The Walking Dead is still quite a ways away from its Season 10 return. However, fans are finally getting some teases rolling in for what we can expect to see in October! The Whisperers made their memorable debut in Season 9 and have been scaring up attention ever since. They will obviously be back for Season 10, though fans might have concerns about the show heading into another long-term face-off.
How will The Walking Dead keep the war against the Whisperers different from the one that Team Family waged against the Saviors? As you can imagine, it will vary quite a bit, given the particular players at hand. The series’ showrunner, Angela Kang, weighed in on how the show will approach the antagonistic horrors in Season 10.
Yeah, one of the great things from the comic book that we got really excited about, there’s this idea of propaganda and paranoia, and this idea of ‘silence the Whisperers,’ which Robert Kirkman played really well. So there’s definitely a feeling as our group gets into this conflict that keeps building between the Whisperers that’s very different from how the Saviors war played out, where there’s just elements of paranoia but kind of a Cold War feel. There’s a lot of brinkmanship and things like that, because the Whisperers are so different. . . . It’s just open for all to see, and somehow nabbing these people. That’s a very different way of operating than any of the other people that they’ve had to deal with, really.
There you have it! How the show's two main "good" and "evil" factions deal with each other will entail quite a switch-up. When you are going for ten seasons, it is always nice to have a change of pace. While Negan was a public face for the Saviors, it wasn't in nearly the same kind of an open way as the Whisperers live. The Walking Dead’s showrunner has previously revealed why the Whisperers are so dangerous to the survivors, with their mysterious nature feeding largely into it.
Except for that scene with Morales in Season 8, it was always super clear when new character identified as a Savior. But as Alpha proved during the head-staking fair episode, the Whisperers' use of masks allows them to use their actual faces in other ways. Not only do the characters have to worry about whether or not each and every walkers is actually undead or just a Whisperer on the prowl, but now every unfamiliar face will be seen as that of a potential foe.
That is not all The Walking Dead’s showrunner revealed. Asked how the allies will respond to how the Whisperers operate, Angela Kang weighed in, and it turns out that they will be dealing with quite a bit on an emotional level. Kang also said this to EW:
We’re dealing with a lot of things also to do with people’s trauma, and the idea of what is real or not real. Things having to do with illusion, or just memory breaking, PTSD. So there’s a lot of stuff that we’re doing that’s pretty unique to the feel of this season. We’re also having a lot of fun with the fact that the last time our people were in a war, it was automatic weapons and gunfire, but we’re just not really in that period of time anymore. So we’re working on some battle stuff that is unlike anything we’ve done on the show, which I’m super-excited about. [Director and executive producer Greg Nicotero] has been in rehearsals for some stuff we’re about to shoot that I think is pretty cool. That’s some of the stuff that look-wise, feel-wise is unique to the start of Season 10.
Is it just me, or does this "battle" sound like it is going to be waged with a lot of mind games? The mental aspects will seemingly be heightened in Season 10, both from a tactical standpoint, and by way of what the survivors are dealing with.
Mentioning Greg Nicotero’s involvement could also hint that some special effects magic may be on its way in lieu of guns as the weapon of choice, so to speak. . He is an expert in many fields, so how intense will that aspect be?
It'll likely be a future that would look foreign to Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes, whose fate is still left in question. After that massive twist in the comic, both the Rick one and the general ending, there is no shortage of questions across all mediums.
The comic book recently had its grand finale, allowing Robert Kirkman to reveal his disturbing original plan to end it. Do not worry, though. The television show is not coming to an end any time soon.
Speaking of the comic’s television adaptation, Season 10 is shaping up to be an exciting one for fans. The Walking Dead recently added a comic character with significant ties to Lauren Cohan’s Maggie. With Lauren Cohan’s Whiskey Cavalier getting cancelled by ABC, the door is open for her to return to The Walking Dead. Possible Maggie-related aspects are not the only thing to be looking forward to. Season 10 will also see lots of time between Carol and Daryl, so hopefully the Whisperers do not disrupt them.
The Walking Dead will be back for Season 10 this fall on AMC. In the meantime, you can re-watch or catch up on the series via Netflix, among other upcoming content. First up -- the rest of summer’s television premieres.
