When 'The Walking Dead' season 8 went on a break at the end of last year, the show didn't leave without dealing one of its biggest blows to viewers of all time. With the reveal of a zombie bite on the abdomen of main character Carl Grimes (Chandler Riggs), it quickly became clear that Rick Grimes' (Andrew Lincoln) son wasn't going to last very much longer on the show. Deviating from the Robert Kirkman comic books and the story they've told, it wasn't something that anybody saw coming.

Lennie James and Andrew Lincoln as Morgan and Rick in 'The Walking Dead'Lennie James and Andrew Lincoln as Morgan and Rick in 'The Walking Dead'

Whilst a vocal portion of the show's fan base rebelled against the decision and even set up an online petition to call for the sacking of showrunner Scott Gimple, the move is one that writers will likely see pay off in future episodes. In fact, the midseason premiere that's set to air this February and bring the series back from its winter break will waste no time in doing just that.

Speaking with EW, director Greg Nicotero has opened up about his first time watching the season 8 midseason premiere and said that he thought it was one of the most powerful episodes the series has ever produced. Comparing it to the season 5 midseason premiere that saw Tyreese (Chad Coleman) killed off, the director said that watching the episode made him very emotional, with tears flowing 20 minutes in.

Carl won't immediately be a goner in the episode, with Nicotero's tease instead suggesting that he will be allowed to process what's going to happen to him and his short time left before finally biting the bullet. One of the biggest decisions that will have to be made by Carl and his fellow characters in the show however will be exactly who finishes him off before he can become a part of the living dead. It's going to be an emotional offering, and we can't wait to watch it all go down.

More: 'The Walking Dead' Changes Forever With Zombie Bite In Season 8's Midseason Finale

'The Walking Dead' season 8 returns on Sunday, February 25 in the US on AMC, and on Monday, February 26 in the UK on FOX.