Known for its constant tension and not holding back on gruesome deaths for its fan-favorite characters, “The Walking Dead” ended its sixth season on the ultimate cliffhanger. The show’s main survivors are ambushed by a rival group led by the charismatic sadist Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). Negan forced his prisoners to sit on their knees in a semicircle outside as he openly contemplated which of them to kill to punish them for their defiant opposition. This confrontation continued into the seventh season premiere, with Negan’s victims revealed before he released the survivors with a warning.

Filmed outdoors on location on a particularly cold night, series regulars Christian Serratos and Steven Ogg recalled filming the standoff was a grueling shoot. In addition to being emotionally exhausting, given the nature of the scene, the actors had to stay outside on their knees on the bare ground for a prolonged time. Serratos shared that several actors, including herself, developed colds from the scene, though Serratos admitted her immune system was already “shot.” Ogg observed that Morgan had a better experience than many of the actors, as Negan wore a jacket for the entire scene.