‘The Walking Dead’ Is Falling From Grace

Alex Aronson

AMC’s show, “The Walking Dead” isn’t dead itself. Yet. It’s started the seventh season strong, but has gradually declined in quality. The mid-season finale of the show, “Hearts Still Beating,” hints that a war is on the horizon – but in typical “Walking Dead” fashion – that war probably won’t happen for a long time.

The season began with the death of not one – but two – major characters. Glenn (Steven Yeun) and Abraham (Michael Cudlitz) got the wrath of “Lucille” when both characters were brutally murdered in the season opener. The death of the two major characters really left a mark on the rest of the characters – but viewers didn’t get to witness the true aftermath until much later.

The problem with the latest season of “The Walking Dead” isn’t so much in its storytelling – but rather its structure. The structure of the show is pretty straightforward at this point, and the first half of Season Seven followed suit. The first half of the season ended with yet another cliffhanger – introducing a character from the shadows. Filling the gap between the opening deaths and the mid-season finale cliffhanger were episodes that did not advance the storyline sufficiently.

The characters remain in the same jam that they were in at the start of the season. Rick is falling apart, resources are scarce and a failed assassination towards Negan showed he isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. The characters are stuck, the story is stuck – and something bigger needs to happen.

The one glimmer of hope the first half of Season Seven offered came from Tara (Alanna Masterson), who has been a background character for much of her time on the show. So when she got her very own episode it came as an unexpected but pleasant surprise. The episode achieved several things – it elevated her to a much larger role, but it also introduced another colony existing in the “Walking Dead” universe. While this colony was only teased for a brief moment, it gives hope that the show might take another turn – and viewers can probably expect to see more of that colony as the season progresses.

The show is pulling a strong performance from Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who plays the most villainous character the show has ever had. His performance is purely sinister – and it delightful to see him tear up the screen.

Negan has spent the past eight episodes pushing Rick and the rest of the Alexandria residents to the edge. However, if the show follows the same pattern that it has already fallen into, the war won’t be coming until the season finale – or even later.

“The Walking Dead” is starting to feel repetitive. The attributes that once made the show stand out – cinematic in its presentation and willingness to kill off major characters at any point – has now become standard.

“The Walking Dead” Season Seven returns on AMC Feb. ’17.