The Walking Dead Producers Address The Big Cliffhanger

The Walking Dead‘s sixth season is now a part of history, as is one of its core character. Read no further if you have not yet watched the season six finale!

To cap off season six, one member of Rick’s group spent their last day on earth. Negan raised his bat and bashed their head in. Who? We don’t know – the moment was given to the audience from an unknown victim’s perspective.

After the episode, The Walking Dead showrunner Scott Gimple and writer/creator Robert Kirkman appeared on Talking Dead to recap the episode with host Chris Hardwick.

“The end of the story is what people saw,” says Gimple. “And when we reveal who was on the receiving end there, that’s going to be the start of another story. The kickback effects from that, what it makes everyone into, how people react, how the world changes for everyone, that’s the next part of the story.”

“I’m very excited where it’s at,” Kirkman chimed in. “What’s happening in the show is extremely sad and extremely depressing but I think it’s going to put us into a good place going into season 7.”

The duo didn’t ignore the vocally frustrated fans, though. They were fully aware that many fans are tweeting, texting, and just flat out yelling in anger over the unanswered question to cap off the season.

“First of all, as a fan, I love cliffhangers,” says Kirkman. “I love that tension. I love the anticipation of finding out what it is. If you read the comic book series, I think pretty much every issue ends with a big cliffhanger… And I think that’s a lot of fun. But this story, the cliffhanger isn’t the story. The story of the episode, and Scott and Matt Negrete did such a great hob of setting up how confident Rick was going into this.… This episode is about the loss of that confidence. Its about changing that mindset. It’s about tearing Rick Grimes down and that’s the conclusion of this story. So while it does seem like a cliffhanger, that’s the conclusion. And the story of who died, the story of what comes next, of who Negan killed, of what comes after that, that’s really the story of season 7.”

“I would say, when they opened up the hatch, we had to wait and see who was in the hatch,” Gimple said in reference to ABC’s first season finale of LOST. “I liked thinking about that. I liked talking about it.… We have to do an episode that justifies it to you. We have to do something so great and so intense that you’re like ‘Okay, alright, fair play.’ That’s the challenge we have and we’re going to do it. We’re going to deliver you something fantastic.… We want you to be one of those people in that lineup. We want you to feel that suspense and that terror and that pain, and were going to deliver you a story next season that justifies it.”

The great answer from Gimple will hopefully satisfy fans who will be waiting with a full appetite for answers in October.

The next footage for The Walking Dead will come out of San Diego Comic Con as AMC historically releases extended trailers for the show’s upcoming seasons during the July event. I’ll be there bringing you every update from now until October. If you want to talk in the mean time, or relay your questions to cast members, hit me up on Twitter – @BrandonDavisBD.