Craig Mazin

Well, it's a bit of a mystery, because... The night before, she told him she didn't need his help. She rejected him. She came home. She saw him on the porch. She walked right by him. Didn't say a word. Cold as ice. It's the next morning. And what she says to Jesse is, no offense, I think I'm just going to go on patrol with a Joel. She wants to go on patrol with Joel. What has happened?

Well, it's a bit of a mystery, because... The night before, she told him she didn't need his help. She rejected him. She came home. She saw him on the porch. She walked right by him. Didn't say a word. Cold as ice. It's the next morning. And what she says to Jesse is, no offense, I think I'm just going to go on patrol with a Joel. She wants to go on patrol with Joel. What has happened?

And when Jesse pushes on her, she kind of explodes.

And when Jesse pushes on her, she kind of explodes.

collects herself back up because she has probably been told, hey, it's not great when you explode at people. So what happens is you get that explosion, then they kind of try and pull it back.

collects herself back up because she has probably been told, hey, it's not great when you explode at people. So what happens is you get that explosion, then they kind of try and pull it back.

And it is this interesting moment of clarity about her relationship with Joel that doesn't quite add up. So that mystery will hang in the air for a little bit. But... When she gets to him, we know it isn't just, oh, I didn't talk to you last night when you were on the porch. There's more. We just don't know what it is yet.

And it is this interesting moment of clarity about her relationship with Joel that doesn't quite add up. So that mystery will hang in the air for a little bit. But... When she gets to him, we know it isn't just, oh, I didn't talk to you last night when you were on the porch. There's more. We just don't know what it is yet.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Well, we began by asking questions, because I'm the pesky question guy. How do they defend themselves? What do they have other than a wall? What could they have other than a wall? What would their method be? Surely they've sat there and thought, okay, if raiders come, we do this. If a horde comes, we do this. So they have a plan. But what is it? And how can it be something that is...

Well, we began by asking questions, because I'm the pesky question guy. How do they defend themselves? What do they have other than a wall? What could they have other than a wall? What would their method be? Surely they've sat there and thought, okay, if raiders come, we do this. If a horde comes, we do this. So they have a plan. But what is it? And how can it be something that is...

a bit surprising to us, but also once we get over the surprise, we think, oh yeah, of course, that's smart. That's a good idea. And in that way, we created the plan. And the plan almost works until a bloater shows up, which is sort of the way life is, right? Everything's going fine until a bloater shows up. And then the madness begins.

a bit surprising to us, but also once we get over the surprise, we think, oh yeah, of course, that's smart. That's a good idea. And in that way, we created the plan. And the plan almost works until a bloater shows up, which is sort of the way life is, right? Everything's going fine until a bloater shows up. And then the madness begins.

The town remains at the end. We understand, as Maria and Tommy are embracing and sort of emotionally collapsing, that the battle is over, but at great cost. there needs to be a reckoning, like Neil is saying, with the reality of the world. In season one, let's just talk practically for a second, we were figuring out how to do it all while we were doing it.

The town remains at the end. We understand, as Maria and Tommy are embracing and sort of emotionally collapsing, that the battle is over, but at great cost. there needs to be a reckoning, like Neil is saying, with the reality of the world. In season one, let's just talk practically for a second, we were figuring out how to do it all while we were doing it.

A little bit like building a plane in the air. This season, we knew more, and we understood a little bit better about how to do it. Mark did a kind of amazing job working with Alex Wong, our visual effects supervisor, to create pre-vis for the entire battle. I mean, the whole thing was mapped out very, very carefully and then budgeted very, very carefully.

A little bit like building a plane in the air. This season, we knew more, and we understood a little bit better about how to do it. Mark did a kind of amazing job working with Alex Wong, our visual effects supervisor, to create pre-vis for the entire battle. I mean, the whole thing was mapped out very, very carefully and then budgeted very, very carefully.

It was prepped and shot like its own movie. I can't remember the total number of days, but movie-length days. Movie length in terms of schedule at the prep was very long. It's fascinating to see how these things work. You build them with large swaths of blue out there that you know will be a thing.

It was prepped and shot like its own movie. I can't remember the total number of days, but movie-length days. Movie length in terms of schedule at the prep was very long. It's fascinating to see how these things work. You build them with large swaths of blue out there that you know will be a thing.