The Walking Dead: 7 Reasons Why 'After' Was The Perfect Premiere

Following two months of waiting, wondering, and speculating, fans of AMC's The Walking Dead returned to the world of the zombie apocalypse on February 9 with the airing of the midseason premiere, entitled 'After.' Now in its fourth year, the show has gained a remarkably high profile, and two recent AMC marathons have only served to increase the appetite among millions for the final eight episodes of the season. While the rising popularity presents a positive outlook for the future of the series, it has also served to raise expectations for the first episode back from the hiatus, which had the potential to be quite problematic. This first episode had the unenviable position of following 'Too Far Gone,' the explosive midseason finale that saw the destruction of the prison that had provided a safe haven for Rick Grimes and his band of ragged survivors. 'Too Far Gone' was probably the most memorable episode of Season 4 and certainly among the most re-watchable of the entire series thus far. It raised the stakes, shifted boundaries, and created unexpected dynamics that promise to take the show in a whole new direction. Basically, it set a tall order for the midseason premiere, and 'After' was a valiant effort to continue to momentum. Unfortunately, there were certain elements of the episode that guaranteed that it would not be quite so universally popular. After all, when an instalment focuses on only three characters, it's not very difficult to pick the plot apart. Nevertheless, while "After" was not perfect, it was the exact episode that viewers needed to get back into the show after the hiatus...and to embrace all of the new changes. Here are 7 reasons why "After" was the prefect midseason premiere of The Walking Dead. Obviously, there's going to be SPOILERS.