The Walking Dead Season 8 Premiere: 6 Ups And 2 Downs From 'Mercy'

Downs...

2. Negan Is Still, Well, Negan

This one does largely depend on how you view Negan, since he's a divisive, 'your milage may vary' kind of character. If you loved his schtick in Season 7, which saw him largely mouthing off, making threats, leaning back, and just generally being a cocky bastard, then you're in luck, because nothing has changed.

If, on the other hand, you found his whole routine tiresome, one-note, and a bit too juvenile, then you're out of luck, because nothing has changed. Negan is, for better or worse (and I'd say the latter) still the same old villain as Season 8 kicks off. He's not in the episode that much, but it's enough for him to perform the same old tricks, especially his "pants-sh*tting" line at the end. Hopefully the show can bring more depth to Negan as the season goes on, because Jeffrey Dean Morgan is a good actor who has the potential to be better than this.

It's also slightly odd that, when the fighting really breaks out, Rick is determined to kill Negan but can't get a clear shot at him - or rather, none of the dozens of bullets he lets fly even graze the man. Worse, when he does have him in his sights before all hell breaks loose, he doesn't fire off a bullet (Scott Gimple has since said it was because of the distance between the two, admitting they perhaps didn't convey that well enough). Gabriel, when found in the container, has a gun, and yet Negan is presented as the one in charge of that situation. There are obvious reasons for this, the biggest being Negan needs to be around a lot longer, but it's another frustrating example of the show putting characters supposedly at risk, when the plot armour on them is way too thick

On the flip side of that, there's Simon. Steven Ogg continues to be a wonderfully charismatic-yet-disturbing presence even with his limited screentime, something he makes the most of with his attack on Gregory. He's been bumped up to series regular this year, and that character is going to be fun to see more of.