Up until the scene in which Negan ordered Rick to cut off his own son’s arm, many viewers had to be wondering: How in the world can Negan let Rick live?
Here’s a guy that witnessed Negan viciously bash Glenn and Abraham’s heads into tiny pieces (though we didn’t see until later on in the episode) and still had the gall to tell Negan, “Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but I’m gonna kill you.” And even after Negan put him in the RV, mercilessly taunted him about the newly-deceased, and had him fetch an axe with zombies everywhere, Rick still summoned enough courage (or stupidity) to glare at Negan. Clearly, it takes a lot to break, Rick.
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So, why didn’t Negan kill him? AMC has put out a new featurette and it features Jeffrey Dean Morgan providing the answer to that very question.
“Maybe the smart thing would have been to kill Rick,” Morgan says in the video. “Cut the head off the snake. But I think Negan is thinking a couple steps ahead here, and he’s like, ‘Well wait, if I can break this guy and have him working for me, I stand to gain a hell of a lot more.’” He adds, “As horrible as the deaths of two survivors, that moment of possibility of cutting off Carl’s arm I think is the emotional low point of the show. I think it all led to that.”
MORE FROM THE WALKING DEAD SEASON 7 PREMIERE:
Kingdom Preview Released / Norman Reedus On Daryl’s Guilt / Season 7 Premiere Recap (SPOILERS) / Who Is King Ezekiel / Where’s Daryl Now? / Negan’s Comic Book History / Twitter Reactions to Negan’s Kill / Was the Premiere Too Violent?
The official synopsis for ‘The Kingdom’ reads, “For a number of familiar faces, a new, well-established community seems too good to be true.”
Based on the comic book series written by Robert Kirkman and published by Image Comics, The Walking Dead reigns as television’s most watched drama for adults 18-49 and tells the story of the months and years that follow after a zombie apocalypse, and follows a group of survivors, led by police officer Rick Grimes, who travel in search of a safe and secure home.
The series stars Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes, Steven Yeun as Glenn, Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon, Chandler Riggs as Carl, Lauren Cohan as Maggie, Danai Gurira as Michonne, Melissa McBride as Carol, Sonequa-Martin Green as Sasha, Michael Cudlitz as Abraham, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan.
The Walking Dead is executive produced by Scott M. Gimple, Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd, David Alpert, Greg Nicotero and Tom Luse.
“The Kingdom” episode of The Walking Dead will air Sunday, October 30 at 9/8c on AMC.
