The Walking Dead quietly returns on February 12, “quietly” at least compared to the noisy speculation that greeted the season seven premiere when Negan’s victims were finally revealed after a controversial cliffhanger.
In the midseason finale, Rick, Michonne, Daryl, Carl, Maggie, Sasha, Jesus, Enid, Rosita, and Tara — everyone but Carol, Morgan, and Eugene — reunited at the Hilltop, a momentarily happy moment in a half-season so far defined by misery. Fortunately, in the second half, our heroes will fight back against Negan and the Saviors (good band name). Andrew Lincoln said the back-half is “probably the opposite of what you just witnessed,” but it won’t be all sunshine and roses, according to AMC’s synopsis for the rest of season seven.
The first half of season seven saw Rick and the group broken by Negan, forced to fall under his will and brutally convinced to live under his rules. The second half of the season will focus on preparing for war and gathering the supplies and numbers to take Negan down once and for all.
Rick’s group will find out yet again that the world isn’t what they thought it was. It’s much bigger than anything they’ve seen so far. While they have a singular purpose – to defeat Negan – it won’t come easy. More importantly, victory will require more than Alexandria. They need the numbers of the Kingdom and the Hilltop, but, similar to how Rick felt, Ezekiel and Gregory do not want bloodshed. To convince them otherwise will take more than speeches. The lengths Rick and the group will have to go to in order to find weapons, food and new fighters is nothing short of remarkable.
We’ll meet new survivors in incredible places. We’ll see Rick and the group tested in ways we’ve never seen before. We’ll see treachery from people we trust. Rick is confident as he will see his group and many others band together with the common goal of taking down Negan. But no amount of planning will prepare the group for all-out war with Negan and his army.
In the land of the baseball bat, the man with the gun is king.
