I wonder if people’s reactions are different if they were streaming on a laptop versus seeing the gore on a huge TV screen?
I agree that Glenn’s murder was unnecessarily brutal. The idea of his death is devastating enough. They didn’t need to make it so graphic! Blood and gore don’t usually bother me, but his final scene made me queasy.
No. I watched it on an iPad and was beyond disgusted. These showrunners are now catering to their hard-core, comic-book reading fans and have forgotten what made TWD good television.
I don’t watch this show, but I have a lot of friends who were upset with this episode. I think the problem is that there is no hope of a happy resolution. Everyone is going to die. There is no safe place. No person will solve the problem. No zombie killing virus will emerge from the wilderness or from a lab. So if everyone is doomed to die an awful, violent death, why watch?
I’m a fan of some pretty gory, violent movies and shows, but they nearly always end with some hope for the future, at least for some characters.
I will be equally upset if, at the conclusion of Game of Thrones, all the humans are killed by the white walkers.
When I watched it again I thought…Shouldn’t Maggie have collapsed by now? Instead she was about to carry away Glen’s body.
@JerseyParents I thought the same thing, especially since she was supposedly in such dire straits physically. She must also be regretting setting up the deal about eliminating the Saviors. Not sure how many remember that it was her idea that started all this.
@eastcoascrazy We’ve known since early on that everyone who survived whatever it was that happened is infected. So, it’s been unclear from pretty much the beginning if there was any hope involved in this story. Some of us have continued to watch anyway, although many of us might not be able to give a good reason as to why. 
I love all zombie stories, but don’t actually want to see zombies or villains on stage. So, sometimes I just read about episodes and catch up later in the season. I skipped most of the cannibal season and just read recaps. I watched parts of the final episode with flashbacks. I never watched the final episode from season 6 and haven’t watched the most recent episode, though I was on the internet as it aired, checking out twitter, to see who has died. I doubt I watch this episode. I don’t feel any desire to watch it after reading the spoilers.
But I’m still “watching” the show. I’m still interested. When they murdered the Saviors in their beds, our group pretty much lost any remaining moral high ground still left to them. I don’t know what the point of life is, when you know human kind is eventually doomed. They have children. It makes sense they keep going.
At this point, I prefer Fear the Walking Dead. Nick joining the zombie horde was pretty fascinating to me. I like that idea.
My kids introduced me to zombies. They have long since moved on. I am not the least interested in special effects or gore.
I am interested in the end times scenarios.
I’ve heard Fear the Walking Dead is good. I might start watching that instead. Before I watch anymore of this show, I will have to skim articles or find out here if it’s worth carrying on before I watch. I’m not keen to watch anymore like the last.
It’s funny, I was way less grossed out by this episode than I was by the one, a long time ago, with the horse in the field. I cannot stand bad things happening to animals and that one, though I turned it off for the worst minute or two, sticks in my head.
Well, I think I may quit watching, too (although I may hang around for a few episodes to see what happens to Carol and Morgan).
Part of my feeling stems from the exceptional goriness of that last episode - yeah, we know they’re dead, and yeah, we knew it was coming, but did you have to linger over their battered corpses like that?
Part of it is the relentless nihilism of the show itself. And a big part of it is that the plot lines and stories have become so repetitive, and character development is practically non-existent (or even worse, the characters no longer make sense. For example, what ARE they doing to Carol’s character? If she really is evolving into a pacifist, then at least make it seem believable.)
How many times will Rick and the gang meet a Really Bad Dude, tussle with him for a while, and then win out…the Governor, Terminus, now Negan…? Aren’t there other story lines they could explore? I had a little hope during the Alexandria season, but oops, looks like that’s over.
And I’m really, really over these characters. I wish it had been Rick who died in the season opener - at least that would have been a real shocker. Now it just feels like the same old same old…
I’m the same way about animals. Hated that horses died not just in first episode, but when they went to Alexandria. Heck, I hated that the zombies got Herschel’s cows. The new season will have a tiger. No way am I going to watch that beautiful creature die, even though son and husband assure me it’s CGI. Not going to be able to get over that one. This is probably where I bow out.
I do agree about the repetitiveness. I watched most of the marathon last week, and it struck me how repetitive the show has been. We didn’t realize it, spanning the years, but yes, indeed, they’re doing a lot of recycling.
Son and husband read the comic, so they are thrilled to see Negan and can’t wait for ALL OUT WAR. They’re also excited about meeting the new communities that the comics has. I’m interested in the dynamics of The Kingdom, but again, not going to be able to stand the tiger death. Will probably have to read recaps as well to catch up once that’s over.
How do you know the tiger dies? Is that in the comic?
I gotta watch for Carol.
Will so miss Glenn. His story has been neglected over the last few seasons. In the beginning he was so decent and so relatable. Just a regular guy caught up in the zombie apocalypse. It was a bad sign when he became the moral compass of the group.
Yeah - the moral compass always dies! Just ask Dale…
My son and husband read the comics, and they told me to brace myself for the tiger. But I really liked last night’s episode. And Ezekiel’s actor was on Talking Dead, so got to enjoy more of it. Really do like his character. Looks like next week, we’ll be back to the evil guys, though, so not looking forward to that one. I like Carol, and am interested in seeing her role in The Kingdom.
I am having a hard time with this season. I really didn’t like last night’s episode. I thought it dragged, Carol is just too weird and the whole kingdom thing is too bizarre. I tried FTWD but I thought the acting was horrible. The characters were all so bad that I kept hoping they would all get “walker-bit”. Maybe I’ll just give up the whole thing.
^^^We watched the 1st season of Fear the Walking Dead and a few episodes of the 2nd season and we just could not get into it. I think I was frustrated by the characters.
No likable characters will kill a show. I could not care about any of Fear’s characters, in fact, despised most of them. Oh, and yes, the acting, just horrible. I think that Walking Dead has great acting. Agree on the slowness of The Kingdom episode. But good to show how the communities have to pay tribute to Negan. Odd how Ezekiel is a good king. Almost like an Arthurian character, rather than the dictator I was expecting. I feel I know more about the Kingdom than I do about the Hilltoppers. We were introduced to them at the same time as Negan, so we haven’t learned too much about them. Hopefully when Maggie gets their for prenatal care, we’ll learn more.
I also enjoyed this episode and appreciated the break from the grim heartbreak of last week’s premiere. King Ezekiel surprised me with his likeability once we got past the bizarre introduction to his character and I’m looking forward to seeing more of him and his Kingdom. Carol and Morgan are 2 of my favorite characters so an hour with them was just what I needed to re-engage with this show.
It could be that Ezekiel will turn out to be the wisest leader we’ve seen in this world.
I decided to watch only after I read a review that said it was a reprieve from last week. I liked the show and always enjoy Carol. I think it’s hilarious how they purposely fill the hogs with the zombies on purpose. I’ll enjoy watching this if Ezekiel stays a true good guy. I’m tired of the evil leaders.