I have heard so many Walking Dead fans talk about how angry the season 7 premiere episode made them. Don't get me wrong, it was a rough episode - probably the most heart-wrenching and most gory so far. However, I think that Abraham's death was predicted by a lot of the viewers. It was Negan's first swing at Glenn that surprised everyone. I was surprised that they decided to kill off TWO major characters right then and there. I figured they would at least wait until later in the episode to kill off a second character.
After I put some thought into it though, Glenn's Death made sense to me. As sad as it was, Glenn's death was the best choice for what the show was trying to accomplish. The writers had to express how powerful and dangerous Negan is. Glenn's death proves that the writers are not afraid to make big decisions. They are not afraid to kill off expecting fathers, and they are not afraid to tear apart relationships. Even though its devastating, it keeps viewers on edge. If all of the major characters lived forever, there would be no tension, and viewers would eventually get bored. Killing both Abraham and Glenn in the premiere establishes that no one is safe with Negan around now - think about what can still happen.
The way I'm thinking about it is, even though Glenn died, we haven't seen the end of him. His death has impacted all of the characters, and it will shape the way they act around Negan from now on. Glenn will live on through them, and especially through Maggie and their baby. And Daryl now has to carry the weight of Glenn's death on his shoulders. Even though his character is gone, Glenn will still be a big influence on the show. If any other character had died, there would not have been as much of an impact. Yes, the viewers care about all of the characters, but killing someone like Sasha or Aaron would not have shown Negan's insane potential.
I was really surprised about the fact that Abe and Glenn were both killed off so quickly, but it makes sense. Despite the heartache that the viewers feel, it was the writers best decision for establishing Negan's potential, and keeping the viewers on edge. So, take the time you need to mourn over two awesome characters, but don't give up on the show. Wehave to understand that Negan had to kill someone important for us to know who he really is.
