will season 8 be a return to form? loads of criticism over season 6 and 7. is AMC boosting the budget and hiring quality writers to make this show good again?
Well, considering the way AMC screwed over Frank Darabont after he gift-wrapped a smash-hit series to them because they wanted to make more episodes for less money (quantity over quality, I guess), I just don't see them wanting to fix the show's current problems. Even though the viewership is down, the ratings are still pretty huge.
Granted, I didn't hate season 7. In fact, I found myself really enjoying the first half of it for the most part (despite the TERRIBLE cliffhanger from season 6). I didn't feel like anything happened for most of the second half of season 7 though; felt pretty boring to me.
I really think this show would be 1,000x better if the seasons were cut short. The plot would move faster, they would have a bigger budget for each episode, etc.
The biggest plus this series has is the cast. If you ask me, I think the actors are far and above the material they have been given.
Last night's Talking Dead Season 8 sneak preview (as with previous seasons of Talking Dead sneak previews)didnt reveal much about Season 8 than what I already knew based off of recent EW interviews with the cast and crew. It doesnt help that Gimple likes to keep plot details under wraps. Since Gimple, Lennie James, and JDM couldnt reveal much about Season 8 they shouldve addressed some of the criticisms of Season 7 and how Season 8 was going to improve upon it. i.e like the reliance on bottle episodes, constant separation of Ricks core group, complaints about Negan as a character, the purpose of the shallow Garbage group etc. But AMC wont allow any constructive criticism being discussed about episodes b/c Talking Dead is mostly about the cast and crew patting themselves on the back, with guest comedians and Hardwick one upping each other on silly puns and jokes, as well as Hardwick plugging one of his talking (insert AMC show) shows or his next stand up show. One of the questions that shouldve been asked about Season 8 is if were going to find out about what happened to Heath? I know to the majority of fans and viewers that Heath is another underdeveloped character (and I share that sentiment) but Id like it if he was given some closure, which he shouldve gotten in that Tara/Oceanside episode. If the actor didnt want to return then they shouldve killed off his character or recast him.
Also Gimple confirmed that Maggies baby wont be born in Season 8. That either means Maggie will loose the baby or Maggie is biting the dust or that there wont be a time jump this season. More than likely there wont be a time jump. Which goes back to my theory earlier about the Season 8 trailer with the old man Rick moment being a dream. This could also mean that All Out War will be stretched out to fill Season 8. And I doubt this story arc can carry the whole season but well see.
Fans gasped when they saw the final moments of The Walking Deads season 8 trailer at San Diego Comic-Con, and they werent the only ones. Andrew Lincoln was also taken aback when he was first told about the scene, which appeared to show an old and grizzled version of Rick Grimes.
The scene, which also included a cane positioned next to Ricks bed, seemed to mirror an important moment from the comic book, and if you dont want to know about it, you should probably look away right now. And yes, this counts as your official SPOILER ALERT.
In issue #127 of The Walking Dead comic book, it is revealed that a two-year time jump has occurred after the war with Negan, and Rick has a new look and a battle scar from that war in the form of an injured leg. But again, that happens after the war with Negan, a war that only just kicked off on TV in the season 7 finale. So to do that time jump now, just as the war is starting, would not seem to make sense.
Only time and season 8, which premieres Oct. 22 will tell whether the TV adaptation is going ahead with some sort of flash-forward strategy to show current and future events at the same time similar to the Lost flash-forwards that began in the Through the Looking Glass episode. But whether the show is either going [BLACKOUT]early to the time jump[/BLACKOUT] or purposefully misdirecting the audience by doing something else entirely, it serves as the latest reminder that showrunner Scott M. Gimple and his team are never content to play it safe, even surprising their star.
I was shocked and kind of excited by it, says Lincoln of when he first found out about the twist. My instinct was, what a great storytelling device. That was my instinct. I thought it was very interesting, and also gives us an opportunity to do something else a little ahead of the game, which I think is very, very neat.
Of course, Lincoln wont confirm [BLACKOUT]that it is the time-jump from the comics[/BLACKOUT], even if he admits to certain visual clues. I mean, its a gray Rick, he says. Its an older Rick. So by virtue of the fact that you see, that means that its in the future.
But when in the future? And is it a real future or another dream sequence like the Glenn and Abraham feast in last years season premiere. It will become somewhat clearer after the October premiere, says Lincoln. Then again, it may not be. It maybe still is somewhat opaque. I think that thats possibly all I can say on the matter.
Wow! Daryl posing on his bike! How many seasons where we haven't seen that? Plus there's plenty of that in the Season 8 trailer. Rick and Ezekiel side by side. Very monumental moment. We get it the Season 7 finale showed most of the communities joining forces against Negan. Two "exclusive" images that don't add much to what we already seen before from the Season 8 trailer.
The forces are finally united to take on Negan when season 8 of The Walking Dead kicks-off on Oct. 22. The Kingdom and the Hilltop joined Alexandria at the end of season 7 to drive out the Saviors (not to mention those pesky, weird-talking Scavengers), and according to star Norman Reedus, the coming campaign feels almost like rooting for your favorite sports team against their bitter rivals.
There are definite teams now, Reedus tells EW. People are going to be rooting for one team or the other, and it does have more kick to it than it did. I mean, season 7 was difficult. It was super hard for all of us. But in season 8, the gangs back together, and its full blown right now. Its A versus B. Its your home team fighting your biggest rival, so there definitely will be cheerleaders.
The sports analogy is interesting because seeing our heroes get beaten down repeatedly in season 7 did feel kind of like watching your favorite team get blown out, but the star promises well have a much more even fight in season 8. However, just because you now have one united team of Kingdomers, Hilltoppers, and Alexandrians all playing together, that doesnt mean everyone is necessarily working off of the same play book. Thats according to an interesting tidbit that Reedus dropped next about Daryl. You know, some of us are going rogue a little bit like myself. There are a couple of some rogue moments in there.
So while Rick, Maggie, and Ezekiel may have a plan, it seems the wild child known as Daryl Dixon may have his own ideas on how to best exact vengeance. Theres no dilly-dallying with him, says Reedus. Theres no gray area right now with him. Hes on a mission to do one thing, and sometimes for the good of the group, you veer left a little bit, and hes still veering right. So, like I said, hes kind of going rogue a little bit in the beginning.
It appears Daryl has still not forgiven nor forgotten what happened to him when he was forced to sit naked in a cell eating dog food and listening to the infuriatingly peppy Easy Street. Its very much unfinished business, says Reedus. And when certain people are trying to plot the overall takeover or the overall battle, hes on one direct mission. I mean, he was tortured last year. He wants his s back, and he wants to have revenge, and hes really not listening.
The writers continue to recycle Daryls most overused trait. Nearly every season Daryl goes (or is forced into going) rogue. Honestly its been a couple of seasons since Daryl had an engrossing character arc, imo. He has become a trite character, who doesn't bring much to the show anymore. And that probably has a lot to do with the character being made up for the show. And the writers having difficulty fitting him into the story arcs they're adapting from the comics. Characters like Tyreese, Abraham and even Jesus character (whos still underdeveloped) get screwed over due to Daryl still being alive. Honestly Daryl shouldve been the Lucille victim instead of Glenn and Abe. Then Dwight could slowly take Daryls spot, but both the fan girls and boys would have a fit. TPTB only keep Daryl around (despite the lack of character growth) because he's still a fan favorite, who also sells a ton of merchandise for AMC.
Carol has left the cabin. And that is good news for the unified forces taking on Negan, as well as viewers ready to watch the fan favorite kick ass and take names when The Walking Dead returns on Oct. 22. It was a season of solitude for Melissa McBride last year as she was separated from her fellow actors while Carol quarantined herself to deal with her Morgan-influenced aversion to killing. But McBride is back in the fight in season 8, and the actress couldnt be happier about it.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Why dont we just start by talking about where Carols head is as we move into season 8. Obviously, she was trying to distance herself from everybody so she wouldnt have to keep killing, but now shes been pressed back into duty. How is she handling that?
MELISSA McBRIDE: I think given the rise of Negan and all the horrible things that she survived since she left, shes, she does feel a call to duty, and thats the idea that her family never left. She just went off to save herself, but she knows shes got to fight and she knows what that means to her. She laid it out for Daryl when he came to her cottage that shes running a risk of losing herself in the fight, but its worth it to her. And I think well see shes going to fight the conflict in her mind, its going to be alive there too. Theres just no way getting around that if she comes to terms with it. Well see.
Does she at this point consider herself an Alexandrian still? Does she now consider herself a member of the Kingdom? Or is it neither or both?
Oh, I think its both. Theyre coming together to fight this one horrible enemy. Shes still got her family that she started out with. Theyre all very special to her and now these new factions are moving in and shes developing relationships with the Kingdom and theyre good people. Good versus bad, thats whats so compelling about this is because everybodys just trying to survive. And where do you make that distinction that were all doing nasty, ugly things in an effort to survive, but everybody thinks theyre right? Even Negan. Hes like. Im doing it for these people and they cant do it. Theyd be lost without me. Its very compelling on that level and I am enjoying season 8, Ive got to say.
I remember talking to Lennie James and Norman Reedus, who were very open in their complaining about being separated from other folks last season. Is it nice to be back working with the group and with people you didnt get to see a lot of last year?
Oh, yeah. This is like back in the old days, you know? This is what I was yearning for last year. I mean, I totally understood weve got stories to develop and weve got an arc to get over, and weve got to prepare and set up a stage for this war to come. But boy, it was nerve-racking. I guess it kind of helped a little bit too, in Carols need for solitude, just to get away, but also the conflict of getting away from the people that you really are concerned about even though youre being eaten alive by the circumstances. I mean, I enjoy the conflict of the show, but being separated was just nerve-racking. I couldnt wait to see where this was going and when were all going to get together again.
So how would you say season 8 is different from 7 in terms of what were going to see on screen?
There is a lot of action. There is so much action. Carols armed. Shes blowing things up, so cover your ears!
Last years season 7 premiere of The Walking Dead was brutal. Brutal for the characters, brutal for the actors, and brutal for the viewers as Glenn and Abraham were executed in graphic fashion. But as Danai Gurira whose Michonne experienced an almost-as-bloody season finale reports to EW, fans do not have to worry about a retreat to that deep, dark place when season 8 kicks off on Oct, 22
We dont tend to tread the same ground twice, says Gurira. It is a deeply different season premiere deeply, deeply different and unpredictable and very, very rich in the story thats being told and powerfully acted and all of that.
According to Gurira, if you think you know whats coming up for the shows return, think again. Thats whats amazing about the writers of the show, is that they dont tread the same ground. So you cant be prepared for it. If you thought, Well, Ive seen this, Ive seen that, so I can be prepared for whats coming next no, you cant. You wont be prepared.
Gurira says the cast has been bowled over not just by the premiere which also happens to be the shows landmark 100th episode but everything they have seen so far of season 8. Its like nothing before, gushes the star. Weve all been knocked clear off our feet, and theres just so many ways everybodys story is expanded and deepened and sharpened. And the clashes that were in take turns no ones going to expect. And at the same time, it remains palpably human, you know?
The actress/playwright adds that when all is said and done, its not just the cast that will have been amazed. Its definitely a season that is going to knock everyone off their feet, she says. That, I can guarantee you.
There you have it, the Danai Gurira guarantee! Now we just have to wait until Oct. 22 to make sure its as good as gold.
I have some serious catching up to do. Did the Negan stuff ever actually pick up? Yes...JDM was awesome, but I didn't find the Negan stuff nearly as interesting as I'd hoped I was gonna. I pretty much stopped watching when they got Daryl back, and the communities decided to stop taking Negan's ****. Does it pick up, or is it pretty much more of the same?
The cast and crew are claiming Season 8 will pick up, but I honestly believe they're going stretch this "All Out War" arc thin with it being another 16 episode season.
Remember when Maggie on The Walking Dead announced she was pregnant? Doesnt that seem like forever ago? Thats because it kind of was. But also, in another way, it kind of wasnt. Allow me to explain.
Maggie (played by Lauren Cohan) first revealed she was with child back in 2015 during the first half of season 6. Yet, still, no baby. Not only that, but when I asked showrunner Scott M. Gimple whether we should expect Maggie to give birth in the upcoming season 8 (which premieres on Oct. 22), he was pretty blunt in his reply. We shouldnt, replied Gimple.
What gives? For how long can this woman actually be pregnant? Well, if you take a look at the timeline of the show, it has actually not been all that long. The on-screen timeline of events for season 7 was actually only 19 days, according to co-executive producer Denise Huth on the most recent Blu-ray release, and Gimple tells EW that season 8 picks up just a few days after that meaning Maggie still has a way to go before her and Glenns child arrives. Its quite early in, as it was in the book, says showrunner Gimple about the pregnancy.
So Gimple says that unless something radical changes in the last two months of filming, that there will be no birth, meaning a span of over two-and-a-half seasons from when we found out Maggie was carrying. But because of the shows considerably slowed down timeline, the character is not even at the point of showing yet. I always want to put a little ticker tape along the bottom of the episode saying how far into the apocalypse and into the pregnancy we are, laughs Cohan. Because Im playing newly pregnant for a really long time. But the truth of the matter is, its only been a matter of weeks since Negan killed Glenn.
Of course, theres also that possible time jump to consider. We saw a scene of an older Rick with a bedside cane in the season 8 trailer that seems to mirror a time jump that takes place in the comic book on which the show is based. But that time jump in the comic takes place after the war with Negan, and the war on TV is just starting, so who knows what really is going on there.
If The Walking Dead is going to go all Lost-style and give us some flash-forwards that happen simultaneously with the current timeline, then it is entirely possible we will see future Maggie with her child in season 8 without seeing her actually give birth. Regardless, Cohan also says there is no need to worry about Maggie slowing down to protect her unborn baby, and that shell be out there on the front lines whenever necessary.
Shes in a mindset of doing everything she can to inspire at Hilltop and to inspire the people that shes encouraged to join the forces, says Cohan. The symbolism of her being with her troops is really essential. And she needs to inspire confidence not just in the Hilltoppers, but in Rick and Daryl and Ezekiel, and to be somewhat fearless and say, I have this groups strength on my side and thats whats going to keep me safe, and so Im not afraid to go up to a reasonable point with you all to set this plan in motion and really fine-tune the wild bunch planning. So she does that, and I think, honestly, she does that to instill the confidence in herself that this will work and its pretty reasonable.
Cohan also points out that a pregnancy is not as limiting physically as some may think, as she learned while watching others work out at her gym. Theres an amazing amount that you can do, she says. The place I work out is a testament to this. I do a pretty crazy workout, and there are women there up to the end of their third trimester doing the same thing. They say that in pregnancy you can operate on a physical level to the same that you have been. You dont want to up it once youre pregnant, but you can continue on the same pattern, and shes been living in this type of a world and this type of combat for a really long time.
Bottom line: Expect to see plenty of badass Maggie Rhee in season 8. Of course, the life in her body is precious, says Cohan. But in terms of what shes capable of, the necessity of inspiring and maintaining that hope and inspiration is greater than what her fear is over her reservations of going into combat again.
I have some serious catching up to do. Did the Negan stuff ever actually pick up? Yes...JDM was awesome, but I didn't find the Negan stuff nearly as interesting as I'd hoped I was gonna. I pretty much stopped watching when they got Daryl back, and the communities decided to stop taking Negan's ****. Does it pick up, or is it pretty much more of the same?
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
We get it the Season 7 finale showed most of the communities joining forces against Negan. Two "exclusive" images that don't add much to what we already seen before from the Season 8 trailer.
