AMC's zombie drama returns in its third season with a faster and deadlier pace than ever before. By Josh Wigler
Norman Reedus, Andrew Lincoln and Steven Yeun in the "Walking Dead" season three premiere Photo: Gene Page/ AMC
The hour of the dead is almost here! "The Walking Dead" returns for its third season tonight (Sunday, October 14) with an action-packed, edge-of-your seat premiere that's sure to erase any sour memories of farms and missing kids from the AMC zombie drama's second year.
MTV News caught an early screening of the premiere episode, titled "Seed." Read on for our five reasons why the episode is can't-miss television for any and all fans of "The Walking Dead."
The Quick and the "Dead" If you are one of the many who criticized season two's often sluggish pace, you won't have that same complaint with the season three premiere. It's easily the fastest, most violent episode of the entire series -- indeed, it probably has the highest walker body count of any hour of "Walking Dead" to date. If you follow this show purely for Greg Nicotero's signature brand of guts and gore, you will be wildly pleased with the face-melting premiere.
The Ricktator Shane's death hit many fans hard, not just because he was an excellent character, but because the show's remaining lead -- Rick -- was often indecisive and, frankly, a little bit boring. Not so in season three. Like a Wendigo who gets stronger by consuming his enemy's flesh, Rick has become an infinitely more interesting character having killed Shane. He's ready to make hard calls. He doesn't give a hoot if he's unpopular. He certainly doesn't have time to hear Lori's complaints anymore. After two seasons of trying to do the right thing while still coming off as the good guy, Rick now only cares about doing what needs to be done for him and his, no questions asked. He is the "hero" we know from the comics. He is, in a word, awesome.
Time Heals All Wounds Months have passed between seasons two and three not just in real life, but in show time as well. The characters and the story all benefit from the passage of time. The relationships between Maggie and Glenn, Daryl and Carol, even Carl and Beth -- all of them, really, feel more fully-formed than ever before. This is a group that's been through hell and back together for months and months now. They function as a cohesive unit, and there's very little that frightens them anymore. Our heroes aren't just survivors now; they're battle-hardened warriors, and you won't want to bet against them.
A Little Samurai Goes a Long Way Michonne makes her hood-free debut during the season three premiere, but her appearances (and, subsequently, Andrea's) are few and far between compared to the rest of the main cast. That's quite alright, actually. What little we get of Michonne is absolutely fantastic and fully faithful to the sword-swinging survivor of the comic books. Danai Gurira positively owns the role in her few minutes of screen-time, promising big things to come as the season progresses.
Where We're Headed We won't dive into spoilers here, but take it from us: based on how this episode ends, you're going to have a very difficult time waiting a whole week for the next hour of story. The final moments of "Seed" are as intense as anything the show has ever given us, moments to rival Dale and Shane's respective deaths. As an added bonus for longtime "Dead" heads, the final scene contains two moments lifted almost directly from the comic books themselves. Readers, you're going to love the episode's final reveal. You follow me?
Are you going to tune into the "Walking Dead" season premiere? Let us know what you think in the comments section below!
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