And so, just like that, we’re once again at the finale of another Walking Dead season. After the skull-crushing cliffhanger from this time last year, what exactly can we expect from this Sunday’s send-off?
With as many loose ends as Negan has enemies, the extended episode should at least tie up a few of those and so, too, a lot of burning questions will be answered: Will Dwight and Daryl ever see eye-to-eye? Who exactly can Rick, and indeed Negan, trust? And, most importantly, will Rick ever snare a darn deer?!
Whilst the comic will inevitably throw up a number of theories as to how the season will close, here are some of the best bets for the storylines that will keep fans on tenterhooks until its return in October:
Friend or Foe? No longer will Dwight kneel. Not for Negan anyway. After uncomfortably kowtowing to the Savior leader for the whole of the season, it seems a tad unfair on the guy that the first request of his new savior, Rick, is for him to ‘get on his knees’. At gunpoint, no less. Having said that, he did launch an arrow through Denise’s eye – albeit accidentally – so fair’s fair. Not that that’s any consolation for Daryl, his intended target. It remains to be seen whether Dwight really has switched allegiances or whether he is some kind of dastardly double-agent, but the finale should go some way to clearing that up.
All Hell breaks loose: It’s safe to say that this finale – as with every preceding edition – will be action-packed, blood-soaked and yet, hopefully, cliffhanger-free. Ever since the mid-season finale, Rick has been on a relentless crusade to recruit numbers for Alexandria’s cause: to dispatch of Negan and his cronies. While that is - let’s be honest - unlikely, we’re still likely to see a fight unlike any that has gone before. With Alexandria, Hilltop, The Kingdom, Oceanside and the Scavengers all heeding the call to ‘rise up’, the Saviors could be about to get a taste of their own medicine. Negan, however, may be more prepared for the impending chaos than any of those groups would like to believe…
Divided loyalties and ‘little birdies’: In the penultimate episode of the season, Negan divulged to Sasha that a ‘little birdie’ had told him that Rick and his gaggle of cohorts were ‘up to no good’. With so many divided loyalties right now – Eugene and Dwight being the prime examples – it is unclear as to who Negan’s snitch is. Or indeed if he is simply bluffing. Could it be one of Alexandria’s allies? A Kingdom know-it-all, perhaps? Possibly a gossiping Gregory? Or maybe, just maybe, a Judas in the form of Jadis, the Scavengers’ leader? One thing’s for sure, as the old adage goes: snitches get stitches
With a six month break between the upcoming finale and Season 8, now is the perfect time to kill two birds with one stone and fill that zombie-shaped hole in your summer.
Fun, but functional, The Walking Dead Survival Kit and ZPAK combo is perfect for Walking Dead fans. Contained within a high quality military style messenger bag, the survival kit could prove to be invaluable in a Zombie apocalypse or, indeed, more generic emergencies, providing 72 hours worth of supplies.
Supplementing the survival kit in this value-for-money combo is the ZPAK or, to give it it’s full name, the Zombie Preparedness Apocalypse Kit. Contained within a ZPAK branded water bottle are the perfect additions to the survival kit. Contents include a custom carabineer, emergency whistle and other essential survival items, while there’s even Walking Dead-inspired ZPAK artwork included to tide you over until Rick and his pals return in the Fall.
So, after what seems like an absolute eternity, AMC's The Walking Dead will be returning Sunday February 12, 2017 at 9/8c.
But just what can we expect from the second half of a season that has already claimed both Glenn and Abraham, bashed to death by Lucille at the behest of Negan?
As will always be the case, the comics offer up a plethora of solid theories as to the way the remainder of the season will pan out, whilst a number of clues have already subtly cropped up on the show:
All out War: After beating Rick into submission by beating in the heads of Glenn and Abraham, it seemed that all was lost for our protagonist. Negan’s brutal killing off Spencer, however – within the walls of Rick’s home – may just cause our heroes to ‘Rise Up’, as the promotional poster and tweets have so duly promised. What this all could account to, if the comics are to be followed, is a rising up of the group as a whole, united together against the ever-present – and worsening – threat of Negan and his cronies. War is coming.
Allies from far and wide: To fight a war though, you need allies. Especially when you’re lacking in any kind of ammunition… This is where Oceanside comes in. You know, the community Tara promised never to return to? Let’s be honest, she’ll probably return there. With Rick. And the rest. Now whether they’ll enlist Oceanside as allies or simply steal their guns is anyone’s guess but safe to say, I think we’ll be seeing a lot more of the women warriors. Another ally should come in the form of King Ezekiel and his tiger. Obviously, Carol and Morgan are both under his rule – kind of – so a reunion of the ménage à trois of Carol, Morgan and Rick seems likely. They’ll just be bringing a pet tiger with them this time…
Stranger Danger? Whilst Rick and Aaron are trying to navigate a not-so-quiet row through a lake of bobbing zombies in the mid-season finale, a mysterious figure is seen to be scoping them out from the shore. Is he – or she – a friend or a foe? Will they stand together with Rick and his allies or against them? For now, at least, we don’t know who this person is or what their intentions are. All we know for sure is that they are certain to prove pivotal, one way or the other.
If ‘The Walking Dead’ has taught us anything over the years, it is that the age old mantra of ‘Fail to prepare; prepare to fail’ holds true. It’s a pretty recurrent theme and has been the downfall of many a villain that has come up against our motley crew. The Governor, Gareth and Jugular-less Joe to name but a few, all failed to properly prepare for the preparedness of our band of zombie slayers.
When you take all that into account, why would you not prepare your family in the same way? Sure, ‘it’s just a TV show’, you may cry, but can you afford to take that risk?
Are you a Gareth or a Rick?
Ideal for couples or as a gift for a loved one, The Walking Dead Survival Kit contains an abundance of supplies to last you a full 72 hours in an emergency. Contained within a high quality military style messenger bag, this kit is essential preparation for a Zombie apocalypse or, indeed, more generic emergencies.
For the lone survivor, you needn’t look no further than the Zombie Preparedness Apocalypse Kit (ZPAK). Confined within a ZPAK branded water bottle is the perfect starter kit of a custom carabineer, emergency whistle and other essential survival items, whilst a Walking Dead ZPAK artwork is included to, no doubt, remind you of the artistic beauty of the pre-apocalyptic world.