The Walking Dead reveals a not-so-new trailer, highlighting The Whisperers
The Walking Dead supposedly has a new official trailer out, described as “Rick’s Final Episodes.” Yet, the only thing “new” is a cheap trick at the end.
The end of Rick Grimes is near. The Walking Dead’s Andrew Lincoln will exit after season 9, and AMC wants to remind of us of that fact. A lot.
A “new” trailer released Sept. 10 titled “Rick Grimes’ Final Episodes” highlights the upcoming season, and with a title like that, you’d assume we’d get some foreshadowing of just how Rick will meet his maker.
Not gonna happen. This isn’t a new trailer. Not really. Essentially, we’re rewatching the season 9 trailer that debuted at San Diego Comic-Con. The SDCC trailer has since been removed from YouTube, replaced by this one that, if anything, offers Negan a few extra seconds. Ultimately, we have the same trailer.
We see Negan and Rick discussing the success of new communities now that Negan’s behind bars, our survivors exploring a destroyed Washington, D.C., Maggie telling Rick it is time to step down and let her lead, etc. etc. etc.
Make A Path Presents, a verified YouTube channel that covers entertainment and as of right now, the “Zombie Genre,” called this out in the comments:
"Same trailer as before, just did a side by side comparison. Only difference is the sound of the whisperers at the end, and Negan says an extra word maybe haha. Wonder why they took it down just to re-upload it? Adding Rick’s final episodes in the beginning?"
The biggest difference that I and other fans can tell is the final moments of the trailer, The Whisperer’s audio has been boosted. The previous trailer showed a clip of two people hiding in a muddy ditch, as walkers roamed by. A faint, but terrifying, whisper says, “Where are they?”
This scene from the trailer previewed the zombie thriller’s next enemy for season 9. The Whisperers are survivors who disguise themselves with dead skin and walk among the undead. The show has previously highlighted the ability to go unnoticed by walkers if you cover yourself in icky blood, guts, and dead body parts. But the Whisperers take it to a whole new level by becoming one with walkers. Nick (Frank Dillane) basically did the same thing in Fear the Walking Dead.
The Whisperers will be the biggest threat Rick and Co. have ever faced, and despite rising tension between the communities (understandably no one’s really forgiven the Saviors for all the violence they caused), fighting this enemy may be the one thing to bring everyone together.
Back to this (not new) trailer though. Upping the volume at the end simply feels wrong.
The whole aspect of the Whisperers is they, well, whisper? Their goal is to go unnoticed, and if one of the group had said, “Where are they?” as loud as this trailer depicts, the whole herd would have turned on them.
If you haven’t seen the season 9 trailer from SDCC, feel free to watch here. Otherwise, you’re not missing much.
Related Story. The Walking Dead’s season 9 synopsis and key art previews a world falling apart. light
The Walking Dead returns for its ninth season on AMC on Oct. 7. (Until then, no more fake-out trailers please?)