Dear TV Gods… A Plea for The Walking Dead’s Return to Greatness

Spencer Wright ‘20 / Emertaiment Monthly Staff TV Writer
With the season premiere now a mere 3 weeks away, The Walking Dead is escalating its advertising efforts in an attempt to stir fan hype. Of course, this isn’t hard to do given the gigantic cliffhanger that Season 6 ended on. With San Diego Comic Con trailer offering a first glimpse to fans in July and a newly released sneak peek of the premiere, the hit show may be heading towards fixing last season’s erroneous writing mishaps and returning viewers to a genuine, artistic experience.
You’ll see many claim that irritated fans are just “whiners.” However, the cliffhanger issue is only a small part of the bigger problem: what was once a thought-provoking, dark drama now appears to be a gossipy ploy for ratings. The cliffhanger itself is not what bothers so many fans; rather, what’s so upsetting is what the cliffhanger represents from a writing and production viewpoint.
At its peak, TWD has been a ruminating character driven drama that details a semi-realistic look at humanity after a horrific apocalypse. The sneak peek of Season 7 hints that it may be returning to its original ambition. Although the preview scene is obviously centered around the melodramatic cliffhanger, the dialogue, acting, and directing stay clear of cliche audience-shockers and instead offer a very raw look at grief and disgust.
Though it is out of a sad excitement knowing that one or several favorite characters will meet their sickening demise, enthusiasm is higher than ever now that the show might regain its artistic integrity. Even though the mystery of Negan’s victim had a strong impact on social buzz, the larger mystery is whether the show will return to its dramatic form or not. It is a sadly more complex cliffhanger, one that will hopefully end in a more positive outcome.
Amen!