Exclusive: Glen Mazzara talks The Walking Dead Season 3’s First Half and What to Expect From Upcoming Episodes

2012/12/20 23:43:38 +00:00 | Jonathan James

In only the first half of The Walking Dead's third season, we've already seen major character deaths, the introduction of brand new locations and characters, and more zombie kills than the past two seasons. With the show on a mid-season break, I thought it would be a good chance to catch up with The Walking Dead's showrunner, Glen Mazzara, to talk about the first half of the season and find out what we can expect over the next eight episodes:

This has been a very ambitious and successful season so far. Having developed most of the season before the first episode aired, was it surprising to you how well it was received?

Glen Mazzara: Certainly, the ratings have been a huge surprise to all of us. We have an incredibly talented team made up of writers, directors, actors, and crew members. Everyone has been pulling in the same direction and you just put it out there, hoping that the audience responds. The fact that people show up in droves to watch this show is really exciting, a blessing, and feels incredibly rewarding and flattering.

Was there anything that surprised you about the audience reaction to the first eight episodes?

Glen Mazzara: What's interesting about some Walking Dead fans is that they want it all in every episode. I watch the Twitter feed during the episodes and sometimes we have a zombie action sequence, and we hear that there are too many zombies and things are moving too fast. If we cut to an aftermath scene or talking scene, we hear that it's too slow. "Why are they talking? Where are the zombies?" [laughs]

Most of the audience realizes that we're telling, as you said, a very ambitious story over sixteen episodes. I just see this as intermission and we have all of our major characters on stage. Everyone is up and running, and we're aware of what the interpersonal dynamics are. That's all going to change in the back half.

Everyone understands the stakes, and the worlds of Woodbury and the prison have collided. Now, everything is getting turned on its head and people are going to have to make choices on which side they are going to be on. We are just about to get to the good stuff.

As exciting as the first eight episodes were, I'm curious to see what you have planned to top them with the next eight.

Glen Mazzara: Let me say this... We take a lot of chances in the back eight episodes. We're pushing and I think there's some really terrific episodes. Every episode is out of the box and as surprising as what we've seen before. We try to push our filmmaking every episode. We have some really interesting risks that we take in our storytelling in the back half of the season and I can guarantee it has not been done on TV before.

I feel that this season has been more tense for comic book fans than the average viewer. I remember looking over at my friends while they were watching The Governor threaten Maggie. They were visibly uneasy, because they read the comics and thought he was going to rape her from the very beginning. Can you talk about playing with the expectations of those who have read the graphic novels?

Glen Mazzara: I'm glad that scene landed and what we're saying is that obviously comic book fans are aware of the Michonne storyline from the comic book. That scene should not be seen as a substitution. That is a scene that is showing an evil character that is willing to do anything. I'm not going to say that the rape would occur later this season or any season, but we're very mindful that we need to be true to the spirit of the characters. It's fun playing with plot to meet and subvert expectations.

This version of The Governor is different from our first introduction to him in the comics. Still, I really like the changes that have been made. As a comic book fan, I had the expectation that I was going to hate him right away, but you kind of feel bad for him at the end of episode eight. Why was it important to you that the TV version of The Governor would be different?

Glen Mazzara: Even though he's an evil character in the comic book, there is no surprise if we introduce him as a fully evil character from the beginning. If he is that evil and there are no shades of grey to consider, Rick and his group would look too heroic. I want the audience in any particular scene to think The Governor is right or Rick is right.

In Season 2, Hershel sees Rick's group as the plague. They come in, rip open the barn, people are trying to kill each other... it's a total mess. You have to wonder about the morality of this group. To put that in play against a character that the audience is expecting to be evil is exciting and fresh.

David was excited to find layer after layer in this character and peel them back. He still has a long way to go, and it's exciting. That's all by design. The fact that Rick saves Glenn and Maggie by attacking a seemingly innocent town, that they think is an armed camp, is very interesting. As an audience member, whose side are you on?

With Michonne failing to kill The Governor, she'll be partially responsible for his future actions. Is that something that will weigh on her conscience?

Glen Mazzara: I think Michonne needs to justify her actions, but she isn't necessarily a character that we explore the trait of guilt through. She acts decisively and I think a very good example of that is when she kills her pets. We'll have an idea of her relationship to these pets in the back half of the season. They kept her alive for however long and, without question, she puts them down. That's a very decisive action and that's who Michonne is.

She needs to justify her actions, particularly in the next few episodes. Why has she not said that Andrea is at Woodbury? What was her real agenda for going back? Does she try to go back to explain things to Andrea? Does she try to explain her behavior to fit into Rick's group? She doesn't speak a lot, by design, but she has a lot of explaining to do and it will push her out of her comfort zone.

We're going to see Michonne develop. There has been some feedback online about her not speaking much, but we're just meeting this character. Danai has done a fantastic job of introducing the character and we're going to reveal new dimensions to Michonne as we move forward.

Some viewers may also forget just how many characters you've introduced this season. It seems like a difficult job to juggle all of these characters in a way that moves the story forward, and everyone still gets enough screen time.

Glen Mazzara: That's a big thing. For the most part, I think people feel we did a better job this year of developing the characters. With more characters this year, we really had to be economical with what those characters do and what they say.

I'm very proud of the cast and wish they had been recognized with a SAG nomination, because they are just absolutely fantastic. If you think about all they have to convey, it's an incredibly talented cast, and I'm lucky to work with them.

Before we've had the chance to really know the new Season 3 characters, you brought Tyreese and his group into the mix. Why did you feel now was the right time to introduce them to viewers?

Glen Mazzara: If I'm a dealer and have all the cards on the table, I want a wildcard to mix it all up. [Laughs] Things are pretty well split down the middle right now. The Governor is on one side of this upcoming war, with Rick and his group on the other side. Now we introduce Tyreese and his group, which makes it completely unpredictable.

It was Robert Kirkman's idea to cast Chad Coleman and I absolutely love him. He's just absolutely terrific and so are the other new actors. I'm always interested in opening the story up. I want to make it feel real and like danger could come from any which way. It's just fun to bring them in and they have quite a story in the first episode back. Tyreese has a fantastic arc in the back half.

The prison has been a big part of Season 3 so far. What have you done to continue making it interesting and scary for Rick's group in the rest of the season?

Glen Mazzara: The prison is a major character in the show. First you meet the backyard, then the courtyard, and the cell block, and the tomb. We kept peeling layers back and they were designed methodically. Rick was effective in taking back the prison until Hershel loses his leg.

There's one thing that maybe has confused the audience. When we first encountered the prison in the season premiere, Daryl points to fire damage and says that part of the prison is in disarray. We see that when Tyreese goes there, so there is a part of the prison that can never completely be secured unless they erect a fence or something like that.

Right now, our characters are caught between the walkers and The Governor. The governor is furious and wants revenge, and he knows where they live. They have two obstacles to deal with.

With Season 3 filming wrapped up, are you actively working on story ideas for Season 4?

Glen Mazzara: We just wrapped a few weeks ago and locked episode 14 and 15. I'll be working on the cut of 16, so I want to get all of the film in the can. Everyone is planning to enjoy their holidays and come back fresh, trying to figure out how to top what we've done.

Activision is working on a new video game, featuring Daryl and Merle before the events of Season 1. Do you have any involvement with the development of the game's story?

Glen Mazzara: I was sent some material to ask about certain character traits and story points. I gave my feedback about how we're developing those characters in the series, but I was not involved in any approval process. They have kept me in the loop, but I'm focused on the TV series. There are more executive producers on the show who have more experience and I defer to them on that.

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The Walking Dead Season 3 may be taking a break, but we're not. Check back often, as we'll have a number of special features, including an interview with Lew Temple, who plays Axel on the show. To catch up on our recent coverage, visit the following links: