Episode titles and brief synopses for each of The Walking Dead season eight's first three episodes have been revealed ahead of the show's return. After finding themselves at the mercy of the sadistic Negan for much of season 7, Rick and his merry band of zombie apocalypse survivors will find themselves embroiled in "All Out War" in the highly anticipated forthcoming run of episodes.

With this season being entirely devoted to the conflict between Alexandria and The Saviors, interviews with the cast and crew have, perhaps unsurprisingly, promised viewers plenty of action, violence, carnage and death as the Negan situation reaches boiling point. Such excitement arguably comes at the perfect time too, as The Walking Dead's season 7 finale posted disappointing viewership figures by the show's own very high standards.

Adding to the excitement ahead of the season 8 premiere later this month, the first three episode titles have now been revealed (via Spoiler TV). In order, they are: "Mercy," "The Damned" and "Monsters." Also unveiled is a synopsis for each episode, which read as follows:

"Mercy" - Rick and his group, along with the Kingdom and Hilltop, have banded together to bring the fight to Negan and the Saviors.

"The Damned" - The plan involving Alexandrians, Kingdommers and Hilltoppers unfolds; as Rick continues to fight, he encounters a familiar face.

"Monster" - Conflict with the Saviors leads to unintended consequences for the Hilltop, the Kingdom, and Alexandria; morality proves tricky in wartime.

Although the three episode names fail to give much away and are, to be honest, reasonably generic The Walking Dead titles, the synopses are far more intriguing, particularly those concerning the second and third episodes. The most notable questions that arise are which "familiar face" will Rick encounter in episode 2 and what kind of moral struggle will take place in the third offering. Mysteries aside, the early indications are that season 8 of The Walking Dead will be a fast-paced affair, with the conflict clearly accelerating into full swing straight out of the gate.

Regarding Rick's encounter in episode 2, it's possible that a surprise character return could be on the cards. It was recently confirmed that plans were afoot for Heath to eventually return to The Walking Dead and although producer Scott M. Gimple claimed that was unlikely to happen this season, some misdirection could be at play here. Alternatively, the synopsis could simply be alluding to a character that Rick hasn't seen for a while but that has still been on-screen, such as one of his two recent betrayers Jadis and Eugene. He'd certainly have plenty to say to those two...

MORE: Jeffrey Dean Morgan Wants Negan Backstory Episode

The Walking Dead season 8 premieres October 22th on AMC.

Source: SpoilerTV