As intense as the clashes have been between our heroes and the wolves in this season of The Walking Dead, the conflicts between those who reside in Alexandria have been even more fraught. So in tonight’s midseason premiere on AMC (airing at 9/8c), as the show’s survivors face their greatest physical challenge yet from the walkers that are now overrunning their town, they must also deal with a potentially greater threat to their future — each other. I recently caught up with showrunner Scott Gimple to get the lowdown on the back half of season 6 (you can read the first part of our conversation here). During our chat, Gimple touched on some of the feuds that have been fueling the show thus far this season.
Nerdist: Now that Morganâs captured wolf has escaped, will he and Carol still have things to argue about?
Scott Gimple: Well whoâs right in that instance? I think something people donât talk about much is that both of them are sort of confused. The fact that the wolf was even able to do that showed that Carol wasnât exactly following her own philosophy. Because why didnât she just kill Morgan? Why didnât she just kill the wolf? Morgan stepped in front. Why didnât she just pull the trigger? Sheâs not entirely confident with her point of view. And weâve been seeing how her approach, what she seems just destined and cursed to do, is weighing upon her. Even as recently as episode 2, with all the things she did to protect Alexandria, and all the people she killed.
N: So will the ideological clash between Carol and Morgan continue throughout the back half of this season?
SG: I think for these characters, the clash that they have sort of speaks to the confusion they have. I think weâre gonna see their charactersâif we continue to see those charactersâconfused, unsure, trying to hold on to what they believe. But in some ways having infected each other with an idea. In fact, an oppositional idea. I will say itâs not gonna be like a tug of war. Rather, if they do walk away, theyâre gonna walk away confused and unsure. Who knows? It might even flip.
N: When we last saw Ron, his plan for revenge against Carl and/or Rick was stopped, at least temporarily, by the wall coming down. But could his plan continue somehow?
SG: Youâre getting ahead of me here. [Laughs.] I would not tell you one way or the other… I will say there was absolutely a moment of closure in that whatever he had exactly in mind will have to change. We saw how far it went in episode 8. But I think in episode 8 he may have gotten his head on straight.
Images: AMC
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Are you on Team Carol or Team Morgan? Team Carl or Team Ron? And what do you think Denise’s chances are now that she’s been kidnapped by a wolf?! Let us know below!