New The Walking Dead promo channels Rick and Carl

A new promo for The Walking Dead focuses on Carl’s sheriff hat being passed to Judith and evokes Rick and Carl.

New promos and teasers are coming out quickly now as The Walking Dead season 9B gets closer. With just a few weeks to go until 9B kicks off with the arrival of Alpha and Beta there is a lot of speculation about what is coming up. But there are also a lot of questions about what happened during the time jump and what damaged the relationships between the once close-knit survivor family.

In the promo that came out today Ezekiel, Daryl, Carol, and Michonne pass along Carl and Rick’s sheriff hat down the line to Judith, who puts it on in a closeup:

Although the clip is only a few seconds long it could hint at some of the adjusted relationships that will be featured in the second half of season 9. It’s kind of curious that no one from The Hilltop was in that promo.  During the episodes in 9A that took place after the time jump it looked like The Kingdom was still on peaceful terms with both The Hilltop and Alexandria but Alexandria is only on peaceful terms with The Kingdom, not The Hilltop.

Possibly that strained relationship with The Hilltop will play a role in season 9B since we know from other promos that Lydia will be held at The Hilltop and at Alpha will show up at The Hilltop’s gates. Would Michonne really leave The Hilltop to face a threat like The Whisperers alone? That doesn’t seem likely. No matter what has happened between the communities the ties of community and survival and family are strong.

The Legacy Of Rick And Carl

The sheriff’s hat is one of the most enduring icons on the show. Passed from Rick to Carl after Carl was shot by Otis it’s become the quintessential representation of the Grimes’ legacy. Both Rick and Carl may be gone but they have left behind an indelible legacy of commitment, devotion to family and to doing the right thing, and a determination to protect the ones they love at all costs. The hat evokes the fighting spirit that both Rick and Carl had and that the other survivors rallied behind time and time again.

And they will need that spirit again to face The Whisperers. They will need to channel the determination, intelligence, and strength of Rick Grimes and Carl Grimes if they are going to come together again and find the strength to stand together against The Whisperers, who are a completely new and terrifying kind of threat to the world that the survivors have built.

Hopefully Carl and Rick will be with the survivors in spirit when The Walking Dead returns on February 10th and it’s time to meet The Whisperers.