In less than two weeks, The Walking Dead will be returning to AMC airwaves for its eighth season, and a clip has arrived online to give us a 3 minute preview (well, 2 minutes and 50 seconds) of a scene that will soon be playing out on millions of television screens.
I was all ready to criticize this clip for wasting 30 seconds showing a slow-moving van, until I realized the shot is almost an exact replica of the opening scene of the first episode of the series, flipped over truck and everything. The similarities don't end there – for some reason, they have chosen to fill this scene with images similar to the first episode's first scene.
The biggest difference here: it's Carl Grimes (Chandler Riggs) who's looking for some gasoline, instead of his father Rick (Andrew Lincoln), and rather than encounter a little girl zombie, Carl finds a fellow survivor. Whose identity is, of course, being saved for when the show is back on TV.
Season 8 has the following synopsis:
Last season, Rick Grimes and his group of survivors were confronted with their deadliest challenge yet. With the comfort of Alexandria, they let their guard down, only to be reminded how brutal the world they live in can be.
Feeling powerless under Negan’s rules and demands, Rick advocated the group play along. But seeing that Negan couldn’t be reasoned with, Rick began rallying together other communities affected by the Saviors. And with the support of the Hilltop and Kingdom, they finally have enough fire power to contest the Saviors.
This season, Rick brings “All Out War” to Negan and his forces. The Saviors are larger, better-equipped, and ruthless — but Rick and the unified communities are fighting for the promise of a brighter future. The battle lines are drawn as they launch into a kinetic, action-packed offensive.
Up until now, survival has been the focus of Rick and our group, but it’s not enough. They have to fight to take back their freedom so that they can live. So that they can rebuild. As with any battle, there will be losses. Casualties. But with Rick leading the Alexandrian forces, Maggie leading the Hilltop, and King Ezekiel leading the Kingdom — Negan and the Saviors’ grip on this world may finally be coming to an end.
Next Sunday, AMC will be airing the final two episodes of Fear the Walking Dead's third season. The eighth season of The Walking Dead then premieres the following Sunday, October 22nd.