[Honolulu_Blue]

Some thoughts on last night's episode...

To address the point Jon raised in his *spolier* warning: zombies using rocks. It's an interesting debate, well, for those who debate such things. I have always been pretty firmly in the "zombies can't use tools", including rocks, camp. That said, I don't think a zombie using a rock to try and break a window is a huge break in zombie tradition. In fact, if you go back and watch Romero's "Night of The Living Dead", I believe in the very first scene where Barbara is at the cemetry, she gets in her car and the zombie who is chasing her actually picks up a rock and tries to (and perhaps does) break the car window with the rock. So, since Romero is the grand daddy of zombie movies, there is definitely an argument for zombies using rocks.

Then again, it's a slippery slope basing things on Romero, since by the craptacular "Land of the Dead" zombies were using assault rifles to put their zombie brethern out of misery. So, let's not talk about that.

As for not seeing any zombies using rocks in the first episode, I don't think we ever saw the zombies getting all riled up and trying to break through a window to get at people. So, I am not sure if it's fair to say that the show is being internally inconsistent. It's only the second episode, so I think the show is still developing its "zombie rules" if you will.

So far, it seems like "Walking Dead" zombies are almost a middle ground between the slow, lumbering zombies in the Romero films and the fast, running zombies in the "Dawn of the Dead" re-make. They are slow and lumbering until "riled" up. When riled up, they don't run and jump and get all frenetic like the "DOD" re-make zombies, but they do seem to shuffle at a greater pace and were climbing the chain linked fence and even seemed to game to try and climb the ladder.

I don't mind this "middle of the road" approach. It makes sense and makes zombies much more of a threat, particular in a group and riled up, like Morgan warned of.

Ah, Michael Rooker. The moment I saw you on the screen, I knew you'd be some crazy ass redneck, because that is something you do so well. It's so very you. Initially, I was kind of annoyed with that character. It's not surprising that some crazy-ass rednecks who can shoot would survive longer than most. That said, if they are so fucking unstable that they become a liability then what's the point of having them around? I suppose that he just flipped out up on the roof because he had just learned that they were trapped in the store and, therefore, under pressue his redneck rampage blew up. Still, Rick was right. You can't have that kind of in-fighting anymore.

It was nice to see them inject a little humor with Glen.

I really enjoyed. The hour just flies right on by.

They changed some things from the comic, but I am totally on board with it.

For those interested in the differences (THESE AREN'T SPOLIERS):

1. Glen finds Rick in Atlanta and Glen is alone. He's not with a group.

2. Other than Andrea, the blonde woman in Atlanta, none of those other characters trapped in the Departmenr store, Michael Rooker included, are in the comic.

3. The Shane/Lori relationship was a lot different. They did hook up, but only once, and it was sort of a "heat of the moment" type of thing. It wasn't this on-going, kissing and romping around all the time sort of thing.

The opening scene with Shane and Lori was well shot with the ring in the foreground and all, but seriously, why would Lori go out by herself to pick mushrooms? She didn't go out with Shane, she walked off on her own. No one goes by themselves anywhere. I know they did it to set up that scene, but still...