Threat in the Shadows

"I  know what it's like to worry about your family. Carry the burden of protecting them. To feel
guilt when they suffer." — Michonne, "The Walking Dead"

"The Walking Dead" began its ninth season on Sunday, October 7. Throughout the season I'll be recapping the episodes each Monday, considering themes and where the series is headed.

For the longest time, I've said that the biggest threat in the world of "The Walking Dead" is other people. And for the most part that's been true. It is a brutal and dangerous world, but the living have been the big threat. The Saviors and Negan were the most recent in a long line, but it's always been the quest for power among men that's posed the most danger to survivors.

Perhaps not much longer. With this jump into the future have come a new threat — the whispers. We got a piece of that in last week's episode, as Rosita (Christian Serratos) and Eugene (Josh McDermitt) were pinned down. We heard the Walkers communicating.

For all this time we've known one thing about the Walkers — they're slow, mindless, and hungry. They are a dangerous threat, one to be respected, but one that can be controlled. This new wrinkle throws all that out of the window. And in a future where the survivors of Hill Top, Alexandria and The Kingdom are trying to build a new world, a threat they no longer understand is a threat to that future peace.

This idea will be explored more in next week's mid-season finale, and I'm curious to see where it goes. But that's a discussion for another time.

News and Notes:
* Lauren Cohan was always limited to only a few episodes, but they wanted to leave the door open for her to return if she was able. Last night we learned how they would cover that, as Maggie left the Hill Top to make memories elsewhere.

* There was a rift between Maggie and Michonne (Danai Gurira), and by extension between the communities. What caused it? That wasn't explained, but I feel like we're coming back to that at some point.

* X marks? Daryl (Norman Reedus) has one, so, too, does Michonne. Why, and what they mean is something we've yet to figure out.