DVR it, then start 15 minutes later. Well, for this episode - 30 minutes. FFing for a minute doesn't take you out of the show nearly as much as watching 4 minutes of soda and car commercials would. 

 

Judith, Gabriel, Enid, Spencer, Carol, Morgan, Negan and lots of walkers :))

 

I think Rick and Carl could safely be shown as well. Negan made it clear in his preamble that they weren't getting Lucilled. 

 

But yea, we'll get images of Tara and Heath on the road, Tobin whittling, Olivia organizing canned foods, Gabriel manning the perimeter with Judith on his back, Spencer staring longingly at a picture of Rosita, Enid banging on the inside of the closet door.....maybe Eric will let her out? Wait, who's Eric?

[Nashville]

I  have to disagree. Not that we are seeing the emergence of Feudalism - that's absolutely what's happening, and it makes sense. 

 

But Feudalism in the West emerged gradually from the long, slow collapse of the Roman Imperial system.

There's a good discussion to be had here - but if you don't mind, I want to reply in another thread so it doesn't end up getting orphaned in an episode thread.

[Anela]

I agree. I loved it. I have become so jaded with this show that it's been a long time since I was legitimately scared. But I was during this episode. I thought it had a real old school, horror movie vibe about it. But the end just fucking ruined it. Wah. 

 

 

 

 

Thing is - this isn't a group like CDB, or even Terminus or the Gov, where the soldiers are pretty loyal to the leader. Some may be. But a lot I'd wager ended up in Negan's group the same way our guys about being brought in. Join or die. I wonder just how many would fight CDB/ASZ if Negan were the first one killed. 

 

 

 

 

I can't imagine watching an episode like this with commercials! We always DVR it, then start 15 minutes later. Well, for this episode - 30 minutes. FFing for a minute doesn't take you out of the show nearly as much as watching 4 minutes of soda and car commercials would. 

 

 

 

 

I think Rick and Carl could safely be shown as well. Negan made it clear in his preamble that they weren't getting Lucilled. 

 

But yea, we'll get images of Tara and Heath on the road, Tobin whittling, Olivia organizing canned foods, Gabriel manning the perimeter with Judith on his back, Spencer staring longingly at a picture of Rosita, Enid banging on the inside of the closet door.....maybe Eric will let her out? Wait, who's Eric?

Was Eric, Aaron's boyfriend?

 

I liked the slow build, as they realized they were cornered and being hunted, as well. 

[HalcyonDays]

Everyone - since there is a long seven months of discussion that we can all have about season 7, I've created a thread just for that:
 
TWD Season 7 Anticipation - Evil Cliffhanger from Hell

 

This thread should be for discussio  n of the events of the actual episode. Go to the above thread to discuss what you think will happen in season 7. Also, suggest a better thread title too! Thanks!

 

ETA: Would help if the link actually worked...

[Giselle]

The roadblocks slowly built tension, which could have been fantastic, had they not cut off the head of this dragon of a storyline. All it ended up being was almost an hour ( and good part of the whole season) of buildup for nothing. With Glenn dumpster-gate, and now this, I think later on we will look back on this as the beginning of the end of a great show. I look back fondly on the good old days at Herschel's farm, and cannot believe I am saying it, but even the Terminus storyline. Now the show runners are pleading for us to wait until next season to make judgement on the cliffhanger- bulllogna! Do they think we are stupid? They just want viewers hooked in to season 7 so they can do damage control, and start baiting us for their next "big moment"...

 

Glen surviving Dumpstergate was  the first 'jumped the shark" moment for me. Another was Daryl written completely out of character in the burned woods with Dwight and the ladies among others.

 

The Season 7 opener is going to be anti-climatic for me. It will most likely be "Oh OK, so blah blah was batting practice." How much more would everybody be talking if they had let the "money shot" happen? All that foreplay was for naught. 

 

Everybody doing the Soprano's fade to black is getting old. The sad thing is that the writers won't change up their game and get back to center because every Sunday they get a verbal blowjob from Talking Dead where every single episode was " so awesome and amazing."

[Watcher0363]

This episode reminded me of a movie that I just could not remember. Then it came to me. This was "Race With the Devil" Walking Dead style.

[LeeMoon]

I stumbled on to the Walking during the second season after I had exhausted my Netflix viewing. I was looking for new shows on Netflix and had remembered seeing something about the Walking Dead returning on AMC. So I went back to Netflix's, "just added", where the first season and half was. It spoiled me. The Walking Dead is best view in marathon style on Netflix. This episode will kill in a non commercial marathon watch leading directly into season seven.

 

I binge watched season 1 to 5, and I kind of wish I had done the same with this season. Not so much the second half, but 6A would work much better as a long movie.

 

Glen surviving Dumpstergate was  the first 'jumped the shark" moment for me. Another was Daryl written completely out of character in the burned woods with Dwight and the ladies among others.

 

The Season 7 opener is going to be anti-climatic for me. It will most likely be "Oh OK, so blah blah was batting practice." How much more would everybody be talking if they had let the "money shot" happen? All that foreplay was for naught. 

 

Everybody doing the Soprano's fade to black is getting old. The sad thing is that the writers won't change up their game and get back to center because every Sunday they get a verbal blowjob from Talking Dead where every single episode was " so awesome and amazing."

I might be one the only people who actually liked the Soprano's fade to black. I thought it illustrated Tony's life very well. Even if he wasn't shot that time, next time he will, because that's his life. He always exists under the danger of violence and death.

[candall]

 

 

And in regard to the cliffhanger: the reason it bugged me so much was because I had seen so many interviews or snippets of interviews with the cast members claiming they couldn't sleep for weeks, sobbed and hugged each other etc. And this was not in spoiler threads either. Obviously, this lead me to believe something pretty horrific would be happening. Nothing really happened as far as the viewers saw (beyond the fear they felt being captured). And if it's true they have no idea who the victim is, why would there be sobbing and trauma?

 

I've also been feeling somewhat punked by the cast, whose hand-wringing remarks about the final scenes seemed to imply "loss of beloved family member castmate x" more than "the demands of emotionally charged acting." 

 

From the Talking Dead, I understood that the cast acted the hell out of these scenes while they only filmed Negan.  So I do believe that they had that experience while filming.  The idiot show runners just didn't feel the need to show it.  Actually, I bet they did film it even though they said they didn't and the season premiere is the last 10-15 minutes from the perspective of CDB instead of Negan.

 

Well, okay, so maybe it WAS traumatic for the cast and the hand-wringing was warranted.

 

But does this mean I have to hear Eeny Meeny, Extended Version, again in October?

[ghoulina]

Was Eric, Aaron's boyfriend?

 

Yes. Well, IS. He's still alive. Somewhere. Maybe Aaron shoved him in a closet before leaving. 

[Giselle]

I binge watched season 1 to 5, and I kind of wish I had done the same with this season. Not so much the second half, but 6A would work much better as a long movie.

 

I might be one the only people who actually liked the Soprano's fade to black. I thought it illustrated Tony's life very well. Even if he wasn't shot that time, next time he will, because that's his life. He always exists under the danger of violence and death.

 

I also loved the Soprano's fade to black ending but others have now used it and it's getting old.

[RainOnToosdays]

Michael Cudlitz was in a way most impressive though, because Abraham is behind the wheel virtually the whole time and kind of has to visually exposit every time he sees something else first - he stays level but you can see something much more internal in his performance than the overt change in the others. You can see some kind of tremendous apprehension rising in Abraham while he remains focused.

 

Yes. Also he was a sitting duck up there in front with the big glass windshield, I was really worried he was going to get shot up and not even make it to the cliffhanger.

[LeeMoon]

I also loved the Soprano's fade to black ending but others have now used it and it's getting old.

 

True.

[Lyndy]

Right, so I've already taken this off my DVR schedule but last night I saw Jon Bernthal on Kimmel and it made me think of this finale. Watching Rick and Co. blunder around the woods all night made me think about Shane and how increasingly annoyed I am on his behalf. Like okay, sure, tried to kill his best friend and did get a bit rapey at one point. At the time, I was glad to see the back of him but now I'm thinking he must be hanging out in the afterlife all, "I TOLD YOU!" Shane wasn't exactly a strategist but I feel like he would have objected to them driving aimlessly all night.

 

Also you realize the most strategically sound thing Negan's crew did was kill Denise? They wouldn't even need to be out there if they still had a doctor on site.

[ShadowSixx]

I'm always wondering why is it that when it's a group of good people they travel in small packs. There is never a big group of good people. Hershel just had his family Maggie, Beth, Otis, Patricia, and his son and Maggie is the only one left. Tyreese was with Sasha and those two were good while Allen teetered and his son IDK what the hell and Sasha is the only one left. Then there's Rosita, Abe, and Eugene. Tara the only good one in Martinez's group. There was ASZ but most of them are dead who is left Aaron, Eric, Spencer, Heath, Tobin, & Francine (the ones I do know there's probably more) and most of what's left of the original ASZ people you barely see. I thought Francine would be an asset to the group but doesn't look that way.

 

There's Hilltop but all we've seen is Jesus is the only good one. I think that there should be another good group out there, it can't be all riddled with villains and it almost comes across that all the good groups just end up dying.

[WhoCurr]

A pretty poor episode even without the cliffhanger, which incidentally I didn't think was too bad. Main problem was the endless repetition. How many times did we need to see "Oh noes! saviours blocking our path!", once or twice would have sufficed, really. There simply wasn't enough happening to justify the 90 minute length.

 

Carol's pseudo-PTSD storyline continues to be random and jarring. Was it all just to set-up Morgan's character developement? Are we done with it now, or will we have to endure more emo-Carol next season? Probably a pointless question after what happened in the woods, but still. Speaking of which, the ending sequence was well executed I thought. Seeing Rick brought down ten pegs was actually harder to watch than I thought it might be, and I was on the edge of my seat during the eeny-meenie part. I think a lot of the cliffhanger hate comes from the fact that most viewers already knew someone was going to die and were waiting for it all season. I don't think it's fair to blame the writers for that.

 

Some other positives: Negan is fantastic. I hate his guts. Perfect casting. The new people who helped Carol and Morgan are interesting. Enjoyed some of the emotional interactions between the characters, Maggie & Rick, Abe & Eugene, even Gabriel continues to not suck. Abraham and Sasha are cute but I still want Rosita to kick him in the balls.

Edited April 5, 2016 by WhoCurr

[Anakerie]

After this, I'm on Team Negan. Whack them all, big guy. Except Daryl.  Adopt him, bathe him, and raise him as your own. 

[ShadowSixx]

Right, so I've already taken this off my DVR schedule but last night I saw Jon Bernthal on Kimmel and it made me think of this finale. Watching Rick and Co. blunder around the woods all night made me think about Shane and how increasingly annoyed I am on his behalf. Like okay, sure, tried to kill his best friend and did get a bit rapey at one point. At the time, I was glad to see the back of him but now I'm thinking he must be hanging out in the afterlife all, "I TOLD YOU!" Shane wasn't exactly a strategist but I feel like he would have objected to them driving aimlessly all night.

 

Also you realize the most strategically sound thing Negan's crew did was kill Denise? They wouldn't even need to be out there if they still had a doctor on site.

 

Funny thing is, is that I was just thinking which past character would be an asset to the group now, that was part of the original group.

 

Shane - Yes

Andrea - Yes, if she stopped being stupid

Lori - Hell no, just bitch whine and complain and possibly fell on Abe's penis.

T-Dog - Yes

Oscar - Yes

Axel - Yes

Jacqui - No

Dale - No, he couldn't even hear the walker that killed him, walkers make noise

Amy - No

Ed - No

Lizzie - Yes, if she wasn't insane, she would be willing to kill or basically just tell her the bad guys want to kill all the zombies and would be best to get rid of the bad guys lol, we saw her kill Alisha & Mika with no qualms. Could have been a mini Carol. 

Merle - Yes

Hershel - Yes as a moral compass only

Beth - Big Maybe

Tyreese - Maybe, because he's just like Morgan, not really wanting to kill humans

Bob - Maybe

Noah - Maybe

 

I'm probably forgetting other characters that were part of the original group.

[LeeMoon]

I wish they hadn't killed T-Dog, he was one of my favorite characters.

[lulee]

Right, so I've already taken this off my DVR schedule but last night I saw Jon Bernthal on Kimmel and it made me think of this finale. Watching Rick and Co. blunder around the woods all night made me think about Shane and how increasingly annoyed I am on his behalf. Like okay, sure, tried to kill his best friend and did get a bit rapey at one point. At the time, I was glad to see the back of him but now I'm thinking he must be hanging out in the afterlife all, "I TOLD YOU!" Shane wasn't exactly a strategist but I feel like he would have objected to them driving aimlessly all night.

Also you realize the most strategically sound thing Negan's crew did was kill Denise? They wouldn't even need to be out there if they still had a doctor on site.

But was that strategic? I don't think Dwight shot her with that arrow *because* she was a doctor - how would he have known?

I think Dwight was just aiming at taking out one of Daryl's people to mess with Daryl and send a message. That she ended up being the doctor was coincidental.

Edited April 6, 2016 by lulee

[Raven1707]

Nielsen ratings are in for this episode:

 

The Season 6 finale of "The Walking Dead" may not have been the show's most well-received episode, but it was the top-rated one for the second half of the season. The finale scored a 6.9 rating in adults 18-49, its best since its fall finale in November and up 1.1 points from the previous week. [14.193 million viewers]

 

http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2016/04/05/sunday-cable-ratings-april-3-2016-walking-dead-finale/

 

And here are the Live + SD ratings for Season 6:

10-11-15 "First Time Again" 14.633 million viewers
10-18-15 "JSS" 12.183 million viewers
10-25-15 "Thank You" 13.143 million viewers
11-01-15 "Here's Not Here" 13.339 million viewers
11-08-15 "Now" 12.440 million viewers
11-15-15 "Always Accountable" 12.871 million viewers
11-22-15 "Heads Up" 13.224 million viewers
11-29-15 "Start to Finish" 13.981 million viewers

 

02-14-16 "No Way Out" 13.742 million viewers
02-21-16 "The Next World" 13.483 million viewers
02-28-16 "Knots Untie" 12.794 million viewers
03-06-16 "Not Tomorrow Yet" 12.816 million viewers
03-13-16 "The Same Boat" 12.350 million viewers
03-20-16 "Twice As Far" 12.696 million
03-27-16 "East"12.384 million viewers
04-03-16 "Last Day on Earth" 14.193 million viewers

 

Personally, I still haven't watched the Finale, and have no interest in doing so anytime soon.

[kj4ever]

Problem is, Negan has one big thing going for him; success.

Think of Negan's organization (so far as we currently know it):

• Leader (Negan)
• Lieutenants (ex. Dwight)
• Soldiers (rank-and-file Saviors)
• Serfs (conquered communities)

I don't think it's a big leap to say (a) all but the bottommost tier benefit from Negan's strategies in varying degrees of profit-sharing, and (b) Negan has repeatedly demonstrated that employing his tactics with complete, dispassionate ruthlessness pays off BIG - enough so that substantial numbers of his conquered populations petition to join the ranks of their conqueror.

I mean - where do you think all those Saviors came from in the first place?

It's not like the entire crew (and pure guesswork on my part, but I'm thinking somewhere in the 200+ range) just dropped into town en masse and started conquering shit left and right. Negan had to have assimilated them from the conquered communities - separated the wolves* from the sheep.

And I also strongly suspect the wolves in question asked to join, which gets to yet another factor: loyalty. They have rules, and consequences for breaking them - but by and large the Saviors are a voluntary army, and those are the most loyal. Maybe not to Negan personally - but definitely to his strategy and tactics, from which all benefit.

Which means as long as his tactics are successful and everybody continues to benefit, their allegiance to Negan is going to be pretty dern near absolute.

* And no I don't mean Wolves - just, know now, regular garden-variety wolves.

Personality-wise, not literal quadruped carnivores.

It's a freaking metaphor, alright?

 

Yeah, but Dwight's loyalty wasn't so good at the beginning of the season.  He was trying to run away.  I'm assuming that's why his face was half burnt off and he fell back in line.  Negan obviously doesn't banish people - he tortures them and keeps them around.

 

Cliffhanger-gate wouldn't have been near as bad if they hadn't spent how many episodes messing with us already with Glenn.  It just seems like they are 12 year old boys ringing their hands together saying "Wait until they get a load of this!"

[AnnaMayWong]

It really does seem as if they are preteens, sometimes--exclaiming, hootin', hollerin' when there's abounding gore and not much more. However, when attempted storyline/plotline complexities are introduced, all we hear is "...Mom! Mom! This is so boring. Can we watch something else !?"

[Persnickety1]

This episode reminded me of a movie that I just could not remember. Then it came to me. This was "Race With the Devil" Walking Dead style.

This episode reminded me of a movie that I just could not remember. Then it came to me. This was "Race With the Devil" Walking Dead style.

Mini Persnickety and I drew that same exact comparison at Roadblock #2.

The RV, the night setting, the bloodthirsty followers, the roadblocks...

We were just thankful a dead pet wasn't involved.

I found the finale very atmospheric and suspenseful.

[Anela]

This episode reminded me of a movie that I just could not remember. Then it came to me. This was "Race With the Devil" Walking Dead style.

 

I remember that. It was on youtube a few years ago, but I don't know if it's still there. I watched it in my teens, and it scared me.

Yes. Well, IS. He's still alive. Somewhere. Maybe Aaron shoved him in a closet before leaving. 

haha! I only said, "was" because the show is over for now. :) 

[Mattipoo]

This was a fun episode until the awful cliffhanger. I hope the reveal will turn out to be a surprise, like Negan killed Dwight, Jesus or some other person we didn't expect.

[kimbrchick]

I'm annoyed only because I totally avoid spoilers and I feel that I'm somehow going to be spoiled now. I really thought Eugene wouldn't live through the night (it's still possible that he won't) but I thought for sure that after he stood up to do something heroic that we would be saying goodbye to him. Even if they wanted to keep the victim unknown until next season, I think it would have been more of an impact to at least see one or two others react to seeing it.

Edited April 6, 2016 by kimbrchick

[Tony]

This has got to be the worst episode in the show's history for me. They just dragged things on until the non-ending. All I got from this episode is...

 

1. Rick is a craptastic leader as always
2. Never get knocked up during the ZA

[anarchyangel84]

I'm very curious as to how many people will tune in next season. I will. I've invested too much time & emotion in this show.

The acting was amazing in this episode. From Rick talking to Maggie to Abraham & Eugene's goodbye to Glenn's outburst when Negan was in front of Maggie. Everytime they were confronted by another roadblock, I felt more & more dread in the pit of my stomach.

I mentioned this on another website- and it's probably an unpopular opinion here too. But on Sunday I loved JDM as Negan. But the more I thought about it, I would have hated anyone that came out of that RV & did what he did. And I hate him.

JDM is a great actor- but now I just don't like him as Negan. I have read the compendiums- so maybe I'm my expectations are just too high. But I just thought Negan would've been bigger & more threatening. If I didn't know who he was, I may not have feared him as much.

I was soooooo happy the horse didn't get torn apart!! Horses don't have the best luck on this show.

I do wonder what/who they're going to put on the Season 7 poster. I don't know who they're gonna put on the trailer either.

Based on that Negan said, (If anyone moves, take the kids other eye & feed it to his father) he didn't kill Carl or Rick. So they can put Carl, Rick, Morgan, Carol, the new people & their horse on the trailer (as well as the Saviors & Negan.) AMC, Gimple, & Kirkman are such idiots.

[jsbt]

My bet is a lot of the teaser material will be a bloodied Lucille.

[TigerLynx]

Problem is, Negan has one big thing going for him; success.

Think of Negan's organization (so far as we currently know it):

• Leader (Negan)
• Lieutenants (ex. Dwight)
• Soldiers (rank-and-file Saviors)
• Serfs (conquered communities)

I don't think it's a big leap to say (a) all but the bottommost tier benefit from Negan's strategies in varying degrees of profit-sharing, and (b) Negan has repeatedly demonstrated that employing his tactics with complete, dispassionate ruthlessness pays off BIG - enough so that substantial numbers of his conquered populations petition to join the ranks of their conqueror.

I mean - where do you think all those Saviors came from in the first place?

It's not like the entire crew (and pure guesswork on my part, but I'm thinking somewhere in the 200+ range) just dropped into town en masse and started conquering shit left and right. Negan had to have assimilated them from the conquered communities - separated the wolves* from the sheep.

And I also strongly suspect the wolves in question asked to join, which gets to yet another factor: loyalty. They have rules, and consequences for breaking them - but by and large the Saviors are a voluntary army, and those are the most loyal. Maybe not to Negan personally - but definitely to his strategy and tactics, from which all benefit.

Which means as long as his tactics are successful and everybody continues to benefit, their allegiance to Negan is going to be pretty dern near absolute.

* And no I don't mean Wolves - just, know now, regular garden-variety wolves.

Personality-wise, not literal quadruped carnivores.

It's a freaking metaphor, alright?

 

 

At this point the sheep have been killed, conquered or are holed up somewhere somewhat safe for the time being.  Rick's group are fighters.  Even Carol and Morgan who are tired of killing will still kill when they have to.  Negan's followers are with him because of fear, and what they can get out of it, not because they are loyal.  I wouldn't be surprised if one of his own killed Negan if they got the chance to.  Negan might make the same mistake so many others have, and meet his own waterloo, or Russian winter.

 

Yes. Well, IS. He's still alive. Somewhere. Maybe Aaron shoved him in a closet before leaving. 

 

This was funny.  I'm having visions of Aaron shoving Eric into a closet saying, "Back in the closet you go.  Don't come out again until I tell you to."

 

Since the Saviors cut off some of Michonne's hair is there any chance they could give haircuts to Daryl, Carl, and Rick.  Maybe Enid will cut off all of Carl's hair in retaliation for locking her in the closet.

[jsbt]

Yeah, when was the last time we saw cute Eric? I don't remember him seeing him after his debut. Maybe he's going through every leftover DVR in Alexandria.

 Negan's followers are with him because of fear, and what they can get out of it, not because they are loyal.  I wouldn't be surprised if one of his own killed Negan if they got the chance to.  Negan might make the same mistake so many others have, and meet his own waterloo, or Russian winter.

 

Oh, I think he will eventually. But I don't think they're all with him out of fear. It's clear from the people we've seen that at least some (Steven Ogg, etc.) are true believers. Negan would hardly be the first maniac in history with a devout cult of personality.

[catcory]

The only thing I thought about when we saw Eugene kneeling down, "seriously dude you got caught 2 minutes after you started driving"

[lulee]

The only thing I thought about when we saw Eugene kneeling down, "seriously dude you got caught 2 minutes after you started driving"

Yeah, I felt so bad for him. He thought it was going to be his chance to outsmart foes and be a hero and he completely failed. Edited April 6, 2016 by lulee

[TigerLynx]

Yeah, when was the last time we saw cute Eric? I don't remember him seeing him after his debut. Maybe he's going through every leftover DVR in Alexandria.

 

Oh, I think he will eventually. But I don't think they're all with him out of fear. It's clear from the people we've seen that at least some (Steven Ogg, etc.) are true believers. Negan would hardly be the first maniac in history with a devout cult of personality.

 

Some of Negan's followers are probably true believers or psychopaths like him, however, by his own admission the way he got most of them to follow him is fear.  And there are other groups that did not play by Negan's rules.  The librarians all ended up dead rather than do things Negan's way.  However, they were not as capable at surviving and killing as Rick's group is.  Negan actually touched on this without realizing the actual significance of it.  "You killed my people so I sent more of my people to kill you, and you killed them to.  Not cool."  What makes Negan think they won't kill him or more of his people the first chance they get?  Negan beats people to death with Lucille while his followers keep the others from interfering.  Glenn took out a walker with no weapons when he was tied to a chair.  Carole took out Terminus, Rick ripped out a man's throat with his teeth, etc.  So far, it seems the people Negan has encountered either fell in line with the program, or weren't capable of effectively fighting back.  Rick's group can fight back, and will.