Fans of the popular zombie show, “The Walking Dead” have been on the edge of both their nerves and their seats, awaiting the upcoming TWD mid-season premiere. Hints have been published as to what we can expect in future episodes and the good news is, some of those episodes are going to be extra-long.

It is still a while to wait until TWD comes back on February 12, but so far we know that the first episode will be a hefty 73 minutes long. According to a report by Comicbook, the mid-season premiere will run from 9:00 pm ET to 10:13 pm ET. Following episodes are also jam-packed with episode 10 running for an additional six minutes on February 19 and episode 11 enjoying an additional eight minutes on February 26.

So far no titles have been revealed for episodes 10 and 11, but the mid-season premiere has the moniker “Rock in the Road.” According to the official synopsis for that episode, Rick is to be introduced into a new community. Looking at recent video footage shows our hero being introduced to the recent TWD character King Ezekiel in an attempt to get him to join the fight against Negan.

The show’s general synopsis speaks of Rick and his group and how they once again find out the world isn’t exactly what they thought it was. While they plan on defeating Negan, this won’t come easy and the group needs the other communities, Kingdom and Hilltop, to cooperate in the fight.

However, seeking new weapons and allies won’t be an easy task, since Negan and the Saviors took away not just 50 percent, but all their guns.

Less violence as 'The Walking Dead' Season 7 continues?

Many viewers, including die-hard fans, had complained about the excessive violence at the start of TWD season 7, but Andrew Lincoln, who plays Rick Grimes, has defended this.

As the show hit our screens, we saw Glenn and Abraham meet a horrifying and bloody end and since then, Negan has shown his sheer brutality even further, even with his own men.

While critics pan the ongoing violence, Lincoln was recently interviewed by Entertainment Weekly, and he gave his views.

He said the goal of “The Walking Dead” season 7 was to get fans discussing the show, whether they enjoy what is happening in it, or not. He says he always stands behind the show’s writers. Lincoln said Scott M. Gimple had explained the ongoing show to him that not only is the action an exciting buildup to a war between Rick and Negan, it is also more than that. They want fans to understand how the characters want justice for the brutality while acknowledging the losses and being willing to risk everything all over again, despite the risks involved.

Toning down the blood and gore on TWD

As reported by Forbes, Gale Anne Hurd, a producer on “The Walking Dead,” recently spoke on a panel at the NATPE conference about the ongoing violence.

Hurd said the show’s producers and writers had been able to examine the feedback on the levels of violence and have, reportedly, toned it down a tad for future episodes later in the season. She went on to say the show is not one involving “torture porn” and that they want to ensure they don’t cross that line.

So while many fans are still rankled and upset about the brutal season premiere of season 7, it sounds like future episodes are going to be full of interest and a little less nasty than Negan’s bloody and horrifying start. Hey, we probably all miss Glenn and Abraham, but the show must go on, right?

Enjoy "The Walking Dead" when it returns to AMC on February 12 at 9:00 pm ET. In the meantime take a sneak peek at the video included below.
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