The Walking Dead has returned for the back half of its seventh season. The two episodes which have aired are drastically different by comparison to the eight which preceded them to end the show’s 2016 run.
If the numbers have increased in terms of viewership of the well-received midseason premiere are any indication, a few million fans have decided to give the show another shot after jumping ship and sending the ratings into a downward slope through the first half of Season 7.
Videos by ComicBook.com
The millions of fans who have jumped back onto the AMC series aren’t wrong. It’s a great time to be watching The Walking Dead and on the following slides, we explore the reasons why…
Zombies
One might assume that after seven years of killing zombies on Sunday nights, the act might get a little bit repetitive.
Season 7 of The Walking Dead has provenย this to be completely false. Not only have baseball bats, knives and guns been meeting the skulls of the undeadย but Greg Nicotero and his visual effects team have been putting in extra hours recently.
In Episode 7×09 (Rock in the Road), Rick Grimes and Michonne set a walker kill record when they used two guys tied together by a wire to literally slice through a herd of walkers in one of the show’s most jaw-dropping sequences. Then, in Episode 7×10 (New Best Friends), Rick was tossed into a pit for a gladiator match of sorts with a walker decked out in knives an spikes.ย
The Walking Dead has created some of the most innovative and intense zombie kills in its two most recent episodes.
ย
Humor
The Walking Dead is not known for having a sense of humor. Fans have managed to make themselves laugh a bit through the series when making jokes about Hershel’s spaghetti Tuesday’s or Daryl nickname of “Pookie,” but with the introduction of new communities, the show has found some jokes.ย
More specifically, Jerry and King Ezekiel have provided the levity necessary to balance the darkness offered by Neganย and the Saviors.ย
Introducing a character who has a pet tiger is one thing. Surrounding him with an extravagant Shakespearean batch of personalities and soldiers is almost unacceptable. But The Walking Dead is making it work, masterfully.
ย
Relationships
Fans are always rooting for hook-ups on The Walking Dead. Corners of the Internet called “shippers” are hoping to finally see a little confirmation of love between Daryl and Carol or Carol and Ezekiel, all the while losing their minds every time Rick and Michonne share a kiss.ย
New Best Friends put these relationships at the forefront, injecting a much-needed development of Daryl’s character who looks like a lost puppy at the moment, while also building on Carol’s desire to stop killing people. The choices made in the episode drew strong reactions as Daryl covered up Abraham and Glenn’s deaths, which has proven to be the most long lasting impact from a loss of characters since Lori died.
While intimate and familial relationships continue to become more of a factor, such as Morgan and Benjamin, inter-community relationships have been inserting a political drive to the AMC series.ย
Rick’s relationships with Gregory at the Hilltop, Ezekiel at the Kingdom, and Jadis with his Scavengers will prove crucial in the events coming up between Alexandria and Negan’s Saviors.
ย
Violence
In the wake of debate regarding toning down the violence after the Season 7 premiere went all-in on Glenn and Abraham’s brain bashings, The Walking Dead has promised not to tone down the violence.
While the first two episodes of 2017 haven’t had much room for human on human violence, walker kills have provenย to be as violent as anything before them and the mystery of Fat Joey’s bashed skull never being seen will be resolved in episode 7×11 (Hostiles and Calamities). A new preview for the episode shows us that Daryl Dixon really did bash Fat Joey’s skull and we will see it in full detail.
ย
The War
Everything from the past 10 episodes and more has been leading to one thing: All Out War.
The war between Alexandria, the Hilltop, the Kingdom, the Scavengers, and the Saviors will be a television event. Rick Grimes vs. Neganย is a heavyweight fight which Robert Kirkman and Scott Gimple are ready to deliver. Andrew Lincoln and Jeffrey Dean Morgan are ready to give everything as the characters know and love and love to hate lay it all on the line to stand up for the communities.
The All Out War story from The Walking Dead comics is one of the most exciting arcs the book has offered. The stage is set for the TV series to deliver some of its most action-packed and compelling content.
ย
