“Walking Dead” Season 8 on the horizon

Just in time for Halloween, the AMC network is welcoming us back into the critically acclaimed, on-screen realm of the zombie apocalypse that is “The Walking Dead” – at least for those of us caught up through the previous seven seasons.

Season 8 premieres on Sunday, Oct. 22, which also marks the 100th episode for the series. This is a clearly impressive milestone for any television show, and to help recognize the achievement, some of the show’s main cast members were invited to “Entertainment Weekly” for a special cover photo shoot filled with antics, such as Andrew Lincoln and Norman Reedus shoving red cake into each other’s faces.

It’s no doubt the cast of this show is very close, especially given how long many of the members have been working on the show together. The same could be said about the characters they play. Last year’s season premiere was among one of the most-watched episodes of the entire series, with 17 million Americans checking in to witness the tragic and grotesque resolution to the previous season’s cliffhanger – revealing who would pay the ultimate price to the infamous leader of the Saviors, Negan.

Since then, the remaining survivors have endured a season full of grief, misery, and oppression under Negan’s rule. That was until Rick and his people began plotting a way to stand up and ultimately fight back.

The finale for Season 7 paved the way for this upcoming campaign by initiating a plot line known in the original comic book series as “All Out War,” which pits Rick and the neighboring communities against Negan and the Saviors. This explains a lot about the potential direction the show will take this season, as far as the amount of high-intensity showdowns.

According to actor Ross Marquand, who plays Aaron on the show, “The first four or five episodes are kind of like little, mini-action films,” making comparisons to the 1988 classic action film “Die Hard.” Unfortunately, during the making of Season 8 the cast and crew suffered a tragic loss when stuntman John Bernecker died after on-set accident, causing production to be suspended temporarily.

Nevertheless the whole team finished filming the season in unity, both off- and on-screen. For actress Danai Gurira, who plays Michonne, Season 8 represents both unity among the survivors and the will to stand together against tyranny. Gurira has also mentioned how these empowering themes are very timely, pointing out comparisons to real-life issues such as the Civil Rights movement.

Viewership for the series was down slightly last season, but for the millions still tuning in Season 8 may give the show a chance for an explosive comeback with an abundance of high-octane combat and conflict between all of the key players.

If you still have some catching up to do, or if you are willing to embark on binge watching the series in its entirety, all seven seasons of “The Walking Dead” are available to stream on Netflix.

Advocate Staff