“The Walking Dead” returned with an unusually mellow mid-season comeback: nobody has died yet. In the beginning of season seven, the show has taken a more calm route with the mid-season finale ending with the main characters uniting to fight against Negan and his group.

The season has instead resorted to passive surprises and character shifts. The usual headstrong leader of the group, Rick, has turned into a follower. Many predicted that Rick would somehow get his revenge on Negan, but, adding to the passive twists, Rick did not retaliate against Negan even after he raided their whole community and killed and kidnapped his friends.

The mid-season finale was a breath of fresh air to many viewers, as Rick finally agreed to fight back against Negan and his group. The episode revealed a bit of Rick’s plan, as he is trying to get the other communities under Negan’s control to band together with him to fight. Many fans are excited to see that Rick is returning to the leader he once was, after being an subservient character throughout the majority of season seven.

“I think they really set up the rest of the season very well,” junior Will Witbrod said. ”It was nice to see Rick finally come back to his old self.”

Although the rest of the season has yet to play out, fans can expect to see Rick working to take down Negan’s group once and for all. Tune in to “The Walking Dead” every Sunday at 8 P.M. on AMC.