Warning: The following contains spoilers for "The Walking Dead."
Ever since AMC announced last November that Jeffrey Dean Morgan had been cast as the iconic comic book villain Negan, fans have been wondering who would be his first on-screen victim. In the comics, Negan makes his debut by brutally beating Glenn to death with Lucille, his barb wire wrapped baseball bat. But given all of the Glenn-Death fake outs "The Walking Dead" has thrown our way over the years, many thought showrunner Scott Gimple would change things up. And they were right, sort of.
As it turns out, Gimple (inexplicably) decided to end season six on a massive cliffhanger, with Negan indeed killing someone, but the identity of the victim being hidden from fans. Thanks to a first person point of view shot, we have no idea who was on the receiving end of Negan's beating. Unsurprisingly, this cliffhanger has drawn the ire of fans online as many feel as if Gimple has cheapened one of the most significant moments in the series. AMC likes to talk "The Walking Dead" up like it's a prestige drama (it's not, though it can be fun), but the show too often relies on this Soap Opera method of storytelling.
On "The Talking Dead" that aired immediately after the finale, creator Robert Kirkman and Gimple both argued that the episode was meant to "beat Rick down," with the eventual reveal serving as the launching point for a new story in season seven. But television has progressed beyond the cliffhanger gimmicks of "Dallas" and "Star Trek: The Next Generation." Audiences deserve better than blatant baiting to try and entice them to return.
Kirkman noted that "there are clues," to who Negan killed but wouldn't elaborate beyond that. We find that hard to believe as not even the show's actors know who Negan used as batting practice.
if it makes you feel any better i still don't know who got killed and it's been like 6 months since i read the script #whoisit
— chandler riggs (@chandlerriggs) April 4, 2016
So who did Negan kill? We have no idea. We don't believe Kirkman when he says they left breadcrumbs for viewers to find. Instead, this feels like stalling tactic so AMC can focus-group the situation and decide which cast member they can afford to lose. It's a sacrifice of solid storytelling for ratings when the show returns in October.
Until then, speculate away.
Follow Brandon Katz at @Great_Katzby
