The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman hints that Season 7 might avoid the controversy of cliffhangers.
The creative coalition behind AMC’s The Walking Dead definitely rolled the dice when they decided to adapt an iconic, paradigmatic execution from Robert Kirkman’s original comic book series as a tease-teeming season finale cliffhanger that enraged a sizable segment of the show’s fanbase. The jury is still out on how said dice will land until the Season 7 premiere reveals the identity of the beloved cast member that got head-bashed by barbed-wire baseball bat “Lucille,” wielded by Negan. However, Kirkman has dropped an intriguing hint about the future for such a show strategy.
In an interview with EW, the original comic book creator of The Walking Dead and an executive producer on the show, Robert Kirkman made a potentially revelatory comment about the show’s future usage of cliffhangers. When asked to give his thoughts about the rampant fan backlash resulting from the ending of the April 3 Season 6 finale, “Last Day on Earth,” which deprived viewers of the knowledge about whose point-of-view “Lucille” execution we just witnessed, Kirkman – while not wholly regretful – seemed to understand the detractors’ perspective. Moreover, Kirkman also heavily hints that Season 7 will likely avoid a similar cliffhanger quagmire, stating:
“Look, I think as a creative person I have to acknowledge that all responses are valid, so I definitely have to take note that there’s a seemingly significant portion of the audience that wasn’t happy with that direction, so in that respect I think everyone on The Walking Dead creative team has taken note of that, and I don’t know that I would expect a similar cliffhanger at the end of season 7.”
Of course, Kirkman isn’t exactly confirming that Season 7 will be free of cliffhangers. Yet, his words do seem to carry a conciliatory tone towards the vocal legion of fans who not only thought the Season 6 finale cliffhanger was a stunt, but saw the entire season as a patronizing tease, notably in the earlier 6A portion with the notorious fake-out death of Glenn. That dubious scenario saw Glenn trapped in an alley from the mega-herd and presumed dead for a handful of episodes after camera trickery made it appear that walkers eviscerated him. Of course, he miraculously emerged later on virtually unscathed from underneath an adjacent dumpster.
Yet, Kirkman didn't quite toss the show’s Season 6 cliffhanger decision under the bus. Reiterating the non-malicious intentions of the show stratagem, he states that the fans who were irate over the season-ending tease were just “a small portion of the audience,” citing the existence of a more silent majority who actually appreciate a good mystery playing out over the summer break. Such a notion mirrors the thoughts that showrunner Scott Gimple conveyed upon the cliffhanger’s initial blowback.
Nevertheless, Kirkman acknowledges that The Walking Deadhas written itself into a perilous corner when it comes to which member of Rick Grimes’s group gets "Lucilled." The sequence has to match the profound gravity of the comic book sequence, while simultaneously distinguishing itself. Thus, people would probably riot if it was a weak choice like, say, Aaron. Also, simply going the obvious route by picking the comics’ choice of Glenn might be seen as anticlimactic, given the hype and over 6 long months of cliffhanger buildup. Yet, choosing a character who has been a crucial component of the show’s exceptional fan enthusiasm such as Daryl, might be detrimental to the show’s future. In essence it’s the Kobayashi Maru no-win scenario for showrunners.
The Walking Dead will have to face the head-smashing music when Season 7 premieres on AMC on October 23.
