SPOILER ALERT: Read on only if you have already watched Sundays midseason premiere ofThe Walking Dead, Honor.
The Walking Deadmidseason premiere, Honor, was an emotional gut-punch.
But there were some major technical hurdles to clear as well for executive producer/director Greg Nicotero.
Gene Page/AMC
You know pretty standard stuff.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY:So many emotional moments in this episode.
You told me you cried the first time you watched it.
Gene Page/AMC
This is all you.
And that realization that Carl was really the one person that wasnt part of the war.
Everybody else was online to wipe out the Saviors.
It was all about killing.
It was all about death.
And, listen, I cant be more proud of the actors.
I cant say enough amazing things about Chandler and what he brought to the episode.
Its just amazing to me what we were about to do.
It had to have been them.
Now were at a place where no ones gonna be left.
If they keep it up, no one will be left.
Theres nothing worth fighting for anymore.
And knowing that Rick has done it before.
Remember, Rick brought the Woodbury survivors back in after the Governor destroyed Woodbury.
Carl needs to remind Rick of those moments.
Because Rick lost sight of that.
So, this gave him that opportunity to do that.
Carl ultimately pulls the trigger on that gun instead of having Rick or Michonne do it.
You have Morgan, who is basically gone to this entirely new level.
Its not just about fighting a war.
Morgan is just gone to this place of brutality.
So we really wanted to play up that we were inter-cutting these two directly contrasting ideas.
And he trashes the stick hes dragging through the dirt.
All of this stuff.
And thats why we end on that shot of Judith and Negan.
I wanted the light to be streaming through the open holes in the ceiling.
And it needed to be evocative.
I loved shooting that sequence.
We really treated that entire night like it was a closed set.
I knew as soon as I read the script what I wanted it to look like.
All the houses are on fire, everything about it.
You see Michonne and Rick carrying Carl, and Carls like, I cant go anymore.
Just leave me here.
Theyre walking through Hell.
And Im really proud with how it turned out.
You know, Chandler just killed it.
Jason, who plays Gavin, Khary, everybody.
Its focused, and succinct and clean.
Scott and I talked a lot about it.
And then the actor just basically kneeled in behind it.
And then the shirt just went overtop.
And then we cut wide, because wanted it to play from Gavins perspective.
Its incredibly gross and incredible all the way around.
The Walking Deadairs Sundays at 9 p.m. on AMC.
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