I struggled to watch The Walking Dead’s Season 7 not because the overall quality of the show has diminished, but because an apocalypse is less fun when you are in one. The Walking Dead’s Season 7 was all about different forms of leadership and whether or not one should resist against tyranny or if living is enough. Sadly even the worst forms of leadership in The Walking Dead, while more brutal and immediate (Lucille) than most Americans who are not 12 year old black boys playing in Ohio parks see, were still more merit-based and educated than what we are currently used to seeing in our world. Even Negan publicly disavows rapists and believes in science.
As viewers, we got spoiled by Rick and his group’s continuously successful head on approach to any obstacle, but Season 7 grapples with how to navigate a world where that approach does not lead to success. The Walking Dead has effectively depicted the spectrum of options of leadership in response to the tyranny of Negan, a brutal, but smart, manipulative, engaging dictator and the best villain that The Walking Dead has ever created. (Side note: the Governor was stupid, and he should have died sooner.)
We already knew Hilltop with Gregory, played by the amazing Xander Berkeley acting against type. Gregory is a craven leader, who treats everyone not related to Negan with disrespect, but completely gives in to Negan’s men and is a complete coward. Most viewers hated him after six years of Rick’s success, but after we saw the consequences in the first episode of this season, viewers were prepared to be more open-minded to other approaches to leadership and community and perhaps were slightly more sympathetic to Gregory rolling over.
This first episode prepared us for The Kingdom led by King Ezekiel and his tiger, Shiva, whom I am very concerned about and anticipating to weep profusely when she dies, which I hope never happens. (Side note: I will sign a waiver because animals are smart and have souls and as a cat mom, my fluffy babies need positive cat role models in media, but how does Shiva know who a bad guy is when she has not met most of the people in the fight?) Even though he is called a king, the Kingdom is a utopia that values and nurtures even the most useless citizen, encourages art and cares for strangers. In contrast, Negan is not called a king, but has a bevy of unwilling concubines, “wives,” and every knee must bow to him. There is also an ocean side community of women who are isolationists and hide from Negan. They are extremely hostile to outsiders.
Without Negan, a lot of minor mad men would just willy nilly rape women and children so The Walking Dead asks which leadership style will prevail and reshape the world if and when he falls. Maggie’s approach seems to work as a middle ground between Rick and Ezekiel. She mainly provides leadership based in experience, but does not assume or require that people will follow her or even show symbolic deference to her. She is more collaborative with those that she leads and willingly shares her expertise. She does not fear that she diminishes her power by giving it away because she does not care about power, but creating a community and a life. We saw her being groomed by Rick and Deanna. She does not eliminate threats like Gregory, but tries to include him in her community.
I do have one major criticism of the show. I can now predict more often what is going to happen, and I never could before Glen’s “death.” For example, the junkyard community was completely predictable and unnecessary. The Alexandrians could have looked for guns and supplies to prepare for war anyway. I hope that we never see them again. An apocalypse occurs, and you decide to butcher the English language. Aggravating! I hope they die on the way home. Ugh.
I am amazed that The Walking Dead has lasted as long as it has. I did not think that it could go on much longer than a season, and then everyone would die. While I will continue to watch and enjoy the show, The Walking Dead is now officially more optimistic than the world that created it.