‘The Walking Dead’: Season Seven premiere hits viewers right in the feels

Many fans of “The Walking Dead” are in mourning after Sunday’s incredibly dramatic Season 7 premiere.

Those who tuned in to the Season 6 finale saw the huge cliffhanger that led to the impending result of the first episode of Season 7. Over the summer the network behind the popular zombie drama, AMC, began teasing and promoting this premiere with the introduction of a new villain, named Negan. The character’s presence in the comic book series, on which the show is based, marked a very big turning point in the story. It also took place on the comic’s 100th issue, a move put in place by creator Robert Kirkman for the reason that after reading a comic for 100 issues, many readers tend to check out other things but in the case of this world, another act of the story has only just begun.

This could not be more true in regards to the TV adaptation. At the end of last season, many of the main cast members were on their knees surrendered to this man, Negan, and his group, called the Saviors, stripped of all of the control the group is used to having. Due to their actions against the Saviors in Season 6, the group has been captured and Negan threatened to kill a member using his beloved baseball bat, wrapped in barbed wire, named “Lucille.”

This caused an uproar as fans of the show tried desperately to figure out who the victim would be all summer, leading up to Sunday’s premiere. But, even with all of the hype and buildup to this pivotal moment, finally witnessing the inevitable result was a gut-wrenching, horrific sequence that will likely impact the story for seasons to come.

Following the premiere, the series’ official after-show, “Talking Dead,” aired a live 90-minute special in LA for hundreds of fans who attended despite a little bit of rain on the set.

Those fans also enjoyed a live screening of the premiere, and later in the after-show their reactions to the worst scenes were shown, making it even more clear how impactful the content was to audiences around the country.

Host Chris Hardwick had all the main characters from the cast, as well as the creator, Kirkman, and the executive producer, Scott Gimple. When asked about the sequence that has everyone talking, the producers said it had been in planning for almost two years. Kirkman insisted the scene has so much to be resolved and that it sets the stage so well for the upcoming season.

In the cast interviews leading up to the first episode, Andrew Lincoln, who plays Rick Grimes said, “Don’t watch this episode alone. Make a nice meal, surround yourself with your loved ones, and grab a box of tissues.”

For anyone following this show for the last seven years, myself included, it’s clear that our group has faced a number of threats and dealt with some unimaginable odds, while also facing tragic losses along the way. Having said that, this new threat named Negan was introduced in such a heart-breaking way, it is clear that this episode alone is not for the weary.