Along with the slowly degrading animated corpses of the Walkers, The Walking Dead has charted the progress of Rick’s beard as another sort of time lapse device. From his first steps out of his hospital bed in season 1, we’ve seen Mr. Grimes lose all concern for a return to his former baby-faced visage. If this latest teaser (and last week’s new artwork) for the remainder of season 5 is any indication, Rick’s happy to let it grow. And that means only one thing: times will be getting even more tough for the living in this season’s final eight episodes.
The parting moments of the last episode saw the crew gathered outside the hospital. Flummoxed by a series of shocking events – Eugene lied and Beth died – their next steps seemed wholly uncertain. Do they continue to venture forth to Washington DC, even though Eugene spilled his guts about his key role in abolishing the virus? Or do they simply wander in the hopes of finding a new safe haven?
AMC’s one-minute tease promises much of what we’ve come to expect from a show about a zombie apocalypse: blood, guns, and yelling. The latter two we never experience, as this short teaser-clip is soundtracked by a dreamy showgazer tune. Led by the heavily-pelted Rick, the sizeable crew pace into a misty forest and begin to unleash holy hell on an unseen being. We can assume it’s a horde of the undead, shambling about for a tasty treat, but who knows? The show’s intriguing and controversial plot twists have seen the group come up against its fair share of repugnant human villains, so don’t be surprised if there’s someone out there more evil than season four baddie, Gareth.
Tune in to AMC to see how Rick and the gang fare when The Walking Dead returns on Sunday February 8th at 9pm.
