On October 13, the most terrifying of all days, The Walking Dead makes its return to AMC. For those of you who absolutely cannot wait to revisit post-apocalyptic Georgia in all of its blood-drenched glory, three Walking Dead webisodes are now available online. Comprising a story called “The Oath,” these webisodes follow the tragic tale of Paul (Wyatt Russell) and Karina (Ashley Bell), two lone survivors forced into the wild when a herd of the undead make short work of their base camp.
The story’s tension revolves around a wound that Paul has sustained during the attack—of course he tells Karina that it’s a cut that he received after breaking into a car, but we all know the truth. Or do we? With nothing more than a vague map marked up with possible safe houses, the pair set off in pursuit of another home. When they arrive at a suspiciously familiar hospital—perhaps the same one in which our beloved Rick Grimes is sleeping off a gunshot wound? There they meet a lone doctor named Gale (Ellen Greene), who is either a stalwart healer of the sick or an unhinged hermit.
Under the direction of Greg Nicotero—Walking Dead’s secret weapon—the webisodes manage to capture enough of the gritty drama of the series to keep fans on the hook for the upcoming fourth season. Though the first webisode seemed a bit like a Hyundai commercial, the second and third installments are solid pieces of acting, cinematography, and zombie head splatters. They also don’t shy away from the harsh questions that arise when survivors are forced to adopt a skewed sense of morality—it’s quite a surprise when you find out what The Oath actually is.
Though season four of The Walking Dead is only two weeks away, I was glad to get a small taste of what makes the show great—normal people forced to the brink of sanity, rotten corpses getting their heads smashed with blunt objects, and harsh moral quandaries. Check out the webisodes if you’re in need of a Walking Dead appetizer.