First, let me say this:
I have watched The Walking Dead since it first premiered back in 2010. I survived weeks of Lori's pregnancy drama, three seasons of Andrea, and exactly 4.2 billion situations in which Glenn was in danger, so I can damn well survive this cliffhanger.
And to everyone out there up in arms, insulting the producers and overusing your middle finger emojis, I have three words for you.
Trust the writers.
As in, these people know what they are doing. I have a lot of respect for anyone who creates with the story's best interest in mind, even if it doesn't give the audience exactly what it wants. Focus on the awesome, intense, and heartbreaking things that happened in that finale. Appreciate the insanely dedicated performances of one of the best casts on television. So few shows have the capability to make an audience physically sick with nerves and anticipation. The tension was built to perfection and that final scene was executed in such a powerful way. We're going to be seven seasons deep into this story, and now is not the time to get fickle.
So there. Rant over. We'll all be back in October to see the fate of whoever had the 'honor' of meeting Lucille. Then, we can cry or scream or do whatever Negan will allow us to do, but until then, let the theories fly. Throwing mine into the ring, I'm going to map out who I think we lost. There's no real option that wouldn't break my heart.
Here we go.
We KNOW Rick and Carl are safe. Even if it wasn't for Negan's comment just before delivering his first blow, Carl and Negan have a really interesting relationship in the comics that will likely be brought to life on screen. Even though Rick isn't going to die, can we just take a moment to absorb the total terror of seeing him in that lineup? He went from being completely confident when the group left Alexandria to barely holding his composure when the Saviors surrounded them. Until now, they have always managed to get out of their various predicaments. The farm. The Governor. Terminus. The walkers in Alexandria. Rick's group has been the world's powerhouse, and Negan has just arrived to tear that all to pieces. You can see it in his eyes as he realizes it, which begs the eternally unanswered question:
Where is Andrew Lincoln's Golden Globe?
Anyways, We’re going to go forward assuming that the women are
safe. Negan isn’t about killing women in the comics, and I don’t foresee them
changing his character in that way. Negan has a very specific personality that
the writers seem to be sticking with (His monologue was pretty much verbatim
from the comics), so we’ll just say Rosita, Maggie, Sasha, and Michonne all make
it out of this one. Besides, the whole idea of Rick’s love interests dying
would officially become redundant if Michonne dies. I don’t think the writers
would dare kill her off to move his character forward. The feminists and the
fans would riot, as they should.
A lot of people are predicting that Glenn will finally meet his
demise, expecting the show to follow his violent death in the comics. You
could dive into six season's worth of comparisons to see how different the two
mediums are, and it kind of takes a lot of the weight out of that logic. If
they were following the comics in a way that makes things this predictable,
Carol would have killed herself in season three. Judith would not be anyone's top priority
because she wouldn't save survived the attack on the prison. Sophia would still
be around and so would Andrea (can you freaking imagine?). My point is that the
show is its own entity, taking its characters on new paths that make for an
entirely new experience.
That doesn't rule Glenn out, but it does change up the dynamic of
characterization. Everyone is looking at the angle of trees and speculating
about who has hair in their face and who could sit back up after that kind of
blow, but what's really important is to look at the basic craft of
storytelling.
We have to ask the right questions. I learned from Lost, another
iconic show in which character deaths left a massive impact on viewers, that you
have to look at the characters whose story lines have no where else to go. On Lost, Charlie had reached his ultimate arc when he sacrificed himself to save
Desmond. That was the end of the line for him. Looking back on previous seasons
of TWD, this can also be said for Lori or Hershel or Beth. They all served
their purpose and lacked any concrete possibilities for furthering their
characters.
With that being said, my money's on Abraham.
Let's break it down. Glenn has Maggie. Her pregnancy complications and (hopefully) future child open up a
whole new plot line for the beloved couple. This is something that they’ve
wanted to build for a while now, and the only way I can see it heading forward
is if they go through it together. We’ve already been through a significant
sequence of Maggie’s grief after Beth died, and I think her character is going
to go in a different, new direction with Glenn still at her side.
Another person whose name has been tossed around is Daryl. Even if you don't factor in his massive fan base, Daryl’s time with the group is far from over. Denise’s
death unleashed a vicious need for vengeance in him, and that will likely play
a role as the group is forced to work for the Saviors. The possibilities that
stem from this are way too captivating to cut it short now.
Eugene has really reached a new level of character
development, taking initiative in the plans to manufacture ammunition for
Alexandria. He had his little moment with Abraham right before they separated,
and it really seemed like a final goodbye. This was because we kind of figured
Eugene wasn’t going to make it out of that RV, but it could also be seen as a
sort of passing of the torch. Abraham has taught Eugene what he can and
protected him until the point where he didn’t need that protection anymore. Eugene is ready to face the world with a newfound courage, and we just haven't seen enough of that yet.
I’m not going to say that much about Aaron. His death would
be so underwhelming and it has been made clear that this death is going to have
a huge impact on the group as a whole. Everyone likes Aaron, but it wouldn’t
be that monumental if he was the one.
So that leaves us with the ever intriguing and entertaining
Abraham. Think about it. Where could his story go from here? We’re not going to
have another pregnancy on the show. We're just not. Rick and Michonne have become the power couple for
the show to focus on, so the Abraham/Sasha relationship doesn’t have a whole
lot of room for screen time now that it has been established.
Even with these details aside, Abraham’s character
is exactly where he needs to be for him to meet his end. At the beginning of
season six, there was a definite feeling that he wanted to die. He was reckless
and indifferent about his own life, and it was looking rather bleak for him.
Fast-forward to the finale, and Abraham is asking Sasha about having children.
He’s looking at life as something he can do more with than just survive. He is
finding a sort of peace within himself, ready to enter a journey with Sasha
that we never could have imagined him in when he was first introduced. His growth has reached its peak, and that’s
when we say goodbye.
When Negan steps up to him, Abraham sticks his chest out,
standing as tall as he can in his own defiant manner. If Negan wants to take
out someone strong in order to make an example, who better than the man built
like a tank with a face of stone? We have seen the way Abraham has become a solid
part of this family. He has always believed in Rick. He helped Glenn and Maggie
reunite after the prison fell. He is loved by Rosita and Sasha, and has built
an endearing friendship with Eugene. This would break everyone. This is it for
Abraham.
It would be a tough loss for the fandom. He certainly brings a unique presence to the group, but all the signs point to the apocalypse's favorite ginger.
Now, we'll just have to wait and see.
