Good news, The Walking Dead fans! The midseason premiere has arrived a week earlier than expected, as AMC has just made the episode available online for your viewing pleasure.
“Adaptation” can currently be viewed on AmcPremiere.com, where it’s free to stream for those with an AMC account. Dropping the much-anticipated installment like this, not only a week early but also on Super Bowl Sunday, should help boost interest in the upcoming backhalf of season 9, and we can’t wait to see what’s in store.
From what we know, “Adaptation” picks up immediately after the end of episode 8, “Evolution,” where the show left off before its winter break. Last time we saw them, the survivors were facing a herd of zombies with Whisperers lurking amongst them. One of the creepy humans in zombie masks even killed poor Jesus, leaving Michonne, Daryl and the others fighting for their lives in a mist-covered cemetery.
As this suggests, the main thrust of season 9B will be the arrival of the Whisperers and the assembled communities readying themselves for a new conflict with a very different, very dangerous enemy. Various promos have introduced us to Whisperer leader Alpha (Samantha Morton) and her second-in-command Beta (Ryan Hurst) and the most recent one made it clear that the Whisperers’ hatred of the Alexandrians and co. stems from the fact they see them as trespassing on their land. Showrunner Angela Kang has promised many surprises to come in the oncoming adaptation of the Whisperers story arc, too.
If you’re unable to watch the episode online now or just want to wait until it airs the old-fashioned way, The Walking Dead returns to AMC next Sunday, February 10th, and you’d be wise to tune in.