In the closing moments of The Walking Dead midseason seven premiere, Rick and his gang are surrounded by a mysterious new group ominously clutching weapons.

This is not the first time we've seen this group - only in the previous episode, the midseason finale 'Hearts Still Beating,' did viewers see an unseen figure spying on not only Rick and Aaron as they crossed the island on a boat to gather supplies, but on Father Gabriel as he took the Alexandria night watch shift.

Rick is prompted to return to the scene having discovered Gabriel wrote the word 'BOAT' in his bible before taking the group's food and weapons and driving off into the night.

But who is this dangerous-looking group?

The episode's director Greg Nicotero has shed some light on the situation in an interview with Entertainment Weekly: “We've teased this mysterious stranger that was at the lake and followed them back to Alexandria, so we don't know much about that group. We don't know if they’re good guys. We don't know if they're bad guys, but in the storytelling fashion of The Walking Dead, we always like to introduce these communities so that later they play a bigger part.”

In our five major talking points from the midseason finale, we predicted that this group would turn out to be the Whisperers, an entire new clan featured in the show's comic book counterpart. But it's also worth noting that perhaps they could be either a resurgence of The Wolves or even Oceanside, the collective Tara (Alanna Masterson) came across after being separated from Heath (Corey Hawkins) on their supply run.

The most shocking Walking Dead moments Show all 10 1 /10 The most shocking Walking Dead moments The most shocking Walking Dead moments Sophie's a walker (season 2, episode 7) Much of season two's opening half is spent looking for Sophia, the missing daughter of Carol (Melissa McBride). Turns out she was locked up in Hershel's barn as a zombie all along. The most shocking Walking Dead moments Shane reanimates without being bitten (season 2, episode 12) When Carl (Chandler Riggs) guns down a deranged Shane (Jon Bernthal) to protect his father, the shock arrives when he manifests into a walker despite not being bitten; turns out everyone's infected with the virus and will turn whichever way they die. The most shocking Walking Dead moments Axel's bullet to the eye (season 3, episode 10) A character introduced in the show's prison arc, Axel is a reformed prisoner who strikes up a friendship with Carol - until he's gunned down mid-sentence. The most shocking Walking Dead moments Carl kills Lori after she gives birth (season 3, episode 4) Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies) goes into labour at the very moment a zombie siege breaks out at the prison. Unfortunately, she doesn't make it through the procedure with her son Carl being the one to put a bullet to her head. The most shocking Walking Dead moments The Governor slays Hershel (season 4, episode 8) The Governor makes his dramatic return for a showdown at the prison after he captures Michonne (Danai Gurira) and Hershel (Scott Wilson). Rick reaches out, attempting to reason with him - but The Governor starts a war when he proceeds to decapitate poor old Hershel instead. The most shocking Walking Dead moments "Look at the flowers" (season 4, episode 14) In a standout episode from the show's fourth season, Carol is forced to take drastic measures when young teenager Lizzie murders her sister Mika in the belief that she'll live on as a zombie. Realising Lizzie's depraved mind would endanger those around her, Carol puts a gun to the young girl's head and, telling her to "look at the flowers," pulls the trigger, fighting back the tears. The most shocking Walking Dead moments Carl's bullet to the eye (season 6, episode 9) Season six returned from its mid-season break in typically dramatic fashion when an iconic moment from the graphic novels came to life: Carl takes a bullet to the eye. The most shocking Walking Dead moments Beth is killed (season 5, episode 8) Upon being kidnapped, Beth (Emily Kinney) is taken to Grady Memorial Hospital managed by Atlanta Law Enforcement. Forced to reside there against her will, the group - including Rick and Daryl (Norman Reedus) - eventually find her - only for her to be accidentally shot in the head by her captor. The worst thing? Her sister Maggie (Lauren Cohan) had just arrived outside. The most shocking Walking Dead moments Negan kills Abraham Season seven opened in brutal form as we discovered it was Abraham (Michael Cudlitz) at the opposite end of Negan's baseball bat. "Suck my nuts," the soldier growls as the Saviours' leader brings Lucille raining down on his head until nothing remains but a pulpy mess. The most shocking Walking Dead moments Negan kills Glenn Negan decides to punish the group once more after getting clocked round the face by Daryl. Without expectation, he thwacks Lucille round the head of poor Glenn. With his eyeball popping out of his head, he manages: "I'll find you, Maggie before Negan proceeds to finish the job ending the former pizza delivery boy's life.

Showrunner Scott Gimple has promised that the next episode will offer up immediate answers, teasing that “a whole new world is discovered.”

The episode, titled 'Rock in the Road,' was dedicated to a crew member who tragically passed away last year.