During and After the Season 7 Premiere

Photos: both from Hollywood Take

Well, I didn't want to be right, but so far I was: Abraham and Glenn. And wasn't this an awfully ironic image of Glenn I found?

Both deserved better. Glenn especially didn't deserve to go like that, with one eye bulging out. He got in a promise to Maggie, and showed he loved her, but...at least Abraham got a few choice words and attitude in there.

I was just asked why I felt Abraham would get it. One: as I mentioned before, he was essentially another Daryl, and that wouldn't last long. Second, he was listed as one of the stars at the Rhode Island Comic-Con, which is often an indicator that one's role has diminished--as Father Gabriel's last year--or that it has ended. His role wouldn't lessen, so it had to be that it was ending.

Now I'm watching The Talking Dead, so let's see how that goes...I'll watch that now...

Touching tributes to the departed. Hard to believe it's been six years for Glenn! And for all of us watching the show. Cool that Yeun said it was an honor for the end to come to him, as it's the catalyst for everything else that happens, and apparently there's quite a bit. Great attitude! I'm watching Michael Cudlitz and going to bed. Thanks for reading!

Just Before the Season Seven Premeire

Photo: from The Walking Dead's Season 7 Wikipedia page. Click the image for a really good pic. It's the show's official banner at San Diego Comic-Con.

So, Season 7 is upon us, and I'm back for a blog of The Walking Dead since Season 5. Been busy!!!

Who will Negan be bashing with the baseball bat? Since the premiere starts in half an hour, there isn't a lot of time to get into it, so I'll present options and pick, and we'll see how right I was. (Or, wasn't.)

--Glenn

--Abraham

--Eugene

--Rosita

--Michonne

--Sasha

--Aaron

Okay, so my picks. Glenn gets it in the comics here, and in an interview, Lauren Cohen cried about this episode and said it was very depressing and difficult. In the comics, after he dies, she miscarries and then kills herself, but I'm guessing not all of that will happen.

But I think Glenn goes. The showmakers have veered from the comics quite a bit, but I don't think they will here. Plus, Glenn's arc has crested.

I also think Eugene and/or Abraham will go. I wouldn't be surprised if both do, but if I had to pick one, I'd go with...both. Eugene's character has definitely crested and there's not much more for him to do. Once he found his bravery, there wasn't anything else. And Abraham...well, he's basically been another Daryl lately, and that can't go on. His character has more to still do, but...I can't choose between them.

The same can be said for Michonne, and for Daryl, but I'm not ready to pick them yet. Frankly, the showmakers can't be that dumb to cast Daryl away, and Michonne has maybe crested, but has too much of a fan base, especially among women. I mean, she's basically a female Rick, and I mean that in the kindest of all possible ways. Seriously, that's a compliment. Either one would be a logical choice, but I'm not ready to go there.

I am ready to pick Rosita and / or Sasha, but I feel that there would be something interesting between them once Abraham goes. But I wouldn't be surprised if one of them gets hit.

And Aaron is just sort of there. Those guys don't last too long. He goes.

So now I've boiled it down to:

Aaron, Eugene, Abraham, Glenn, with a few maybes. I mean, if the showmakers really want to be mean, they can make it Maggie herself, but that would be...shocking, though not surprising, if you know what I mean. I've only recently been talked out of saying she was one of the ones tonight.

But I have my doubts. (Before the previews, I've even said that Carl could get it. But Rick would've been more insane in the previews had that been the case.)

But I'll say No for now. So four is too many. I'll pick two.

I'll say: Glenn and Eugene or Abraham. Maybe all three. Aaron gets away because he's so irrelevant.

And I don't expect Negan himself to last too long. Certainly not all season. Maybe a few episodes.

My guess is that they won't show who it is until almost an hour in. (The show is an hour and six minutes tonight.)

If you're reading this, what do you think? Make a guess in the comments if you'd like, and let's see how we did.

The Walking Dead -- Conquer

Photo: Greg Nicotero and friend, from the Wall Street Journal's photojournal page, at this website.

Well, this one was sort of anti-climactic.  Interesting towards the end in that you were expecting a climax involving:

--Glen and the townie trying to kill him;

--Daryl and Aaron getting killed in a car by a horde of walkers;

--Rick getting kicked out of Alexandria.

It was also to see any one of several things happening to the good turncoat priest, including:

--Father Gabriel committing suicide by zombie;

--Sasha killing Father Gabriel, or

--Maggie killing Father Gabriel, or

--The Walkers killing everyone in Alexandria because Father Gabriel left the door open, or

--The Wolves killing everyone in Alexandria because Father Gabriel left the door open.

Truth be told, I'm rather surprised Father Gabriel didn't buy the farm in this episode.

And maybe that was the whole point.  Nicotero (who again directed) and Co. are being very smart.  They're mixing it up.  They know we've seen the climactic episode at the end of every season.  It usually ends in a rush and someone dies.  Since they know we know that, this one doesn't.  It's that simple.  It is very smart as an artist to respect the intelligence of your audience.  These guys do.  They, like us, have seen it all before--but they acknowledge that we, the audience, are as knowledgeable of this genre as are they.  So they change some things--the tone, the pace, the endings.  They've seen it all before and they know we have, too, so they change things to keep themselves as interested as us.  They are not just content with the status quo; they know we won't be.

And so Father Gabriel and Sasha get their confession and redemption.  How long that keeps either of them from falling off the cliff is anyone's guess, but the key is that they're still surviving.  One day at a time.

Daryl and Aaron live to fight another day, since Morgan the Jedi arrived just in time.  Aaron will probably clean off that Alaska plate and add it to his collection.  (That was new, by the way: Death by License Plate.  Though those damn things can be razor sharp on the sides, for those of us who've nicked ourselves while putting one on.  And extra points to the guy who thought up the Death by Chain.  Why hasn't that been utilized before?)

Rick doesn't get thrown out of Alexandria, and even gets to kill the wife-beater that he--and all of us--has wanted to get rid of for awhile now.  (Storming the meeting to kill Rick with a machete was ill-advised.  Why not wait until he's alone with him somewhere?)

(How Alexandra Breckinridge's character responds to this bloodletting will be interesting...As is everything, probably, that Alexandra Breckinridge does.  I'm just sayin'...)  And that's a name right out of Jane Austin, too.

Carol gets to out-Machiavell Machiavelli.  While cooking casseroles, demanding the bowl back, and calling Rick "Sunshine" at the same time.  And threatening the wife-abuser at the same time.  She was so angry, you just know she was seeing Ed.  I mean, red.   

Glenn gets to stay Glenn, and not turn into Rick or Daryl, which is probably good for him.  (Though Daryl and Rick--and probably most of us--would've wasted that guy, especially after he let a pile of walkers fall on Glenn.)

And Michonne now gets to carry her sword, which is her third arm, without pretending she's over it.

Which is a good thing, because the big, bad Wolves are coming.  (Get the red poncho guy, now?)

See ya in a few months.  Thanks for reading.