The Walking Dead (TV Series) Last Day on Earth (2016) User Reviews

Damn I'm glad we binge watched through to S07E01

[Mikelikesnotlikes · 8/10 · 28 October 2016]

I'm going to try to express my feelings about the end of S06E16 after sleeping on it overnight. It felt GENUINELY creepy. The power shift is quick and absolute. Rick's omnipotence is whittled away by the checkpoints and then crushed in the clearing. There is no possibility of escape with around 100 Negan gang members surrounding them. There is no possibility of talking themselves out of trouble as Negan is a high functioning psychopath, with the strength, confidence and adaptability of a man supremely honed for his current environment. Negan doesn't do bargaining. He is the controller. He is Lord of his domain, merely correcting an imbalance. He knows exactly how to reinforce the training and education of his own people while inducting wrong-doers in a well-practised ritual of violence and death.

I felt a surreal sense of hopelessness and extreme fear pass through me in waves as Rick's arrogance and mental defences are broken down. I felt what they were feeling. I could feel Negan's slippery grip on his insanity. Just enough to retain the power over 100 tough acolytes but loose enough to really let himself go from one moment to the next.

I don't usually immerse my mind this deep into a story, but I ignored a full bladder in order to hold onto the moment. This is (finally) some great writing/directing/editing.

And then it just STOPPED. Luckily we had S07E01 in the queue, otherwise I think we would have been incredibly annoyed, like most other people, that we were getting ripped off by having to wait MONTHS for the conclusion. But we got to move on with the story - albeit with all the reminder sequences cluttering up the start. I'll do a review separately for that one as the pressure does not let up.

Not even bad... (A '1' is over-exaggerating)

[casahec · 7/10 · 10 January 2018]

I watched the episode when it first came out. The 1 reviews are NOT accurate!

The episode was slow, I'll give you that but...really? This episode didn't deserve that rating! Because it was a cliffhanger?! TV shows do that! Yes, it was annoying however that made the season 7 premiere so much more exciting! Giving a rating of 1 because of a cliffhanger is a tad dramatic. I was personally fine with it. Never pay attention to the 1 and 10 ratings for anything

In Defense of "Last Day on Earth"

[borowiecsminus · 8/10 · 22 October 2016]

In order to stop the other fans from stoning me, let me preface this entire review with this: the ending was the biggest cop-out I've seen on television in my entire life. And I watched "The Sopranos," so there's serious competition. I was disappointed, everyone was disappointed. But the final moment does not speak for the entire episode.

I do not believe this is the worst episode of The Walking Dead. I actually believe that had the ending been more appropriate for a season finale, it would've been one of the best of the show. And there's a good reason why. But first, the episode's biggest weakness.

This episode was, frankly, insultingly unrealistic, which was pretty much the thing that took two whole stars off. Yikes. From start to finish, the biggest trope in the episode was those gangs on the roads blocking them, but not doing much of anything. And while that made for some truly brilliant tension, it would never have been the way it played out, even given Negan's playful nature. The other scene that proved ridiculous was not the ending scene, which was mostly brilliant, but the ending part of the ending scene. From where he starts playing eenie meenie. This is a stupid choice, and Negan is clearly much smarter than this. You don't kill the leader, because then you pretty much lose the group. You don't kill his kid, because then the leader has nothing left to lose. You don't kill Glen, because (as he's shown), he's emotionally very attached to Maggie, and thus you don't kill Maggie either, to make sure they know they could always lose each other at any moment. You don't kill Abraham, because he's clearly too willing to die. You don't kill Eugene, because he's the intelligent, somewhat submissive one. And I'm sure, with all his spy work, that he knows that. You don't kill Aaron or the other minor guys because the group might not be as shaken up. So you're essentially left with two choices: Daryl and Michonne. Pick between them. Don't do the stupid game crap. Negan is way too smart for that. And also, it's worth mentioning that there's no good reason to only kill one of them.

Now that we've gotten all the crap out of the way, onto why this episode isn't nearly the worst in the show, and that is pretty much everything else about it.

The acting, particularly from Lincoln and Yeun (whose character, by the way, shouldn't actually be alive), was phenomenal. While Cudlitz and Riggs didn't make me believe their characters here, and nor did McDermitt, Cohan and Morgan both gave incredible performances. Which brings me to the best part of the episode: Negan.

Negan is hands down the greatest villain in "Walking Dead" history. Absolutely hands down no questions asked the greatest villain. He's even on par with Fring and Welker from "Breaking Bad." And the reason for that is the aura of mystery that surrounds him. There's been an entire season of build-up to meeting this character. More, actually, than a season, if you look at really small things. But the build-up really started in the season six premiere, and ever since the mid-season return, it's gotten nail-bitingly intense. And Jeffery Dean Morgan was a great choice. I won't say no one else could've played Negan, but he's certainly a fantastic match, and he gave an all-star performance. His playfulness mixed with evil is reminiscent of the greatest villain in television history: Moriarty from "Sherlock."

The directing was good, but it did, at times, fail to be any more than film-school good. It's great, it captured the emotion, the tension build was some of the best in the show, but it sort of felt like, with those actors and that script, any film major could've done the same. We need Frank Darabont back on the show.

In a way, this episode was satisfying. Any show has a responsibility to leave us off with a cliffhanger, to leave some loose end painfully untied and dangling. And while this one was excessive, ridiculous, and unrealistic at that, the climax happened. The climax for the entire sixteen episodes of build-up, two of them double length, was seeing Negan's face. We're afraid of him long before we see him, but we still want to see him. The season had a resolution. But then it introduced a new problem at the last second and left us hanging.

In short, if the ending had never happened, this might've been a 10/10. But that ending was a -2-star ending. 8.1/10

Y'all bunch of crybabies

[veigroeg · 10/10 · 27 July 2019]

Are you kidding me? Just because you didn't get to see who got killed at the end, you rate this with 1? To me this was one of the best episodes of the show.

The most underrated episode of the whole series

[MomentIMDB · 10/10 · 11 September 2019]

The episode received very bad reviews and is very undervalued.

The episode is fantastic, both in direction, acting and writing. The episode perfectly achieves the power of the saviors and the growing threat, which generates very tense moments.

Morgan and Carol had very good scenes, the actors have very good chemistry. Their ideologies are very shocking and their talks are interesting. Morgan killing the savior was spectacular and the appearance of the kingdom was great, I want to see Ezekiel and Shiva !!!

Steven Ogg as Simon is impeccable and his interpretation is magnificent, the perfect actor for the character.

The interactions between the characters are very good. The fear they feel is very palpable. a great constraint is noticed with the safety of the characters. The blocking of the saviors are very good and generate a lot of tension. the scene with the walkers on the road was very good and gave me chills.

Abraham recognizing Eugene as a survivor was very emotional and a scene that had a previous development and worked well.

One of the best scenes in the series was when Rick and the others are captured and the appearance of Negan. Whistles and light games were an addition and a phenomenal resource. The first appearance of Negan was one of the most tense moments of the series, dialogue, cinematography, direction and acting are one of the best in the entire series. the tension grew, all the actors the transmission with the face, we all knew that it was approaching but nobody was ready, the moment was approaching, it was inevitable, but it ends with a cliffhanger.

It was so necessary to know who died that not showing it angered people and that is why this episode is belittled.

Scott Gimple made a decision that questioned fans about his handling of the series and always seeks to attract rating. the truth if the deaths had been shown, this would be the best episode of the series.

One of the best episodes ever

[sampsonart · 9/10 · 26 March 2019]

The reason it's a 9 and not a 10 is because of the cliff hanger. This is probably why most people hated it too but holy crap was negans introduction amazing!!!!

Sacrificing Quality for Future Viewership

[rgawlas · 1/10 · 3 April 2016]

Spoilers abound:

I have never written a review on IMDb before, but I felt compelled to do so for this sorry excuse of an episode. The introduction of Negan has been the longest awaited episode in the history of the show, and the entire season has been building up to it. The most famous scene from the comics.

And they decide to make it a CLIFFHANGER?

This scene had the potential to be the most powerful and emotional in the show, but instead they decided to make it a money grab to ensure high viewership for the Season 7 premiere.

This is totally pathetic, and I will no longer watch The Walking Dead weekly like I have. I can't say that I will stop watching, but it is clear that the producers and writers do not value the fans more than they value numbers. When you sacrifice the quality of the show for future viewership, that is when you lose viewers.

Shame on Robert Kirkman and Scott Gimple.

Why tf a 6.8? 😭😭

[billyg-55473 · 10/10 · 5 October 2022]

This was the best episode of the whole season. Can someone seriously explain why it is rated so low? Because of a cliffhanger ending? 😭 you crybabies must have never experienced a story before i swear to god. Absolute masterpiece of an episode, one of the most intense episodes i've ever watched especially towards the end.

I find it hilarious how these "critics" think they are so superior and smart, yet it seems to me like they have never even experienced a story before in their life? Never heard of a cliffhanger ending before? And it was executed perfectly too. Im just absolutely mind blow tbh at how this was the lowest rated in the whole season.

Come on, it's not THAT bad.

[TheDonaldofDoom · 30 October 2016]

The date of my review will show that I'm watching this just after the start of Season 7, so it's true that I won't experience the excruciating pain of waiting a year to find out who Negan kills. But a horrible cliffhanger which cynically assume that the viewers of Season 7 will be increased by this (and Season 7's viewing figures show this is sadly right) isn't enough to rate the whole episode 1. I get you're all angry, but apart from the cliffhanger, it's great. Sure, it feels like a lead-up to the finale rather than the finale, but it's still mightily effective as an episode of the Walking Dead.

It maintains tension throughout and instead of exploding in a massive fight, Negan uses his sheer numbers to stress Rick out more and more, and you can see that this really gets to him. This makes it a gruelling episode as the outcome is inevitable and Rick knows it, even though he tries to give Maggie hope. And watching a man die hanging from a bridge knowing he could be saved affects everyone.

The whistling scenes near the end of the episode are terrifying. It's at that point that you realise how big Negan's group really is. And the Negan scene as well, while dragged out (the 'I can't decide who to kill' line is pushing it) is also very tense.

So yeah... That's it. It's not an incredible final episode, it drags on too long for what it is and it's a bit of a cop-out, but a 1/10 episode it is not.

Very wrongfully hated episode

[lindaman77 · 6/10 · 11 April 2016]

This episode was hyped up all season and I feel it was wrongfully hated on for its cliff hanger. I would rate this as an 8 but since the ratings are so low i feel it needed a 10. It did seem unnecessary for it to be 90 minutes and it did drag on a bit but there were some very good scenes in there. The suspense that was being built up from the meeting with Steven Ogg. The carol scenes were also fantastic with her fear of killing that she has developed. But Jeffery Dean Morgan's portrayal of Negan is what I feel stole the show. I feel that when he stepped on screen that he immediately had my respect. Finally we come to Negan's kill. This is what has people enraged on the internet but honestly i love a good cliffhanger and this is as good as it gets. It may be a bit lazy but i still love this episode and look forward to the future of Walking Dead.

Awesome Acting, Crap Ending.

[brendansbrain · 2/10 · 3 April 2016]

All the acting in this episode was superb, probably some of the best in the entire Walking Dead Series. Jeffery Dean Morgan's introduction was intimidating and basically prefect for Negan. All the character's had great moments, and Steven Ogg nailed his role as the psychotic second in command. The episode was bogged down my Carol and Morgan's plot, until it was resolved, marking an important moment for Lennie Jame's Morgan. However, the massive cliffhanger wasn't artsy or clever, and sent a big "screw you" to all the fans, and is the reason for this poor score. I would have given this a 8 or 9/10 easily if it weren't for the horrifically poor taste cliffhanger ending.

Sorry, cliffhangers DO NOT ruin TV shows, overkill by critics do

[eclyptix · 9/10 · 31 July 2017]

So I'm writing my first review and its an episode of TV show that aired well over a year ago. We probably all can agree as viewers, Season 7 of TWD sort of lacked the subtle edge that the previous seasons had. Most people will point at the writers as the reason. However, after perusing some of the ratings for individual episodes, such as this one, I feel compelled to point something out to some of our avid IMDb fans and viewership. The show lost it because people complained about the very thing that makes the show awesome: its bleak violent landscape with enigmatic characters that exhibit stark contrasts to basic human principles.

Key word here is enigmatic, the Negan character defined this throughout the entirety of Season 6. The allure and mystery of Negan and his groupies captured us all as we waited to finally meet the infamous man from the comic. And when TWD finally delivers, in a manner befitting Negan's stature, everyone gets angry that a show that thrives on suspense leaves off on a cliffhanger.

My response to that? Get over yourself. Cliffhangers are a staple of the movie and TV industry. Shows end on cliffhangers all the time, as in almost always. Everyone was fuming over this episode and I simply don't understand it. Negan fulfilled every expectation I'd come to expect of him. That was what I was looking for, not whether it'd leave off with no cliffhanger or not.

Rating an episode based off its cliffhanger being too intense to have to wait for is completely losing the point of a show's suspense. In my opinion those who hated this episode for that are in the wrong.

What's worse is that coupled with that was the hate spewed vitriol for the big reveal in the premier of Season 7. The cries that the show was too dark and too violent was primarily because of who ultimately died and not how the show did it. A show where you see main characters get eaten alive and somehow a bat to the head is too much? Gimme a break.

These over-bloated reactions to the finale of Season 6 and the premier of Season 7 forced the writers to take on a different tact with the show and now its staled to the point where I'm fast losing interest in TWD.

Its disappointing how people complain their way into interfering with the creative abilities of the writers.

In my opinion this episode was perfectly executed, same goes for its follow up episode. What came later is more the fault of the viewership than the lack of writing ability by the show's writers.

Trying to be fair to both sides here...

[t-sharron626 · 6/10 · 5 April 2016]

So, let's start with the positives:

This episode was very suspenseful. All week I had been stressing out over who was going to die, and the episode carried that on very well. I was genuinely scared and anxious for most of this episode, and that fear was very well developed and maintained throughout the episode.

Very strong tension was built at every encounter with the Saviors blocking off the roads.

Then, right when I thought Rick's group was going to get the upper hand by sneaking through the forest, the whistling started. I FREAKED out. Absolutely terrifying. So good.

Negan's introduction with the group surrounded by the Saviors? Terrifying. Negan's dialogue? Terrifying, sick, charming, morbid, tense....extremely well done and well acted. Love to hate him. Hate to love him.

Aside from that, even the Morgan-Carol story was mildly interesting...I liked seeing Morgan break his no-kill policy. It should make for a more interesting story arc (and a role reversal perhaps) between him and Carol...and the Kingdom group will hopefully be interesting.

Now the elephant screaming in the corner.....the negative(s).

First of all, I don't think it needed to be 90 minutes: I like longer episodes, but usually you do that when you have more good and important material to cram in. I didn't feel like they had enough to justify extending the episode. Like Batman v. Superman, it could have been done quicker and neater....that's just me being picky.

The big problem was obviously the ending. We had been preparing for almost half a season (some for longer) to lose a character we loved. We even had to deal with the fake loss of Glenn and such earlier on. I had been preparing myself to lose a character I cared about; not in a begrudging way, either. I don't want to lose a beloved character, but I'm willing to swallow that pill in order to love the show more and be completely shocked and thrown off. I was deeply INVESTED for this to happen.

But then to leave such a cheap cliffhanger after so much build up? I would have had just as much reason to continue watching had you showed who died! Maybe even more! By the time October and S7 roll around, I'm not even going to care as much anymore...It would have been better to know NOW and deal with the emotional fallout for 6 months, and then see where that leaves Rick and the group. I'd sign up for that in a heartbeat.

Everyone is saying they did it to keep people watching, which is a feeling I can definitely empathize with. But like....we would have kept watching anyway! Now it backfired and people hated the episode.

Not happy about the ending. And I know, it's not about making me happy, but I would have been happy being unhappy about the death of a big character. What I'm feeling is actually just pure frustration at cheap business models to keep people watching. You sold out, boys. This season was so much stronger than others, but you sold out and made it suck. Sorry. I'll always be a fan, but that sucked.

So, all in all, I would not say that WHOLE episode was bad and worthy of such terrible ratings as 1's and 2's. But that ending did a lot to ruin a very tense, suspenseful, scary, and well designed episode.

How to make every fan mad (but not in a good way)

[megaranks10 · 3/10 · 3 April 2016]

SPOILER: Well this is it, we have waited a whole season for Negan, and the death that he brings. The episode has been hyped up for months, with every actor in the show praising the episode for months, and what do we get, A CLIFF HANGER THAT IS NOTHING MORE THAN CLICK BATE. We have been waiting months for this episode, and comic book readers have been waiting years for this moment, and it is completely ruined. Instead all we get is a cliff hanger that will lead to a (most likely delayed) opening in season 7 before we find out who actually died. The moment we have waited months for, the producers just told the fans to screw themselves. They want the Jon snow treatment, all that mystery, but unlike Jon snow's death which was not pre hyped, people tuned into this episode to see who would die, NOT JUST TO SEE NEGAN, THEY TUNED IN TO SEE WHO WOULD DIE. Bottom line the producers messed up big time, and I honestly don't know if I want to even tune into the next episode, it will pretty obvious who dies by the time the premier of season 7 happens, we will know who won't be a main character any more by then. Wasted potential of an episode.

Huge cliffhanger why the 6.8

[agentsofsword · 9/10 · 24 August 2022]

This episode was amazing and terrifying although it does have a huge cliffhanger how did it get so many low ratings???? The episode itself was great especially when The Villain comes in.

Most underrated episode ever

[shanekraus · 9/10 · 31 December 2021]

This is the best episode in walking dead history. Easily has the highest tension of any episode. The slow burn buildup to negan's character is brilliant. The last 15 minutes will have anyone on the edge of their seats. This finale is the real definition of horror. The only reason I gave it a 9 and not a 10 is because of the cliffhanger, but after seeing the season 7 premiere i was ok with it.

This episode is great! Don't listen to the negative reviews!

[doodlebop-65564 · 10/10 · 2 August 2017]

This episode deserves way more than the 6.3/10.0 rating that it currently has. I know why this episode has such a low rating. It's because of the ending. Everyone is complaining about how this episode, which is the season six finale, ends with a cliffhanger. That is how TV shows work! Whether you like it or not, cliffhangers are a part of exciting TV. Every season basically ends with a cliffhanger because you are excited and cannot wait for the next season to see what happens. But people hate this "cliffhanger" because it ends with Negan, who everyone has been waiting the whole season to meet, killing a member of Rick's group, but we do not find out who it is until the next season. Cliffhangers bring in people to watch the next season and also keep people watching the show. I don't have a problem with that. What are people going to do? Write a letter to the writers and demand that in the season finales they wrap up everything so there is absolutely nothing to look forward to? Cliffhangers keep shows going. This is my favorite TV show and I don't want to see it end anytime soon. People are angry because the whole season builds up to the introduction of Negan and he is introduced about fifteen minutes before the episode ends. Waiting so long to introduce Negan just adds to his story line and how in just fifteen minutes, you can tell that Negan will be the most ruthless, cruel, and controlling villain that The Walking Dead will ever have (no offense to the Governor, who is my favorite villain, but Negan killed a member of Rick's group on day one and you can just tell he is an awful guy). On the other hand, the episode leading up to the ending is very good. You see the group assemble into the RV in Alexandria and you see Father Gabriel get left in charge of Alexandria's defenses and you're like, oh man, he better step up. The group has to get Maggie to Hilltop because of her pregnancy but they have trouble trying to get there because every road is blocked off by Negan's soldiers. The episode takes time showing us how the Saviors are a dark and mysterious group of awful human beings. It also shows how the group is so close knit. When they're not encountering the Saviors, they are discussing their next moves and you can tell that they are not just a group, they're family. The best scene was when Abraham tells Eugene that he is a survivor. They hug each other and you just love them both. In conclusion, the episode is very good. The episode builds up to Negan's introduction with Rick's group encountering the Saviors and even talking with Simon, Negan's second hand man. You can tell that Rick and the group have just had enough of problems and people wanting everything they have. Then the episode gets very exciting and intense when they leave the RV to cut through the woods to get Maggie to Hilltop but the Saviors are waiting for them. Then Negan is introduced. His introduction is awesome and he has very dark humor. And when the episode ends with Negan smashing someone's head apart with Lucille, you do go, aw man we have to wait! But that's TV! And I love it! And the first episode of season seven was well worth the wait. This is a great season finale. Probably one of my favorite.

no.

[yralihyarg · 1/10 · 3 April 2016]

CLIFFHANGERS. ARE. NOT. STORYTELLING.

Death ends a story.

The aftermath is the beginning of the story.

What. Are. You. Thinking.

Gimple. NO.

You ruined the impact and took a doodoo on all your fans. We can't keep overlooking the awfulness. You literally didn't even follow up on the midseason finale and started the midseason premiere with a different scene and no explanation of the cliffhanger! Are you just going to choose later and film the scene after you see who people want the most so you can make the most money from it?

I hate that I'm this upset.

I hate that I've been watching this show since season 1 and I should expect this and still allowed myself to get my hopes up that for ONCE you'd give a moment the impact it deserves.

I hate that I'll keep freaking watching in October.

You're all really mean.

Whyyyy is this rated so poorly!

[ashli-green · 10/10 · 8 September 2017]

We all knew this was coming, right?

Negan enters, bats a blazing, and kills off beloved characters.... we hate it, yes, but that's what The Walking Dead is. It kills off beloved characters all the time to keep you interested..: to keep you watching and to keep you in your feelings. Was the cliffhanger the worst? You betcha! But it leaves you wanting MORE!! The wait was awful and the answers were worse but this episode was great, it was shocking and it was one to make you interested to see what happens next.

I love this show - and as a die hard fan I can't say it was my all time favorite, but I am so shocked it has been rated so bad! I give it a 10/10 for giving us something without giving us anything at all. Enjoy this episode!! It's gooood!

AMC should be ashamed

[rustyknucklez · 6/10 · 3 April 2016]

This episode was great, until the last 5 seconds and the screen went to black. The episode did have some reward. We finally got to see Jeffrey Dean Morgan portray Negan to almost perfection. But unfortunately, AMC dwindled his performance by inserting one of the laziest cliffhangers any TV show could possibly muster.

The hype for Negan started back in "Start to Finish," which contained a nice short after-credit scene. One has to ask why that was not done here, since Season Six was left unresolved and many people wanting more. This episode would have been one of the best had they shown Lucille's victim, but now it is probably going to be rated as one of the worst, all because of AMC's poor decision to try to attract more viewers.

I hope AMC will see the error in their way here. You don't spend half a season building up this character, only to leave that build up completely open ended. The end of this episode was a slap in the face to every single fan who invested their time in the show.

I give the episode a 6/10. Realistically speaking 99% was 10/10, but that ending was probably one of the worst ways to bring a season to a close.

The biggest disappointment in 6 seasons

[smitty_cregger52 · 2/10 · 4 April 2016]

This episode was supposed to be the climax to tension that had been building since the premiere of the second half of the sixth season. We had heard Negan's name bounced around, and every episode had some sort of foreshadowing that we would eventually meet him, and he would make a huge intro. Well...that didn't fail...Negan showed up, delivered a monologue for the ages, and then boom...cliffhanger.

Cause Robert Kirkman likes them, and so does Scott Gimple. They compare the episode to LOST...which I quit watching because nothing ever happened and then they'd have a cliffhanger, looks like The Walking Dead is headed down the same path.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan was brilliant, the writing was not.

AMC shoved as many ad's into the 90 minute drawn out episode that they possibly could...then they didn't deliver, they copped out. The ego of the showrunners prevailed over actually giving the fans a quality show. Click baiting you into coming back in 7 months to see what happened, because I guess they weren't sure the loyal fans of this show would come watch if they didn't.

Pathetic. JDM was the only saving grace...otherwise it was a disaster. A waste of an entire season.

Amazing episode

[fuad_tarin_58 · 9/10 · 10 July 2019]

I just dont get how ppl rate this episode so low.. wtf? And all those haters? I get it its not the best episode but 6,4? Lol.. its an amazing episode and what an entrance by the new villain negan!!

There are ppl rating this epiosde 1/10! I mean really? 1/10? if u even would think this episode is bad the u would give it still a 4/5 cause its not even close to 1/10! These ppl have serious life problems!!

Good episode, terrible ending

[xauresia · 6/10 · 4 April 2016]

OK, so firstly, I found the psychological battle of wits in the strategising of Rick's guys and Negan's guys enthralling. Watching Rick and the group trying to out think the others was extremely well written and was great fun to watch as they kept blocking their routes and such. I thought that part was brilliant, however, the Carol/Morgan part was terrible. Nothing was interesting, thrilling or new about this plot and on top of that it was EXTREMELY predictable. The second that guy had Carol on the ground with his gun pointed at her, I knew exactly what was going to happen. I knew he was going to give some ridiculous speech that took way too much time and then Morgan was going to come in at the last moment and save Carol. I mean, he said "I'm going to watch you bleed out slowly..." Is this idiot straight outta a 80s action movie? So dumb. Now, the ending, I also didn't like too much. I LOVED Negan's entrance, however. Damn, he was so menacing -- the lighting coupled with Jeffrey Dean Morgan's menacing presence was just perfect -- I loved it. But then he started monologuing... Which was pretty good, at first -- despite some rather generic and unimpressive dialogue. But he kept going, and going and going... For like 12 or 13 minutes! It really got tedious. And then there was the death which just seems intentionally frustrating. Would it have killed them to show us who died? It would've made a far more climactic, shocking and meaningful finale. It just felt gimmicky -- like a lazy ploy to get us to tune in next season. Overall, I quite liked this episode -- I thought it was highly thrilling (excluding the Carol story line) and well written. I just wish the ending was as cathartic as we all wanted it to be.

TWD is dumb as hell now

[malithclee · 1/10 · 3 April 2016]

The cliff hanger was probably the dumbest idea, especially because of all the build up they created. Everyone was expecting a character death and they showed us nothing.

They really have no idea what they are doing, what made Negan's introduction so affecting revolved around the death of the character he killed and now they've completely butchered that as well.

"Who are we going to kill?"

"Damn...uhm. Just cut to black."

The writers are going to feel hell stupid when who died gets leaked before the season premiere by the Spoiling Dead Fans.

Expectation vs Reality

[tartydoris · 9/10 · 13 March 2017]

Going into this episode I knew it was rated only 6.2 on IMDb. How? Well as an avid ready of user reviews and trivia on IMDb I found out from the 'Trivia' section of episode 6.09 that the highest and lowest rated episodes in the history of the show where in this second half of season 6. With 6.09 at 9.7 and 6.16 at 6.2. Something I was not happy to read then as it was going to potentially spoil my viewing, knowing that the season finale was probably going to be really rubbish.

So I went into this episode with low expectations and was waiting for it to disappoint. However, the more I watched I kept thinking 'Well it's not crap yet'. Half hour in, it was fine. 45 minutes down and it was still ramping up the tension and no real negatives.

Must be a shocking ending then I thought. Knowing how IMDb works. A shows rating lives and dies on what happens in the last minute or two. People love a good twist or dramatic death and go nuts for it with rating points, even if the episode was really average, or even poor, up to that point.

So our main protagonists manage to get themselves caught and we have the inevitable sacrificial lamb to be slaughtered. We all knew the 'Saviours' MO (Modus Operandi). If caught, captured or overtaken by the Saviours they would kill someone as a lesson to keep the rest in line. We learned this from the Hilltop bunch.

So this is what happens. Someone is obviously killed 'Inglorious Basterd' style with a club/baseball bat. The show ends.

I'm left thinking. Well that wasn't too bad. I'll watch season 7 tomorrow maybe and find out who it is.

Maybe that last line sums up my conclusion as opposed to many reviews giving the show 1 or 2 stars because they have to wait 6 months to find out who dies. Or from the comic book readers being disappointed because it didn't play out like it did on the page.

That is why I say 'Expectation vs Reality' as a header. I went into the episode expecting it was going to be rubbish and was pleasantly surprised. Others obviously were expecting this to be the best episode of the show 'ever' or at least a 'great' season finale and were disappointed that they didn't get paid.

Cliffhangers used to be a staple of television shows in the past. Perhaps in the modern society, of instant gratification, people have no patience for them?