Is it too late to not pick a fight with Negan and the Saviors? Sigh. "The Walking Dead" Season 7 starts October 23, and we've been warned that one of our group meeting Lucille up close is just the beginning. Robert Kirkman, who writes the "Walking Dead" comic books and executive produces the AMC show, talked to Entertainment Weekly about the arrogance of Rick Grimes's group up to Season 6, including misinterpreting the situation in Alexandria as the situation in the new world at large.

"They kept encountering groups along the way that weren't as prepared as them. Alexandria, to a certain extent, is kind of their downfall because they encounter these people that are completely unprepared for this and they're like, "Oh my God, we're the s—. Like, these people know nothing about what they're doing, and we have to teach them and we have to show them our ways and our ways are best."

As Kirkman noted, that blinded them to the fact that there are others out there -- like Negan and the Saviors -- "that maybe survived worse, and maybe did worse things to survive those things, and are maybe more prepared than they could ever be, because there are a lot of lines that Rick and his group won't cross that Negan and his group have had in their rearview mirror for years. So it really changes things. It's not just a death, it's a fundamental shift in their outlook on this world that'll change everything."

Season 7 is meant to expand our group's world even more, introducing new survivors in smaller groups and larger communities like The Kingdom, along with Hilltop -- which was introduced in Season 6 -- and the Saviors base.But we're really concerned about the people we've known and loved for years. (There are already enough people to follow without adding more. Just saying.) EW asked Kirkman how the "blame game" is going to work, in terms of Rick's group reacting to what happens with Negan. Kirkman's answer promises more trouble ahead even within our group:

"It'll introduce a new level of fear for these characters that hasn't really been present since the first couple of seasons. That fear's going to affect them all in different ways, but it will be pushing them apart in a lot of different ways as well, so there's going to be a lot of division in the group and a lot of conflict."

Sucks to live in the apocalypse, y'all. The farm isn't looking too bad right about now. All they had to do was lead those walkers out and rebuild the barn. But in terms of the comic book, that "division" kinda sounds like foreshadowing of Maggie's big move, no?

Anyway, our team's dark times get darker starting Sunday, October 23 at 9 p.m. ET on AMC.

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