The Walking Dead Season 9 Premiere Review: 'A New Beginning'

(Photo Credit: AMC)

The Walking Dead

Season 9 Premiere

By Garrett Yoshitomi

Warning: this review contains spoilers and speculation for the season 9 premiere and beyond

After eight seasons and over a hundred episodes, The Walking Dead is entering a new world. No, not *that* new world that Dale (remember him?) talked about in season two, or that *other* new world that Abraham wrote about in season five (remember that?). I’m not even talking about that other, other new world that Negan introduced us to in season seven. No, this is the *actual* new world. The one with a new showrunner, a new haircut for Rick, heck, even a new intro. The new world that The Walking Dead has steadily, albeit sometimes circuitously, been leading up to since day one.

The All-Out War saga is over. Negan is imprisoned, the Saviors are disbanded (kinda), and in the aftermath, the independent, though linked, communities of Alexandria, the Hilltop, the Kingdom, and the Sanctuary must learn to coexist. This is unfamiliar territory for Rick’s group. There’s no big bad antagonist that they’re at odds with (at least not yet), and certainly no one is about to go out on the road season five-style in the hopes of finding greener pastures. This is it. This is the greener pasture. This is what all those days spent running for their lives, all of the fighting and bloodshed- this is what it’s been leading to. A stable(ish) existence where the goal is to sustain and grow, rather than just survive.

(Photo Credit: AMC)

Not only will this season bring a change to the type of character development and storylines we typically see onscreen, but there are significant changes taking place behind the camera, as well. It’s no secret that this will be Rick Grimes' last season on The Walking Dead. After headlining TV’s most popular drama for almost a decade, Andrew Lincoln will step down to spend more time with his family, and presumably, to pursue other opportunities. Despite a lingering contract negotiation in advance of filming for season nine, it was quite the shock for fans to learn that Rick would be written out of the show. This is a sharp departure from the comics; where, after over 180 issues, Rick Grimes is still going strong as the leader of Alexandria.

But, Rick isn’t the only Walking Deadmainstay riding off into the sunset. For over a year, Lauren Cohan was locked into lengthy contract negotiations with AMC, as the network was unwilling to give her a pay raisecomparable to her male co-stars, Andrew Lincoln and Norman Reedus, after Cohan’s contract expired at the end of season eight. In turn, Cohan rightfully began fielding pilot offers from other networks, and eventually signed on with ABC’s new action dramedy, Whiskey Cavalier. Despite the new gig, Cohan and AMC eventually reached a six-episode deal for the first half of The Walking Dead’s ninth season, with the option to return for more. However, anything beyond those six episodes is in doubt. Although Cohan can film while Whiskey Cavalier is on hiatus (ABC picked up a full season order of the show), she’s yet to come to terms on a contract with AMC that could bring her back for the rest of season nine.

(Photo Credit: AMC)

Fittingly, Maggie features quite prominently in the season premiere, and with her no-nonsense approach to leading the Hilltop, it’s easy to see her eventually taking on a more central role, once Rick departs from the show. The scene Maggie and Rick share towards the end of the episode is nothing short of amazing, and the way she asserts herself opposite her longtime mentor is basically everything you could possibly hope for in this next phase of Maggie’s story arc. It’s unfortunate that we get so few of these poignant moments between the OG characters of the show. The Walking Dead spends so much time telling us how tightly knit this group is, that we rarely ever get to actually see it. This will always be a show that has to use its character development as a means to advance the plot, rather than to craft genuine, relatable characters. But, if the writers can ever find a balance, the show’s longevity will benefit significantly.

What will ultimately determine whether season nine is just a halfway point, or the beginning of the end, is how well The Walking Dead is able to pivot along its brand new axis. Without an antagonist to immediately contend with, the group will be forced to face conflict from within. The tenuous alliance between Alexandria, the Hilltop, the Kingdom, and the Sanctuary will be tested, as Negan sympathizers gain resolve, and loyal Rick lieutenants, Maggie and Daryl, start to lose faith in the idyllic world their leader is trying to create. This sounds a lot less exciting on paper compared to say, the Whisperers, but what these plotlines lack in flashy action sequences they make up for with more nuanced storytelling.

(Photo Credit: AMC)

My hope is that the overall arc of 9A builds gradually, peaking with a huge firefight, instead of leading off with one, like we saw last season. The battles in the first half of season nine will begin ideologically, with Rick and Maggie and Darryl clashing over how best to bring the Sanctuary into the fold, while maintaining peace and prosperity across all communities. As these two sides war with words, rather than bullets, tensions will start to boil, until they eventually bubble over into actual, physical confrontation. The Walking Deadhas proven that they can consistently produce high-quality, action-centric episodes. By providing a character-driven plot that naturally builds up and leads into these kinds of action-heavy episodes, it’s more likely that the climax will feel meaningful, and the overall storyline more satisfying. What I don’t want to see, though, are cheap misdirects. I have no interest in a storyline that sees Daryl drift further and further away from Rick, only for him to return to his dear old friend at the last, most dramatic, most convenient moment.