The Walking Dead season 7 episode 7 'Sing Me a Song': The 5 major talking points

The latest episode of The Walking Dead had the tough job of setting things up for next week's mid-season finale.

Titled 'Sing Me a Song,' the outing offered a wider look at the Sanctuary following the dramatic arrival of Carl (Chandler Riggs) who spent the episode being guided around the compound by the Saviours' leader, Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan).

The episode featured numerous memorable moments taken from the show's comic book source material - namely one extended sequence fans have been awaiting for some time now.

Below are the episode's five major talking points.

Upon the announcement that Negan would be appearing in the series, many immediately wondered how producers would depict the interactions between him and Rick's son, Carl. The last we saw of Grimes Jr, he was headed to the Sanctuary in a bid to avenge the deaths of Glenn and Abraham. After arriving and machine-gunning down two of Negan's men, he finds himself being led round the compound by the very man he came to kill. An extended sequence sees one of the comic book series' most memorable moments come to life - Negan tells Carl to remove his eyepatch before ordering him to sing a song; the usually-stoic kid, through tears, hesitantly replies by singing "You Are My Sunshine." Hell, at least it wasn't "Easy Steet."

Having only touched on some of the more horrifying aspects of Negan's character, this episode puts them into action. We see the villain punish one of his rule-breaking Saviours by putting a hot iron to his face, something we know happened to Dwight (Austin Amelio) in the past; cue screams, soiled pants and melting skin. The horrified look Carl flashes Daryl says it all.

It seems Daryl - who has had nothing to do bar stand around looking helplessly bedraggled in those rags - finally has someone on his side. Having been put in his cell, an unseen source slips a note under the door. It reads: "Go home" begging the question: who exactly is helping him? Could it be Negan's wife, Sherry (Christine Evangelista)? She tried to help him in episode three, after all. Or maybe it's Dwight who's surely on the cusp of betraying his people? Our guess is Jesus (Tom Payne), the nifty Hilltop Colony member who sneaks into the Sanctuary with Carl at the beginning of the episode.

Carl isn't the only one who has decided to take things into their own hands; this episode opens with Michonne (Danai Gurira) prowling the empty roads outside the walls of Alexandria. Her actions don't seem clear until the episode's latter stages when she comes across a female Saviour, whom she overcomes and orders to take her to Negan. It seems she'll be putting her katana to good use at the Sanctuary next week.

Unsure what to do with Carl, Negan decides it's time to pay Alexandria another visit. With Rick out scavenging, Negan - after another wicked encounter with poor Olivia (Ann Mahoney) - decides to wait for their "fearless leader". The episode ends with him sat on the porch with Carl holding baby Judith - the final place you want a character as unpredictable as Negan going into next week's (probably deadly) mid-season finale.

The Walking Dead airs in the UK every Monday at 9pm on FX