‘The Walking Dead’ Season 9 Air Date, Plot, Spoilers: Executive Producer Reveals Endearing but Foreboding Spoiler

A rather endearing spoiler has been revealed for “The Walking Dead” Season 9 by executive producer and former showrunner Scott Gimple. He said that the next installment is slated to highlight the romance between Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne (Danai Gurira).

It can be recalled that Rick and Michonne’s relationship hasn’t really been highlighted on the show given that both characters were busy dealing with Negan and the Saviors. But now that the conflict has been won, the couple can now focus on what’s important: the future. Speaking to TV Line, Gimple said that their romantic journey is set to blossom in “The Walking Dead” Season 9.

“They didn’t have a great deal of time in their relationship where things were not full-throttle intense,” Gimple said. “And these 18 months [that make up the time jump between Seasons 8 and 9], while they haven’t been a picnic, the war has been over. It’s sort of remarkable to see.” The executive producer also praised how Lincoln and Gurira portrayed their blossoming romance together, calling the scenes between the couple in “The Walking Dead” Season 9 “very special.”

However, this budding romance is set to quickly wilt off as Lincoln is already expected to leave the show in the upcoming installment. The writers will most likely use these special scenes to intensify the audience’s connection to Rick so that when he exits, the emotional impact will land much harder. After news broke out that Lincoln is leaving in “The Walking Dead” Season 9, fans were already proclaiming that it will exacerbate the death spiral of the post-apocalyptic drama.

And with Maggie (Lauren Cohan) also walking away, this prediction is quickly turning into a reality. Of course, there’s still Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Michonne to root for, but the show will definitely not be the same without Rick and Maggie. “The Walking Dead” Season 9 is slated to debut on Oct. 7.