The Walking Dead: World Beyond ultimate season 2 cheat sheet

Sunday, Oct. 3, marks not only the season premiere of season 2 of The Walking Dead: World Beyond — it also marks the season premiere of the final season of the spin-off series. But before the show departs, it could send shock waves throughout the Walking Dead universe.

When things left off at the end of season 1, Hope (Alexa Mansour) agreed to go with double agent Huck (Annet Mahendru) and Civic Republic Military lieutenant colonel Elizabeth Kublek (Julia Ormond) to meet up with her father, Leo (Joe Holt), and lend her brain to the cause of… well, whatever the CRM's cause happens to be. That broke up the sisters, but the despair of sibling Iris (Aliyah Royale) and guardian Felix (Nico Tortorella) was somewhat tempered when they came across Felix's security detail boyfriend, Will (Jelani Alladin), and the mysterious group Will was with. And then there was Silas (Hal Cumpston), who was captured by CRM soliders after sacrificing himself to save Elton (Nicolas Cantu) and new grifter buddy Percy (Ted Sutherland).

So what can we expect in season 2? "If the end of season 1 is about the loss of innocence, I think season 2 is really about what happens after you've lost that innocence," says showrunner and co-creator Matt Negrete. "It feels like more of an adult show, because our characters have grown up. And the show has grown up as well."

The second season being World's Beyond's final installment meant upping the ante. "Looking at season 2, we knew this was our last season," says Negrete. "And it was really important to make sure it feels like we're building towards an ending, and that that ending be big. The stakes are huge, so we definitely have more scope in season 2."

As for the show's motley crew, Negrete teases, "All of our characters are being thrown these curveballs, left and right. And everything they do to react to those curveballs, it's all going to say something about who they are and where they're going to end up at the end of the series."

We asked Negrete to share the more specific scoop on what's to come for our heroes (and villains), and after already giving us some prime details on the crossover appearance of Jadis (Pollyanna McIntosh), he was more than happy to comply. Because if there is one thing the CRM demands, it is compliance.

Steve Swisher/AMC Alexa Mansour on 'The Walking Dead: World Beyond'

ENTERTAINMENT WEKELY: Let's start with Hope being delivered to the CRM facility to be reunited with her dad. What can you say about where that storyline is going, if and when Hope gets there?

MATT NEGRETE: I'll say that she and Huck and Elizabeth end up taking a bit of a detour. There will be a reunion between Hope and her father, but there's going to be a bit of a detour that is really unexpected and will throw Hope for a loop. And it really is this little mini-adventure she goes on that makes her question what she wants for the future. Hope was someone who didn't believe in a future at the beginning of season 1. And through her interactions with Huck, she realized people do stand a chance. The apocalypse is not necessarily going to beat humanity. I think humanity, in her mind, can someday, maybe, beat the apocalypse. So now she's going to go on this adventure that really puts that to the test. That makes her really question what her role in the future is going to be.

Steve Swisher/AMC Aliyah Royale and Jelani Alladin on 'The Walking Dead: World Beyond'

What about the sister she is now separated from?

For Iris, she's separated from her sister Hope for the first time in a very long time — probably ever. They've been joined at the hip since they were adopted by Leo. So, for Iris, she really is going to further her path as a leader, but also question who she is without her sister right next to her. And [question] who she wants to be. And the stakes are even bigger for her than they were towards the end of last season. Because for a while, it was just about getting her father back. But now they've got her sister too and her entire family is, essentially, in the CRM's custody. And she wants them back, and she wants them safe. And she's willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen.

What about Silas, whom we last saw being hauled off by CRM soldiers?

I really do think that at the end of last season Silas thought that he was going to die. He was willing to surrender what he thought was his life for his friends. But it didn't end in his death — it ended with him being captured. So as we get into season 2, we're going to find out where he ends up. He's not dead. What does that mean for him? Now that he has to maybe start over somewhere else, what does he do with that? What does he do with this second chance? And can he ever reunite with his friends? Those are the things we'll be exploring.

Steve Swisher/AMC Hal Cumpston on 'The Walking Dead: World Beyond'

And then there's the friend he saved in Elton.

Elton was thrown for a loop last season when he found out Hope killed his mother, and his own mother killed Hope and Iris' mother. He was very disillusioned. He had this very special friendship with Hope, and all that was completely thrown out the window when he found all this out. And so the world is different than what he thought it was. It's a lot messier than what he thought it was when he first embarked on his mission. So now that he's going into season 2, he's really going to struggle to find his place in this world that isn't neat and tidy and necessarily black-and-white. There's a lot of gray. There are a lot of murky areas he'll explore. And everything he's been through is really going to inform if he can find his place in this world.

Just curious: How much taller is Elton going to look this season?

Oh my gosh, probably another foot! I think he's taller than Iris. He is taller than Hope. I think Hal, who plays Silas, is still the tallest, but not by much. Elton is now dwarfing everybody for the most part, so we're kind of hoping the audience can forgive that a little bit. Because you can't stop growing boys from doing their thing.

Steve Swisher/AMC Nicolas Cantu on 'The Walking Dead: World Beyond'

What about Felix and Will? They were reunited at the end of last season, and we saw this group Will was with. You were very cagey when I asked you about that group at the end of the season. What can you say now? What's next there?

I can't really say if they're good or bad. But they were with Will at the end, and Will didn't seem to be their hostage or anything like that, so we can assume they're good. What I can say about them is that they're very different from any group we've seen before in the Walking Dead universe. And they do have a relationship with the CRM. They are very familiar with the CRM, as our group is. Their relationship with the CRM is really going to come into play as we find out more about them and the series progresses. So that's pretty much all I can say, but they will factor greatly into season 2.

What about Felix and Will specifically, in the sense that they were apart all of season 1? Now you have them together in season 2. How does that alter the dynamics of the show?

It's definitely a big deal for Felix to be reunited with Will. Coming off the end of last season, he had lost so much. His best friend was Huck, who turned out to be working for the enemy. She had been lying to him ever since they first met. And the rug was really slipped out from under him. Hopefully, finding Will will be good for him. Will has always been a grounding force in their relationship, and so hopefully that will help Felix get some more stability. But that's not going to come without some hitches in the meantime. And they're going to struggle to pick up where they left off. It's going to be easier said than done. Because I think as much as they care about each other and love each other, they've got to find their footing again, in a world that has been turned upside down.

Will has been through a lot. We saw in a sneak-peek scene that came out a few months ago that Will is a wanted man. He escaped the clutches of the CRM, but they're out there looking for him. And things haven't been easy for him and probably aren't going to be easy, just because he's being hunted. So a lot factors at play will really define how things shake out as the episodes progress.

Steve Swisher/AMC Joe Holt and Julia Ormond on 'The Walking Dead: World Beyond'

When people are watching season 2, how are they going to be feeling about Elizabeth Kublek? She's clearly your most enigmatic character.

She's a very complex character. And I do believe that despite being a bad guy for the series, she is the hero of her own story. She's committed to this cause for a good reason. She sees value in the CRM. And all we can assume is that, going into the season 2, she's willing to do anything for this cause. Even some very, very bad things. And she's going to be talking a lot about why she does the things she does, and how she justifies it. It's also safe to say that she's not this completely coldhearted villain either. She has strong feelings, and even misgivings, about what she's had to do in the name of the cause the CRM stands for.

We saw her shed a tear over these battle plans in episode 3 last season, so she's a human being. She doesn't like the things she does, but she sees it as there isn't any other way. And if this is what it takes to accomplish the goals of the CRM, she's willing to push those feelings aside, as much as she can, and continue to fight. And so, just looking at her from that perspective, I think that makes her a very nuanced villain, where she's not just standing back and twirling a mustache. There's a lot going on there — a lot that she believes in, and a lot that she's willing to fight for.

The Walking Dead: World Beyond premieres Oct. 3 at 10:05 p.m. ET/PT on AMC.

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