The Walking Dead: World Beyond was always meant to be a two-season limited series. In many ways it has been a bridge between all of the shows in The Walking Dead universe, but the first season left fans with lots of questions. I watched the first two episodes of the second season, and I’m here to tell you that it has a distinctly different tone that launches the series in a bold new direction.
If you were hoping for answers after season 1, you will find them in season 2. The first two episodes do a good job of shedding a light on why many things happened in season 1 while also offering a glimpse of where the story is going. It’s interesting to think that this is all happening while the folks on The Walking Dead are in Alexandria.
World Beyond demonstrates that the TWD Universe is vast; this series is but a stepping stone to new places and new groups of people.
The Walking Dead: World Beyond season 2 evolves the TWD Universe
Everything that happened in season 1 was leading up to Hope arriving at the CRM, with the fate of the others in her traveling party up in the air. It was a long journey from the premiere episode to the events of the finale, perhaps too long. For sisters Hope (Alexa Mansour) and Iris (Aliyah Royale), the journey was necessary. They’d been living sheltered lives until they stepped outside the gates of their community; they needed to see what was really happening out there. And they did. And now their world has grown much bigger.
Now that they’ve been separated, Hope and Iris must rely on what they’ve learned to survive apart for the first time.
The first episode of the new season, “Konsekans,” catches everyone up to speed. Will (Jelani Alladin) tells Felix (Nico Tortorella) and Iris about his escape from the CRM, and that Campus Colony is gone. Meanwhile, Elizabeth (Julia Ormond) gives a very different accounting of what happened at Campus Colony to Jennifer (Annet Mahendru) and Hope. From the very start, lies and deception are blurring the truth.
The plot thickens in the second episode, “Foothold,” when Hope starts to see what’s happening inside the CRM research facility. Hope, always the rebel, is keenly aware that something is rotten in the state of Denmark, as they say. Or in this case, New York.
Season 2 begins where season 1 left off, so you won’t see any major growth or development from the characters, who are dealing with the aftermath of their encounter with the CRM. Trust has been extinguished. Iris and Felix’s world has been shattered by the revelation that Campus Colony has been destroyed. The rules just changed.
And yet, Iris and her sister continue to hold on to some dwindling vestige of hope. But that hope is definitely tempered by the harsh new reality they’re all facing.
What continues to blow my mind with the CRM is the level of deception the mysterious group is able to maintain. These first two episodes really highlight how far their reach is, not only geographically but among their own people. You need a roadmap to navigate their lies and coverups. But the bottom line is that there is no trusting anyone. Not anymore.
The Walking Dead: World Beyond lays the foundation for the series to come
The mythology being established in World Beyond is bigger than the show itself. It’s laying the foundation for the future of the franchise, establishing the rules of the greater universe and setting the stage for bigger things to come. It also tells a very human story featuring people who have experienced another side of the apocalypse. Their world is changing, and it’s all a matter of who can adapt first.
The Walking Dead: World Beyond season 2 premieres on October 3 on AMC, with the episodes arriving one week early for AMC+ subscribers.
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