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While AMC’s The Walking Dead episodes inevitably become water cooler talk, the show’s mid and season finales really erupt on social media, evoke memes, and leave viewers traumatized and shaking in their corners for days. But if sneak peeks, the rumor mill, and some of the feelings from the cast after reading the script are accurate, we might be in for a bumpy ride Sunday. What’s so shocking about these episodes isn’t always the blood, gore and death; that’s become old hat. It’s the moments we didn’t see coming. The right turn when we were all looking left. So to help you get a jump on your meme creation, here are some of the things we’re watching for in this season’s finale.

The Arrival of Negan

Since it was announced that AMC had cast Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan, fans’ hearts have been all a-flutter about when he and his lovely bat Lucille would make their appearance. If a leaked trailer from overseas is correct, it looks like Sunday will be it. Morgan has the chops to play Negan. Aside from a rather robust film career, he has a formidable comic book movie resume, including Watchmen, Jonah Hex, The Losers, and even Batman v. Superman – though from recent reviews he might not want to keep that one on there – so we think he can handle the homicidal leader of the saviors.

Why Negan Is So Important

For those who are unaware of the comics the show is based on or haven’t had the chance to read them, the introduction of the character Negan is one of the most impactful events in the comic. Think of it this way; Batman had Riddler, Superman has Darkseid, Bizarro, and Doomsday, but then there’s Lex Luthor. Rick had zombies, Shane, The Governor, and then there’s Negan. That’s how impactful his introduction is. He and his companion Lucille – a Louisville slugger wrapped in barbed wire – are introduced in issue 100 of the comic series, when after many run-ins with Rick’s group, they finally meet face-to-face. That meeting led to the violent and bloody death of one of the survivors at the hands of Negan and Lucille. We won’t give away who it was for the sake of those who haven’t read the books, but the producers have been juggling things from the actual comic series, so it’s really a crap-shoot as to who gets it.

What happened to Daryl?

At the end of the last episode, the group consisting of Michonne, Glenn, Rosita, and Daryl have all been caught trying to find the group of saviors that killed Denise. And Dwight, one of the saviors that Daryl let go in an earlier episode, then let get away after ordering the death of Denise, appears to shoot Daryl. If you’re getting a peculiar tingling sensation in your spine, it’s your annoyance response peaked by The Walking Dead writers using this crap again like they did teasing the death of Glenn, which he seemed to have cheated. So is he dead, or isn’t he? Daryl isn’t really a character in the book. No one is ever really safe in the zombie apocalypse. But, killing off Daryl would piss off a lot of people. If I were a betting man, I say he lives.

What’s wrong with Carol?

This new softer, gentler Carol who has now started to act a little like the two girls who adopted her as their mother back at the prison, is starting to irk my nerves. The whining, the bursting into sobs, and then ultimately the reluctant killing is becoming old— fast. Why make this wonderful character a miserable, whining, shell of herself? If this keeps up, I see a trip to the flowers for Carol.

Where in the world is Morgan? Do we really care? Moving on.

Who dies?

Now, this is always the important part in the show. Battles, be it with humans or zombies, serve two very important roles in The Walking Dead. First, it culls the group. Right now, there are way too many people in the group. In the zombie apocalypse, it’s like living in The Happening. The smaller your group, the less chance you have to end up dead. Every time, the group has expanded and stayed large, an attack came to trim the fat. And with a cast of characters between Alexandria and now the newbies at Hilltop, it’s getting a little hard to keep up on everyone’s story. Time to get rid of some of these people. Second, deaths move the story along. This time, the catalyst seems to be Negan. Negan’s introduction in book 100 came with him beating someone important to death. The odds are on Glenn and Abraham, but I wouldn’t rule out anyone. I would say, be prepared.

Now, you’re all ready for the season finale—and the memes.

PHOTO CREDIT: AMC

“The Walking Dead” Before & After (PHOTOS)
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