The Walking Dead Season 7 Finale: 3 Ups & 5 Downs From 'The First Day Of The Rest Of Your Life'

3. Sasha's Turn

Sasha was, if not 100% guaranteed to die in this episode, then at least 99% likely to. The question wasn't so much a matter of if, but when and how: Would Negan kill her, or would she kill herself?

The answer was the latter, though despite the fact it was expected (and long telegraphed throughout the episode, the first half of which basically served as a eulogy for the character) it still played out in an effective and surprising way. It'd long been clear that Sasha was taking on the role of Holly from the comics. There, she dies and is handed back to Rick and co as a walker surprise (having been killed by Negan), with a bag over her head to hide the truth, before eventually biting Denise.

Given it's already been done on Fear The Walking Dead, it seemed likely that this show would put a new twist on it, and it's to their credit they managed that here. They did a great job turning Sonequa Martin-Green into a walker (and it's always fun when that does happen to a main cast member), managed a surprise, and paid off on Eugene's pill (this arc's take on Chekhov's gun).

Even better, though, was the fact that it wasn't just done for the sake of it, but tied directly into the narrative, helping the Alexandrians regain a slight advantage (albeit far too briefly), scaring the sh*t out of Negan, and turning herself into a weapon, which was a fitting way to go out.