"The Walking Dead" has aired its midseason premiere this Sunday. Titled "Rock in the Road," the hotly-awaited hour finally have fans look into the initial stages of Rick's plan, which is to recruit outsiders from other communities to take down Negan once and for all. But by the end of the episode, Rick and co. encountered a threat in the form of a new group. The highlight of the scene happened when Rick flashed a smile as the group circled into them seemingly ready to attack.
Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, showrunner Scott Gimple offered an explanation to the zombie drama's latest plot development. According to Gimple, that smile will have an affect to the storyline they are planning to tell in the next episode.
"Rick is caught in this awful situation and you'd think somebody wouldn't be too happy about it - but all these people aren't just a threat; they're an answer," the showrunner told the publication.
"It's an interesting story and we don't leave the audience on pins and needles about it and we go right into what that smile means in the next episode. There's tough stuff in the next episode but there's straight up fun and attempts are made at humor from the situation that these characters get in. A whole new world is discovered. It's a cool turn of the story."
"Rock in the Road" also featured an epic zombie killing sequence where Rick and Michonne drove through the highway with a wire attached between the cars, slicing a herd of walkers at 50 miles per hour. When asked where the idea came from, co-showrunner/director Greg Nicotero told Entertainment Weekly that it was their "popcorn popper scene."
"This was the scene we want everybody to cheer, and jump out of their seat, and throw their popcorn up in the air, and it was amazingly well written," Nicotero said.
An all new episode of The Walking Dead titled "New Best Friends" airs on Sunday, Feb. 19 on AMC.
