The Walking Dead

Seven seasons in, we’re used to the sweat-drenched aesthetic of AMC’s The Walking Dead, given summer shoots and the Atlanta climate. Said schedule has never allowed The Walking Dead to film in truly cold, even snowy conditions, as frequently seen in the comics, for which producers discuss the potential for a standalone episode filmed in winter.

At long last, The Walking Dead will finally reconvene this Sunday to answer the question “Ugh, can Season 7 be less of a drag?” Sure, there are other questions too, including who set a dynamite new trap in a clip from Sunday’s “Rock in the Road.”

Andrew Lincoln swore that The Walking Dead would feel more optimistic in the back half of Season 7, and may actually live up to that promise. See Daryl and Carol lock and load once more in a new trailer, while Eugene surprisingly enjoys his stay with Negan, and even Rick cracks a smile!

Let’s be honest: even the most diehard of Walking Dead fans would admit to tough going through the first half of Season 7, between all its brutality, and unease with seeing Rick so utterly broken. We’ve heard Andrew Lincoln promising a brighter future ahead, though the actor now acknowledges some fan frustration, promising “this season made a lot more sense once we got the last roll of film in the can.”

The Walking Dead has always pushed the boundaries of gore and violence, though Season 7 understandably reached a certain plateau with its batty premiere. Some producers even suggested that fan reaction inspired them to tone down Season 7’s bloodlust, though showrunners now say otherwise.

The Walking Dead has plenty of ground to cover when Season 7 picks up again in February, so is there time to introduce another community? Looks like we’re going to find out, as new photo introduces an apparent junkyard gang, and perhaps an answer to the boot-wearing mystery figure from the midseason finale.

Even the most downtrodden of Walking Dead fans are likely looking forward to Season 7B as a call to action, at least over the punishing and dreary first half. Now, new photos show Rick and the team back in action, while a fresh synopsis for the February premiere teases “new survivors in incredible places,” and “treachery from people we trust.”

We all got to bask in Rick’s reunion with Daryl and Maggie at the close of Walking Dead mid-Season 7 finale “Hearts Still Beating,” but there’s still the difficult task of actually inspiring hope to “Rise Up” against Negan. Rick isn’t off to a great start in our first photo from the 2017 premiere, as long as you-know-who remains in charge of the Hilltop.

It’s been an exceptionally punishing year for fans of The Walking Dead, who first endured the cop-out of Negan’s entrance, a summer spent waiting, and about eight episodes since of misery under The Saviors’ reign. Rick will finally fight back when Season 7 returns in February, and Andrew Lincoln insists “There’s a lot more levity, if you can believe that.”

Live ratings for The Walking Dead may have taken a slight tumble in Season 7, but that isn’t stopping AMC from envisioning decades of story ahead. Creator Robert Kirkman too maintains the endless nature of the comics, though new comments suggest AMC might be gaining on the comics’ lead by the time Season 12 rolls around.