Viewing ratings for The Walking Dead season seven have been down for the first time since season three – that’s an irrefutable fact.
The Walking Dead returns in the US on Sunday 12 February; it’ll air in the UK the following evening at 9pm on FOX.
The season seven premiere arrived on a wave of dread, built up over six months, that was impossible to live up to.
It’s also it’s most honest – whereas most happy moments shown in The Walking Dead are stripped away by a tragedy, this pivotal scene exists to shape its future – and without this run of episodes, it wouldn’t have landed.