I classify people’s lives as a cacophony of different eras that harshly intertwine and ultimately spit out the being that is you in the end. It’s just human nature; we change, we evolve, sometimes for the worse, but that usually course corrects itself with the next upgrade to our psyche later down the line. No matter how terrifying they may be to commence, how ugly certain phases might be when you reflect back on them, each phase or step in your life serves to build upon a foundation that began way back when you were born. Things are added, things are kept, and most importantly, things are gotten rid of and or improved upon.
Showcasing the roller coaster that is this aspect of life is none other than the season nine premiere of The Walking Dead. As one of the longest standing popular dramas of recent television history, this show has certainly been on a journey. I classify the show as having three phases.
First we started way back with season one, the beginning of an adaptation based on Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead comic series. We were introduced to this gritty, in your face, gory post-apocalyptic world filled with walkers and even scarier, humans. Rick Grimes, our protagonist, was one of the few mainstays as we followed his journey over the next few seasons. Critics and fans alike rallied behind the show, praising it for the shock value, the strong characters, and the captivating atmosphere and plot that only got better with each season.
Then came phase two of The Walking Dead, starting around the midpoint of season five. Suddenly, this show that could do no wrong attracted the attention of – excuse me while I shudder – trolls and haters. Viewers started to nitpick and whine at every little thing because, quite frankly, that’s what everyone else was doing.
Now, I want to be as transparent as possible here: am I biased? Yes, I will always be a fan of this show. It is one of those pillars of my pop culture life that I will love no matter what. Along with that, I’m aware of what happened to the show. While it was always loyal to the source material, up to the end of season five the show was always innovative, always pushing the boundaries to keep people talking about it.
Unfortunately, it recognized it had figured out what to do right, and started to keep doing that, repeating certain ideas, and plot threads, because that’s what worked. It settled into a rhythm, and I can understand people’s frustration with it.
It was starting to infuriate me. Fans wanted more violence, so we got the very graphic death of Glenn, kicking off the era of Negan on the show. Complaints ensued about too much violence. People wanted more character building episodes, but then complained when there wasn’t enough action. And the next episode people complained about there being too much blatant battles and not enough story, and so on and so forth – you get my point.
Phase two of The Walking Dead was very much its dark years. And then, just a few nights ago, premiered season nine, and in a huge surprise to me, The Walking Dead’s third phase of life.
As it has been announced, this season will be Andrew Lincoln’s (Rick Grimes) last season, and possibly Lauren Cohan’s (Maggie Rhee) last as well. In addition to this, phase two’s showrunner Scott M. Gimple was replaced with Angela Kang. So I was definitely expecting a change up, but not to the amazing extent that this premiere delivered.
Starting with brand new, slick opening credits, the premiere really owned up to its title: “A New Beginning,” the same as the chapter in the comics it is based off of. Watching the episode, I was simply blown away. Going through a time jump, I was immersed into this seemingly brand new version of something I already loved. The various communities had built up, Maggie’s baby was born, Rick grew a wonderful dad beard, it all made me feel like when you update the software on your phone: its different, weird in a way, but so much smoother and appealing.
The show has officially borrowed from its previous phases in focusing on story rather than action, built on certain aspects with the breathtakingly horrifying walkers showcased in this premiere, and added so many new things: fresh locations, beautifully orchestrated cinematography, and seeds of plot threads that are to come. The characters feel natural, like the personas we’ve come to know and love, yet older, wiser, and more believable than ever.
I truly believe The Walking Dead has found its new footing and reinvigorated itself to an extent that may spark many more seasons in the future. It is a new era. It, so far, is very impressive. And I look forward to what comes after this new beginning.
Jackson Horvat is a freshman studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Do you agree? Tell Jackson by tweeting him at @horvatjackson.
