The Walking Dead Season 7 Episode 1: The Day Will Come When You Won't Be

WARNING: SPOILERS. IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN SEASON 7 EPISODE 1 “THE DAY WILL COME WHEN YOU WON’T BE”, READ AT YOUR OWN EXPENSE.
Jesus (no pun or character name intended), “The Walking Dead” sure knows how to squash our hearts and spit in our faces (or perhaps I should’ve said “squash” our heads). After over six months of waiting, we FINALLY received the episode we’ve all been patiently anticipating. Last night’s Season 7 premiere was everything a longtime fan could’ve been waiting for: It had very present moments of palpable tension, a couple of crushing blows which were followed up with some shots of graphic violence, and that extremely dirty feeling you get after watching something you feel like you shouldn’t have seen. For me, this is one of the cases in which you have to keep telling yourself “It’s just a show, it’s just a show” as the blood drips down the face of, now, former characters we’ve come to love over these painful years.

I can’t wait any longer to say this…REST IN PEACE SGT. ABRAHAM FORD AND GLENN RHEE. Last night, we lost two of our best men to Negan’s barbed wire babe, Lucille. The wait for this moment was nothing short of painstaking. It was certainly the talk of the town this past summer, and rightfully so. We were led to this episode with the belief that we would have to be emotionally prepared for what’s to come...and were they right.

The second Lucille made contact with Abraham’s head; my heart sank into my stomach. I was left paralyzed, watching one of my favorite characters bite the bat, as he delivered his last words and final insult to Negan, and in true Abraham fashion at that (“Suck my nuts”, ha!). Even through all of the upset while he was dying, I still couldn’t help but crack a twisted smile at the fact that Abraham wasn’t going to let Negan get the best of him. Talk about being ballsy right up until your last breath! You will be missed by all of us, my friend.

So Negan chose his victim, right? Well, you can say that. To me, he actually picked two victims, and that was probably the biggest twist they could’ve tacked onto this whole event. We knew someone was going to get the bat, and then we were shown it was Abe who took the bashing. There we go, now everyone’s in the clear. Wait, Daryl, don’t intervene!

I just want to say this right now: I do not blame Daryl for what happened to Glenn. If we’re being honest here, Glenn sort of put his name on the list by acting out in the previous episode at the sight of Maggie kneeling before Negan, who appeared to be ready to swing. I can see how Daryl's actions further instigated Negan to follow through with his promise, but he probably figured he would take the chance or die trying, himself. Had Daryl known someone else's life would be in jeopardy, I think he would have thought twice before acting.

But we understand, Glenn; it’s an emotional moment (“I get it”), however, let’s take a moment to look at the situation you’re in; powerless, vulnerable and worst of all, hopeless. Does any part of that situation make you think it's okay to “literally” step out of line and do things your way? Negan is trying to make a point here, I can assure you that behavior only pissed him off further. This does not justify Daryl acting out either, so he should be considered lucky that he was spared (but what for?).

I was very sad to see Abe go, it was horrible…but seeing Glenn die like that…that was just crushing. The network did not hold back on the violence whatsoever, showing our beloved pizza boy with his left eyeball protruding from his now dented skull. Underneath the muffles of his pain and confusion, Glenn mentioned something to Maggie along the lines of that he would see her again. I can only assume he was referring to the afterlife, but the idea of Glenn attempting to say anything at all is awful. It was horrifying to see him try and get the words out, only to be cut off by Lucille and laid to rest for good.

This episode was not only about who we lost, but what we lost. Rick and his group lost the cockiness and confidence they’d previously had. Their world has now been turned upside by Negan. Rick now (unfortunately) understands who's in charge from here on out (as Negan demonstrated through his monolog and acts of violence). I think Rick is going to be more accepting of these changes, especially after everything Negan had put him through. For the safety of his group, it is important for Rick to comply with Negan’s requests and demands, unless he wants to experience the trauma of losing another close friend or family member, which in that case, Negan would be more than glad to help.

Gone, but not forgotten (Glenn and Abraham).