The Walking Dead:10 Important Things To Remember Before Season 8
Some quick revision before all out war...
Aside from the swinging of a baseball bat and a tiger attack at the book ends of the season, the seventh run of The Walking Dead was not the most memorable of its outstanding series.
There was so much fan chatter between seasons six and seven that it was impossible to forget where we had left Rick and friends - perilously staring down the shaft of Lucile.
Season seven offered us no such cliffhanger, making it clear what would viewers would be returning to for the new season premiere on October 22nd by promising all out war.
We reached that climax through a season of set up, as we were introduced to new characters, communities and alliances which expanded the world of The Walking Dead to bigger than ever before, but also, at times, made it as difficult to follow as one of Eugene’s ramblings.
If you don’t have time for a season seven re-watch, or would rather save yourself the repetitive Daryl torturing and Negan posturing, this recap will fill you in on where we left some of our favourite characters, and how the show is shaping up heading into season eight.
10. Who’s In Whose Army?
Season seven closed with Rick and Negan issue rallying cries to their respective armies.
Rick obviously has Alexandria but also The Hilltop and The Kingdom. Maggie looks poised to lead The Hilltop after her and Sasha taught them how to fight while Gregory cowered.
There are not great numbers at The Hilltop, but there are at The Kingdom, fronted by King Ezekiel and his pet tiger Shiva. They are trained in weaponry, and have horses and guns.
Negan has his disciplined band of Saviours at his back, although there may be a couple of moles in his ranks - more on that later. The Saviours are thought to have the forces to match Rick’s alliance on their own, but they also have help in the form of The Scavengers, the group led by Jadis, who betrayed Rick for a better deal with Negan in the season finale.
And then there is Oceanside, whose leader Natania is determined to play no part in this massacre. Should she get involved, her natural union would be with Rick, but the fear of more punishment at the hands of The Saviours could force her into siding with Negan.