Fans of The Walking Dead have been waiting what feels like forever for the series to return for Season 8, which will bring its milestone 100th episode. Season 7 ended on an exhilarating note as what could have been a slaughter of the good guys turned into an epic battle involving no fewer than five groups, a whole bunch of guns, and one tiger. Now, one star has revealed that the action won't be slowing down in the next batch of episodes. Seth Gilliam, who plays Father Gabriel on The Walking Dead, had this to tease about the action of Season 8:
[Season 8 is] like a Schwarzenegger versus Stallone action thing from the '80s. I think there are, like, 10 explosions an episode. Every time you turn around, somebody's shooting something or blowing something up. There's some serious action that I don't think we've seen on television since The A-Team went off the air.
Apparently we don't have to worry that The Walking Dead showed off all of its good explosions and battles in the epic first trailer! Going by Seth Gilliam's comments to EW, we're in for some cinematic action so big and explosive that it doesn't exist elsewhere on the small screen. Fans of The A-Team will know that Gilliam's comparison means that plenty of violence is on the way, and the comparison of (presumably) Rick's and Negan's forces to Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone points toward some pretty incredible showdowns.
So much action will mark a big departure from the status quo of the series last season. In Season 7, the people of Alexandria, Hilltop, and The Kingdom were all under Negan's thumb, and it was clear that no single one of those groups had the will or firepower to go against the Saviors. Rick's attempt to work with the Scavengers backfired spectacularly. Luckily, all three groups found solid allies in each other in the finale, as the combined forces of Alexandria, Hilltop, and The Kingdom were enough to drive off the Saviors and the Scavengers.
Of course, it's worth noting that the Saviors were taken by surprise with the sudden alliance, the appearance of Shiva, and zombie Sasha popping out of her casket. Given the time to regroup and plan, we can bet that they'll pose a major threat to the other groups. Who knows? Maybe the act of defiance will drive Negan to try to enforce his will with more brutality than ever. Melissa McBride, who has played Carol since way back in the first season, weighed in on how Season 8 will stand out:
This is like back in the old days. This is what I was yearning for last year.
Several members of the Walking Dead cast have spoken about how difficult it was to film Season 7, especially when compared to the group fun of earlier seasons. Back in the old days, we got Rick and Co. kicking ass and taking names on a regular basis. Under Negan's thumb, there wasn't much Rick and Co. could do. For those of who have been missing the action of the old days, Melissa McBride's comments point to a grand old time in Season 8.
We'll have to wait and see. The Walking Dead will return for Season 8 on Sunday, October 22 at 9 p.m. ET on AMC. For more of what you can watch in the not-too-distant future, take a look at our fall TV guide.
