It will be hard for Rick to overcome his huge loss against Negan in The Walking Dead Season 7. Rick learned the hard way he should never have let overconfidence dictate his actions. Morgan tried to explain there is more than one way to handle a threat, but he didn’t listen.
Rick paid the price in the lives of two of his people: Glenn and Abraham. Well, technically just Abraham’s death. Daryl is the reason why Glenn died – he should’ve just stayed on his knees like the rest of them.
Andrew Lincoln, who plays Rick on The Walking Dead, spoke to ComicBook.com about Glenn and Abraham’s death. Lincoln explained where Rick’s head is for the rest of the season and what fans can expect from his character.
"I think guilt is never far away from Mr. Grimes's shoulder," Lincoln told ComicBook.com. "I think that it's definitely, if you look through a list of characteristics, one of his chief engines would be guilt. I think one of this greatest strengths is the fact that he takes responsibility for everybody's livelihoods, it's why he's such a phenomenal leader, why people fall in beside and behind him.”
Lincoln continued, “Also it's one of his weaknesses. I think he suffers as a result of that responsibility. Yes, I do think he feels culpable and also he showed a lot of hubris last year. He made some decisions that were, in hindsight, too gung-ho and probably crossed the line of these two family members of his. I'm not going to speak for any other character, but I'm sure that there will be some sense of responsibility on Daryl's part, as well."
The Ricktatorship is definitely over. Rick cannot risk disobeying Negan, not while his group is broken and mourning the loss of Glenn and Abraham. Rick has a strong connection with Daryl, even if the two have drifted apart since arriving to Alexandria. Daryl’s death would destroy Rick. For now, Rick will have to take a step back and live in Negan’s world.
The Walking Dead Season 7 airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on AMC.