The Walking Dead Season 9 Premiere Recap, “A New Beginning,” Aired October 7, 2018
The long wait is over. The Walking Dead returned for its ninth season and I think it’s safe to say that expectations were really high for this new season. People really wanted to see if the show could finally turn a corner after the entire Negan storyline and get back to what made the show so great in the early days.
Unfortunately for me, it did not really hit those early season notes that I’d hoped for. This week felt like more of the same that we have seen for seasons now – a lot of build up to something, but then it never really gets there. Hopefully, something larger is coming because the season opener didn’t blow me away.
Here are my 3 biggest takeaways from The Walking Dead Season 9 Premiere.
#1 Time Jump
I’m going to start right off the bat with my biggest point of contention in the premiere – the time jump. I have no problem with shows using this tactic to move events along, but this one felt weird. In so many ways it doesn’t seem like much has changed in the time off. Honestly, it feels like the day after Negan went down, (aside from some new buildings and a new Hershel). All the tension is still there from the end of the war and the main group hasn’t seemingly resolved any of their issues. This has just been festering for 2 years? Strange.
#2 Saviors
What the hell happened to Rick? He read some Carl letters and has now gotten all soft? It’s so bizarre coming from one of the most badass characters on TV. He is the only one that doesn’t see the sudden and inevitable betrayal by the Saviors coming. Maggie sees it. Daryl sees it. Why can’t Rick? That isn’t a group of farmers and there are surely some in there that have no desire to learn. How about that new Savior they kept showing give menacing looks to Daryl? Yeah, he is totally going to get in line with the “struggle to grow corn” plan. #sarcasm
#3 Gregory
About damn time this weasel got what was coming to him. Good on Maggie for recognizing the threat that he posed and just eliminating him. No locking him up, no talking about what to do, just action. I never thought I would say this, but Rick could probably learn something from her and her leadership style.
What now?
After this week I have some real concerns about where this show is going. There are some good arcs coming, but I am afraid that they are going to take a long time to get there. Last season I expressed concern that this storyline of mounting tensions between the communities could linger too long and bring this show to a grinding halt, and the premiere did nothing to alleviate those fears. Time will tell if the show can get back to greatness or continue to be stuck in the mud.
What did you think of the episode? Let us know in the comments or find us on Twitter!
The Walking Dead airs Sundays on AMC at 9/8c.
