‘The Walking Dead’ season 7: Andrew Lincoln gives you reason to be excited again

There were some nice moments within the first half of “The Walking Dead” season 7, and therefore it’s a little cruel to sit here and beat up on the past eight episodes. Were there problems? Absolutely, with the biggest one being a simple matter of pacing. Not a whole lot happened, the pacing was frustrating, and we wanted nothing more to shake Rick Grimes and get him to get his mojo back and go after Negan guns-blazing.

While we’re not sure we’d describe what’s coming up next as a suicide mission in any way, it does seem as though we’re going to see a more proactive group of characters really pushing further to fight back. This is something that Andrew Lincoln teased up to Entertainment Weekly when discussing the back half of the season and his role in it:

“It’s probably the opposite of what you just witnessed … Certainly from Rick’s point of view. You see a man in action again with some of the members of his closest family.

“There’s a lot more levity, if you can believe that, than you’ve ever seen before in Mr. Grimes … There’s sort of a freedom in him, a feeling that comes from losing everything, and also the thrill of the fight. It’s the thrill of the fight again. He’s back in. All I’m saying is that the band is back together.”

The reunion aspect oft he show is something that we’ve already seen in one sneak peek from the midseason premiere, and getting much of that cast back together could be integral to the show’s future success. With that group together, you’re able to better see a concentrated story, and one that moves forward rather than just switching gears here and there.

Now, the main struggle is merely waiting to see precisely what happens … and waiting’s never been our strong suit.

What do you want to see from Rick moving forward this season? Share in the comments below, and head over here to get some other news when it comes to “The Walking Dead.” (Photo: AMC.)