The Walking Dead: My last thoughts on the cliffhanger
By Susie Graham
The cliffhanger to end season 6 of The Walking Dead has fans in an uproar. At some point we’ll accept it as a done deal. We can’t change it. I have a few thoughts before we move on.
There were things that worked, things that didn’t work. People are very upset. People are trying to assess what went wrong and why or defend the choices. At some point we’ll all accept that it is what it is and either move on or move along.
One of the things I thought was a mistake was the hype from the actors about their visceral reactions to reading the script and filming the episode. But after looking at it today, I can see how reading that episode would be shocking.
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Reading about how all the group members were on their knees in terror after being boxed in at every road and seeing those numbers of Saviors increase each time, knowing that your group was responsible for killing dozens of their men would be awful. Seeing pieces of Michonne’ hair and Daryl’s shirt and arrows.
Looking at the terrified sweating faces in the pictures, I can see how they had such strong comments in interviews. They were probably emotionally drained after that. But we didn’t get quite that emotion.
We did get the freeze in place, fast heart beat, tension-filled moments while listening to Negan. But the emotion from the beating was fractured. I don’t think the cliffhanger intended to have that particular emotional effect.
It was meant to have us guessing and wondering and frenzied in fear and sadness at the brutality. But somehow the emotion was lost. Not just because we didn’t see who it was, but we didn’t see the other emotional markers that help us process the brutality such as the faces of others.
Perhaps if we saw other Saviors cheering or one or two “safe” members of our group crying or screaming. Looking at the Poloroids in the compound had a greater emotional impact because of the look on Glenn’s and Heath’s faces and the context. And those were strangers.
So we wait. We will not just lose someone come October, we still have to get out of this mess somehow. We’re not just hanging from one cliff. Is Negan screwing with the wrong people? Where are Tara and Heath? Will we go to work for Negan? What about our deal with Hilltop? How’s Daryl’s gunshot wound? Carol’s gunshot wounds? Maggie’s baby? Maggie herself?
In the end, it is what it is. Bill Murray’s character Vin from St. Vincent claims everyone’s saying that now. According to Vin, it means, “You’re screwed and you shall remain screwed.”
The Valentine’s day premiere was pretty awesome, after many lose ends in the mid-season finale, let’s hope season 7 delivers as well.