On the whole, The Walking Dead‘s seventh season was packed with some of the AMC series’ boldest content. Multiple characters were brutally slain in true-to-the-comics fashion as Negan and his Saviors were introduced and bullied their surrounding communities.
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However the most recent season of the zombie drama was shrouded with a common criticism despite delivering multiple character deaths and setting up a major war: “the pacing was slow.” Week to week, fans would miss out on seeing some of their favorite characters as entire episodes were dedicated to Negan and his Saviors or Tara on an Oceanside adventure rather then explaining what Carol is up to in her isolation or how Rick plans to rally his people.
This won’t be the case in Season 8. The criticism appears to have been not only heard but also applied to the coming episodes according to showrunner Scott Gimple.
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“We knew we wanted to mix it up in [Season 8], and we knew what eight was going to be and how that would dictate a very different kind of structure,” Gimple said. “So, yeah, things are going to move, and possibly not have the kind of deep dives into characters in single episodes, but rather laying out the pieces as we go on.”
With the war coming, all of the pieces are in place for a rapid-fire season. Robert Kirkman‘s comics offered its fan-favorite All Out War arc throughout the storyline which the AMC series is gearing up to tell on Sunday nights.
Cast members have already expressed their excitement for Season 7. Carl Grimes actor Chandler Riggs shared his reaction to reading the Episode 8×01 (which will be directed by executive producer Greg Nicotero) script on Twitter and Andrew Lincoln shared his excitement directly to ComicBook.com.
“I’m more excited, my friend,” Lincoln told ComicBook.com. “I’m more excited about this season than ever and this is not – I’m not blowing smoke up anybody – this is so real. I am ready to go. I can’t wait. It’s going to be insane this season.”
“I think it’s going to be a lot more fun season eight, pitted against him with a bit more push back,” Lincoln said.
MORE WALKING DEAD: TWD Actor Teases Epic Return From Season 1 / FTWD Renewed For Season 4 / Three Actors Promoted To Series Regulars / TWD Showrunner Joins FTWD / TWD F-Take Clips With Rick And Daryl / How Long Until New TWD?
The Walking Dead will return for its eighth season in October of 2017. The first trailer is expected to arrive at San Diego Comic Con in July. For complete coverage and insider info all off-season long, follow @BrandonDavisBD on Twitter.
(via EW)