Walking Dead writer Kevin Deiboldt BTS look at On the Inside via Twitter

Kevin Deiboldt was the writer for the most recent episode of The Walking Dead titled “On the Inside.” He live-tweeted with fans during the AMC airing of the episode and gave some fantastic insight into creating and filming this tremendous episode.

This episode followed three storylines. The horror story of Connie and Virgil, the search party for Connie and Daryl serving as a double agent with the Reapers. There were many remarkable scenes and some that left you squirming. The episode was directed by Greg Nicotero, which was fitting with horror and torture scenes.

Deiboldt started his live-tweeting with the comparisons, which many fans caught on to right away, of the episode to Night of the Living Dead. Seeking refuge in an abandoned farmhouse that the undead will eventually surround is a perfect tribute to that film.

The Walking Dead writer Kevin Deiboldt

An amazing fact Deibold shared concerned the haunted house. The Locations Department located an amazing house to use, but the Art Department then turned into the creepy house we saw during the episode. The house had to be transformed to match the set designs that were also used for filming.

Nicotero came up with the idea of pulling out the fingernail during the torture scene, and Deiboldt shared this made him squirm. He also shared a video of the movie magic of the finger chopping off scene. YIKES.

He gave a shout-out to Norman Reedus and Glenn Stanton for their impressive performances as Daryl and Frost during the torture scene. Deiboldt shared that it was a tricky one to write as Daryl holds both his and Frost’s lives in his hands.

Below is a copy of the script description of what he hoped to see in the bathroom scene. He said that his descriptions tend to be overly detailed, but the Art Department could bring his vision to life.

If you read the description below, it is spot on to what we saw in this scene.

Deiboldt praised Angel Theory and her work during this episode and how “She breaks my heart on a regular basis.” Theory did an amazing job of conveying her emotions that she has held in check for much too long.

In the scene where Connie is walking down the hallway, Deiboldt originally had a different idea, but Ridloff explained that a deaf woman would always have her back to the wall as she looked around. So, the scene was changed.

Deiboldt and Daryl have the same feelings about Pope.

The scene of Virgil and Connie where he explains why he must do what he can to save her was so emotional. We saw Virgil in a whole new light. He accepted his gift of a second chance from Michonne, and he wasn’t about to waste it. He felt he was led to Connie for a purpose, and he was going to live out that purpose. But Connie, being the survivor she is, wasn’t going to let him die when they could come through this together.

What an amazingly beautiful moment for these characters who barely know one another but were unknowingly brought together by Michonne and the grace and kindness she extended to Virgil.

See the thread below of how this scene was filmed.

And who didn’t jump when this happened?

Ridloff and Theory had not seen one another for quite some time due to the pandemic and Ridloff’s filming of Eternals. They chose not to see one another until they filmed the reunion scene. The reunion between Connie and Kelly was also the reunion between the actors.

Deiboldt also shared a throwback photo from 2020 of his breakdown of the episode.

"I can’t possibly thank everyone enough for their tireless work on this one. I was just the lucky schmo who got to write our little “Haunted House” episode (as we called it). Hope gave you a good scare — while also, just maybe, pulling out a few sniffles. – Kevin Deiboldt"

It was an amazing time watching the episode while the writer took us along on his journey of making the episode.

The Walking Dead returns to AMC on October 3 with “Promises Broken.” This episode is available now to stream on AMC+.

The Walking Dead: World Beyond returns to AMC with its season two premiere on October 3. This episode is available now to stream on AMC+.

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