The Walking Dead season 9 episode 12 preview: First look at ‘Guardians’

When The Walking Dead season 9 episode 12 arrives on AMC next week, it will be with another complex, painful story entitled “Guardians.” This is an episode haunted in advance by the specter of death and defined by an internal divide that could sever an entire community into pieces.

Before we continue, can we remind you that we record Walking Dead related videos regularly? We’ve got the latest one, discussing the possible exit of Danai Gurira, at the bottom of this article. If you enjoy this one, subscribe to CarterMatt on YouTube for some additional insight; we’ve also got an official The Walking Dead playlist to make following along all the easier.

As a starting-off point, let’s go ahead and share the official The Walking Dead season 9 episode 12 synopsis:

While one community struggles to ease tensions that threaten to divide from within, the true nature of another group comes into focus; a mission to rescue a friend has deadly consequences.

Is this an episode intent on exploring more of the Whisperers? This is, absolutely, one way in which to read this story. For Angela Kang and the writers, the idea is to introduce the evil of this group at a slow drip. The longer you can keep some cards close, the more you produce a mystery. The longer you can produce a mystery, the more that you can generate fear. These are characters who should be feared, though odds are, they don’t consider themselves evil in their own mind. Every villain feels like they are the hero of their own narrative, and that they have a legitimate reason for every action … unless, of course, you’re some sort of abject sociopath.

There is a part of this Walking Dead episode that feels, on paper, to be rather predictable. Stop us when this one sounds familiar: There’s a conflict within a group that is threatening to tear people apart! Who would’ve thought! What could possibly happen on the other side of that?

As for the latest promo…

It seems to validate much of what we’ve written to date, as it features Michonne leading a clash within a community and also an inside look at the Whisperers. (For the record, no matter how long we see these characters on the show, it does not seem to make them any less terrifying. Their appearance remains that of nightmare fuel, though their inner reasoning may be far more rationalized than it appears to anyone else.

Hungry for some more Walking Dead news?

(Maybe hungry is the wrong word…)

Anyhow, if you do want some other scoop on the AMC series, whether it be other previews or bits and pieces about ratings, you can check much of that out over at the link here.

Where do you want things to go on The Walking Dead season 9 episode 12 when the episode airs? Be sure to sound off now in the comments. (Photo: AMC.)