The Walking Dead EP Defends Cliffhanger Ending, Teases Season 7's 'Boundary-Pushing' Death Scene 

were tough to watch? Wait until you get a load of the first scene of

In a conference call with reporters on Monday, showrunner Scott M. Gimple revealed that the opening sequence (which will pick up right where the finale left off) will “be pushing some boundaries” in terms of blood and gore. “Things are going to start of very, very, very dark,” he said, before adding, “But that won’t be the whole season. It’s not going to be darkness upon darkness upon darkness.”

The Walking Dead Poll: Who Do You Think Negan Whacked?

Gimple went on to tease that in the first eight episodes of Season 7 “the world is going to open up even

. We’re going to have a wide variety of locales and a wide variety of tone. I’m very excited for all the different stories that are going to be told, and there are going to be a

of different stories told… There’s probably going to be the biggest variety of stories we’ve had yet.”

Other hot topics Gimple tackled during the press conference:

On viewer backlash to that ambiguous closing scene | “If you approach it from a place of skepticism or with the idea that there’s some kind of negative or cynical motivation behind it… it’s difficult to convince you otherwise. I do think we’ve done enough on the show and we’ve delivered a story that people have enjoyed [to warrant fans giving] us the benefit of the doubt. I truly hope that people will see [the Season 7 premiere] and feel it justifies the way we’ve decided to tell the story.”

On residual fan anger over “Dumpstergate,” including the decision to temporarily remove Steven Yeun’s name from the opening credits | “I know that in my heart it was about protecting the audience’s experience. There’s a great deal of meta that goes on around the show. If I left [Steven’s] name in I think there might’ve been criticism in another direction, [i.e. people complaining we’re] being sloppy or not protecting the audience’s experience. I can see that for people that choose to look at it cynically, it [would appear we took his name out because] we were trying to trick in some way. But really I wanted the audience to go through an emotional experience, and I didn’t want something like the credits to get in the way of that. It’s an incredibly smart audience, it’s an incredibly plugged-in audience. Every cue is looked at. I thought it would be safer for their experience to take [Steven’s] name out then to leave it in and shrug my shoulders. It really is all about the story and the audience’s experience of the story. We do care about our audience a great deal. We don’t enjoy the pain that they go through.”

RELATEDWalking Dead Creator Confirms Negan’s Victim is ‘Very Beloved to Everyone’

On precautions being taken to preserve the identity of the victim between now and next fall | “It is very, very difficult nowadays. We are working hard to protect [the reveal]… I sure hope it doesn’t leak in any way, but the world is what the world is.”

On whether fans can find legit clues as to who Negan whacked by studying the final sequence | “I believe there’s no way. There are a couple of things in there that might help people possibly limit the amount of people who are vulnerable, [but] I truly don’t think there’s a way to puzzle it out definitively.”

On the theme of Season 7 | “A big part of it is, “How do you begin again?” The world is not what they thought it was. How do you basically start over in this new world? All of these characters – even the [ones] that weren’t in that lineup – are in a position where they will learn the world isn’t what they thought it was and it will challenge them as far as how they choose to move forward and who they want to be.”

I support the decision. We know SOMEONE died, we just don’t know who. That’s a satisfying note to end the season, as much as we may be dying to know who it is. The real cop out would be not revealing whether or not someone died at all, and they didn’t do that.

To be fair, everyone knew someone would die going into the episode. I would say that when you have exactly the same information after the show as you did before it, yeah, that would be a cheap shot.

Especially considering how hyped this finale was.

Fool me twice, shame on me. Next season I’ll have an extra hour every week for reading, tidying up, sleeping, whatever.

Agreed, this stunt, and there’s no other way to describe it, proves definitively that Gimple has no interest in making quality television for the fans and just wants to be as sensational as possible to keep people watching. Seeing Glenn die and having to wonder in between seasons how the group will move on from this would have been satisfying for the viewers who love the characters. Instead, they treat us like idiots that need a manufactured cliffhanger to keep us on board.

I went online this afternoon and read everything coming up in the comics and while there’s potential for things to be amazing, I no longer have faith that this showrunner would do it justice without screwing with the audience along the way.

Honestly, at the end of the day, I would not have ended the finale that way. I think that, given what some of us know from the comics, we were bracing ourselves for something far more brutal. I appreciate that Gimple & Co. are still promising a “boundary pushing” premiere, but I think having 6 month hiatus to prepare takes a lot of the oomph out of it. Besides, now there’s that much more time for the identity to be spoiled, and that would suck.

That being said, the rest of the episode was amazing. Tension in every scene. I won’t let a – for lack of a better word – poorly chosen ending ruin that, or the show for me. People really do get bent about their TV, and I think that takes the enjoyment out. Chill out.

Think of it this way, though – if they had shown who died, we’d have six months to adjust to the idea of that person being gone. This way, we’re forced to consider the potential implications of losing so many different characters.

I totally get what you’re saying, and it’s completely valid. It’s not lost on me that there may be a different expectation from those of us who have read the comics. But just the way people were building up to the finale, too. Andrew Lincoln and Norman Reedus talking about how gut-wrenching it would be. I don’t know. And I’m not saying it was the “wrong” decision. I just think I would have favored the drama of a brutal death (and having six months to process it) than the mystery of a cliffhanger. It just seems…out of place here.

It was gut-wrenching. My heart was pounding so much those last ten minutes, I was worried about my health.

Gotta give you credit for that comment. I’ve been saying that all day to friends who were complaining on how they are done with show. You can dislike the finale all you want but what are you really mad about? Like the previous comment about fool me once, how did they fool us, someone ended up dead, it’s a fact. They just didn’t show us. You can hate it as a cliffhanger, you can hate the way they are telling the story but quit calling BS or that they are disrespecting us viewers, and giving up your season passes.

I would have ended it with fading to black like they did, but then after a sec or two show us a closeup of the victims bloodied face. The cut. But to each is own

I’ve invested too much time into this show to give up on it now, but i f’ing hate them for that cliffhanger and I don’t see how the Season 7 premiere can change my mind about it.

This shows just wayy too inconsistent to keep me interested. One stellar episode followed by an absolute bomb is just not worth the few hours I have to devote to television shows anymore. Theres just too much thats BETTER

Today’s audience lives in an on-demand world. By the time the next season airs, we will undoubtedly be spoiled somehow.

Which now leaves them the opportunity to change it. I am probably being ‘cynical’ but it really feels like they ended it that way so they could see what the audience is expecting for next season. Then they can film a ‘surprise’, but one the audience will accept.

I assume that the direct aftermath in that scene has already been filmed. If not they have to dress that whole set, gather all those same extras, etc.

I enjoyed the whole episode and thought the season finale was a perfect cliffhanger. At this point I have no idea who Negan killed. I am looking forward to next season.

Unfortunately, the creator, executive producer, and AMC have grown to be arrogant and commercial. When you have to talk-down to viewers to explain your purpose, you have already lost the fans. TWD could’ve been one of the greats to be around for a long time but it is dying each season with hurried writing, fillers, more commercials, and doing what they want the fans to have. I do not even care who dies on this show anymore. A whole season of garbage. It was boring and now I am free to do other things.

Its a stupid ending and Kirkman and Gimple know it. Its a smack in the face. They said they it did because it was the end of a story. Then the death is the beginning of another. THats HS… They either way the death is going to be the end of a story and the rock bottom for Rick. They built this up for 8 episodes, Negan, his killing a mjor character to give us 15 minutes and no answer. I would KILL for Durabont back. Ignorant writing.

I call BS on them thinking anyone would complain about Steven’s name being in the credits the week after he almost died. That was a misstep and I wish they would just admit it.

I also think this cliffhanger was a misstep. If there was a new episode next week or even 2 months time, it would be different. It’s taking all the impact of the death away to have to wait that long, not to mention it’s bound to get out who is missing from filming anyway.

Fans can be pretty forgiving, especially this fanbase, but this is two things pretty close together and I think it will cost them some viewers.

The first 3-4 seasons of this show were terrific. Since, there are many wasted episodes and they have lost what attracted me to it – no one was safe. Now they create new characters to kill off but the original cast feels untouchable. The show has also employed the usual tricks of normal TV with dumpstergate and this BS (6 month) cliffhanger. I am finished – at least in real time. Maybe I will watch on Netflix were I can watch at my leisure and without commercials but they have lost me as a regular viewer.

I’m positive it won’t be one of the originals. It’s Eugene, Abraham or Aaron. The original cast is bulletproof. And with dumpstergate, they made sure that any time one of them are in peril, it’s lost it’s emotion because we know that nothing will happen and they will be fine.

I don’t actually watch the show but I have a question for those who do: If dumpstergate hadn’t happened, or any other cliffhanger this season (I though I heard there was another but again I don’t watch), would you have been more receptive to this cliffhanger? I know some people naturaly don’t like cliffhangers, but they’ve always brought people back since we’re just to curious. So yeah, if this had been the only cliffhanger, would you have been more receptive?

I think I would have. I adore this show, but that dumpster fake out really left a bad taste in my mouth. Cliffhangers are good if you use them sparingly, not every other week.

I personally thought this was one of the best seasons. And I fully expected them to cliffhanger it. Even if a few people decided to not watch the show has great ratings so it won’t even hurt it.

Gotta disagree with Gimple on a few bits. He said (on Talking Dead) that the swing of the bat is the end of one story, and where we pick up is the beginning of the next. This, after Kirkman praised him for crafting a script that piece-by-piece breaks Rick’s resolve and his confidence about the core group and the Alexandrians’ ability to survive ‘because they have each other.’ The TRUE end of that story is Rick, having just witnessed the horrifying, brutal death of one of his friends at the hands of Negan, actually RELENTING to the Saviors, backing down, giving in. THAT is the end of one story, and the beginning of the next. Also, they spent a good portion of time this season (and last) foreshadowing and leading viewer’s expectations about Glenn’s fate. His close call at Terminus, his discovery of a bat in Richmond, his Dumpster diving, his look upon finding the Polaroids (Side note: Polaroid makes a post-apocalyptic comeback. Good for them), etc. So the choice to further delay the pay-off regarding all those easter eggs, and whether they were, in fact, foreshadowing, or a complete misdirect, takes the sting out of those moments, as well.

Papa Winches–I mean, Jeffery Dean Morgan, crushed it. He’s the perfect casting choice. I’d watch him read a phonebook and be entertained. But whether the cliffhanger ending was Kirkman and Gimple’s design, or whether it was a decision made by AMC, it still took the impact off the end of a tension-filled RV escapade. Showing the victim of Lucille’s Louisville luck, and then having six months to stew on that imagery, would have propelled Negan’s already infamous status into the stratosphere, would have appeased the fans (despite their heartbreak and pain), and would have drawn in more viewers, instead of alienating a large chunk of their fanbase.

Oh, and FWIW, I don’t think I’ve read anyone mention the look passed between Abraham and Negan when Negan first approaches him in the lineup. Abraham rises up, puffs out his chest like he’s unafraid of his fate, and Negan gives a soft chuckle. It’s that moment – and the threat Negan possibly sees in Abraham – that could doom the redheaded, trash-stached teddy bear. Well, that and the scene with Sasha where he’s driving the RV, the setting sun glowing in the window behind him, smiling and hopeful about his future.

The Walking Dead Finale Recap: Negan Takes His \'Turn at Bat\' — Finally!

Walking Dead Creator Confirms Negan\'s Victim is \'Very Beloved to Everyone\'

2016 Renewal Scorecard: What\'s Coming Back? What\'s Getting Cancelled? What\'s on the Bubble?

Katy Perry, Dolly Parton Crush \'Jolene\' and Other Hits at 51st ACM Awards

1The Walking Dead Finale Recap: Negan Takes His \'Turn at Bat\'…282

2Walking Dead Creator Confirms Negan\'s Victim is \'Very Beloved to…119

4The Originals EP Weighs In: Has Klaus Really Moved on From Caroline?79

5The Walking Dead Countdown: 10 Most Killer Deaths of Season 649

Arrow Season 5: Echo Kellum Promoted to Series…

Game of Thrones: HBO, Bill Simmons Teaming Up for…

Marvel\'s Iron Fist: Netflix Series Casts Thrones…