The Walking Dead season 7 episode 2: The five biggest talking points

Breathe your sighs of relief - The Walking Dead season 7 has aired its second episode and it was thankfully in no way as distressing as last week's opener which saw the death of two main characters.

Episode 2 - titled 'The Well' - caught up with Morgan (Lennie James) and Carol (Melissa McBride), last seen in the season 6 finale having had a fateful run-in with a member of the Saviors - the clan led by Jeffrey Dean Morgan's baseball bat-wielding antagonist, Negan.

But this episode also had the challenge of introducing a new faction and handful of characters entirely - namely King Ezekiel (Khary Payton), leader of The Kingdom. Oh, and his pet tiger.

1 | The new fan favourite

Ezekiel's appearance has been teased ever since news of season 7 began to surface but we've finally been acquainted with him (and his pet tiger, Shiva) - and the show has never felt more like a comic book in all of its seven years. Being royalty, Ezekiel comes equipped with memorable dialogue galore - he brands Carol a "fair maiden" - and, in just one episode, proves he'll most certainly be your new favourite character which is just as well; you probably need a new one after last week.

2 | Morgan becomes a Jedi master

When we meet Ezekiel, it's clear that Morgan has spent some time building up a camaraderie with the Kingdom's ruler. Enlisting Morgan to join his people on their pig herding runs (more on that below), Ezekiel asks the conscientious-objector to train up a young man named Benjamin in combat; after initial hesitance, Morgan accepts and goes full-on Yoda. "The Kingdom is favoured by your presence once more!" exclaims the King.

3 | The Kingdom is slyly rebelling against the Saviors

After helping the Kingdom dwellers herd pigs into a nearby barn, Morgan notices they're feeding the undead to the livestock. Why? They won't tell him. However, after later assisting them on a meet with another group of Saviors, they hand over the walker-fed pigs - now skinned, and possibly infected. Civil disobedience is at play; the Kingdomers are making a silent stand proving all may not be lost for Rick and co. The only problem? Daryl - kidnapped in last week's premiere - is now eating the same food as Negan's men.

4 | Carol and Ezekiel sitting in a tree?

Carol, not buying into Ezekiel's theatricality, is desperate to leave the Kingdom but the ruler spends the latter stages of the episode attempting to convince her to stay. He reveals his backstory in the process - he's a one-time zookeeper, one-time community theatre actor - and a bond is clearly formed. Romance never happened with Daryl - was our Carol just saving herself for royalty?

5 | Carol sets up shop

...and yet, she still leaves. After a brief goodbye with Morgan ("I think you're my favourite person I ever knocked out," he tells her), Carol heads to a nearby derelict house where she plans on living content to be left alone. The episode ends as she hears a knock at the door accompanied by a roar - it seems Ezekiel's one king that'll definitely be making house calls.

The Walking Dead season 7 continues in the UK at 9pm every Monday on FOX