'The Walking Dead' season 8 episode 9 release date, spoilers: Carl's impending death will not stop the all-out war

Promotional photo for season 8 of AMC's "The Walking Dead"Facebook/TheWalkingDeadAMC

The viewers are still reeling from last December's mid-season finale of AMC's "The Walking Dead." Killing off a fan-favorite character is not new in this post-apocalyptic drama, but the fans still could not get over the fact that Carl Grimes (Chandler Riggs) is about to bid his fans goodbye after he revealed to his father, Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) that he was bitten by a walker. Nevertheless, the latest trailer for season 8 episode 9, titled "Honor," shows that even Carl's imminent death cannot overshadow the all-out war that everyone is facing, and other characters might just be as vulnerable.

"The Walking Dead" season 8 episode 9 promo shares a glimpse of some intense and dramatic moments as the show returns from the winter hiatus. If Carl succumbing to a walker bite is not heart-wrenching enough, the trailer reveals that Rick's war against Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and the Saviors will put more lives at stake. With this, Carl will try to give his father a reason to continue the fight before dying.

Interestingly, "The Walking Dead" season 8 episode 9 has already been previewed by selected U.S. entertainment sites, and so far, the reception has been generally positive. Following the biggest cliffhanger scene in the history of the AMC series, Den of Geek believes that the upcoming episode will bring the much-needed resolution for the characters. Episode 9 is also said to feature the same flash-forward scenes from the season 8 premiere, wherein the fans will get another glimpse of the Old Man Rick. This time around, the episode will give more details regarding this vision of Rick's future, and it might be confirmed if the Old Man Rick sequence is real or just an imagination.

Of course, "The Walking Dead" season 8 episode 9 will reveal the outcome of Carl's apparent death. As this will be the last time that the character will be seen on the show, it can be expected that the episode will be mostly about Carl and his heart-breaking farewell to the people he loves, most especially to Rick and Michonne (Danai Gurira). Even so, the threat of the Saviors still exists, as the new trailer teases a face-off between Negan's men and the Scavengers, which were recently courted by Rick for an alliance. There is also a particular scene where Michonne is cornered by a group of walkers in the Junkyard.

"The Walking Dead" season 8 episode 9 will air on Feb. 25, Sunday, at 9 p.m. EST on AMC.