The Walking Dead midseason premiere will be supersized

When The Walking Dead season 8 returns in February, the midseason premiere will be extended by 22 minutes.

If you were worried you wouldn’t have enough time to say goodbye to Carl Grimes (Chandler Riggs) when The Walking Dead returns on February 25, then allow us to put your mind at ease, as Entertainment Weekly has revealed the season 8 midseason premiere will be a whopping 82 minutes in length.

When it was revealed that Carl had been bitten by a walker, fans knew his time had come. Despite the fact that he is still living in the comics, the show has decided to take a different path — a fact that has left not only the fans a bit miffed. Actor Norman Reedus wasn’t pleased when he found out about Carl’s tragic fate and he told EW how he really felt.

"I was desperately unhappy about that. I’ve seen Chandler grow up from a little boy. I’ve known that kid so long, and it always hurts when you lose a family member on the show. Chandler is definitely a family member to me. I was not happy about it. I always thought Chandler would be the last man standing, to be honest."

We always thought he’d be the last man standing, too. However, the show must go on, and thanks to director/executive producer Greg Nicotero, we can prepare for an emotionally charged 82 minutes.

"I think it’s one of our most powerful episodes that we’ve ever produced. When I watched the first cut of this episode, tears were coming out of my eyes 20 minutes into it."

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Well, I guess we’ll all have to get through it together. The Walking Dead season 8 returns Sunday night, February 25, at 8 PM CT, on AMC. Bring your tissues.