The First Day of the Rest of Your Life (The Walking Dead)

"The First Day of the Rest of Your Life" is the sixteenth and final episode of the seventh season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead, which aired on AMC on April 2, 2017. The episode was written by Scott M. Gimple, Angela Kang and Matthew Negrete, and directed by Greg Nicotero.

"The First Day of the Rest of Your Life"
The Walking Dead episode
The scene is a callback to the season 5 episode "Them": Maggie and Sasha watch the sunrise. The episode details flashbacks of Sasha to show her decision to sacrifice herself for the group.
Episode no.Season 7
Episode 16
Directed byGreg Nicotero
Written byScott M. Gimple
Angela Kang
Matthew Negrete
Featured music"Someday We'll All Be Free" by Donny Hathaway
Original air dateApril 2, 2017
Running time60 minutes
Guest appearance(s)

In the episode, Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green) comes to terms with the decision to commit suicide while in captivity in order to kill Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) reanimated. Brief flashbacks show her short-term relationship with Abraham (Michael Cudlitz) and her friendship with Maggie (Lauren Cohan) as a reason to sacrifice herself to protect her friends. Further storylines include the start of the build-up to the All Out War arc with the various aligning survivor communities facing off against Negan and the Saviors.

This episode marked Sonequa Martin-Green's final regular appearance in the series as Sasha Williams. Cudlitz reprised his role as Abraham in flashbacks. Khary Payton, Steven Ogg, Katelyn Nacon and Pollyanna McIntosh reappeared as guest stars, before being upgraded to series regulars for the eighth season. This episode was also dedicated in memory of American comic artist Bernie Wrightson, who died on March 18, 2017.[1] The episode received positive reviews from critics.

Plot

At Alexandria, Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and his allies question Dwight (Austin Amelio), who warns them that Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) has captured Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green) and is preparing a major attack. Dwight offers to help stall them, while Rick sends word to Jadis (Pollyanna McIntosh) and the Scavengers that their help is needed.

At the Sanctuary, Sasha convinces Negan to kill only one Alexandrian instead of three for their transgressions, and agrees to help in his plan. Negan has Sasha secured in a casket on a truck as the rest of the Saviors prepare to march. Eugene (Josh McDermitt) provides Sasha with an iPod and some water before the casket is closed. During the trip, Sasha struggles to maintain consciousness, and has daydreams of Abraham (Michael Cudlitz) and Maggie (Lauren Cohan). The Saviors encounter a roadblock setup by Dwight, giving time for the Alexandrians and Scavengers to take defensive positions.

Negan taunts them, and at his word, Jadis and the Scavengers turn their weapons on the Alexandrians, revealing the Saviors offered them a better deal. Negan orders Sasha's casket brought forward, offering Rick that he will let Sasha live if Alexandria surrenders and turns over all its possessions. Rick demands to see Sasha, and Negan goes ahead to open the casket. A flashback shows Sasha took the suicide pill Eugene had given her the day before after the casket was closed. Now a walker, Sasha attacks Negan, and the distraction allows the Alexanderians to fight against the Saviors and Scavengers, however, they are still outnumbered. As Negan prepares to kill Carl in front of Rick, the combined forces of the Kingdom and Hilltop led by King Ezekiel (Khary Payton) and Maggie arrive and fend off the Saviors and Scavengers. Negan is furious to see Maggie still alive. Rick races to find Michonne (Danai Gurira) still alive having battled a Savior to death.

When the Saviors regroup at Sanctuary, Negan asks Eugene how Sasha could have died, and he suggests she may have died from suffocation in the casket. Negan remains doubtful but accepts the answer, and tells the Saviors to prepare for war. At Alexandria, the combined group mourn their losses including Sasha's sacrifice. Daryl (Norman Reedus) finds a note from Dwight that he was unaware of the Scavengers' betrayal. Rick, Maggie, and Ezekiel agree to combine their forces in war against the Saviors.

Production
Sonequa Martin-Green made her final regular appearance as Sasha Williams in this episode

The finale marks Sonequa Martin-Green's final regular appearance as Sasha Williams, having been on the show since the season three episode "Made to Suffer." The death is a remix of the character Holly from the comic book, however there are some significant differences.

Scott M. Gimple stated on Talking Dead that “It was always about Sasha not being a victim. She had wanted a weapon from Eugene. She wanted a knife. She didn’t get one, so she became the knife.” Martin-Green explained Sasha's decision to sacrifice herself and felt that it was “right and complete”. She said, “It was quite poetic [...] it was the perfect end to my story, the perfect culmination of my life. I felt like all of my roads had led to that moment of getting to that place of complete selflessness. Also, it was beautiful because the way I saw it, that warrior spirit lives on. That even in death, I was still going to fight, because I had realized my purpose. It had been revealed to me. Everything before that had been self-preservation, self-defense mechanisms, basically self-obsession. And over the course of my life as Sasha, it was progressing beyond that to the point that I said, ‘O.K., I now have a greater purpose that is much bigger than me, that’s for the future, and I’m going to do it even in death.’”[2]

Michael Cudlitz appears in a cameo in this episode in a flashback sequence

Speculation had arisen over Martin-Green leaving the show to play the role of Michael Burnham on Star Trek: Discovery. However, she dismissed these claims and said, "...what was happening on Walking Dead was already underway. It was the path. It was definitely in place. And then as we were going into the very end of the season, the very end of our shoot for the season --- that's when the opportunity for Star Trek came. And so I know some people might think that I left Walking Dead to do Star Trek, but it did not happen that way. It was after Walking Dead was already ending that the opportunity for Star Trek came."[3] Martin-Green said she was aware of the death of Sasha for a while, though was unaware of the details "until a few weeks before". She said, "I didn't know it would be the suicide pill and the Negan of it all. What Scott did tell me is that it would be heroic and sacrificial and that it would be perfect end to the story. He'd thought about it for a long time and had a vision of it for a very long time."[4]

Although Tyreese is not mentioned, Sasha's death serves as a parallel to her brother's death scene in the fifth season episode "What Happened and What's Going On". Both episodes begin with a flashforward of the deaths (although this is not known until the end of the episode) and feature re-appearances of dead characters, as well as the episode titles referencing time.[5]

Reception

Critical reception

"The First Day of the Rest of Your Life" received positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds an 83% with an average rating of 7.5 out of 10, based on 40 reviews. The site's consensus reads: "The First Day of the Rest of Your Life" overcomes sporadic doldrums with an action-packed battle sequence, satisfying and innovative storytelling, and impressively imaginative use of a tiger.[6]

Jeff Stone of IndieWire gave the episode a "B-" grade and summarized it saying, "The Season 7 finale is poorly paced, but has enough thrills to get by." Stone appreciated that Sasha "went out fighting in her own way" but was highly critical of Negan saying, "Negan proves he’s still the dumbest villain of all time, because even after all that, he refuses to kill Rick." He criticized Maggie's ending speech and called it "repetitive and sappy".[7] Kevin Fitzpatrick of Screen Crush gave the episode a positive review saying, "It’s a strong finish to an otherwise uneven season that already alienated many viewers with its premiere, and I appreciate the level of artistry on display in smaller moments like the callback to Sasha and Maggie watching the sunset, or that closing montage. The Walking Dead could use more episodes operating on this frequency, and I suspect there’s lessons to be learned here.[8] Blair Marnell of CraveOnline felt the episode "gave Sasha a memorable send off…and then it just kept on giving it to her. The intercutting between Sasha’s dream reunion with Abe, her time with Negan and Eugene, and her final moments in the coffin was an interesting way to chronicle the last hours of her life. But it went on for far too long." Overall, she noted the slow pacing and filler episodes of the season and felt "it robbed the series of its urgency". On the upcoming war, she assessed, "In theory, the “All Out War” storyline could and should be more intense, but this show's recent history suggests that its approach isn't going to change. Eventually, the audience's willingness to put up with the sluggish pace will catch up with this series. Given the declining ratings, it's possible that it's already started to happen. The Walking Dead has pulled off some amazing feats over the last seven seasons, but even this show can't last forever."[9]

Stuart Jeffries of The Guardian called it "a satisfyingly gaudy ending, with mobile caskets, shots to the gut and the return of Shiva the almighty CGI tiger."[10]

Kevin Yeoman of Screen Rant felt the episode was "a drag" but assessed that Sasha's death served as the episode's highlight. He went further saying, "Her plan, to become a spring-loaded zombie in Negan’s coffin [...] worked like a charm and the episode’s technique of filling the frame with Sonequa Martin-Green’s face while she listened to some Donny Hathaway and reminisced about Abraham set the tone for her departure and suggested that even with the loss everything would be okay. Surprisingly, that’s where ‘The First Day of the Rest of Your Life’ excelled. At making one character's death feel like it meant something after so many of them have increasingly felt like distractions from a go-nowhere plot. In the end, Sasha's death also provided a necessary distraction, one that let Rick and his crew turn the tables on the duplicitous Jadis and her junkyard kids, and finally push back against the bully in the schoolyard. It's just too bad the rest of the hour wasn't as effective as losing Sasha."[11]

Elise Nakhnikian of Slant Magazine was critical of the ending but praised Sasha's scenes. She assessed the ending as a whole, "...it was disappointing when the season ended with another inconclusive skirmish between the Saviors and Alexandrians. True, this latest attempt at rebellion was a different order of magnitude than any of their earlier clashes: a de facto declaration of war. But it was so badly botched that it did little to change the balance of power, functioning mainly as a prolonged teaser for the battle that will follow (if the TV gods have any mercy) in season eight." Nakhnikian felt Sasha's subplot gave the "most emotionally engaging moments, as it did in “Something They Need.” She assessed that, "The irony of her entering a casket so fully alive and coming out of it (un)dead is poignant, and the initial challenge of figuring out what's happening in her scenes is intriguing, as close-ups of her sorrowful face in the dark give way to flashbacks to her conversation with Abraham and occasional shots of her sitting quietly on a bench next to Maggie. Unlike Maggie's final voiceover about the power of the community Rick's group has established, which tells us nothing we don't already know in language too pedestrian to stir any emotion, Sasha's story resonates, letting us mourn the loss of a character whose best epitaph is delivered by Negan: “You are smart, hot as hell, dignified as shit, and you don't suffer one goddam fool.”[12]

Ratings

The episode received a 5.4 rating in the key 18-49 demographic, with 11.31 million total viewers.[13] It is the show's lowest-rated season finale since season two.

References
  1. Stolworthy, Jacob (April 3, 2017). "The Walking Dead season 7 finale: Who is Bernie Wrightson, the person episode 16 was dedicated to?". The Independent. Retrieved April 3, 2017.
  2. Bradley, Laura (April 3, 2017). "Walking Dead's Sonequa Martin-Green Explains Sasha's "Poetic" Fate". Vanity Fair. Retrieved April 3, 2017.
  3. Schwerdtfeger, Conner (April 9, 2017). "Did Sonequa Martin-Green Leave The Walking Dead To Make Star Trek: Discovery? Here's What She Says". CinemaBlend. Retrieved April 9, 2017.
  4. Goldberg, Lesley (April 3, 2017). "Sonequa Martin-Green on Her Journey From 'Walking Dead' to 'Star Trek'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 3, 2017.
  5. Phillipps, Tracey (April 3, 2017). "Greg Nicotero's signature on both Sasha and Tyreese deaths". Undead Walking. Retrieved April 3, 2017.
  6. "The First Day of the Rest of Your Life". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  7. Stone, Jeff (April 3, 2017). "'The Walking Dead' Review: 'The First Day of the Rest of Your Life' Ends The Season With An Adequately Satisfying Bang". IndieWire. Retrieved April 3, 2017.
  8. Fitzpatrick, Kevin (April 2, 2017). "Review: 'Walking Dead' Finishes Strong (But Predictable) in S7 'All-Out War' Finale". Screen Crush. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
  9. Marnell, Blair (April 3, 2017). "THE WALKING DEAD 7.16 'The First Day of the Rest of Your Life' Review". CraveOnline. Retrieved April 3, 2017.
  10. Jeffries, Stuart (April 3, 2017). "The Walking Dead season seven finale – The First Day of the Rest of Your Life". The Guardian. Retrieved April 3, 2017.
  11. Yeoman, Kevin (April 2, 2017). "The Walking Dead Season 7 Finale Review & Discussion". Screen Rant. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
  12. Nakhnikian, Elise (April 3, 2017). "The Walking Dead Recap: Season 7, Episode 16, "The First Day of the Rest of Your Life"". Slant Magazine. Retrieved April 3, 2017.
  13. Porter, Rick (April 4, 2017). "Sunday cable ratings: 'The Walking Dead' finale lowest since Season 2". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 4, 2017. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
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