When The Walking Dead eventually got to the end of its seventh season a little earlier this year, fans were quick to fling mud and say it was the worst season the series had ever seen. Now that we’ve had time to ingest everything that went down however, some of us can look back on the season in awe and truly appreciate what it had to offer. Here are just 5 Reasons The Walking Dead Season 7 Wasn’t As Bad As Everyone Said…
5. The real introduction of Negan
Whether you like the way his story immediately went, with his wiping out of Glenn and Abraham in a single episode, Negan is the most interesting villain to ever venture into The Walking Dead. Unafraid of much, he uses his trusty barbed wire baseball bat Lucille to bring the lives of those who oppose him to an end, but rules out of fear wherever possible. There’s not much he wouldn’t do to ensure everybody follows his way of life. If they don’t? They get the pointy sides of the bat.
4. The Daryl-centric episode, ‘The Cell’
For as long as we can remember, Daryl Dixon has been one tough son of a gun. When taken captive by Negan however and locked into a cell at the Sanctuary, he was broken down bit by bit as torture from Dwight made its mark. We’ve never seen Daryl so vulnerable before and so, when he was offered a place amongst the Saviors rather than against them, nobody could have blamed him for taking them up on the opportunity. Of course, he refused, and showed everybody where his loyalty truly lies.
3. The Tara-centric episode, ‘Swear’
Separated from Heath during a walker attack, Tara washed up on a beach where she was revived and saved by a girl named Cyndie. Taken to her community known as Oceanside, she soon discovered that the heavily-armed women and children wanted to remain a secluded group, away from the chaos of the world created by the Saviors. Tara learned here that any men in the group were previously slaughtered by Negan’s men and quickly vouched to never say anything to anybody about the group. It was a truly eye-opening episode that allowed us to learn a little more about Tara’s character. Criminally underused in the past, Tara is one of the most interesting people left in The Walking Dead’s universe, and we can’t wait to see what’s next for her.
2. Rick and Michonne’s carnival date
It’s an episode that’s been scrutinized by many, but one that we really saw the heart in. As Rick and Michonne went out on a mission to find guns for the Scavengers, they came across an abandoned school carnival where they enjoyed a date like none other. Spending more time than was necessary out in the wild, simply so they could enjoy one another’s company, it was great to see the two enjoy some nicer moments away from all of the drama. Of course, the mushy feeling in the air didn’t last when a group of walkers almost took their pound of meat from Rick – it’s a good job Michonne is so savvy when it comes to saving her man.
1. The action-packed finale
When the season came to an end, viewers were saddened to see Sasha’s life come to a close, but loved the fact that Rick and his fellow group of survivors were finally finding the courage within themselves to go up against Negan and his Saviors. A double cross from the Scavengers wasn’t enough to see Rick’s group off, with the Kingdom answering the rally call and King Ezekiel’s tiger Shiva taking out a number of enemies. With ‘All Out War’ on the horizon, this episode served as the perfect launching pad for everything to come.
The Walking Dead is expected to return for its eighth season on AMC in the US and FOX in the UK this coming October.
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