The Walking Dead S9E1: A New Beginning

The Walking Dead rumor mill had no shortage of content over the summer. In July, Andrew Lincoln (Rick Grimes) confirmed reports that he would be leaving the show, even hinting at an early departure as he regretted the news leaking. Shortly after, Lauren Cohen (Maggie) confirmed the rumors that she would be leaving the show approximately halfway through the now ninth season. Finally, in what seemed like an attempt to bring some assurance to the fans, AMC executives claimed to have plans to continue the series for the next decade or more. If season eight was a fight to maintain the audience, season nine is the fight to maintain the show, period.

With that said, after seeing the season premiere I hope that most viewers felt they saw a return to form and a modicum of stability. It felt again like watching people trying to survive a zombie apocalypse rather than watching various tribal battles that happened to take place in a zombie apocalypse. The stakes for supply runs was high, the dangers in dealing with the walkers was real, and the consequences of messing up were severe. Granted, political maneuverings remained as they will in any show like this, but it was a result of the dangers inherent in this world and that was a refreshing.

Internal organization and explanation of supply runs and resource requirements was fundamental to this season premiere. We witness a supply run to a museum in downtown Washington D.C. specifically aimed at gathering a canoe, horse-drawn wagon, and a plowshare. Items very difficult to create from scratch, but necessary for the advancement of any civilization. The process is so void of outside interference (save for the walkers), and dare I say peaceful, you can almost draw a direct line to the biblical image painted in Isaiah of beating swords into plowshares (Isa. 2:4). The storm has passed and our community has entered a time of peace. But not mere peace. It is a time for joy and expectations of hope. Rick and Michonne walk Judith into a field free of attacks, where the only surprise was a flock of crows flying in unison. Ezekiel feels such hope for the future that he proposes to Carol as they return from D.C. Carol’s response is nothing that we wouldn’t expect from here, “Put that thing away, it’ll snag on everything!”. But alas, this is still The Walking Dead.

Trouble arises, not from a competing group stealing resources, but from the elements. The wagon gets stuck and walkers ascend on the group leading to the death of… (checks notes)… Ken. Maggie must break the news to Ken’s parents back at Hilltop, who are not too happy that the woman they voted for returned to them with their dead son. This is where the politics come in the form of Gregory seizing an opportunity to undermine Maggie’s leadership. He orchestrates an attempt on Maggie’s life using a third party, which fails. When she confronts him, he makes his own move to kill her. This also fails because, well, he’s Gregory and he’s just not very good at anything. The troubling part is not that Gregory attempted to kill Maggie. He’s considered it before. It’s what Maggie did in response. She had him hanged for attempted murder. We’re witnessed a hardened Maggie Rhee right now. One has to wonder if she would have made the same decision if Rick had killed Negan. Would she show mercy in this instance had her vengeance on the man who killed her husband been satisfied? She is purposefully drawing a distinction between Rick’s implementation of justice and her own. It is the outgrowth of her plan to somehow supplant him that she expressed to Jesus and Daryl in the season eight finale. It’s too bad we already know neither her nor Rick will last any longer than 7 more episodes.

Entirely absent from the premiere was the man driving the momentum in the last two seasons; Negan. He is being held in a prison in Alexandria, and while he was never seen on screen, his impact was felt. Maggie cannot even visit Alexandria at the thought of him living there, and the Sanctuary is not without it’s Negan loyalists. “We are all still Negan” is found written on the wall. Daryl, temporary leader at the Sanctuary, seems to be constantly course-correcting and adjusting the habits of this group as they find a way to survive after Negan. Some are quite thankful for the food, supplies, and leadership extended to them. Some are noticeably perturbed at being told what to do. It is so draining on Daryl that he requests to leave the Sanctuary. Though Rick doesn’t like this, Carol volunteers to take his place. That alone is a telling move for Carol and for the show. I tried to think of another time when Carol volunteered to lead anyone. I couldn’t think of a single time. She’s gone rogue, she takes matters into her own hands, but willingly leading a group of people is a new ballgame. This gives us an insight of where she is mentally, and as she reveals to Daryl, the affect that Ezekiel’s love for her has had. She now feels stable enough to take a step like this. It wouldn’t be a stretch to draw a direct line of causation between the security she feels in her personal life with Ezekiel and her a willingness to lead in the community. And while a direct scriptural comparison isn’t quite there (yet), we have it on good authority that a marriage based on love and respect (Eph. 5) can inspire sacrifice and confidence. Ezekiel and Carol could be a terrific example of such a union.

My Rating: A-

Needless to say, I’m very pleased with this premiere. But I’m also cautious. In the last four season’s I’ve rated the premieres as follows: A, B+, A, B+ (seasons 5-8, respectively). In my view, they always seem to get the premiere right, it’s what follows that sometimes flounders. The leaking of Rick and Maggie leaving the show soon is unfortunate, but it’s a reality to deal with now. They need to find a way to make the audience forget that we’re watching the last handful of scenes with either of them while also setting up an intriguing path forward. It’s kind of amazing, every leader that the graphic novels have moved forward with (Carl, Maggie, Rick) are either dead or will not be leaders in the future on the show. That’s more than a minor plot change to overcome. Also crucial is how Negan will be handled. Will he remain stubborn and look for opportunities to escape? Will he want to be assimilated back into the community? While he’s far from a blank slate, they can go in almost any direction with him now. How great a model of redemption would he be?!?