Sometimes it's easy to forget that The Walking Dead premiered almost two decades ago. The franchise is coming up on its seventeenth year of existence, which of course all started with the premiere of the original series on AMC. That network has given more and more life to the series, which is based on the Robert Kirkman comic series of the same name, as multiple spinoffs keep it alive today.
It's a testament to the depth of stories that the post-apocalyptic world of the TWD Universe continues to create, and it always provides us with opportunities to reflect on the legacy that the franchise - especially the original show - has crafted. And on March 6, we got the chance to revisit one of the show's most frightening, unnerving episodes.
March 6 was the 10th anniversary of The Walking Dead's most disturbing episode
On March 6, The Walking Dead's most devoted fans looked back on one of the show's most unnerving episodes. Yes, as hard as it might be to believe, "Not Tomorrow Yet" turned a frightening 10 years old. And if you were one of the 12.8 million viewers who tuned into it that night, you were probably left in complete and utter awe of what you had just witnessed.
The twelfth episode of the sixth season, this one saw Rick and the other survivors attempt to take back control from The Saviors - who had become a thorn in every community's side at this point. Unfortunately, they had to do that in the most extreme of ways, attacking one of their outposts and killing every single one of them.
Although Maggie was involved, they had to make sure that Hilltop wouldn't be blamed for the attack due its working relationship with Negan and The Saviors. On the other hand, Rick deemed the attack necessary because they couldn't let the villains find out about the existence of Alexandria - otherwise they knew Negan would come for it too. And as they had yet to meet the man who would become The Walking Dead's most infamous villain, they felt they had to attack in the hopes of killing him, too.
After much deliberation (and some attempts from Morgan to talk them out of it), Rick Grimes, Daryl Dixon, Glenn Rhee, Aaron, Abraham Ford, Rosita Espinoza, Michonne and Jesus all enter the Saviors' outpost and begin killing everyone who comes their way. That leads to an intense sequence in which the main characters slowly traverse the hallways, tunnels, and bedrooms of the building, never fully sure of what they're going to run into when they turn the corner. It was as disturbing as it was compelling.
"Not Tomorrow Yet" received critical acclaim for its tense, edge-of-seat approach as Rick and the gang tackled the Saviors slowly, picking them off as they went, while also learning praise for letting its characters sit with the gravity of what they had done. It was an emotional rollercoaster of an episode tha showcased just how far the war with The Saviors - and the world of The Walking Dead - could go.
Glenn, in particular, struggled with the fact that he took his first human life during the shootout. On the other hand, Carol wrestled with the fact that her kill list of 18 people began to grow, showing viewers that - despite her badass Terminator-esque approach to the apocalypse - she was still human at heart. And these character studies are often what The Walking Dead does best, portraying the depth of character as each of the show's protagonists wonder if they are truly too far gone.
This moment led to Negan's arrival in TWD (and Glenn's death)
In looking back on "Not Tomorrow Yet", it's clear that this is one of the most pivotal moments in The Walking Dead franchise's entire run. Not only was it a moment that changed so many of its characters forever (Rick's decision to kill a bunch of humans, Glenn's first ever human kill, Carol's growing list of kills), it also set the wheels in motion for Negan's arrival at the end of the season. And we all know how that turned out.
While Rick and the survivors hoped that attacking The Saviors' outpost would be an end to a war that had yet to begin, it was actually the opening shot. Negan would slowly retaliate, finding out about the existence of Alexandria and having his Saviors stalk the gang until they ran out of resources. When they were ulnerable and out in the open, he pounced.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan's introduction as Negan in the season 6 finale is a moment that fans had been waiting to see for years. To say that Morgan pulled it off instantly would be an understatement, as he burst onto the scene with all of the bravado and gravitas needed to bring such a larger-than-life villain to the screen. Although the episode's conclusion was infamous (for not revealing who Negan actually attacked with Lucille), the season 7 premiere proved to be the most infamous episode in the show's long history as it featured the brutal deaths of Glenn and Abraham - in what Negan considered revenge for the attack on his men at the outpost.
Of course, Negan would eventually undergo a long redemption arc and Morgan still plays the character now on spinoff The Walking Dead: Dead City. Although not all fans agreed with his eventual redemption, there is no denying that Morgan's performance as the character was so good that it's understandable that the TWD Universe wanted to keep Negan around.
So, when you really think about, Negan's journey in The Walking Dead Universe all started 10 years ago with "Not Tomorrow Yet". And what a haunting, frightful beginning it was.