If there’s one popular show on television that’s been mired with criticism and controversy seemingly since the very beginning, it’s AMC’s The Walking Dead. The reasons are varied and both accurate and ridiculous, and everything in between. From THE FARM!!! season, to Lori Grimes’ ghost, to a hated fourth season (for some reason), to the fake outs and cliffhangers of Season 6, to the Age of Negan, there has been no shortage of complaints. And you can read some of those complaints in my coming retrospective of Seasons 7 and 8. But this isn’t about negativity. This is why you should return to The Walking Dead for Season 9.
A New Beginning
The show will quite literally feature a new beginning, as did Robert Kirkman’s comic series after the fall of Negan, with a time jump of several years. The TV series is said to feature two time jumps in S9a, with the first episode taking place about two years after the end of S8, and the second around episode 5 or 6, taking the story ahead several more years. The world of The Walking Dead we left in S8 will be fundamentally changed by the time we take the mid-season break. The communities will have evolved, grown, and have come together as a sustainable network. The surrounding areas will be routinely cleaned of the dead, meaning it’s safer to be outside than ever before. The world will be one that allows hope, hope for a future where children can live without fear of being eaten alive.
The brand new animated intro for Season 9 is gorgeous, by the way.
Rick Grimes Final Episodes
The biggest off-season story has been the departure of Andrew Lincoln from the show. Since the story broke, it’s been no secret we will see Rick Grimes final episodes if you’ve seen any marketing for the past month. And it is assumed he will be killed off. How he will be killed off is the big appeal here, not to mention the affect that has on characters, long-time fans, and the future of the story itself. This adds to the idea of a new beginning, somewhat giving the series a soft reboot feel going forward, with Norman Reedus as the new lead. Another thing to anticipate is the return of Jon Bernthal’s Shane, who is making a guest appearance either in a flashback, or a hallucination if Rick is bitten or bleeding out.
Another off-season story was the contract dispute between Lauren Cohen (Maggie) and AMC that saw her land a lead in pilot “Whiskey Cavalier”, which was picked up for a season. It is said Maggie will too be written out of the show, but her story will be open-ended, and that she will return in Season 10 or 11. So by the time we hit the mid-season finale, two of the longest tenured characters will be gone. And the hope is that other characters will step up and shine.
The Next Villain. The Best Story
I don’t want to spoil any of what’s to come. I will simply say that the next threat in The Walking Dead is the best villain in The Walking Dead comics. They are unique and strange and barbaric, and do not feel to be similar to The Governor or Negan in anyway. I am not sure how much we will get to see them in the first half of Season 9. The casting is also spot-on, as the two central villains going forward will be portrayed by Samantha Morton (Minority Report, Synecdoche New York) and Ryan Hurst (Sons of Anarchy, Bates Motel) who are excellent choices.
The story of A New Beginning also sees the introduction of a new group of characters into Alexandria that mirrors Rick and Co’s introduction to Alexandria in Season 5. From there, happenstance sees our heroes and the new threat cross paths far away from the communities, and conflict naturally arises in unique and horrible ways.
There is also the previous big bad, The Guy With The Bat, Negan, who spends years locked inside a prison cell. In the comics, this arc works so well because of the conversations he has, the relationship he has with Rick and Carl specifically, and the ever-present tension of whether or not he’ll ever escape or be let out, or if incarceration is actually reforming him. What makes Negan a great character is how, even as a remorseless tyrant, he revealed how many layers he has, and how human he actually is. And being locked in the cell reveals even more of Negan. I am not sure how the departure of certain characters will affect his arc, but I certainly hope it’s as good, if not better, than the source material.
There is so much more to this story that makes it excellent, but that's a story for Season 10.
The Writing
I want to address the biggest issue with the show for the past few seasons, the writing. Whether it’s dialogue that doesn’t feel right, or poor plotting or story decisions, I can almost guarantee we will see a huge decrease in such issues. The new showrunner, Angela Kang, has written some of the best dialogue in the series’ history, and some of my personal favourite episodes like Season 6’s “The Same Boat”, Season 2’s “Judge, Jury, and Executioner”, and the much maligned “Still” from Season 4.
Kang understands that the central appeal of The Walking Dead (besides zombies) is the characters, their relationships, and how each character changes in the apocalypse. For the myriad of reasons why the past few season have been weaker, I’ve never seen anyone say the problem was actually the narrative shift from character-focused to plot-focused storytelling. The show became more about getting characters from A-B to make C happen, which makes another character do X to make Y happen, etc. Not only did this reduce characters to growth-less automatons doing what needed to be done, it stripped away the very core of the show that fans connected with, the relationships and characters they’d invested in for over half a decade. It surely didn’t help they introduced so many new characters and communities since Season 6.
If Kang can ensure her writers don’t make the same mistakes of the past, then this season won’t merely be a return to form, it will be the very best this show can be. For readers of the comics, we know the storytelling changed drastically around this time, no doubt due to Kirkman’s experience writing for television, and let his story breathe more. In recent years, the comic has written to better suit its eventual television adaptation and that can only bode well.
The Visuals
From everything I have heard about the premiere, and scene in set photos and promo material, the visuals have taken a big step up. The world will feel more lived in. Nature has begun to reclaim the earth. Characters have new looks, new weapons. And if the new animated intro is simply stunning. If there is one thing that can make a show truly come across as a fresh start, it is an upgrade in the visual approach to the storytelling. ThoughtThe Walking Dead has had moments of brilliance when it comes to creative and stunning shots in the past, the crew really needs to step up their game and return this show to the cinematic quality of Season 1.
The Official Season 9 trailer from AMC really shows how impressive the new season should be visually.
Old World Blues
The biggest selling point of this season is that it feels like old Walking Dead. I’m never quite sure what people mean when they say this, since so many people complained about Season 2 through 4, but from what I can gather they mean a focus on the core cast of Rick, Daryl, Carol, Maggie, and Michonne. The biggest talking point of those who were able to see the premiere early was that Daryl talked! He actually said dialogue! He didn’t just grunt! He had honest to goodness CONVERSATIONS!
If there was a major flaw with the past two seasons, it wasn’t so much that our main characters were apart, but that they were spinning their tires while the villains of the season were given all the good material. And while I expect good material for the coming villains, it’s good to know the characters we’ve spent years with will be getting the attention they deserve.
Final Thoughts
If you need anymore reasons to return if you're a jaded Walking Dead fan, whether from the early seasons or the last few seasons, there is only this: The Walking Dead is going to be a very, very, good show going forward. As good as it has ever been. I can almost guaran-damn-tee it's going to be the best season yet. Season 9 will be a return to form, whatever that means to you.
The Walking Dead returns Tonight on AMC. I’ll be watching. Will you?
RIP Scott Wilson
Since writing this article, news has come out that Scott Wilson, who portrayed Hershel Greene on The Walking Dead, has passed away.
