Spoilers ahead. Enter at your own risk!
Fans of AMC’s The Walking Dead are no doubt in emotional limbo from the news of the past few weeks.
It has been speculated that the show’s leading man Rick Grimes, played by Andrew Lincoln, would be departing the show sometime in Season 9 to head to greener pastures. Then the news of Lauren Cohan‘s impending exodus broke and all of post-apocalyptic fandom was shaken more than a little Lucille knock to the noggin.
NEVER FEAR! AMC apparently has something up their sleeves as it relates to the upcoming season of the zombie drama. Jon Bernthal, everyone’s favorite cranium caressing hot head Shane Walsh, appears to have been fraternizing with the cast on set.
So what does this mean for our beloved show?
The best bet is that with Rick’s hypothesized downfall pending, we could see flashback sequences featuring his longtime friend. This would no doubt regain some fans that exiting the show following some of the more questionable deaths the show gave us during season 8. Bernthal’s character Shane was killed by Rick during the episode “Better Angels.” (Season 2, Episode 12)
Another potential use of the Shane character could come in the form of a hallucination on the part of Rick, which his character has been known to do from time to time. Given the amount of emotional trauma Rick has endured over the course of the past season – losing the final piece of his old life when Carl died – one could conceivably see this as a viable option.
Let us know what you think in the comments! Do you think a Shane revival could revitalize the show? Will Crazy Rick be tormented by the memories of his late friend, ultimately leading to his demise?
AMC’s The Walking Dead returns with Season 9 in October 2018.
