'Fear The Walking Dead' Episode 1 Opening Scene Released Online; What We Know About The Premiere So Far

Although “Fear the Walking Dead” feels like a distant concept to some fans of “The Walking Dead,” the fact of the matter is that the companion series is here and it’s hoping to capture viewer’s attention in a big way. To help get people excited for the Aug. 23 premiere of the “Walking Dead” companion series, AMC has released the opening scene from the pilot episode.

The exclusive clip dropped on both the “Fear the Walking Dead” and “Walking Dead” official Facebook pages on Aug. 20. It looks like it finally reveals the cause of a previously released clip from the show in which Nick Clark (Frank Dillane) was seen running half-clothed in the middle of a Los Angeles street. Now we see exactly what he was running from.

The clip opens on Dillane’s character waking up in an old abandoned church. “Walking Dead” creator Robert Kirkman previously revealed details about the character to Entertainment Weekly that somewhat explain his state when we’re introduced to the character. After flunking out of college, Nick finds his way into the Los Angeles underbelly of crime and drug use. It’s not unreasonable to assume that he’s coming off of a drug bender when he wakes up on the floor.

The character calls out for someone named Gloria as he calmly walks around the dilapidated, graffiti-filled house of worship – adding some serious religious imagery to the apocalyptic series. Things get decidedly less calm once Nick discovers a man lying dead on the stairs with a pretty sizeable chunk ripped out of his neck. Fans obviously recognize this as a walker bite, but the character just sees a vicious crime scene. He picks up a bit of metal and continues looking for Gloria. Unfortunately, as expected, Gloria turns out to be a walker that is midway through munching on another victim’s face.

Believe it or not, there’s actually more to Gloria’s origin story than meets the eye in this brief three and a half minute clip. Previously, ComicBook referred to Gloria, played by actress and “Walking Dead” mega-fan Lexi Johnson, as "patient zero" of the zombie apocalypse. It’s unclear if the actress’ characterization of herself is meant in the sense that she’s the first walker to appear on the new series or if she’ll have some kind of expanded role on the show. The smart money is on the former as the series creators have routinely said that, just because “Fear the Walking Dead” takes place at the onset of the zombie apocalypse, doesn’t mean the show will explore the cause or origins of the virus.

You can click HERE to watch the clip via the “Fear the Walking Dead” official Facebook page. Once you’ve watched the intense scene the standard two or three times, comment below or tweet your thoughts on the upcoming series to @TylerMcCarthy.