‘The Walking Dead’ season 7: How Andrew Lincoln’s Rick should prepare for Negan

Andrew Lincoln gave a performance through the first half of “The Walking Dead” that was certainly worthy of Emmy consideration — it was emotional, devastating, and in many ways relatable to Rick Grimes’ circumstances. Put yourself in his shoes for a moment. You are a man who’s done your best over an extended period of time to be the best leader possible. You’ve had moments of weakness and a desire to abdicate your position here and there, but that’s understandable given the amount of violence and turmoil that you’ve seen. How would you handle some of the terrors of his life? Your hope is that after the despair, you’ll find the drive again.

Here are some of the impossible odds Rick’s been stacked up against already: Hershel’s Farm, the CDC, The Governor, Terminus, and pretty much every situation involving a horde of walkers. Negan may be his most formidable foe yet, but he’s always found a way to survive the near impossible. Can he do so again? Rick may have found his strength at the end of the midseason finale, but now, he has to do a few things to ensure that this drive remains. Think of this as our instruction manual to Mr. Grimes as to how to move forward — though, to be fair, he’s probably much more aware as to how to do that than we are.

Rely on this close to you – Michonne is far more than a travel companion at this point — pour your love into her, and it will be reciprocated. Don’t be afraid to admit to your feelings, since it doesn’t make you weak; it will only make that bond stronger.

Don’t be afraid to delegate – If Rick wants to enact some significant measure of revenge versus Negan, it’s going to take so much more than one or two people running the show. This is the biggest organization challenge that he’s faced to date. He’ll need to get everyone from King Ezekiel to Maggie / Gregory / whoever else at the Hilltop to be fully on board with what he wants to do. He may have to also find some other straggler groups along the way. Could this be a time where Oceanside comes into play? We have a hard time imagining that  it won’t come up.

Don’t be afraid of losing someone – If Rick’s going all-in for this, he cannot hesitate or second-guess any move. He’ll need to realize that the odds are good that someone else will die similar to what happened with Glenn and Abraham. Taking on Negan is a sort of suicide mission; an understanding of that in advance is the only key that there is to ultimate survival.

Have an inside man – Maybe it’s Eugene; or, maybe Dwight can be convinced to go on the other side. This is where Rick needs to turn on some of the charm, which could be fun since it’s always nice to see Lincoln take on some different sides of this character.

Fight like hell – This one almost speaks for itself. Show compassion when needed, but be ruthless at other points. Negan’s not a guy you can afford to have roaming around the area, since even if you defeat him, he can find a way to come back.

As a reminder, “The Walking Dead” returns to AMC on Sunday, February 12 at 9:00 p.m. Eastern time.

What do you think lies ahead for Rick Grimes on “The Walking Dead” moving forward this season? Share now in the comments, and be sure to head over here if you missed the latest edition of our TV Underdogs series yesterday focused entirely on Josh McDermitt and his character of Eugene. (Photo: AMC.)