The Day Will Come When You Won't Be

"The Day Will Come When You Won't Be"
The Walking Dead episode

Abraham after he is beaten to death by Negan, minutes before Glenn experiences the same fate
Episode no. Season 7
Episode 1
Directed by Greg Nicotero
Written by Scott M. Gimple
Original air date October 23, 2016 (2016-10-23)
Running time 47 minutes
Guest appearance(s)

"The Day Will Come When You Won't Be" is the first episode of the seventh season and the 84th episode overall of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, which aired on AMC on October 23, 2016. The episode was written by Scott M. Gimple and directed by Greg Nicotero. It revolves around Rick's (Andrew Lincoln) psychological torture by Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), the manipulative and totalitarian leader of the Saviors.

The episode, expected to upset fans because of a character's anticipated death, was the subject of theories and speculation before its premiere. A sneak peek, which turned out to be its cold open, was released online fifteen days before the episode's broadcast date.[1]

This episode was the final regular appearance of Abraham (Michael Cudlitz) and Glenn (Steven Yeun), who are killed by Negan.[2] Glenn's death is reminiscent of his death in the comic books, where he is killed in the same manner. Abraham's death in the comic books differs from his death in the TV series; he is killed by Dwight in the comics, and Dwight kills Denise in the television series. The episode's title hearkens back to Edwin Jenner's (Noah Emmerich) warning to Rick in the first-season finale after Rick thanks Jenner for allowing them to escape from the CDC with their lives.

Reviews were mixed, with some critics praising the episode's acting and emotional depth and others criticized its writing and gore; it was called "torture porn"[3] and "gimmickry".[4] The episode was seen by 17.03 million viewers.[5]

Plot

Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) threatens to kill Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), who drags Rick and his axe into the RV. Negan drives through heavy fog and stops where a herd of walkers has gathered. Sitting next to Rick, Negan explains that Rick and his people now belong to him. He opens the door, throws the axe on top of the RV and tells Rick to get it. Rick fights through the swarm of walkers in the fog and climbs to the top of the RV. Remembering what happened, he breaks down.

In a flashback to the previous night, Abraham Ford (Michael Cudlitz) is revealed as the person beaten to death by Negan. Negan intimidates the horrified Rosita Espinosa (Christian Serratos) by ordering her to look at his bat, which is covered with Abraham's blood. Enraged, Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) jumps up and punches Negan but is subdued by two Saviors. In retaliation for Daryl's transgression, Negan murders Glenn Rhee (Steven Yeun). Before he dies, Glenn whispers to his wife Maggie Greene (Lauren Cohan) that he will find her one day. She and the rest of the group watch in tearful horror as Negan bashes in Glenn's skull.

Back in the present, Rick picks up the axe and jumps off the RV. He nearly falls into the herd before Negan shoots most of the walkers who are clawing at Rick. Rick makes it back to the RV and gives Negan the axe, and they return to the others.

Reunited with them, Negan explains to Rick that the purpose of their trip was to change the way Rick looks at him. Since Rick still has not submitted, Negan orders his men to point their guns at the back of everyone's heads and ties his belt around Carl Grimes' (Chandler Riggs) left arm. Negan orders Carl to lie on the ground next to Rick, and draws a line on his arm. He gives Rick an ultimatum: if he refuses to cut off Carl's arm, everyone in the group will be killed. Rick begs Negan to take him instead of his son. Impatient, Negan begins counting down from three and Rick continues to struggle with his choice.

Carl encourages his father to follow Negan's order. An anguished Rick goes raises the axe and Negan, pleased with his submission, stops him at the last second. Negan takes Daryl prisoner, and tells the group they have one week to collect supplies for the Saviors.

The group is reeling with shock and grief as the Saviors leave and Maggie, still sick from pregnancy complications, staggers over to Glenn's body. Although Rick tells her that they need to take her to the doctor at the Hilltop, she insists that Rick return to Alexandria and prepare to fight the Saviors. Sasha Williams (Sonequa Martin-Green) volunteers to go with Maggie and protect her. Abraham and Glenn's bodies are loaded into the RV, and Rick imagines an idyllic scene of the group peacefully eating dinner together. Back in harsh reality, Rick prepares to return to Alexandria. He gets in the RV, glances at the side-view mirror before driving away and sees a walker drop to the ground and begin to eat where Abraham was.

Development

Steven Yeun (left) and Michael Cudlitz made their final regular appearances in "The Day Will Come When You Won't Be".

In the television series, "The Day Will Come When You Won't Be" covers events of issue #100 of Robert Kirkman's original comic series: Negan's introduction and his killing of Glenn. Kirkman worked with the show's producers to "transfer" comic-character deaths to other characters in the TV series; Dwight and other Saviors kill Abraham in the comics, but they kill Denise in the episode "Twice as Far".[6] Kirkman and the showrunners wondered if Glenn's death was necessary, since Abraham had already been chosen for Negan's fatal beating. Glenn was the first character cast for the series whose fate was uncertain in the comics; Kirkman wrote issue #100 knowing that Steven Yeun was playing Glenn in the series, which made writing that issue difficult.[6] Kirkman and the showrunners discussed options which would have spared Glenn's life, but "pulling the thread on this sweater just pulls too many things apart"; Glenn's death in the comics drives several characters' plotlines (particularly Maggie's),[6] and they considered it "essential" to the episode.[6]

Reception

Critical reception

"The Day Will Come When You Won't Be" received generally-positive reviews from critics. The episode received positive reviews from 70 percent of the critics on Rotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of 7.1 (out of 10) based on 47 reviews. According to the site's consensus, "The flashback-laden The Day Will Come When You Won't Be is slow to deliver the payoff from last season's finale—but ultimately delivers with sadistic acts of gut-wrenching violence that will push Walking Dead fans to their limit".[7]

Matt Fowler of IGN rated it six out of ten in his review: "It crossed a line, but not one of gore. Or death, even. Not necessarily. It basically broke the final shred of trust in the show to service characters over gimmickry."[4] Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club gave the episode a C-, the lowest grade given by the website to the show thus far: "The show is so stupid that it thinks we're stupid, prays we're stupid; cross its fingers and hopes like hell that its legion of loyal, obsessive followers will rend their garments at the horrible death of a fan favorite, but still be back next week."[8] According to Stuart Jeffries of The Guardian, "This was, to put it mildly, uncomfortable viewing: 45-plus minutes of torture porn mingled with something even more unpalatable ... this wasn't so much entertainment as psychic evisceration for us."[9] Todd VanDerWerff of Vox wrote, "I've had a lot of issues with The Walking Dead of late—especially with that genuinely terrible season-six finale—but I probably still would have called myself, in general, a 'fan' of the show until tonight".[10] Brian Lowry from CNN also criticized the episode: "Nevertheless, its most admirable qualities have increasingly been overshadowed by its more distasteful ones—not merely in demonstrating just how brutal humanity can be, but by toying with its audience."[11] Jeff Stone of IndieWire wrote in his review, "It was miserable, and tedious, and made me feel bad. Not in an emotionally compelling way, just in a 'I could be watching something of value' way",[12] and he graded the episode D-.[12] Kristi Turnquist of The Oregonian was also critical: "The most shocking reveal was just how low executive producer and showrunner Scott M. Gimple and Walking Dead comics creator Robert Kirkman are willing to go for the sake of sensationalism and torture porn."[3]

Some critics reviewed the episode positively. John Saavedra of Den of Geek gave it four out of five stars: "Anyone hoping for an incredibly bloody hour of murder and mutilation the likes of which we'd never seen before on The Walking Dead should be pretty pleased with the season-7 premiere".[13] Steve Wright of SciFiNow gave the episode a five-out-of-five rating in his review: "Sometimes, shows need a game-changing moment to jolt the formula and stop things from getting samey. If any show was in such dire need of one, it was The Walking Dead, and it has definitely got that. Welcome back."[14] Mick van Hesteren of IGN Benelux rated it 10 out of 10 and called it a "masterpiece".[15]

Ratings

The episode received a 8.4 rating in the 18-49 demographic range, with 17.03 million total viewers. It was the most-watched series of the night, with its second-best ratings.[5]

References

  1. ↑ ComingSoon.net (October 8, 2016). "The Walking Dead Season 7 New York Comic-Con Sneak Peek!". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  2. ↑ Bricken, Rob (October 23, 2016). "We Finally Know Who Negan Killed on The Walking Dead". Gizmodo. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
  3. 1 2 Turnquist, Kristi (October 24, 2016). "'The Walking Dead's most shocking reveal: A once-great show sinks into torture porn". The Oregonian. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  4. 1 2 Fowler, Matt (October 23, 2016). "The Walking Dead: "The Day Will Come When You Won't Be" Review". IGN. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
  5. 1 2 Porter, Rick (October 25, 2016). "Sunday cable ratings: 'The Walking Dead' premiere kills it with second-highest ratings ever". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Ross, Dalton (October 28, 2016). "The Walking Dead: Robert Kirkman explains why Glenn had to die". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  7. ↑ "The Day Will Come When You Won't Be". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  8. ↑ Handlen, Zack (October 24, 2016). "The Walking Dead season finale swings, misses". The A.V. Club. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  9. ↑ Jeffries, Stuart (October 24, 2016). "The Walking Dead season seven premiere: The Day Will Come When You Won't Be". The Guardian. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  10. ↑ VanDerWerff, Todd (October 24, 2016). "The Walking Dead season 7 premiere: "The Day Will Come When You Won't Be" is terminally stupid television". Vox. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  11. ↑ Lowry, Brian (October 24, 2016). "'The Walking Dead' delivers blow to fans in bloody premiere". CNN. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  12. 1 2 Stone, Jeff (October 24, 2016). "'The Walking Dead' Review: Season 7 Premiere Is the Show At Its Worst". IndieWire. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  13. ↑ Saavedra, John (October 24, 2016). "The Walking Dead Season 7 Premiere Review: The Day Will Come When You Won't Be". Den of Geek. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  14. ↑ Wright, Steven (October 24, 2016). "Walking Dead Season 7 Episode 1 'The Day Will Come When You Won't Be' review". SciFiNow. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  15. ↑ van Hesteren, Mick (October 24, 2016). "The Walking Dead: 'The Day Will Come When You Won't Be' Review". IGN Benelux. Retrieved October 24, 2016.

External links

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