There’s no way to avoid spoilers in these days of social media so I don’t even try. I already know what happened on the season finale of The Walking Dead and I haven’t watched it yet. (If you haven’t either and don’t want to know, turn away. NOW.)

We finally meet Negan. I’ve felt that this entire second half of the season (season B) has been foreplay for his introduction. Yes, Carol has had a crisis of confidence and yes, Rick got some but mostly it’s felt as though the series has been treading water. A lot of padding.

And WAY too many stupid choices. Too many lone trips into the unknown. Too many assumptions based on arrogance. We are talking horror-movie-trope-style stupidity. The Walking Dead used to be better than that. Maybe Alexandria has made Rick’s crew soft or maybe the writers have gotten lazy knowing no matter what, their fan base will not desert them.

Judging by the outcry over the cliffhanger on Twitter and elsewhere, if I were Scott Gimple I’d lose that cocky grin.

And it’s not just the fans that are baying for blood over the third cliffhanger this year, it’s the press too. The media has helped make this show, let it cut through the clutter of peak tv. With so many other options, The Walking Dead will have to clean up its act…quickly.

A quick ps.

I love Jeffrey Dean Morgan and will watch him read a phone book…or swing a bat. I’ll be back next season for that reason alone but I understand the frustration of fans who are ready to bail.