AMC has released a brief new trailer for the The Walking Dead Season 8 midseason premiere, with the back half of the season kicking off on February 25. If you didn't watch the first half of this explosive run, there will be SPOILERS below, particularly for one beloved character. The show has been in a well-publicized ratings slide as of late, but it's possible that this highly-anticipated mid-season premiere in a few weeks could help put the show back on the right track. This is your last chance to avoid spoilers, so stop reading now if you don't want to learn any more about the new episodes.

The trailer begins with Alexandria being set ablaze, as Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne (Danai Gurira) help Carl (Chandler Riggs), with the younger Grimes looking rather close to death. It was revealed in the mid-season finale that Carl had been bit on his torso, meaning that he will die, with his death in the mid-season premiere confirmed on Talking Dead. Unfortunately we don't see more of Carl in this brief trailer, but there is a shot of Enid (Kaitlyn Nacon) stating that "The Saviors are coming," along with a number of action shots featuring Daryl (Norman Reedus), Morgan (Lennie James), Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and more.

One of the more intriguing shots features Rick telling a distraught King Ezekiel that "it's already too late," although it isn't quite clear what he's referring too. It's possible that King Ezekiel is considering surrendering himself and his forces at The Kingdom over to Negan and The Saviors, although it's Rick who's trying to tell Ezekiel that it's too late for that. Things haven't been going so great for Ezekiel this season, after his pet tiger Shiva was killed, and it seems that the King may not have much fight left in him.

There is also a shot where Rick tells an unseen enemy that, "This is when you die," along with a shot of Tara (Alanna Masterson) pointing a gun with a silencer at Dwight (Austin Amelio). Dwight has stated in the past that he wants Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) dead, but in the comics Dwight served as a "double agent," and he took control of the Saviors and called an end to the All Out War. There was a two year time gap between the All Out War comics and the next volume, A New Beginning, where Dwight served as the Saviors leader before ultimately leaving the group.

On the other side of the conflict, Negan has to wrangle control over the ensuing power struggle in Sanctuary. At the periphery, Aaron and Enid have their trust tested with Oceanside's survivors, Father Gabriel looks to help bring Dr. Carson to Hilltop in one piece, and Maggie has to make a tough decision with far-reaching consequences regarding the fate of the POWs in a standoff with the Saviors. The Walking Dead continues to be the most watched TV drama for adults 18-49, and the back half of the latest season should help the show keep its crown with tales of action and suspense that are sure to reverberate in the series' future. Take a look at this new trailer, courtesy of AMC YouTube.