There are only two episodes left this season in AMC's "The Walking Dead." (I know, it's a sad time for all TV viewers. But at least season two of "Fear The Walking Dead" will kick off immediately after). That means that viewers should expect a ramped-up amount of mayhem and carnage down this home stretch.
In fact, viewers should expect a healthy chunk of bonus action as the season six finale will reportedly be expanded to 90 minutes instead of its usual 60.
The news comes to us from "Walking Dead" stars Andrew Lincoln (Rick Grimes) and Lauren Cohan (Maggie Rhee), who teased the extra half hour of zombie killing in a recent interview. But committed Dead Heads shouldn't be caught too off guard by this move. Last year's season finale, which aired on April 3, was also 90 minutes.
But this year, those extra 30 minutes will likely be put to very, very good use. Fans are expecting the introduction of Jeffrey Dean Morgan's Negan, the most iconic villain from "The Walking Dead" comic book.
If you've been paying attention at all this season, Negan has been mentioned and teased several times over (and his introduction could spell bad things for some). We know he is the leader of a dangerous, well organized and well-armed group of survivors known as The Saviors. Our heroes have had multiple run-ins with them this season, most notably when Rick and company laid waste to one of their strongholds (which was awesome) a few episodes back.
However, we haven't actually met the real Negan yet, as The Saviors appear to adopt a "We Are All Negan" attitude when cornered. It's actually a pretty smart tactic to keep Rick and other opposition guessing, and it's a great way to continually tease audiences who know what's coming.
Unlike Shane, the Governor or any of the other villains that have been introduced on "The Walking Dead," Negan is no one-and-done fool. He's an incredibly intelligent, charismatic and disturbingly brutal foe who represents the biggest challenge our main characters have faced since "The Walking Dead" TV show launched back in 2010. Think Heisenberg but with even more violent tendencies and an army at this back. Yikes.
Fans should be excited and scared. Negan is coming in "The Walking Dead's" 90-minute season six finale.
Follow Brandon Katz on Twitter at @Great_Katzby
