Season 9 of The Walking Dead has kicked off and viewers know that the story arc is currently setting up for the end of Rick Grimes on the show.
Though the season premiere may have felt a bit slow, it’s an important piece of the puzzle so we thought a recap before the second episode would be helpful.
The Walking Dead episode from October 7 included a number of important plot points. Some of them will play a role in how Episode 2 of Season 9 plays out on October 14.
It was slow-going for the storylines on the season premiere for Season 9, with it taking some time for the writers to reveal what the characters have been up to since defeating Negan to close out the last season.
There are now four main communities, with Daryl in charge of the Saviors. It quickly became clear that a number of characters are uncomfortable in their new roles.
Daryl doesn’t want to watch over the Saviors, Maggie is having a tough time getting everyone on board with her leadership style, and there appears to be a hoard of walkers coming far too close to the communities.
Brett Butler on The Walking Dead
During the first elongated segment of the season premiere, a large group of people traveled to Washington D.C. to take tools and seed packets from a museum.
While taking their prizes back to the towns, a group of walkers descended on them. A minor character, named Ken, who worked as a stable boy at the Hilltop, was killed in the process.
It is later revealed that his mother is played by actress Brett Butler, who was not pleased that her son died on an outing like this. She wasn’t shy about telling this to her husband, Earl, or to Maggie when she visits Ken’s parents. Meanwhile, Gregory, who lost his power at Hilltop to Maggie, started planting seeds of dissent.
Gregory plied Earl, a recovering alcoholic, with alcohol, working him up to the point of attacking Maggie. The plan was to murder her, but Earl couldn’t complete the task in his state.
When Maggie went to confront Gregory about it all, he tried to stab her. To make an example of him at Hilltop, Maggie hanged Gregory as the episode came to a close.
More season premiere plot points from The Walking Dead
Daryl has been running the Saviors camp, but he wants to step away from that role. He told Rick Grimes that he is more comfortable outside, helping the survivors in that fashion.
Rick convinced him to watch over the Saviors for a while longer. Meanwhile, Carol was secretly listening in on this conversation and told her friend Daryl that she will take over for him.
At the same time, Hilltop was becoming resentful that they have to feed the same Saviors who tried to murder all of them. It’s a contentious topic and one that comes up when Rick approached Maggie to help fix a bridge taken out by walkers.
Maggie takes a stand, stating that Hilltop will provide food if the Saviors provide all the labor. This will become a central plot device in Episode 2.
The Walking Dead October 14 episode sneak peek
AMC has released a new sneak peek for Season 9 Episode 2. It will air on Sunday, October 14 at 9/8c.
There is a lot of drama that will surface over the news few episodes of the show.
Negan will have another appearance, likely as he is mocking Rick and predicting the future from his jail cell.
Time is also ticking down on the time that Lauren Cohan, who plays Maggie Greene, and Andrew Lincoln, who plays Rick Grimes, have left on The Walking Dead. The two characters may be starring in their final episodes of the show this fall.
The Walking Dead airs Sunday nights at 9/8c on AMC.