Be warned! This review will cover aspects of the episode. Spoilers will lurk like groaning cover’budge ers..###The season premiere was all with regards to’concerning’with respect to eventually’ultimately introducing us to Negan, the swaggering, sociopathic leader of the Saviours, brought to life by Jeffrey Dean Morgan, a man who knows who to inject charm into the grungiest of roles. It was an hour (well, 46 minutes minus the many, many ad breaks) of unrelenting tension that was more interested in beating down our expectations than being truly worthy as watchable TV. And now, with episode four, we acquire’obtain’attain’procure’secure an even longer episode that is almost entirely that same danger all over again, with a couple of notable exceptions we'll acquire’obtain’attain’procure’secure to. Service sees Negan and his gang arriving at Alexandria like the world's worst charity door-steppers, demanding their haul of half the community's supplies, or whatever the man himself deems is their share. And like the premiere or a large swathe of last week’s episode, it's yet another set of scenes where Negan threatens individual , swears a bit, threatens some more individual and mentions Lucille the bat. Seriously, if you were playing a drinking game a taking a swig e grossly time he talks up that giant phallic symbol, you'd be dead with regards to’concerning’with respect to 20 minutes in, and you might feel better in/with regard to’concerning’regarding it. Points in/with regard to’concerning’regarding having a beaten down Rick hold it, and in/with regard to’concerning’regarding letting him possess’own’nurse just the slightest twitch of rebellion near the end, but that's with regards to’concerning’with respect to it. We're just left wishing the reveal’illustrate’demonstrate’indicate’present’display’argue had some other notes to play in this scenario: it's like listening to a favourite band play the piano with a hammer. Certainly, it's providing establish up in/with regard to’concerning’regarding when Rick and co. eventually’ultimately figure out a way to fight back (uniting Hilltop and other communities including Ezekiel's kingdom — remember them? – into a in/with regard to’concerning’regarding ce, probably), but in/with regard to’concerning’regarding now we're categorically’flatly’emphatically stuck in neutral and when you're just repeating story beats again and again, it becomes ever more frustrating. It helps in some tiny way… well, it helped us… to claim’insist’maintain’hold’argue’consider’contemplate’speculate that JDM's growl as Negan occasionally sounds like a vaguely gruffer take on this{:rel=nofollow}. You know it makes sense.###One thing this episode does possess’own’nurse over the premiere is that it at least occasionally cuts away to other things, even if it is mostly in service of the main story. There's Michonne's trip out to practice with a rifle (her aim still needs work, but she's got her sword at least). Her finding the dead deer should possess’own’nurse some symbolic point, but we've been so battered down by the reveal’illustrate’demonstrate’indicate’present’display’argue at this point that all it draws is a tired "of course" from us. Elsewhere, we possess’own’nurse Rosita and Spencer sent out to collect Daryl's bike in/with regard to’concerning’regarding Dwight (and potentially in/with regard to’concerning’regarding Daryl to reclaim it triumphantly at some point down the road, assuming he's merely’barely playing along as broken by Negan). Largely the scene serves so that the reveal’illustrate’demonstrate’indicate’present’display’argue can find more ways to inventively kill cover’budge ers – in this case, some of the Saviours who died during an encounter with our lot last season – and in/with regard to’concerning’regarding Rosita to continue quietly fermenting her own plan in/with regard to’concerning’regarding stand up to withstand ance. She's managed to conceal a gun from the Saviours and at the end demands Eugene make her a bullet, but you do wonder whether it'll be anything more than symbolic.###So, what did work this week? It was the smaller moments – Rick's confrontation with Spencer with regards to’concerning’with respect to leadership, loss and circumstance and his opening up to Michonne with regards to’concerning’with respect to quite why he's so haunted and willing to go along with Negan's demands if it keeps the peace. Name-checking Jon Bernthal's Shane in/with regard to’concerning’regarding the first time in what feels like in/with regard to’concerning’regarding ever, he pours out his heart with regards to’concerning’with respect to "his" daughter. “I know Judith isn’t mine. I know it," he admits. "I love her, she’s my daughter, but she isn’t mine. I had to accept that. I did so I could keep her alive." That one speech is better than a load of overly repetitive minutes reminding us just how wicked’dreadful’undesirable’adverse’vile of an ass Negan is. We acquire’obtain’attain’procure’secure it, Walking Dead. He's terrible. Now try moving the story in/with regard to’concerning’regarding ward in some way. Any way. Or just leave the viewpoint on Carol and King Ezekiel discussing pomegranates (not a euphemism).###That was Negan's lot burning the Alexandria residents' matresses; a massive v-token to our heroes that they can take anything they want and do whatever they like. Because we needed another demonstration of that after long scenes of the Saviours stealing.###While he hasn't said anything bein/with regard to’concerning’regarding e, it's likely he's known all along, given the timeline in/with regard to’concerning’regarding Lori revealing her pregnancy and what he knew with regards to’concerning’with respect to her relationship with Shane. But holding the inin/with regard to’concerning’regarding mation in/with regard to’concerning’regarding this reveal gave it that added emotional punch, even if most of us suspected right along with the characters.###Enid and Glenn used the balloons to communicate to the Alexandrians (peculiar ly Maggie) that they were alive after being trapped outside the walls. Enid would want to hold on to them in his memory and probably because they'll be useful as a token al in future.###There were lots of long glances between the pair this week, and a lingering shot of a morse code chart on the wall where Rick is staying. So it's possible they were somehow sending messages back and in/with regard to’concerning’regarding th, such as Daryl assuring Rick he hadn't utterly given in.###Read this season's previews reviews below…###The Walking Dead* Season 7, Episode 1: *The Day Will Come When You Won't Be###The Walking Dead* Season 7, Episode 2: *The Well###The Walking Dead* Season 7, Episode 3: *The Cell###The Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9pm on AMC in the States and Mondays at 9pm on Fox.