Talking Dead 709: Easter eggs, zombie weddings and Jack Sparrow

Last week’s Talking Dead took us inside the midseason premiere episode of The Walking Dead, “Rock in the Road.” Here’s what we learned!

On the midseason premiere of Talking Dead, host Chris Hardwick welcomed The Walking Dead executive producer Greg Nicotero, Ezekiel actor Khary Payton, and Steelers running back DeAngelo Williams to the show. They were a great crew to have on board as we broke down the first episode of the back end of season 7.

Back to School and Easter Eggs

Greg Nicotero revealed that directing the midseason premiere was a complete opposite experience than directing the season premiere. Having the gang back was like the first day of school when everyone gets so see each other after a long break. In this case, after being apart in the first half of season 7 it was the first time many of the actors were on set to see each other since the season premiere. For Khary Payton it was his first opportunity to meet the rest of the cast.

Nicotero also talking about an Easter Egg in the episode, namely that he had an opportunity to direct his kids in “Rock in the Road.” Did you spot them? They were practicing their archery skills in the Kingdom. Nicotero said it was nice having a chance to get his kids involved in the show.

DeAngelo Williams is a Bona Fide Fan

We’ve met some die hard celebrity fans on Talking Dead, but DeAngelo Williams takes the fandom to another level. Williams told the tale of how he first discovered The Walking Dead. As it turns out, he discovered the game version during a 14-hour flight to China. After playing it through the entire flight, he called his fiancée and told her that they needed to start watching the show.

But his love for the show didn’t end there. The day after his wedding he gathered the entire wedding party for a zombie photo shoot.

Hand Me My Captain Jack Sparrow

It takes a lot to put King Ezekiel’s look together, so Khary Payton came up with a system to keep track of his wardrobe.

He named it.

Payton told everyone that his staff is nicknamed Captain Jack Sparrow while the wig is affectionately known as Marley. The puffy jacket Ezekiel wears is Macklemore, and the military jacket is known as Mulder because it was made by a company called Scully.

Talking Dead airs Sundays immediately following The Walking Dead.