![the walking dead last day on earth the walking dead last day on earth](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/82/6c/bd/826cbd1646071ac2ca36610cc9b963e3.jpg)
Step two was building a character we are supposed to fear, but look forward to seeing more of*. Step one was getting the look right, which is already a step up from the Governor. Jeffrey Dean Morgan arrives on the scene and he’s…not bad. So, after all that driving around, shots from inside some kind of container, and tactical advice from everyone including Carl, we get to Negan. Yes, things got bad for Rick and it was in fact the last day on earth for one of his crew and the basic freedom that Alexandria seemed to have.
![the walking dead last day on earth the walking dead last day on earth](https://66.media.tumblr.com/552371c526993db25e3d2939865ad568/tumblr_o5bwtqIPY31r2aobgo2_500.png)
Instead, we finally got to see the other shoe drop, with the episode hitting us over the head with its title’s meaning. With better focus or a better job at setting up a threat, we could have known to really fear the Saviors, rather than see them as a low-level threat with the assumed knowledge that the big-bad would be coming eventually. That’s the problem with having to pad out a season with buildup, it strains credibility. Things also could have worked out better if we didn’t go from Saviors who could be easily killed to a group of stealth ninjas that could get the drop on Rick and the gang in an RV at every turn.
![the walking dead last day on earth the walking dead last day on earth](https://staticr1.blastingcdn.com/media/photogallery/2017/3/4/660x290/b_1200x630/last-day-on-earth-walking-dead-6x16-review-thegeekiary-com_1187191.jpg)
With better pacing and a better handling on the script, I could have responded more favorably to the constant pushing of Rick’s desperation to get past all these Saviors, despite an inevitable capture. This episode’s concept could have been effective. It all culminates in the group getting captured and our first meeting with Negan and Lucille. Maggie needs medical help and the group cannot get to the Hilltop because the Saviors are blocking all the paths. For a 90-minute episode (which would have been the regular length if you got rid of the Carol/Morgan stuff), there’s not a lot of story to tell. Sure, it’s great that Morgan is working out some issues as well (sorta), but it’s a little hard to believe the show could make its best characters so dull.ī-plot aside, let’s get back to Rick and the gang. Not helping is the show trying to have me believe any of this will have a lasting impact in the future that I really care about. The evolution of this character just does not seem interesting with the show’s attempts to revert her away from the person she has become. McBride puts her all into the character, but Carol’s change has meant very little. I was happy to praise Melissa McBride weeks ago, but she’s been losing me in these last few weeks. I was honestly intrigued by the two of these characters when they actually had differences, but the more it played out, the more it seemed the writers just really didn’t know what to do with Carol. Whatever the case may be, it did not amount to a whole lot. Either it was decided early on that Carol and Morgan would not be killed or the writers really were invested in the whole Carol v Morgan: Dawn of Morality plot, which convinced them to continually pit these characters against each other. Much like the handling of this season, the Negan stuff will have to wait, because we need to talk about Carol. Sadly, not only did this show lose some of the goodwill it managed to maintain up to this reveal, it took a really long time getting there, complete with an extraneous subplot to further emphasize some poor character arc choices. The optimist in me thought The Walking Dead could conclude its season with a reveal of Negan that would have justified the buildup and set up a credible threat we would be continuing to contend with next season.