Robert Kirkman Reveals Three More Details About The Walking Dead’s Return
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While fans of AMC’s The Walking Dead are waiting two long months to discover the outcome of the Governor’s latest exercise in widespread sadism, creator Robert Kirkman is pretty keen on dropping hints whenever anyone asks him about what’s coming next in the series. He gave TV Guide three tidbits that are all pretty interesting, though nothing that couldn’t be predicted by everything the show has given us thus far.
SPOILERS LURK BENEATH MICHONNE’S HORSE!
First, he mentions Carol will definitely be returning before the end of the season. And while there’s no mention of how wide-eyed and tic-ridden she’s going to be after being banished from the prison, it only makes sense that she would show up just when we’d least expect it. Or most expect it, given how clunky these plotlines can sometimes be. She was already starting to lose her mental balance, what with all the burning people and not banging Daryl all the time. I do wonder if her return will have anything to do with Kirkman’s second reveal.
Remember when Daryl and Michonne heard that burst of radio traffic? The voice stated, “Sanctuary. Those who arrive, survive,” which made comic fans take note, as it refers to part of an ongoing story taking place in the comics. The series’ creator says the Sanctuary will definitely come into play in the second half of the season. My guess is it’ll come closer to the end of the season, allowing for that to be the main focus of the upcoming fifth season, but it’s possible they’ll take us there a little earlier.
Hearing this, it makes me wonder if Andrew J. West’s mysterious Gareth character will be a stand-in for Jesus in the comic, the person who first presents the existence of the Sanctuary to Rick and the gang. It’s ruled by the vicious Nagin, responsible for a few of the most horrific moments of the series’ long run, and that would be an interesting explanation for Gareth being described as a remix of previously established characters.
Finally, Kirkman revealed that we will start getting flashbacks into the characters’ lives before the zombie outbreak. While any of the main characters offers a potential route for this narrative technique, the biggest candidate is of course Michonne, whose gradual acceptance of the group has allowed her to appear three-dimensional at times, never more so than when she broke into tears while holding a baby some episodes back. It spawned predictions that we’d get to see Michonne with her own child at some point in the series, and there’s a good chance that’s what Kirkman was referring to. I wonder if this means we’ll get a surprise visit from Lori or Shane, preferably with Carl completely out of the picture.
The Walking Dead will return in February 2014, and something tells me more than Herschel’s head is going to roll when it does.
