This Episode of The Walking Dead Is When It Went Too Far

About fifteen years ago, AMC’s The Walking Dead became a regular fixture of many fan’s daily lives. It was one of the most iconic shows of all time and nearly as impactful as Game of Thrones – it was impossible to not stop whatever you were doing to watch the new episode of the week. But one still stands out because it made everyone realize the new direction the show was about to take after several seasons. At some point, the plot of The Walking Dead started to focus less on the zombies and more on the post-apocalyptic world and human rivalries. It was a logical path considering everyone’s fighting for survival and anything goes. But when a new antagonist showed up, it really showed what that meant.

With 17 million people tuning in in the US alone, the season 7 premiere of The Walking Dead stopped everything in its tracks, with events that would stay with fans for a long time. Negan’s introduction was unforgettable, leaving every viewer in total shock. The problem is, for many, the response wasn’t so great, with some feeling like the show had crossed the line.

“The Day Will Come When You Won’t Be” Went Too Far for The Walking Dead

Episode 1 of Season 7 was the continuation of a very strategic cliffhanger that left The Walking Dead fans anxious. When Negan showed up with his New World Order proposal in the season 6 finale, it became clear that Rick’s group wasn’t just facing a new storyline but one of TV’s greatest villains. This is a crucial point for the show because it’s from this new enemy that fans realize anything can happen – even to the protagonist. The season finale kicks off with a game of “eeny, meeny, miny, moe” to decide which member of Rick’s group will be killed after their trip to Hilltop is stopped. However, the victim’s point of view is all that’s shown, and it’s in “The Day Will Come When You Won’t Be” that the audience finds out who was killed by Neegan.

The whole episode focuses solely on this moment, building the drama and suspense. It picks up a few minutes after the mysterious death, with Rick in complete shock, forced to accompany Negan for a private chat. The sense of anguish is huge from the start, even though Rick’s been through horrific experiences, nothing seems as traumatic as the recent murder of one of his friends. It’s obvious how stunned he is despite threatening Negan, all but confirming that the victim wasn’t just a background character.

Soon after, Negan speaks to Rick in a challenging tone inside a trailer while flashbacks of emotional moments with each member of Rick’s group are shown on screen. It’s a clear way to stir up more emotion and even mentally prepare the audience for when the victim is revealed – so it could have been anyone. When you least expect it, the scene cuts back to the group kneeling, marking a final flashback, with the villain holding Lucille, his bat. After the game of chance to decide who will be killed, the weapon is aimed at Abraham, and his head is bashed until he dies. But that’s where The Walking Dead goes too far.

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The assumption was that Negan would only commit one atrocity, but the audience is caught off guard. There are a few seconds to prepare for Abraham’s death, but even then, there’s a sense of relief since Abraham had only joined the series in season 4, so fans had less time to form an emotional bond with him. Abraham being the victim didn’t seem too bad, but then Negan unexpectedly smashes Glenn’s head – a punishment for Daryl punching him.

The problem is that the violence of the moment breaks the pattern, going beyond the limits of what the series had shown before. The force of the blows are so brutal that he crushes Glenn’s skull and even pops out one of his eyes. The image is disturbing and horrifying, especially with the amount of blood. At that point, The Walking Dead no longer feels like a thriller but an explicit horror show. But it doesn’t stop there – Negan continues the attack until there’s practically nothing left of Glenn’s head, leaving a mass of bone, brain, and flesh, with the body writhing on the ground.

The Walking Dead had always been a show that spared certain details, but this time, the graphic violence was excessive, and not all viewers liked it. Some even criticized the series and gave up on the show afterward. However, there was a reason for this. The scene stayed true to the comics, aiming to deliver the same intensity and emotional impact. Greg Nicotero, the episode’s director, even talked about how difficult it was to film such brutality but emphasized that it was crucial to the show’s narrative. Still, it’s undeniable: the episode was a pivotal moment that continues to haunt The Walking Dead fans to this day.

Steven Yeun and Jeffrey Dean Morgan Shared Thoughts on the Episode

Not long after the The Walking Dead episode aired, Steven Yeun commented on the scene and his character at the 2017 Walker Stalker Con. “Maybe we did it too far. It was pretty bad but we did it and people remember it, so it’s cool,” he said. The impact of the scene is hard to absorb right away, but then comes the sadness for those who have followed the character since season 1. Glenn’s history with Maggie, leaving behind a son, and his last words, make everything even worse. However, Yeun confessed that it was great that his character had gained such a foothold that his death affected the audience so intensely.

For Jeffrey Dean Morgan, the situation was a little different, especially since playing a villain like Negan means knowing that there will always be people who can’t separate reality from fiction. A lot of time passed, and the character went in search of redemption and reconciliation with his past in the spin-off The Walking Dead: Dead City. However, the actor has admitted that he still hears fans of the series blame him.

The Walking Dead is still an iconic piece of pop culture. Even with its ups and downs over time, as the story took new directions with the departure of some much-loved characters, and its success gradually diminished. But it’s still incredible to realize how much a single episode made a mark on fans and dared to go beyond the limits of the series and change the course of the characters forever. Glenn’s death may have been devastating, but it truly was a huge turning point.

The Walking Dead is available to stream on Netflix.