The Walking Dead preview: Can Eugene be saved?

Aaron, Jesus and Daryl team up to rescue Eugene from a barn surrounded by Whisperers. They may not be ready for what they find.

The Whisperers have finally made their debut, and to say we’re as scared as Eugene and Rosita were in that mud pit is an understatement. There’s nothing like a pack of walkers suddenly having a conversation like they’re casually going for a bite (pun intended) before heading to the movies. It is indeed a frightening experience to witness these undead beings talk.

Josh McDermitt as Dr. Eugene Porter, Christian Serratos as Rosita Espinosa – The Walking Dead _ Season 9, Episode 6 – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC

Somehow, Rosita was able to place wounded Eugene in a barn and run off without them trailing along so that she could get help. She doesn’t make it too far because she collapses from dehydration but is able to set off a flare and Aaron and Jesus come to the rescue.

While Rosita is recovering under excellent medical care at Hilltop, Aaron, Jesus, and Daryl head out to find and bring back Eugene. In their minds, this is going to be as easy as finding their friend and hitching him on the back of Daryl’s chopper, but there is a Whisperer herd out there that they have no idea exists. The Whisperers also seem to be actively searching for Rosita and Eugene which means that even if they aren’t at the barn, they will be looking and are sure to find the guys when they arrive.

Watch the trailer for “Evolution” here:

In next week’s trailer preview, Aaron and Jesus find the walkers “milling” around, behavior that they’ve never seen any herd exhibit. One of the walkers seems to look up at the sky suddenly, and it’s not because noise from above attracted it. This is an important detail because most walkers can’t react to anything other than their drive to eat flesh. Their attention is geared toward anything that moves and makes noise since it might be someone to eat. But being able to break free of shuffling around means that this walker is more than likely a Whisperer and Aaron and Jesus have stumbled on a Whisperer herd, and it might just be the same herd that got Rosita and Eugene.

Also featured in the trailer, is Rosita waking up on a hospital bed after finding out the guys went out to find Eugene. She is frantic and wants to go out to help them even though she’s recovering. But it’s because Rosita knows they’re unprepared for talking walkers which means that they will underestimate them and that can lead to someone getting hurt or dying.

The rest of the trailer takes place at the barn housing Eugene, and it doesn’t look like they find him until nightfall, which isn’t a good thing. Eugene has been hiding for a little more than a day inside of the barn because the walkers are still searching for him. Eugene’s probably starving, but he still doesn’t look too enthusiastic about his rescue team since he knows the walkers haven’t let down their mission to find him. I mean do the Whisperers even sleep?

It seems Aaron and Jesus do come face to face with the herd outside and those years of hard training will finally pay off. Based on the clips of the trailer, the footage looks really spooky like something out of Michael Jackon’s Thriller video with fog rolling in and walkers except with some fighting action and no cool dance moves. I’m all for the Halloween vibes.

I don’t think these guys get an idea of what’s going on even after Eugene explains it to them. Daryl’s face when he hears the walkers talking is pure gold. If he didn’t understand Eugene, hearing those voices makes Daryl realize the magnitude of the pickle they are in. Let’s see how successful they are getting Eugene out of the barn and leaving without being followed or discovered.