Just read back after being away for a few weeks and watched the last 2 episodes together, along with the talking dead.
Definitely confirmed that the next 2 episodes are Rick's last (confirmed in the Talking Dead)
My stand on A and B is:
A = A leader, and person of great use (potentially to help lead the regeneration and rebuilding of mankind?)
B = A Sheep, a follower, and complicite person that will follow orders and help do the manual rebuild.
One last thing that immediately came to mind after the first episode and the new opening credits - does anyone else take my stance that the storyline is very much going down the War of the Worlds route with the birds? That is the first thing that came to my mind after seeing it, and take note every episode there seems to be a cutscene were a flock of birds (specifically crows) flies up from the trees. The opening credits seem to suggest that a tree without leaves bursts into green life when the birds fly up. I might be wrong, but it seems quite obvious to me..
The new season is refreshing so far, hopefully it continues. Maggie is definitely being setup to be Rick's replacement, and after the mention this week about the record collector and her two twins, along with the return of the helicopter people, I hope it goes more down that route rather than focussing on an "in" war amongst the groups.. I think we have been there too many times. As a backstory fair enough, but not the main topic, it needs to branch out and focus on the bigger picture. This would also give them a chance to start linking TWD and FTWD storylines more closely also.
I know they are his last but there is still something that says to me that he'll be back in some capacity. Reason being and this isn't the writers fault but why would they market the season based on one big fat spoiler, aka "Rick Grimes' Final Episodes"? Yeah leaks happen all the time in shows and more so with an extra or someone releasing a snap. They could've just said nothing and let speculation grow. They didn't need to confirm the departure of an actor, that has ran the lead role for 8.33 seasons. It just seems bizarre marketing. Likely as well many won't tune in until S9E5 because of this and they will have missed some good episodes. Episodes that may have increased their viewers. It's what seasons are backed upon. Anyway they've gone with that angle so, whatever.
Good pointers on the A/B theories. I think we all have a similar line of thought on this but with our own twists. A = Leader/Intelligent/Useful (Negan/Rick/Maggie), B = To follow command. That's why Jadis had Negan on the trolley at the Scrapheap towards end of S8, while signalling/awaiting contact with the helicopter *flares*. This is why I think she'll trade/sacrifice Rick to ensure her freedom. Fthr Gabriel is a B but he's not a muggy one. There's definitely a much bigger picture building in all this and I do love the development of Jadis/Anne.
On the credits part as I pointed out before they have always foreshadowed the characters outcomes or links to things so I'd say watch the opening credits and look at what accompanies each main actor. There's usually stuff to be extracted there. Like previously, Alanna Masterson (Tara) and the boat implied Oceanside. Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Negan) and the iron revealed one of his torture techniques. If you can stomach me going back through largely what I can remember and some I will have to confirm but I believe the 'Crows' have been present in every sequence change of opening credits. Let's take a look back and pick out some key foreshadows and confirm those crows;
Go to the bottom if you want a quicker answer S1 = Not much to foreshadow but the 'Little Girl' Teddy Bear makes an appearance, Dale's RV and a shot of a building with Steven Yeun titled alongside (Rick encountered Glenn via radio in the Tank but Glenn was on a rooftop in Atlanta).
Counting Crows = Two. On the road pecking away at a dead animal corpse.
S2 = No change, just the addition of Norman Reedus (Daryl) to the titles and the odd Producer
Counting Crows = Two. As above.
S3 = Change of Titles. Danai Gurira added. Foreshadowing of Morgan's location during his "Clear" cameo in S3. Steven Yeun credit appears next to Hershel's pocket watch, which he later inherits and of course the Prison is shown.
Counting Crows = Several fly in the background at the very opening of the titles. Blink and you miss them.
S4 = Same titles as S3 with a few changes. Scott Wilson (Hershel) and Melissa McBride (Carol) added. Lauren Cohan credit appears next to a large leafy tree (see below). We also see a Bone saw which foreshadows the Terminus Cannibals.
Counting Crows = Blink as much as you like. In the large leafy tree that appears next to Lauren Cohan credit, a huge bunch of them fly out of it, possibly 100 of them.
S5 = Title Change. Centred on capture but with similar reference to previous vignettes. There's homage to 'Brian Heriot' The Governor's alter ego when he befriended Tara's family. In about 10-20 frames it says "Brian Heriot we love you. Brian Heriot do not go home." and crossed out words behind. There is Ricks bag of weapons that he concealed in S4. We get minor foreshadowing of the Cannibals Cult revelation with melted bloody church candles and also the route map to DC that Abraham gives to Rick.
Counting Crows = Two putrefied trees adorned with corvids. About 25.
S6 = No changes. Just rearrangement and promotion of actors to title credits. A pointer that Glenn's Pocket watch has featured since and could well have been a foreshadow for borrowed time?
Counting Crows = As S5.
S7 = While retaining much of S6 it adds now recogniseable and prominent foreshadows in Tara's Oceanside boat and beach, Eugene's Ammunition Foundry, Rosita's lookout (to sniper Negan from), and of course Negan's 'Lucille' and the iron in the furnace. All actors titles compliment each vignette. It's the first time we have significant items pointing to story direction.
Counting Crows = The same crow sequence that appears as in S5&6.
S8 = Again largely the same but with fill ins. Michonne gets her Katana featured and it has a biohazard symbol etched on it...Fthr Gabe has a sewer extract point so that could foreshadow maybe his escape from Jadis in S9 (pure guess) it could just be foreshadowing Carl's heroic move to sending the Alexandrians down to the sewers before he dies. We have Aaron feature on the titles with a burnt out car and dilapidated house.
Counting Crows = As S5,S6&7.
S9 = Title change after four seasons of mostly the same vignettes we get a refreshed and more animated look. After the crows which dominate the first part and subsequently fly away, we get a skull with a garden fork surrounded by blossom/orchid pierced through it and Daryl's bow with three arrows. Helicopter cuts through (Jadis link) and reveals two silhouetted characters on horseback who look like Rick & Michonne. That falls back to reveal graves in a forest, some basic, some headstones (unidentified but could point to obvious later key deaths). Michonne's Katana is present too. Ross Marquand's name (Aaron) then appears under Rick's/Coral's Sheriff hat on a gate and accompanied by a walker. It then reveals a walled ruin of some kind. Keep with me...It backs under the entrance to Alexandria and we have Rick's .45 Calibre and Negan's Lucille laid atop of each other. The words "Final Warning" (We saw this in S9E3 I think and the Oceanside girl...Cyndie mentions it I think) are inscribed on the internal walls of Alexandria and appear in the background. That's followed by Daryl's motorbike and a merge into Hilltop. The rebuilding of building and then a noose dangles down (a la Gregory's execution). This cuts away so a shabby looking windmill, over a bridge surrounded by trees. It suddenly lights up from the windows and doors and then we're flooded with crows. They clear and it cuts back to the 'Walker' from the ruins but on what looks like open moorland and a chunk of walkers in the background. The camera/animation orbits the walker 180 degrees, where we end up behind it and facing the Windmill from distance. We pan away from the staggering Walker and come out through the 'N' of the now overgrown 'THE WALKING DEAD' title.
Counting Crows = Bloody loads of them
Phew! Apologies Berni
As for linking/crossing/merging with FTWD, yep that could well happen. FTWD timeline is nearly in line with TWD timeline now. It's possible or my thoughts that TWDS9 Finale could merge with FTWDS5 Premiere (similar to TWDS8 Finale linked Morgan straight into FTWDS4 Premiere).
Any way I'm done.
As for the corvids. Yep they've featured in every opening credits so that could be the long running link. Well maybe an international link and that could be how the TWD world explores further. This is prevalent in many zombie flicks, as you mention WOTW, 28 Days Later, and many others. A side note though; Corvids our symbolic of death and in film of course we see them in the classic Hitchcock film. A group of crows is known as a "Murder of crows" so it could just be a nod to that and considering the show is largely focused around the dead.