The Walking Dead has officially wrapped up its seventh season, with Rick and his coalition sending a clear message to Negan and the Saviors that war is coming. Especially in the back half, Season 7 felt like it was primarily concerned with doing set-up work for the war to come and although we finally got to see the first shots fired in this war (and a much-needed win for Rick’s coalition), it’s more than a little disappointing that we now have to wait months to see what going to war with Negan truly looks like. Fortunately, we have Robert Kirkman’s comic book to look to for an idea of what to expect but given the vast array of small differences between the comic and TV series, there is plenty of room for improvisation and surprises in the season ahead.
Here are 10 things that will probably happen during The Walking Dead Season 8. Be warned: Full SPOILERS for The Walking Dead comics are dicussed.
10. The Oceanside Group Officially Joins The Fight
While I wasn’t really a fan of how much time the finale spent on the Alexandrians trying to convince the women of Oceanside to join the fight against Negan, it was a significant development nonetheless. The fact that Oceanside willingly let Rick and his group borrow their weapons was a surprisingly diplomatic move for a group that previously tried to kill Tara like three times in one episode, and suggests that they may not be far off from joining the fight permanently. Rick made a promise to return the weapons he took when the fight is over, which means that he will have to interact with Oceanside again at some point.
Since I don’t think simply having Rick return after Negan is taken care of and saying “Thanks for the guns, see you later!” would make for a compelling story beat, I think it’s more likely that we’ll see Oceanside fully commit to taking Negan down. The Oceanside women certainly have ample reason to want Negan dead and even if their leader Natania continues to resist an allegiance, it’s hard to see the rest of the group standing by her decision. Plus, with the Garbage People’s betrayal (more on them in a bit), Alexandria is in desperate need of more allies anyway, so it might as well be a group of capable women who have personal scores to settle with Negan.
AMC