The Walking Dead season 9 premiere panel discussion

The Walking Dead is finally back from hiatus and there is a lot to talk about. Our panel breaks down the episode and the new beginning for the survivors and for the show.

The Walking Dead’s hiatus felt particularly long this time, probably because there was a lot of discord and upheaval among the fans as word leaked out about the major changes occurring this season.

Andrew Lincoln is leaving the show after just a few episodes in season 9 and Lauren Cohan is leaving too. There was an 18 month time jump between the season 8 finale and the season 9 premiere and there are rumors of another much larger time jump coming after the mid-season break.

So with all the changes and fans weary after the long-awaited end to the All Out War storyline The Walking Dead season 9 premiere really was a new beginning. With a new look, new intriguing title sequence, and plenty of emotional moment between the core characters The Walking Dead once again captured the hearts and imaginations of fans who embraced the changes made by new showrunner Angela Kang.

The season premiere was packed with action as well as emotion. The group went to The Smithsonian to take antique farming equipment and heirloom seeds and almost lost King Ezekiel in the process. Then they did lose Ken, son of new characters Tammy and Earl, and that set of a chain of events that led to Maggie executing Gregory at The Hilltop.

And throughout all of these other events The Saviors continue to be restless and not at all happy because of their dependence on the other communities for food and supplies. Our panel kicks off the season 9 episode discussions by getting right into that execution: