Andrew Lincoln Opens Up About 'The Walking Dead' Moving Forward

The Walking Dead will never be the same afters it returning episode in 2018 but none will feel the effects more than Andrew Lincoln's Rick Grimes.

The February 25 Episode 8x09 will mark the end of the road for Rick's son Carl. It's an unimaginable scenario for the character who was introduced to the series as a man in search of his wife and son. "The back half [of the season] is him trying to live through the unbelievable pain, in the middle of a war, and trying to reconcile this loss with what he's fighting for," Lincoln told EW. "This is his worst nightmare being realized."

Riggs promises the back half of Season Eight will largely be driven by the loss of Carl. "He's definitely leaving behind a really long-lasting legacy," Riggs promised.

The loss of Carl is a tough pill for fans to swallow, of course. With the young actor leaving the show, along with Lennie James heading out for Fear the Walking Dead, almost the entire cast of the series joined after its first season. "There's only me left in the top 10," Lincoln told ComicBook.com. "Norman and Melissa and Danai and LC, they're all in the twenties...This job is, as I said before, glorious and unique. I wouldn't trade it for the world. The stinger is the fact that I seem to be the guy left on the pier waving people away. That's powerful."

The Walking Dead returns for the second half of its eighth season on February 25, 2018. For complete coverage and insider info all year long, follow @BrandonDavisBD on Twitter.