The Walking Dead Exec Producer Explains The Reasons For Sasha’s Suicide

As is customary for the show, the finale of the seventh season of The Walking Dead delivered another shocking and emotional death of a popular character.

We’re talking about Sasha, of course, whose turn it was to push up the post-apocalyptic daisies. It was a tragic moment and now, in a special feature found on the upcoming Blu-ray release, exec producer Greg Nicotero has opened up about her decision to commit suicide and the reasons behind it.

“We open on Sasha in black and we don’t know what she’s doing. It’s a breathtaking and emotional and thrilling episode. Sasha’s entire character motivation, everything that she did, she did because of what she said to Abraham.”

You might remember that the episode saw Abraham return via flashback, after he was murdered by Negan in the season premiere. The important moment Nicotero’s referring to here happens when Sasha tells him: “Maggie’s gotta take care of Maggie.”

Says Nicotero:

“The minute that she says that, she realizes that it was something that she regrets. Her story and her journey is so critical in this episode.”

The actress behind Sasha, Sonequa Martin-Green, also chimed in on why she thought it was such a perfect end for her character:

“To see this warrior have a warrior’s death, there’s a strange and haunting beauty to it. I can actually still be a soldier in this war!”

Andrew Lincoln, meanwhile, summed up Sasha’s exit perfectly, saying:

“Sasha’s storyline is amazing. It is one of those incredibly heart-wrenching but powerful and heroic sacrifices.”

While it was certainly a heartbreaking moment, fans shouldn’t expect Sasha to be the last major character death they see on The Walking Dead, as the cast recently spoke about how these deaths are a necessary evil and more than that, they actually “make the show better.”

So, who’s next for the chopping block, then? We’ll find out when The Walking Dead returns to AMC on October 22nd.