'The Walking Dead' Season 8 Plot News, Release Date: Each Episode to Focus on More Characters
"The Walking Dead" is set to return for its eighth season next month, and teasers suggest that it will focus on the all-out war between Rick's group and Negan. According to showrunner Scott M. Gimple, it is because of this that the upcoming season will feature more characters in each episode.
In a recent interview, Gimple talked about what fans should expect from season 8. He said that unlike the previous installments which concentrated on a few characters at a time, the upcoming season will focus on more characters per episode so as to avoid those uneventful bottle episodes.
Although season 7 was packed with thrill and action, it earned a number of criticisms because of its speed and pace. Critics questioned those bottle episodes where the narrative focused on the less important characters for its entire runtime, halting the progression of an ongoing major plot line.
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"Because of the narrative that we're following," said Gimple in an interview with TVLine, "the story this season is really spread out among all of the characters. And the story shifts quite a bit in single episodes between lots of different characters on a consistent basis, which is a little more unusual for the show."
Gimple's recent statements seemed to indicate that each episode of season 8 would have a faster and more intense pace, which is only fitting considering the expected confrontations that will happen between and among the groups. The showrunner further hinted that certain partnerships that will be formed in the upcoming season would be changed in the long run, and the results would be "really satisfying."
A synopsis for the new season stated that Rick will declare an all-out war against Negan and his troops. Despite the Saviors being larger and better-armed, Rick and the unified communities will fight them for "the promise of a better future."
"The Walking Dead" season 8 premieres on Oct. 22 on AMC.
