Author: Josh Wigler / Source: The Hollywood Reporter
[This story contains spoilers for season nine, episode six of AMC’s The Walking Dead, “Who Are You Now?”]
Rick Grimes is gone — and now, The Walking Dead can truly begin again.
Six episodes into its creatively retooled ninth season (the first under the helm of showrunner Angela Kang, who has worked on the AMC drama since season two), and only one installment following star Andrew Lincoln’s heavily hyped exit, The Walking Dead has finally pulled off its mask and revealed its new post-Rick universe, in the appropriately titled episode, “Who Are You Now?
”The episode acts almost as a pilot for a new Walking Dead show featuring new and old characters alike — emphasis on “old,” or at least older, based on the six years of in-universe time that have elapsed since Rick Grimes’ presumed death. (In reality, Lincoln will continue the role in a trilogy of original films for AMC.) In his wake, Alexandria still stands, ruled by a council of elected officials including Father Gabriel (Seth Gilliam), Aaron (Ross Marquand), Siddiq (Avi Nash) and Michonne (Danai Gurira). Michonne’s role is the only one specified, as she’s in charge of security, a job she takes very seriously as seen in the way she confronts Magna (Nadia Hilker), leader of the new group of survivors first introduced at the end of Rick’s swan song, “What Comes After.”
Within Alexandria, several other changes are afoot: Gabriel and Rosita (Christian Serratos) are now a pair, even as a newly courageous Eugene (Josh McDermitt) still harbors feelings for his old traveling companion; Michonne is not only parenting a 10-year-old Judith Grimes (Cailey Fleming), but also an approximately 5-year-old son in R.J. (Antony Azor), her child with the supposedly late Rick Grimes; and Judith has been building a secret friendship with Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), still imprisoned, now clocking in at roughly eight years inside his jail cell.
Outside of Alexandria, a litany of changes as well: the Hilltop’s current status is unknown (though it’s not likely to involve Maggie, as Lauren Cohan will not appear again in season nine), but the Kingdom is thriving under the leadership of married king and queen Ezekiel (Khary Payton) and Carol (Melissa McBride). In the episode, Carol takes her adopted son Henry (Matt Lintz, taking over the role from his younger brother, Macsen — and both related to Madison LIntz, who played Carl’s daughter Sophia) on a trip to the Hilltop where he can study to become a blacksmith (a storyline that originally belonged to the late Carl Grimes in the Walking Dead comic books), which leads to a fatal road encounter with the remnants of the Saviors. After wiping out Negan’s old disciples, Carol and Henry reconnect with Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus), apparently living in exile, completely on his own save for his crossbow, some knives, a fishing spear, a tent, and the occasional walker battle.
Finally, there’s the matter of two groups of newcomers: Magna and friends, all of whom are currently on their way to the Hilltop, as well as the deadly new enemies Eugene and Rosita encounter at the end of the episode. What’s the deal with those talking zombies? Let’s just say they aren’t exactly as they appear — or as they sound, more accurately.
Exiting his final episode, many Walking Dead fans wondered what the show would look like without Andrew Lincoln. The answer, as it turns out, is this: The Walking Dead looks older, wiser, and somehow fresher. Ahead, showrunner Angela Kang speaks with The Hollywood Reporter about the vast amount of changes that have occurred thanks to the time jump, what to expect next as the highly anticipated Whisperer arc begins, and much more.
It’s a new beginning for The Walking Dead as we enter the post-Rick era. What were your main goals for this first full episode in the time-jumped version of the series, which we’re seeing largely through the eyes of Magna and her group?
It was like filming a new pilot. What was exciting for us was trying to delve into what a big time jump looks and feels like, and what that means for our characters. We wanted the sense that after all the events of the first five episodes of the season, there had been momentous shifts that happened with our characters and each community. There’s a sense that a lot of story has passed in between, which leaves people in a different place. There are so many great visual cues from the comic book that we wanted to pay homage to, and our production and VFX teams — as well as everyone working on special effects and make-up effects — all pulled together to create this brand new fun look for the show. It’s a continuation of what we started, but amped up. We wanted to tell this story with this new group, Magna’s group, and explore what it means to have a group that’s been through a lot of similar stuff to our people, being consummate survivors. But they also have their own shorthand and way of doing things, and have a different vibe. We wanted to make sure we found moments of humor in this world as well, and we also wanted to make sure we showcased our new Judith.
How much time has passed since Rick blew up the bridge?
We’re saying it’s been six years. When Judith starts [season nine], she’s about four and a half years old. We loved the idea of jumping ahead to see her at 10 years old, much as Carl (Chandler Riggs) was at the start of the series as well as the books.
There are so many changes within and outside of Alexandria, it’s hard to track them all. We see Alexandria is run by committee; the Hilltop remains a mystery; Carol is now the reluctant queen of the Kingdom, married to Ezekiel; Daryl is alone outside…
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