One of the most interesting aspects of The Walking Dead that has been highlighted in the comics, novels, and hit television show is the evolving nature of the zombies. Initially fans were treated to frightening yet standard zombie thoroughfare as the Walkers functioned with little intelligence or instinct beyond a primary need to feed. As the show progressed, zombies began to show some differentiation with those that seemed to lay dormant unless disturbed while others began moving in hoards in a migration fashion, adding a new dimension to the primary antagonist of the series. In the third season, the Walkers took a backseat to other survivors as the show introduced the Governor, Woodberry, and explored themes of man's inhumanity to man, survival of the fittest and ultimately the revelation that the survivors are in fact "the walking dead".
Producers and cast have promised that the fourth season will see a return of the walkers as the primary adversary for Rick Grimes and the survivors. Now, the show made a point of emphasizing that the survivors had become more seasoned in managing the walkers in Season 3 with the tagline "Fight the Dead, Fear the Living." so for the zombies to become a major threat again suggests a significant change in the behavior of the zombies themselves rendering the tactics of the survivors less successful. Evidence of the changing nature of the Walkers is supported in the scene from the trailer in which the Walkers cluster to tear down the fence at the prison. The Walkers appear to no longer aimlessly spread out which point to the idea that the zombies are adapting and possibly developing some form of intelligence in how they take down their prey.
Yahoo news pointed this out in a recount from The Walking Dead panel where the trailer was premiered.
"Yeah, the walkers are no threat at all this season," joked executive producer Gale Anne Hurd after panel moderator and "Talking Dead" host Chris Hardwick suggested the zombies were simply animals.
So what do you guys think? Leave your comments in the usual place and look for the Season 4 premier of
The Walking Dead Oct 13th.
The Walking Dead, based on the comic book series written by Robert Kirkman and published by Image Comics, tells the story of the months and years that follow after a zombie apocalypse. It follows a group of survivors, led by police officer Rick Grimes, who travel in search of a safe and secure home. The comic goes on to explore the challenges of life in a world overrun by zombies who take a toll on the survivors, and sometimes the interpersonal conflicts present a greater danger to their continuing survival than the zombies that roam the country. Over time, the characters are changed by the constant exposure to death and some grow willing to do anything to survive.