Melissa McBride wants fans to know the cliffhanger at the end of The Walking Dead Season 6 finale is worth what they will experience in the series return this fall.
McBride, who plays Carol on the show, explained to Entertainment Weekly the cliffhanger was a good move. The actress hopes people who didn’t like the finale tune in to The Walking Dead Season 7 premiere to see why the show waited to reveal Negan’s victim.
“Oh, I’ve heard it. I’ve heard it all,” McBride told EW regarding the cliffhanger outrage. “But, you know, it’s entertaining. It’s compelling and some people like cliffhangers, some people hate them, and that’s just part of the experience. But I hope those people that feel jilted will tune in because the premiere is just going to be… oh God, it’s going to rock the walls. The wait is worth it. Whether you’re angry with it or whether you liked the cliffhanger or whether you’re pissed off about it, the wait is worth it.”
Whatever happens, Rick won’t ever be the same. We can at least deduce Rick, Carl and Michonne are safe at this point. The season will likely focus on how Rick rallies his group to repair the damage he has caused. Rick has finally realized he needs other people to survive in the new world, and he’ll have to work with Negan to ensure the safety of his people.
Negan is a wild card. He can be brutal, but he can also be compassionate, in his own twisted way. If the story is anything like the comics, Negan and Rick will have a strange sort of respect for each other and will learn how to coexist. However, the show can take Negan’s storyline in a different direction, making it difficult to predict how destructive he will be.
The Walking Dead Season 7 premiere is Oct. 23 on AMC
