AMC's The Walking Dead returns this Sunday! While the show is only inspired by the developments in Robert Kirkman's comic and adds its own twists and turns along the way, it's pretty clear this new story arc will be taking plenty of notes from the comic's 11th volume, Fear the Hunters. Everything from the poster (see below) to promotional videos (for example, Rick entering a church) points to Kirkman's memorable arc about the team being stalked by another group of humans. Spoiler alert: it turns out they don't want to be friends with Rick's team. We know they won't go scene-for-scene, but there's some big moments in the story that we'd really love to see brought to the small screen. Once you're done reading our suggestions, visit the comments section and chime in with some of your own.
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The Walking Dead's world is dark, savage, bloody, and unnerving. It's a place where humanity is often shoved out of the way so self-preservation can come through. If someone's going to survive in this world, odds are they'll need to adapt the "kill or be killed" mentality and they'll do a terrible thing or two just to see another day in this bleak world. So, to have an unarmed religious fellow wandering around with a shockingly optimistic outlook is a pretty surprising sight in this kind of place. After all that they've been through, Rick and the others are skeptical of Gabriel's seemingly innocent intentions and understandably so.
As you can see in the image above, Gabriel finally reveals that he did something terribly cruel in order to assure his own safety. As he hid from the zombie outbreak in a church, he refused to let others in. Eventually, the pleas for help that were coming from the other side of his locked door transformed into screams of pain and fear as the people were viciously attacked by the undead. The way he tells the story brings the horrifying tale to life and allows anyone to understand why this guy's carrying such a heavy amount of guilt. Gabriel's been cast in the show and we know Rick ends up in a church, so this reveal needs to happen. It's one hell of an emotional bit, that's for sure.
Food poisoning is the worst, isn't it?
So yeah, it's pretty obvious the group at Terminus enjoys the taste of human flesh, right? Seeing as the promos imply it's "hunt or be hunted" in Season 5, it's only a matter of time before Rick's crew flees Terminus and has to stay on their toes. The people at Terminus have been good at luring people to them and then trapping them with a false sense of security (or at least that's what is heavily implied), but going out of their base of operations and seeking people out? We know they're highly organized within their walls, but we've yet to see how effective they are out in the open. Still, there's one scene that absolutely, positively needs to happen when Rick's group is being targeted and it involves the death of a character.
Firstly, someone needs to be bitten by a zombie. Seeing as he hasn't been developed as much as the others, it wouldn't be surprising if they chose Bob. You know, that dude with the drinking problem. Then, Bob needs to get snatched by team Terminus. Lastly, he needs to wake up with his leg missing and it's revealed the people of Terminus are eating it. While someone else may scream and cry upon witnessing this development, this person needs to become absolutely hysterical. They need to totally lose it and scream "tainted meat" as enemies chew on the flesh of a freshly bitten person. Bob may not be the most memorable character in the show, but a scene like this is something no one will forget and will make him leave the show on a high note.
The slaughter
The Season 4 finale took Rick to a very, very, veeeeeeery dark and messed up place. With a gun placed against his head, he was seemingly helpless as Michonne, Carl, and Daryl were going to be killed. As if that wasn't bad enough, the show then went to a sick place: Carl was going to be raped first. The horrifying experience made Rick unleash and do what he must to survive and protect everyone, but things got very graphic when he met the sick man who was going to hurt his son. The pathetic excuse for a person pleaded for his life, but Rick stuck a blade in the man's gut, turned the weapon, and then began to lift the blade farther and farther up. Some could say that alone is a loose nod to the lengths he goes to protect his friends and family against the cannibals, but after learning the truth about the people at Terminus and what he'll apparently endure in the upcoming episodes, we hope he ends up going over the edge once again.
With Abraham, Michonne (and maybe Daryl or Tyreese?) by his side and supporting the decision, this would be a totally haunting and gruesome scene. Meanwhile, Gabriel will be the viewer's way of really allowing these developments to sink in. Even you agree with what Rick and the others did, odds are you'd be pretty damn horrified if you saw this unfold and that's exactly what Gabriel will represent. It has the potential to be a truly gripping resolution to the conflict, especially if it begins with Rick's amazingly confident approach ("pow").
Never let go, Jack Rick
Yes, Carl may be frustrating from time to time, but at the end of the day, an essential part of this show is humanizing these characters. Sure, there's some bloodshed thrown in the mix and that's what lures most people in, but we're watching because we want to either root for these characters or see them meet a terrible end (here's looking at you, Andrea). No matter how it's handled, Rick's resolution with the cannibals should be savage and further emphasize how much he's changed. This group has been eating humans for quite some time and even threatened his son in the last season, after all.
When all is said and done, Rick needs to remind himself what he's fighting for, and what he's fighting for is to keep his son, Carl, safe. A powerful hug applied at just the right moment has so much potential to tug at your heartstrings. Go on and make us hold back those tears, The Walking Dead.
Batteries not included
Okay, issue 67 technically takes place right after the conclusion of Fear the Hunters, but seeing as Eugene's been introduced and he's sure to continue playing a role, the huge reveal about his mission would be a real jaw-dropper. Sure, fellow comic fans can brag about seeing it coming a mile away, but the general audience? It'll be every bit as stunning as when we found out in the comic. Done well, it can still give us comic fans the chills, too, as we see just how much this impacts the group. Just when you think there's a glimmer of hope in this ugly world, it gets completely smashed and you're left with the cold reminder that things aren't going to get better. This is a mighty fine way to shatter everyone's hope, especially Abraham's.
The Walking Dead returns this Sunday at 9/8c on AMC.