Carl’s Final Episode Of The Walking Dead Will Be An Extended One

Death has come knocking for young Carl Grimes.

After nine years and eight seasons at the forefront of AMC’s The Walking Dead, season 8’s upcoming midseason premiere will signal the curtain call for Chandler Riggs’ one-eyed survivor, who will seemingly leave behind a “long-lasting legacy” as Rick Grimes and Co. brace for what is arguably the show’s biggest death.

It’s also the biggest deviation from Robert Kirkman’s comics yet, leading to some disgruntled reactions among The Walking Dead community. That’s perfectly understandable, of course, but if it’s any consolation, we’ll at least get to spend some quality time with the character before he’s gone for good.

That’s because the upcoming midseason premiere, which will act as Carl’s last hurrah, will be 82 minutes long, up from the usual 60 minutes. It’s a considerable bump, and should give viewers enough time to “make some peace” with the young Grimes’ demise later next month. It’ll seemingly be a “beautiful episode,” too, which only has us counting down the days until the show’s return.

Speaking to EW in a recent interview, director Greg Nicotero said:

It’s a beautiful episode and the people that clearly are upset about losing Carl and questioning where the show goes without Carl — I really do believe that a lot of people will put those feelings aside when they watch this episode because they’re really going to get an opportunity to make some peace with it. I mean, that’s what I think. I don’t know, I could be completely wrong.

Season 8 of The Walking Dead returns on February 25th. In light of “How It’s Gotta Be,” Nicotero is in charge of Carl’s swan song, though actor Chandler Riggs is quietly confident that his one-eyed survivor will leave a “long-lasting legacy.”