It may have taken them five season to do it, but it seems The Walking Dead has finally started to figure out what their audience wants, and it’s the obvious: we want zombies!
Sunday night’s season premiere gave us more zombies than we’ve ever seen on the show before by introducing us to the hoard. While we’ve seen glimpses of the hoard now and then throughout recent seasons, our heroes have not had to take on the hoard head to head. That is until now.
The premiere episode of season six mainly deals with the Alexandrians attempt to divert a hoard of zombies from a rock quarry away from their home. The other half of the episode is composed of flashbacks of the events between the season five finale and the current ordeal.
What’s important to note is a recurring theme of “adapting.” Since the show began, we’ve watched Rick transform from a small town cop into a cold blooded killer. At his current point Rick has seemed to regain some of his humanity while still hanging on to his no-nonsense survival skills. On the other hand we see the people of Alexandria finally coming to terms with their situation and following Rick’s leadership. Most notably is Nicholas’s change from back-stabbing coward into a worthy ally.
Throughout the series’ run we’ve seen the story lose momentum and get lost but it looks like it may finally be on track again. This core theme of survival and adaptation is the essence of The Walking Dead. Zombies are merely a backdrop and a catalyst to test the limits of humanity and people’s ability to change and fight for their lives. The stark contrast between the unified efforts of the Alexandrians working together to divert the hoard, and the cowardice of the Alexandrians hiding behind their walls in season five is evidence of this change and will be pivotal as the season continues on.
Season five spent half a season teasing us about “The Wolves” a threat surprisingly absent in last night’s premiere. The Wolves are likely to make an appearance this season, and hopefully soon. As the Alexandrians are finally banding together they are ready to have their fortuity tested by a major threat.
As a season premiere, “First Time Again,” leaves much to be desired. Not much happened. Although the efforts to divert the hoard were impressive and ultimately unsuccessful, for the majority of the episode things went according to plan. Compared to the explosive premiere of season five, Sunday night’s episode was a little dry. But hopefully the inclusion of the hoard means we’ll get more zombies than previous seasons.
Season five ended on a high note, and season six is starting with promise. Here’s to hoping The Wolves show up soon and comic fans get to finally see their favorite villain appear on the small screen.
What did you think of the season premiere? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
