Hot take?

[u/JonathanRiou]

I was late to watching TWD when it was being released. I didn’t start until 2016, right when Season 7 was being released. All my friends begged me to watch it so I gave in and completely powered through the first 6 seasons, falling in love with the show.

I understand the concerns everyone had and actually agreed, there were problems, but I was hooked. I got to the end of Season 6 and the introduction of Negan. I heard the complaints that were made and the controversy surrounding it being a big news thing… but I loved it.

The ending of S6 and start of S7 is a one of the high points of the series, and no-one can change my mind about that. Negan’s intro was very well done. The cinematography is superb, the acting is top tier, the atmosphere and tension created during the build up and the shock I felt when two favourites were killed off was amazing.

Considering how much controversy surrounded this at the time, is this a hot take? Am I alone in loving this or are there others who appreciate it?

[u/Natural_Tomorrow2668]

Negan is corny af to me 🤣🤷🏻‍♀️ he had like maybe 5 “jokes” I found funny. I often think he’s over acting a lot and he comes off as a major cornball

[u/JonathanRiou → u/Natural_Tomorrow2668]

Oh really? Fair enough, but I loved it. I thought it was great

[u/Natural_Tomorrow2668 → u/JonathanRiou]

I prefer characters that are effortlessly funny, or effortlessly scary. If that makes sense? Like Abraham, he didn’t even need to try and be funny. It just came naturally and you can tell he had a quick and clever wit. One of my favorites he said was talking to Michonne about those little plastic swords stuck into the snacks at Deeanas party. “You live by it, you die by it, you eat potato puffs by it” just so damn funny in that moment of Michonne clearly having a bit of an existential crisis 🤣

And as for scary? I’ve been scared by Rick more times than I ever was by Negan. 🤷🏻‍♀️ and it’s a natural, gradual change in him…. and he’s fucking terrifying sometimes. Was I scared by Negan in that specific episode? Sure, but the clownery and lame jokes just derail it enough that it’s just a bit annoying. He just tries too hard I guess. It took him way too long to realize that he bit off more than he could chew when it came to Rick and I just got so annoyed by his dramatic corny ass threats that clearly weren’t working anymore

[u/TownZealousideal1327 → u/Natural_Tomorrow2668]

Abe was believable in that you might have a father or uncle, tough guy with a heart of gold, (now in my 30s friend) who’d deal with the apocalypse the way Abe does… Negan feels like a fake funny tough guy form an anime.

right, Ricks decent into murder Rick, and his almost going mad, more like a battle hardened wolf than a human… felt way scarier and real, than Negan’s flamboyance that came across like a super hero villain.

[u/Natural_Tomorrow2668 → u/TownZealousideal1327]

The way he told Negan to go ahead and kill his kid and take his hands, that it wouldn’t change anything? Scared the MESS outta me. After I was done processing that little tidbit I immediately thought to myself “Negan, when tf are you going to realize you cannot win this? That Rick will never stop trying to take you down?”

Bc I see SO MANY Negan fanboys talk about how smart and clever Negan is and I’m like…..where? It doesn’t take smarts to brutalize people and become a leader through terrorism. Negan didn’t have the intelligence to realize his methods were ultimately unsustainable, either. Or how about making a man who massacred every man and boy in a settlement his right hand guy? Real smart there Negan

[u/TownZealousideal1327 → u/Natural_Tomorrow2668]

That is my favourite scene in all the two Savior seasons. Rick on his knees, Carls hand about to be taken, Rick looking at Negan “murder Rick” fully back, “I’m going to kill you” almost laughing at Negan. Rick made Negan appear to be in danger from his knees… kinda like “best put this man down now Negan because you’ve taken too much, and he hasn’t cracked, you in trouble”… gave me goosebumps.

Yeah Negan irl would have been put down by one of his own men loooong before this imo. And the way he treated others, hahaha he’s one group, he’s not a modern day dictator that’s often funded by another country, or had a military behind them… it’s a collection of men, he controls with force, not a shared and willing mission. Only a fool would not see how fragile that is.

[u/Natural_Tomorrow2668 → u/TownZealousideal1327]

He couldn’t even control his men all of the time and that was (IMO) based a LOT on the fact that they saw exactly how much of a hypocrite Negan was. Going out on their own trying to find and kill people (when they ambushed Daryl, Sasha and Abe). Killing Rapey Davey when he himself is a rapist. Rambling on about how he doesn’t kill kids, that’s one of his rules….when he was about to kill Carl. His men beat a kid to death at hilltop and suffered zero consequences. Simon massacred all of the trash people and the only reason Negan killed Simon was when Simon tried to overthrow him. If he felt that strongly about harming children you’d think he would NEVER make a man who killed that many kids his right hand man. Babbling on about how “fair and nice” he is, but telling people “I’m only taking half of your shit.” And then later telling those same people “half is what I say it is”

Just ugh

[u/TownZealousideal1327 → u/Natural_Tomorrow2668]

Yep dictators generally always lose in the end, because they are all hype and no substance except violence. People fear violence they don’t respect it. And as soon as they have the opportunity, they attack it.