The Walking Dead, TV Shows

Your Top Questions from The Walking Dead Premiere Answered

AMC

Don't even think about sharing this article.

We watched the Season 8 premiere of The Walking Dead and absolutely LOVED it. But that doesn’t mean that there weren’t some scenes that still didn’t make much sense. Here are some of fans’ top questions from The Walking Dead premiere.

Why Did Rick Take That Picture?

When Rick and his crew let the zombie horde overrun The Sanctuary, Rick took a quick picture with a camera that he was conveniently lugging around all through the battle. Why would he do that?!

Why did Rick take that picture during #TheWalkingDead premiere? Share on X

Some fans are trying to come up with a complex reason, like maybe Rick is taking the picture to convince the Junkyard people that they can win if they join them. Personally, I hope this is NOT the reason, because why would anyone trust the Junkyard group again after what they did to Rick?! Trusting them would be suicide.

Others think he did it because the Sanctuary people used to always take photos of their kills and hang them on their walls. Remember when Rick’s group attacked a satellite location and they had all those pictures of smashed heads on the wall? This was Rick’s version of that. Another form of payback. This is the theory I personally believe.

But other fans are thinking he took the picture specifically of Negan cowering, to try to get some Saviors who aren’t at the Sanctuary to turn on Negan and join Rick’s team instead.

What’s with the Flash Forwards? Why Is Rick Old?

There are a lot of theories circulating about this. (And you can read some of those theories in more detail here.) Essentially, some people think it’s a time jump like they did in the comics, others think it’s a dream… I personally think that something is going to go seriously wrong in the future and Rick is dreaming about what life could have been like as a way to cope. Notice how his eye were bloodshot red? We had two sets of flash forward scenes: one to red-eyed Rick and then one to old Rick. I think he’s hallucinating as a way of coping with something AWFUL that just happened to him or someone he loved. (This would also explain why Michonne didn’t age at all in those scenes.)

Something bad's about to happen to Rick. That's why he's hallucinating, we bet. Share on X

Why Did Gabriel Try to Save Gregory?

Gabriel’s stuck with Negan now because he tried to save Gregory. I wish he hadn’t. Gregory should have been left behind after what he pulled. But remember: Gabriel is dealing with a lot of guilt about actions he took in the past. He wouldn’t let his church family into the church and they were eaten alive. And later he betrayed Rick’s group to Deanna in Alexandria, warning that they were dangerous and bad people. He probably has a tough time judging Gregory and thinks that since he was given so many chances, he can’t NOT give Gregory a chance for redemption too. It will be interesting to see how things fare with Gabriel and Negan.

Why Didn’t Rick Hit Negan When He Started Shooting?

Who the heck knows. Rick should have been able to hit Negan when he started shooting before the count of ten. I’m tempted to just say “plot armor” and be done with it. But we DID see Negan limping at one point. So it’s possible he was shot in the leg during the battle, at least.

But personally, I like this theory the best:

Does Anyone Care About the Red Machete?

Rick used the #RedMachete to kill Gareth on #TheWalkingDead. Share on X

Now we’re getting the background of Rick’s infamous Red Machete, thanks to AMC-sponsored webisodes. Yawn. I’m not super excited about this development. But surprisingly, some fans are liking it.

https://twitter.com/MeganWeid66/status/922278497174872064

Even people who started out not liking the idea are changing their minds:

The red machete is the weapon that Rick used to kill Gareth and the last of the Terminus people. Rick still had the weapon when he was being interviewed by Deanna at Alexandria. It’s not quite Daryl’s Crossbow level, but some fans really like that machete. When I searched #RedMachete on Twitter, I expected sarcastic comments, but fans are really, truly excited about the weapon’s back story. So maybe, just maybe, my initial reaction was wrong. It will be interesting to see where this goes.

Like what you read? Join our email list to stay updated by clicking here and be sure to follow us on Twitter. If you have more ideas, let us know in the comments below.

    Stephanie Dwilson started Post Apocalyptic Media with her husband Derek. She's a licensed attorney and has a master's in science and technology journalism. You can reach her at [email protected].

    Don't even think about sharing this article.

    Previous ArticleNext Article