I'll admit I think the opener was over the top. I'm not sure the sense in beating the victims' brains to jelly. I think it would have been just as shocking (and not quite as nauseating) if Negan had just bashed them once or twice. Message received. So to go to the porn lengths ... Not smart.
That said, you can expect a repeat of the navel-gazing claptrap we've seen for the last couple of seasons while Rick & Co. figure out a way to topple Negan. Expect Carol to come out of nowhere and who knows about Daryl ...
The writers are gaming us.
I think that the story line for this season is just begining and that it will be better than you think. I say just get ready for the ‘unpredictable’.