The Day Will Come When You Won't Be

Rick is in shock, as he has seen Abraham and Glenn brutally beaten to death at the hands of Negan, the charismatic and psychotic leader of the Saviors.

Feeling that he still hasn't gotten through to Rick yet, Negan has taken him for a drive in the RV. In a heavy fog, Negan forces Rick to go get his axe, which involves Rick fighting through a crowd of Walkers. While laying on top of the RV, Rick somberly thinks about his group as Negan taunts him.

After retrieving the axe from the herd, Rick is driven back to his group, which is still being held hostage by a large group of Saviors. Rick is given the choice of either chopping off his son's arm or watching his group get shot to death. Breaking down, Rick begs for Negan to stop and only kill him. Negan begins counting down, and just before Rick has to cut off the arm, Negan stops him. "You answer to me. You provide for me," he says. Rick agrees, completely broken. Daryl is taken in a van as the Saviors leave. As the group reels from the experience, Sasha volunteers to take Maggie to the Hilltop while the rest return to Alexandria.

"The Day Will Come When You Won't Be" is a gut-wrenching season premiere that picks up immediately after the shocking cliffhanger of Season 6. The episode starts with Negan brutally killing one of the main characters, setting a dark and somber tone for the rest of the season. This moment is one of the most memorable and impactful scenes in the entire series, as it marks a turning point for the survivors and establishes Negan as a ruthless and formidable antagonist.

The episode also explores themes of power and control, as Negan asserts his dominance over Rick and the group, forcing them to submit to his authority. The psychological toll of Negan's actions is evident throughout the episode, as the survivors grapple with grief, fear, and uncertainty about their future. The tension is palpable as Negan torments Rick, demanding complete obedience and demonstrating the consequences of defiance in a brutal and unforgiving manner.

The heartbreaking and intense scene of Negan selecting his victim with the infamous "eeny, meeny, miny, moe" rhyme is particularly chilling. The episode delves deep into the characters' emotions, showcasing their raw grief and despair as they come to terms with the loss of one of their own.

How is this episode not reviewed as a top 5 all time episode?! 9.2 is too low in my opinion! The intensity of this episode has to seen to be believed. Me and my wife were so glued to the TV it's not even funny. Every moment had us on the edge of our seats! It was almost everything you would want in an episode of a television show..not much cheery moments but that was the point of the episode. It's a brutal start to an entire redirection of the show. I saw this entire 60 mins as a complete and devastating wake up call for the group. And they would never be the same.

When a show is making you yell "NOOOOOO" at the screen, it's obviously making an emotional impact. I was very sad to see ___ and especially __ go but I feel this was also done for us to absolutely despise the villain of Negan. This episode was so emotionally detrimental to the group and the viewers that we are still picking up the pieces. This episode will for sure go down in Walking Dead history as one of the best! Excellent work 10/10.

This episode left me speechless. The tension is unbearable and what the actors deliver is just top-notch. "Who did he pick?" was the big question after the season 6 finale. This season premiere answers that question in a shocking and unexpected way...

When I started to watch this episode, my heart was beating so fast that I almost decided to leave the room. What AMC built up here is on the one hand amazing and on the other hand just painful. I don't want anyone of Rick's group to suffer or to have fear - but Negan IS fear itself.

I think this episode will stay in our hearts and minds for a very long time - and it's a game-changer as well. How will the rest of season 7 look like? How will everything develop?

This is in the top 3 of most dark and gritty TWD episodes since its pilot episode launched almost 6 years ago.

I was emotionally drained after watching it. I usually go on with daily life quite quickly after watching an episode, but the things that happened this time haunted me for hours. I guess that goes to show how much of an impression this first episode made. It's brute, gory, dark and gritty. All hope seems lost for Rick and our main group of survivors, which are now fully controlled by Negan and his crew. And for the first time, I had the feeling that there's absolutely NOTHING they can do about it at this point.

About Negan, the things he does and says in this episode makes you absolutely despise and hate him, but for me, that's only proof that the acting of the character by Jeffrey Dean Morgan is absolutely great (just like King Joffrey and Queen Cersei in GoT). He's the embodiment of evil in the world of The Walking Dead and is way worse than any of the previous villains. Andrew Lincoln's acting is also very impressive by the way (again).

10/10

Although it is not my favourite episode, The Day Will Come When You Won't Be is one of my favourite episodes and remains one of the best, it's as dark and haunting as it is gruesome, disturbing and empathetic. It's a very divided episode but remains one of the top in my book. Negan is excellent. The entire cast here is brilliant top to bottom. I remember watching this and it was so good it made me pick up in the graphic novel series. Four years and bit later, I think it's a peak episode, one of the true pinnacles as to why it's such a loved, talked about, engaging, massive worldwide series. It's sick, twisted, alarming, and anxiety inducing and by far one of the best of the entire show all in. A top 5 possibly in all of TWD. The show has created such a bleak atmosphere and outlook here. Amazing.