Image Source: AMC
There we have it folks, easily the most riveting, highly anticipated episode of the Walking Dead thus far. “Last Day on Earth” was a 90 minute episode that left viewers on the edge of their seats the whole way through. All season we have been waiting for this much talked about episode, knowing that finally, Neegan would be introduced.
Here were the two biggest things I dreaded going into this episode:
Because of the comics, I’ve always known that the arrival of Neegan would inevitably signify Glenn’s death (my favorite character). Ugh! We have already been on a rollercoaster ride with Glenn this season, and when I found out that the worst wasn’t over, let’s just say I was less than pleased.
I was worried that the gun shot and blood spatter that ended last week’s episode was going to be Darryl’s death (It looked SO real, but as we know, looks and angles and lots of fake blood can make deaths on this show deceiving). And, since Darryl wasn’t in the comics, there was no way to find out whether or not he would survive, until this episode.
The episode is centered around Rick, Abraham, Sasha, Carl, and Aaron desperately trying to get pregnant Maggie medical attention. As they begin their journey in the RV, they’re met at every road with a group of the Saviors, stalking them and not letting them through. They go so far as to hang an innocent man right in front of them. Rick has to remind the group that they can’t waste a bullet on saving that man from his suffering right now.
Phew! Okay, let’s take a break from the serious stuff and talk about my two favorite lines in this episode. “What the bitch?!” and “Bitch nuts!” Haha! When Abraham said this as the RV would pull up to a road and see another group of the Saviors blocking it, it was the one tiny emotional break the audience needed.
Now, back to the crazy stuff.
The group realizes that the Saviors are looking for the RV, so they need to keep going on foot, while someone steps up to the plate to risk their life and draw the saviors to the RV. The adorable geeky Eugene decides to take on this suicide mission, and he and Abraham share an emotional moment where he says, “i was wrong, you’re a survivor and you always were, you just didn’t know it.” (Did anyone else notice during this scene it sounded like they were using a song from the LOST soundtrack…?)
Fast forward and we hear the creepy whistling that usually signifies the arrival of the Saviors, and soon the group is completely surrounded. These last five minutes were painful to watch, because we knew, finally, that Neegan had arrived.
Side note….Jeffrey Dean Morgan is one of my favorite actors. Love him. It was really weird to see him in this bad guy role, but he did an amazing job! (Also, he’s doing a great job playing Alisha’s boyfriend/investigator on The Good Wife this last season).
I digress..
Darryl is alive and bloody, Eugene has been caught, and Neegan comes out of the trailer making everyone (even Maggie) kneel. The emotional Glenn seeing her there just killed me.
So, Keegan spends a solid 5 minutes (which feels like eternity), walking back and forth the group, saying he has to pick one person to kill before they start to work for him and obey him and his rules. He introduces us to his sharp baseball bat, which he calls Lucille. Um…okay…? If this wasn’t creepy enough already...
Final scene, he picks someone, the screen goes black, and we hear bones crunching and screams.
***END SCENE***
What?!?!?! A lot of fans were very upset with this ending, but I for one was grateful that I have a break from getting to find out who was killed. Thank you for sparing me for just a little bit longer from the emotional anguish I thought I was going to have to endure. Oh wait, I already endured that this entire episode terrified about what was going to happen next...!
There are already tons of fan theories online. People have gone so far as to even measure the trajectory and angles of where each person was kneeling and how far Neegan was from them to see if they can figure out who he kills. But even the stars of the show don’t know!
What’s your theory? What are your reactions to last night’s episode?!