The season 7 opener of The Walking Dead, "The Day Will Come When You Won't Be," was one of the most highly anticipated and most dreaded episodes of the series. This episode, written by Scott M. Gimple and directed by Greg Nicotero, would forever divide the fandom as it featured the brutal deaths of two beloved characters by Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), leader of the Saviors.
If you are a Walking Dead fan, you remember this episode well. The season 6 finale introduced the long-heard-of but never-seen Negan, who had Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and several other survivors in a lineup in which someone was going to die.
Comic fans were anxious to see this storyline on screen and other viewers had no idea what was to come. Negan's favorite weapon was a barbed wire wrapped bat, he affectionately named after his dead wife Lucille, with which he enjoyed bashing in the head of his enemies. This line up was in retaliation for Rick's group's attack on Negan's Saviors.
After a long-drawn out game of cat and mouse, plus the months wait between seasons, the season 7 premiere shocked viewers when Abraham Ford (Michael Cudlitz), not Glenn (as in the comics) was chosen to be killed. He died bravely, rising up after the first blow to the head to tell Negan to "Suck my nuts," in true Abraham form. It was a horrific thing to behold, but fans then breathed a sigh of relief to see Glenn, a fan-favorite, was safe.
Who was responsible for Glenn's death?
Negan may have welded the bat, but there is another who is blamed for Glenn's unnecessary death, Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus).
After Negan taunts Rosita (Christian Serratos) with Abraham's brain matter on Lucille, Daryl lunges at him, punching Negan in the face. Two Saviors subdued him, and Dwight (Austin Amelio) put him back in the lineup. Negan reminds the group that there is always a punishment for resistance and exclaims, "So...back to it..." as he pummels Glenn two times with his bat. Glenn rises, his skull caved in and one eye dislocated from its socket, and tells his wife Maggie (Lauren Cohan), "Maggie, I'll find you," before Negan bludgeons him to death.
Many viewers agree that it was Daryl's fault Glenn died, while others wonder if this was Negan's plan all along. Regardless, Glenn's death would become a vital point in the series' run. Many fans couldn't stand the thought of Glenn missing from the story and never watched another episode. Others weren't happy with the level of gore this episode contained. But the die-hard fans continued to watch and praised the SFX team for an incredibly done episode.
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