Making Us Wait Was the Right Choice: Walking Dead's Negan Cliffhanger

Delayed gratification. It’s a virtue we all want to do without. On April 3, 2016, it seemed The Walking Dead had finally crossed the line. One cliffhanger too many, flames of fury spreading across the digital horizon. Complete disarray to the perceived non-conclusion to the season. The Negan Cliffhanger.

Flash forward to present day, New York Comic Con… Everywhere I looked there Negan was. Perhaps not always Jeffrey Dean Morgan, yet his spirit was alive and indeed, everywhere. Negan after Negan after Negan. The truth became sparkling clear.

Making us wait was the right choice all along.

Morgan described the surreal aura at the panel at Madison Square Garden, all this buildup and nothing has even happened yet. Not a single fan of The Walking Dead (no matter how casual) will not tune in tonight.

It’s like you’re a kid all over again sitting bedside in the moonlight at 3am, convincing grandpa to finish the story. Except now you’re an adult waiting on whose life Lucille took back in April. Yes, the answer matters but the journey to get there has taken a life of its own.

Fans going historical over being teased at the loss of Daryl, others wondering how much it will stay true to the comic. Purists and casuals intensely speculating on the wildest frenzy in perhaps the history of television. The anger back in April? It’s all gone, dissipated, replaced with hype not only out of control but out of this stratosphere.

Months ago we stomped our feet and threw down the remote that The Walking Dead was leaving us. Why? Why now? Now we’re accepting it back into our lives with open arms and tears of joy.

As for who it will be that Lucille takes on The Walking Dead tonight? Hard to say, but Daryl seems like a diversion. An unlikely decision show wise, business wise, chemistry wise, PR wise, anyway you spin it. If it is him, they have serious, serious guts over there.

Personally, I believe it’s Michonne referred to in this teaser clip:

“Right hand man” is the vague clue for me, and seems like it would spark the biggest emotional response on social media. Abraham seems like an obvious choice (maybe too obvious), and Glenn (because of the comic) is the wildcard choice. Maggie seems quite unlikely.

Creator Robert Kirkman alluded to it being somebody perceived as important because otherwise it would would be too easy for the viewer. Those are my predications, with Michonne at number #1 as guesses go. We’ll all find out who was right in due time on tonight’s The Walking Dead!

Follow me on Twitter: @nirregev

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Making Us Wait Was the Right Choice: Walking Dead’s Negan Cliffhanger

By Nir Regev | Oct 23, 2016