The Walking Dead is back  following the cliffhanger heard around the world. Negan claims not one, but two lives during the Season 7 premiere, leaving fans in a state of shock and disbelief. AMC and show producers did give fans warning that tonight’s episode would be a heavy one. Here are our highlights from the Season 7 premiere, “The Day Will Come When You Won’t Be.”

*****MAJOR SPOILERS AHAEAD. YOU ARE READING AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION*****

Lucille Takes Two Lives:

The episode begins with the sneak peak teaser that was recently released at NYCC 2016 where Negan is taunting Rick with Lucille and boasting about his kill. Rick, in return, states that he is “going to kill him,” which does not sit well with Negan. He drags our fearless leader away into the R.V. leaving the surviving members of Grimes’s group behind with The Saviors.

Rick, while away with Negan, is tested and forced to remember just what Negan had done. Rick slowly begins to remember flashbacks of his group and starts with the last memories of each member. He then hears the faint speech by Abraham atop the R.V and Ricks collapses in grief. The viewers see through Rick’s point of view the scene of “Eeny, meeny, miny, more.” Negan finally selects his victim landing Lucille on Abraham.

Abraham accepts his fate, his hands extending out as though to welcome death. The Sergeant lifts his head after the first blow surprising Negan himself as we hear a familiar line, “Look at that, taking it like a champ!” Abraham looks Negan in the eyes once more to deliver his last words, “Suck my nuts!”

Negan unamused by Abraham’s retorting words, continues to bash Abrahams head till he is unrecognizable. The batt swinging antagonist begins to taunt Rosita, after he catches the connection she had with Abraham, instructs Rosita to look at the bat covered in Abraham’s blood.

This sets into motion one of the most disappointing moves in The Walking Dead history.  Daryl rushes Negan and lays a punch on him. Negan laid out clear rules to the group, one being that if someone intervenes he will take another life. Negan kept that promise and swung Lucille a second time at Glenn. If you know the comics the scene may have not have been as shocking, but seeing the graphic novels being brought to life before us left fans in tears. As Glenn looks to Maggie with his eye popped out and skull busted open, he tries with all his will to speak and to tell Maggie, “I will find you”, just before Negan puts Glenn out of his misery in one of the most brutal 2 minute deaths on television.

“Glenn died in a very Glenn way.  He died not thinking about himself.” -Steven Yeun on The Talking Dead

Grimes Dethroned

Rick is emotionally taunted by Negan after he is dragged off to the RV. Negan leaves his axe in plain sight for Rick to “kill him.” Negan instructs Rick to go on and take the axe to kill him. This being the first test amongst many to see just how Negan can strip away any hope left for Rick. We see Rick struggling to cope with the loss of both Abraham and Glenn. He is still shaken and is forced to be in the same space of the ruthless killer.

Negan continues to toy with Rick by throwing his axe atop the roof of the RV.  He forces Rick out of the RV where he has to fight off a large group of walkers. Luckily, there is still fight in Rick as he makes his way to the roof of the RV and discovers the burning lumber logs that served as corralling devices to capture his group. Rick is forced to face the repercussions of the night before, than is playfully shot at by Negan to exit the roof. He forces Rick to hang onto the hanging walker above the mob of walkers. Negan shoots a few of them, to show that Rick’s life is at the mercy of Negan.

This is another manipulation to break Rick down to do Negan’s will. After the ordeal, a broken down Rick is brought back to his group where Negan has one last trick up his sleeve. Negan pulls Carl out from the line up and brings him over to his father. He forces Carl to the ground and to spread his arm out to be cut off not by Negan, but his father. Rick is reluctant showing Negan he still is defiant and will not heel to him. Negan, still not pleased at the results just yet, begins to count down and informs Rick that one of the members of his group will have their head blown off if he does not oblige.

Carl instructs his father to cut his arm off and Rick lifts the axe tearfully about to chop his son’s arm off when Negan stops him, knowing he has truly broken Rick. Negan humiliates Rick before his group one last time before ordering The Saviors to pack up.

The Saviors take Daryl as insurance if Rick steps out of line when Negan comes back knocking. The group is left to finally grieve the loss of Abraham and Glenn. The group also internalizes that Rick is no longer their leader and that he has relinquished them to Negan.  This causes the group to divide and go their separate ways. Maggie back to Hilltop and Rick to Alexandria to tell his people that Negan is their new leader.

Maggie Greene Is  Out For Vengeance 

Maggie is emotionally broken after the death of her love, Glenn. Weakened by pregnancy complications, she slowly makes her way over to Glenn’s dead body where she tells the group that they need to kill Negan, and that they need to fight back.

A reluctant Rick tries to reason with her.  However, Maggie is having none of it. She informs Rick that she will be going to Hilltop to seek medical treatment and residency. If the show follows the graphic novels, this development will be a huge character arc for Maggie.