The Walking Dead season premieres always have a difficult job. They must show the aftermath of the previous episode’s epic conclusion, reintroduce us to our characters, and plant the seeds for what is ahead.
This season had a more difficult task as the premiere was made available early in promotion for AMC’s new streaming service, AMC Premiere. It was forced to refrain from any major plot developments that could be spoiled.
The Walking Dead may have lost most of its fanbase with the introduction of the Saviors and the two season war that followed, but the critics have been unanimous- the show’s ninth season was the show’s rebirth.
Acting as a soft reboot, season nine brought in many newcomers and a new showrunner, Angela Kang, to reinvigorate viewers. Viewership has still continued to decline, yet the show was recently green-lighted (it’s not greenlit) for season 11.
The show’s spinoff Fear The Walking Dead recently concluded its fifth season and a third untitled series recently entered production. The show’s source material was concluded this summer as writer Robert Kirkman ended the 16 year old comic book series.
This season begins with a USSR satellite spiraling in low orbit, which cuts to a title card of “Training Day.”
We are quickly introduced to a small army of Alexandrians training on a beach, an army that has developed an attack resembling a Roman phalanx, complete with archers and spears. The training exercise eventually devolves into an actual fight for survival and we see the Alexandrians handle the Walker threat with ease.
A Whisperer mask discovered by the group’s children alerts the characters that the biggest threat they have ever faced may be returning from their migration.
Viewers return from commercial to a title card that simply reads “Skins.” The characters begin to investigate but try not to raise panic. Aaron, played by Ross Marquand, has developed into a leader among the community and is a firm believer in taking arms against the Whisperers.
The survivors are near the border at Oceanside when the USSR satellite crashes into the Earth, starting a forest fire in the Whisperer’s Territory that threatens all the communities. The episode, aptly named “Lines We Cross” features the characters crossing the border set very clearly at the end of season nine no less than three times.
The conclusion of the episode is an epic battle with the survivors attempting to extinguish the fire while battling the dead.
Despite protecting all communities, a group like the Whisperers will not make exception for rule breaking. As the survivors build towards war the phrase “silence the whisperers” will be used as a rally cry and distraction to keep the Alexandrians at bay.
This season is undoubtedly building towards The Whisperer War, a storyline from the comics that proves the Whisperers and civilized groups cannot coexist. Negan, played by Jeffery Dean Morgan, retreats back into his cell temporarily so he is not associated with the paranoia from the coming events, until he sees an opportunity to redeem himself.
We will most likely see the origins of Alpha and Beta, played by Samantha Morton and Ryan Hurst respectively. In the comics, Beta was revealed to be an NBA player and he will be an in-universe celebrity in the television show. We will see several small skirmishes, but I believe Negan and Carol will have redemption arcs later in the season.
I predict the conflict with the Whisperers will be resolved by the season finale (episode 16) to avoid the fatigue felt by fans during the conflict with the Saviors. The large herd that has been teased since last season will be used in the siege of Alexandria and will most likely result in the deaths of several of the main characters.
The first episode of the season was one of the most memorable since the infamous introduction of Negan in season seven. It has set the stage for an action-packed season with many surprises to come.
