With the promise of an “intense” Walking Dead season 3, we can expect to see a lot of action and a lot of emotion from our band of survivors. They’ve moved beyond the comfort of Herschel’s farm, and the group has to make it on the road.

“The first five minutes is a very, very important five minutes,” hints Andrew Lincoln, who portrays our beloved leader Rick Grimes, when the cast talked to Xfinity on Tuesday.

“It is a very clever thing that they have done, but that is all that we can say. It is a quiet four minutes. It is a brilliant teaser. It tells so much about the emotional and real state of the group with no dialogue. You learn everything you need to know visually. It is very bold and smart.”

So don’t miss those first few minutes grabbing your drinks and popcorn, park yourself in front of your TV with enough time to get settled.

If you are familiar with the graphic novel version of the series, you know that creator Robert Kirkman is not afraid of killing off some of the much-adored characters in the books. And from what we’ve seen so far in seasons 1 and 2 of The Walking Dead, showrunner Glen Mazarra and crew aren’t timid about doing the same.

“It is something we take very seriously,” Mazarra says of the deaths. “People become very close to these cast members. It is very difficult when you have to call an actor and say, ‘We are going to kill off your character.’ But we do what is right for the show and, I think, people do expect the fact that no one is safe. There is a version of this show where you say, ‘Oh, they are really not going to kill off that character.’ That happens a lot on TV. That is not this show. We make bold choices and we take it very seriously. It has to make sense for the story and give us some type of emotional new story for the survivors.”

We also know from season 3 trailers and official AMC photos that much of this season has Rick’s group commandeering a prison, which creates a new set of challenges for our cast.

“That prison is like a haunted house,” says Mazzara, who adds that it is his favorite TV set of all the years he has worked in the medium. “There are challenges within that prison. It is not necessarily as safe as everybody thinks. That is something our group has to take and there is sacrifice involved in that. Then there is also the aesthetic of the show. We wanted to build something that was as gritty and realistic as possible. This is not a sleek, polished prison. It is scary. It feels real.”

The Governor, a feared character from the novels, is also making his debut this season. David Morrissey, who plays this new antagonist, tries to give the Governor a little credit, even if how he is expected to affect our original gang could be considered quite evil.

“I think he believes what he is doing is for a good cause.”

Michonne is another fan favorite of the comics, and we’ll be seeing a lot more of her this year. Danai Gurira, who plays the tough lady, says, “When you choose not to become a victim in a world this hostile, who she becomes, to me, is logical.”

We wouldn’t mess with her. We know she can wield a katana.

What are you most looking forward to in The Walking Dead season 3?