“Season 8 will have a very different environment from what we have seen before.
Alicia Clark is out, andMadison Clark is back in.
And that’s not all that’s on the way.
Kim Dickens on ‘Fear the Walking Dead’.Lauren “Lo” Smith/AMC
to get baby Mo back will experience “one of the biggest reinventions we’ve done.”
A reinvention that may not actually take place on land.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Tell me what it was like getting Kim Dickens back on the show?
Kim Dickens on ‘Fear the Walking Dead’.Lauren “Lo” Smith/AMC
ANDREW CHAMBLISS: It was a lot of fun.
It was definitely a nerve-wracking experience.
It had been something that we had been talking about for at least a couple seasons.
Kim Dickens and Lennie James on ‘Fear the Walking Dead’.Lauren “Lo” Smith/AMC
It felt like it was the right time.
And Kim seemed very interested in returning and continuing Madison’s story.
story out of that, or did the P.A.D.R.E.
Kim Dickens and Colman Domingo on ‘Fear the Walking Dead’.Richard Foreman Jr/AMC
story come first, and then you built Madison’s return into that?
was and what their philosophy was, and how we were going to incorporate that into the story.
We started to talk about, “Well, what if Madison had been part of P.A.D.R.E.?”
Why hasn’t she found her kids?
and forced to do a lot of things she didn’t want to do.
And that’s where we find her.
Was bringing Kim back tied at all to Alycia Debnam-Carey telling you guys that she was leaving the show?
CHAMBLISS:They’re definitely linked.
And as far as she and Morgan think in Alicia’s case, very unlikely.
A big part of her story is going to be kind of dealing with that news.
There’s no explanation given for how she got away from the baseball stadium back in season 4.
Is that something you plan to get into at all in season 8?
In flashback form or just described by the character?
GOLDBERG:Could be either, could [be] both.
What was it like finally getting Madison and Morgan on screen together?
CHAMBLISS:It was a lot of fun.
Because I think these are two characters who are incredibly iconic within theWalking Deaduniverse.
They were on screen in the same episodes in season 4, but they never actually met.
And Morgan, when he first meets Madison, doesn’t know who she is.
people were like, “We’ll tell you what you’re called.”
But I don’t remember ever hearing a new name.
CHAMBLISS:We’ll hear it in season 8.
GOLDBERG:That’s a great segment inCreepshow.
We were actually inspired initially by old westerns.
And we thought it was just a striking image to bring that into the zombie apocalypse.
Is that boat P.A.D.R.E.?
CHAMBLISS:That boat is not P.A.D.R.E., but that boat will be taking them to P.A.D.R.E.
And yeah, that’s as much as I’ll say about the location of P.A.D.R.E.
What can you say about what these folks at P.A.D.R.E.
are doing with these children after they are taken?
And to say anymore would spoil where we’re going in season 8.
But just know that’s very much going to be answered right away at season 8.
With Alycia Debnam-Careyleaving the show, how does that impact the action and the story in season 8?
Strand joined a few episodes after the pilot ofFear.
So it definitely changes the fabric of the show.
It’s interesting, because you have Strand and Alicia, who were so close.
But before there was Strand and Alicia, there was Strand and Madison.
So how should we anticipate Strand might react to finding out Madison is alive?
GOLDBERG:Well, I mean, you said it.
There was such a strong core friendship between the two of them.
I think that’s going to be pretty seismic news for him.
So there may be some connection between Strand and Madison on that front.
Anything else it’s possible for you to tease about the arc of season 8?
And we end the season with Morgan and Madison going out to a boat.
And it will, in many ways, be centered around the water.
We will find out who that person is on the other side of the mirror.
This will be one of the biggest reinventions we’ve done.
We’ll be introducing P.A.D.R.E., and kind of seeing that for what it is, removing the location.
It’s a big change.
This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
