The Walking Dead Season 7 premiere has finally arrived. Drawing in over 17 million viewers live, this was easily the biggest episode the show has ever seen. There is a lot to talk about regarding the episode, but first things first: if you haven't seen the episode yet, STOP READING. THERE ARE SPOILERS AHEAD. Now that we have that out of the way, let's dive in.

Season 7 Episode 1, officially titled "The Day Will You Come When You Won't Be," was chilling, even the title! In case you don't see the reference, the title comes from the season one finale, where the group was seen trapped in the soon to self destruct CDC in Atlanta. When Dr. Jenner let the group go, Rick told him that he was grateful. Dr. Jenner then told him that the day would come when he wouldn't be... Well, that day surely arrived this episode. I found this episode to be mentally tormenting (even more so than the long months wait after the cliffhanger). The way that the episode was put together really messes with your head.

In the first quarter of the episode, we see Negan take Rick to break him down so that he can take full control of his group. Negan toys with Rick a lot, telling him crude jokes about the deaths of his friends and making him retrieve his hatchet amid a herd of walkers. As Rick retrieves the axe, he recollects on the horrifying deaths of his friends, then we finally got to see who got the axe. Negan picks Abraham in the "eeny-meeny-miny-moe" sequence, then soon after kills Glenn to iterate that he is the one in control after Daryl punches him in anguish. The daunting enviroment of the scene made it ever so traumatizing for the viewers. This episode will definitely leave an effect on those who watched.

Now to go over what people in general thought of the episode. Honestly, it was mixed. I didn't see too many people applaud the episode, that's for sure. I did see a lot of negative reviews however. I saw two types of negative; "ugh my favorite character died" negative, and "this episode was horribly done" negative. Many people were very upset about the fallings of their favorite characters, which is understandable. I also saw an uproar in how violent and graphic the episode was. There was even rage from the Parents Television Council, saying it was "one of the most graphically violent shows we've ever seen on television". This episode was an overall tossup in terms of viewer satisfaction.

Rating this episode is easy: 10/10. Although it was very sad to see Glenn and Abraham go in such a brutal fashion, I thought it was very good. The structure of the episode allowed for a lasting effect on the viewers. Even though many think it was unnecessarily violent, I have to disagree. Although I found it terribly gruesome, I think it needed to be there to spark fear and hate towards Negan, the show's new antagonist. I think this was a strong start to the season, and I can't wait to see what else the show has in store for us.