The Walking Dead: Season 9 Episode 1 Explained

7. A New Beginning - Or Back To It

The episode is called A New Beginning, and that's a very deliberate and obvious echo of where The Walking Dead is at this season. With some major changes and the need for a fresh start, there's a focus here on those involved telling us just how different and new it all is.

it works, to an extent. There's still some plodding that'll feel familiar to anyone who has watched over the past few years, along with leftovers from All Out War that still need to be dealt with (especially Negan), but you can at least see them trying.

However, in making something new, they're also discovering something old. There's a stripped back, horse-and-cart approach to the world this year, and that and community of survivors calls to mind the very early days of the show. Kang has been on the show's writing staff since Season 2, and the early tone and aesthetic (especially in going to a city) is quite present here, and after the last couple of years, going back to the beginning and getting back to basics isn't a bad approach.