The Walking Dead -- TV Series Thread

[thesloppy]

I had the same problem with the zombie guts.

In fact last night's show did a pretty good job of damping my enthusiasm for this show in general. The entire group in the mall were pretty poorly acted and written, from the way they lazily tossed around expository dialog, to how they ham-fistedly, shoehorned in incredibly specific character knowledge at just the right time, to how they somehow timed all of their critical personality conflicts to happen just at the moment of the arrival of the sheriff.

The pilot promised an atmospheric, moody and more personal version of the zombie trope. This second episode felt like warmed over crap.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Not that it comes as any big surprise, but it's just been confirmed. There will be a full 13 episode second season of "Walking Dead".

The Zombies Live! AMC Gives The Walking Dead a Second Season - E! Online

The Walking Dead, AMC's new zombie series, has been renewed for a full 13-episode second season, the network has confirmed.

The undead apocalypse show debuted on Halloween to record-breaking ratings, and last night's second episode posted similarly impressive numbers.

"I wish all programming decisions were no brainers like this one," AMC senior VP Sharon Tal Yguado said.

[JediKooter]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

"I wish all programming decisions were no brainers like this one," AMC senior VP Sharon Tal Yguado said.

Pun intended?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by JediKooter

Pun intended?

[Bad-example]

...brains...want brains...want big, creative, delicious brains to write believable plots, interesting characters and acceptable dialogue...brains...

I think the show really looks great. I'm curious to see if they can make it work long term. They seem to have the nuts and bolts down. I hope the writers can make it float.

[Scoobz0202]

After recently reading the compendium I'm just really excited. The one thing the comic lacked was solid writing, and the tv series seems like it has that. If they don't drastically change the comic then, man, we are in store for some crazy shit.

[Raiders Army]

Originally Posted by Scoobz0202

After recently reading the compendium I'm just really excited. The one thing the comic lacked was solid writing, and the tv series seems like it has that. If they don't drastically change the comic then, man, we are in store for some crazy shit.

Yeah. We watched the first two episodes last night. I had already seen the first episode, but my wife hadn't. She is a scaredy cat and wanted to know everything in advance. I told her...and also told her who ultimately lives and dies.

Spoiler

As in Rick, Carl, and Glenn are the only characters that live...and Rick loses his hand to the Gov'ner

[Subby]

The guts scene was pretty solid in the comic, but the way they portrayed it on the show cranked it up about 1,000 notches. Absolutely fantastic job with the visuals. It was fucking awful and I might have thrown up a little bit just watching it.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Article about how solid the ratings have been & how they debunk several myths about cable shows.
‘The Walking Dead’ Ratings Recap + Episode 3 Predictions & Poll


edit to add: posted wrong link first time

[Honolulu_Blue]

I just watched the "Dead Set" series.

It's been airing on IFC.

It was really good. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good zombie show/movie. It's only 5 episodes long. First one is about an hour, the other 4 are less than a half hour. Good stuff.

[SteveMax58]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

I had the same problem with the zombie guts.

In fact last night's show did a pretty good job of damping my enthusiasm for this show in general. The entire group in the mall were pretty poorly acted and written, from the way they lazily tossed around expository dialog, to how they ham-fistedly, shoehorned in incredibly specific character knowledge at just the right time, to how they somehow timed all of their critical personality conflicts to happen just at the moment of the arrival of the sheriff.

The pilot promised an atmospheric, moody and more personal version of the zombie trope. This second episode felt like warmed over crap.

Yep...same here. Just watched the 2nd episode last night on my DVR & it's starting to feel like Lost or Jericho to me (or more than it should).

I'll keep watching it for at least a couple more episodes but the 2nd episode has it a little...meh..

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by brassmonkey32

does it follow the comic book exactly?

No.

[Scoobz0202]

The first episode was really close. The second episode, not so much. The second episode took elements from the comic book and made them happen out of the timeline (nothing major, mainly atmospheric. Rubbing guts over their body..) in the comic book. He also met a group of people for most of the second episode that were not in the book.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by brassmonkey32

does it follow the comic book exactly?

No. Based on some earlier spoilered conversations here, there are expanded roles for some characters, additional characters, and at least some compression of events (i.e. the hero starts out in Georgia, rather than in Kentucky).

[JonInMiddleGA]

Ep 3 underway East Coast

[Peregrine]

I'm not sure if this is bothering anyone else, but I was quite annoyed in the third episode about the constant mentions of them being short of things -guns, tools, and food. They have vehicles, and were willing to go into Atlanta for supplies, how hard is it for them to go to some smaller, less dangerous town and loot a Home Depot and Wal-Mart?

[samifan24]

While I'm still enjoying the show, I am finding that some of the dialogue is "too cute" or I roll my eyes because it sounds like something made to be a TV show or movie line and not really what someone would say in real life.

The only example I can think of in last night's episode was the dialogue between Rick and Shane as Rick is leaving to return to Atlanta. I just found those few lines to be cringe worthy but I may be in the minority here. I thought the episode overall was decent and I thought they rushed the Rick/wife reunion.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by samifan24

I thought the episode overall was decent and I thought they rushed the Rick/wife reunion.

I'm okay with the reunion at this point, mostly because I was afraid they would get too bogged down in the soapy aspects of that plot line. Still could, but at least the first shoe has been dropped & is out of the way.

One of the things that surprised me most about last night was the low body - two, IIRC - but they managed to keep the episode from dragging IMO. I think that says something about the overall tension level they've created in their universe, even when nothing is happening you still tend to lean forward in expectation that it might happen at any moment.

On the down side, I get the point about not being able to pick your neighbors/companions & how that can lead to being forced to deal with a lot of assholes, but the introduction of the abusive husband so close to dealing with the aging skinhead last week ... well, it just seemed a bit much.

edit to add: Oh, about the timing of the reunion. I think we have to remember that when these eps were written/filmed, they only had a six episode order in hand. I suspect they felt at least a little bit of pressure to kind of keep key plot points moving along in order to reach their desired conclusion.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Peregrine raises a good point. There are a ton of suburbs and exurbs around Atlanta. I am sure there are multiple strip malls that would have some supplies.

That said, those places would have likely been looted very early on, so perhaps that's the reason. Still, you wouldn't think that Home Depot would have been looted of all its tools and what not.

I thought the third episode was better written than the last one. The dialogue seemed a lot more natural and there was better flow to it. I think they've done a good job setting up the Shane/Rick/Lori situation. It's much more nuanced in the show than it ever was in the comic.

I agree that some of the characters are a bit stock, like the redneck brothers and the wife beating guy, but the whole you can't pick your group/humans are as dangerous, if not more, than the zombies is pretty much standard "Zombie Movie 101" type stuff. You need to have that kind of intra-group tension and conflict. Without it, the zombie threat doesn't pack the same kind of punch.

Like, Jon, I felt like the episode flew right by. The show is always an incredibly quick hour for me. There was a low body count, only a few scenes with the zombies, but it totally held my interest.

I am really glad this show is getting a second season.

[Peregrine]

I am enjoying the show and the characters, but like I said before, I just feel like there's not much effort to show the kind of real survival measures that would be needed in a situation like that. They haven't really said how long the zombie plague has been going on, but I assume it's a few weeks rather than months - you'd think they'd be stocking up a year's supply of canned food and guns, gas, etc while they can. And what's with all the cars parked willy-nilly in the camp? Wouldn't they have used them to form some kind of barricade, put up some fencing, etc?

I guess I will have to treat it as a regular drama set in a zombie world instead of a "realistic" type show. It's still a lot of fun to watch.

[Swaggs]

I (stupidly) watched the entire Steelers-Pats game, but really wanted to watch this last night and, after debating going to bed, got around to it around 12:30. I thought it was a great episode and I probably would have stayed up for another couple of hours to see what was going to happen next.

It just flew by for me. The only slow part, for me, was Rick and his wife's "reunion" in the tent. It seemed to take about 2-3 minutes too long. I would have rather seen them spend that time killing zombies.

[JediKooter]

Good episode last night. Would have liked to have seen a bit more action, but, still an overall good 3rd episode.

[Sun Tzu]

For everyone asking for a more realistic feel, you're expecting that a group of strangers would be able to think clearly in a time of unimaginable reality. Personally, I think the very fact that a misfit band of people has been able to band together out in the boondocks without drawing the attention of 5,000 Z's is impressive as hell. We're just three episodes in, and some people are wondering why they haven't shown a full season's worth of prep/character development/Z decapitations.

The show is moving along at a pace that I would expect assuming that all of this actually went down. I'm very happy with how it's gone so far. I don't expect more than one or two people to have any composure, so whatever so-called "cringe worthy" dialogue has come up, I just look at as being that much more realistic.

Just my $0.02, being a 20+ year Z-head.

[thesloppy]

If anything, all the dialog on this show suffers from too much composure, and the stuff most worthy of cringing comes from trying to jam in too much (shoddy) character development into a tiny time frame.

And the third episode just caused me to echo the thoughts I had after the second episode...the pilot had me interested in a moody take on the zombie theme, with a lone character wandering into and out of random situations, struggling to cope with zombie reality, and its unique challenges. Instead, he was reunited with his wife, child, and an old friend (and romantic rival) in barely any time, and thrown into a tired group dynamic we've seen a million times before in any number of movies/shows. It seems pretty obvious that the majority of plot action is now going to be centered on interpersonal/relationship bullshit in a zombie setting, rather than straight up survival. Certainly there's a place for such stuff, but as SteveMax noted, those themes aren't all that unique in today's TV world (the Jericho comparison, with it's many post-apocalyptic love triangles, seems particularly apt after 3 episodes), and it's not the show I was looking for, nor the one I thought I was getting after the pilot.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

If anything, all the dialog on this show suffers from too much composure, and the stuff most worthy of cringing comes from trying to jam in too much (shoddy) character development into a tiny time frame.

And the third episode just caused me to echo the thoughts I had after the second episode...the pilot had me interested in a moody take on the zombie theme, with a lone character wandering into and out of random situations, struggling to cope with zombie reality, and its unique challenges. Instead, he was reunited with his wife, child, and an old friend (and romantic rival) in barely any time, and thrown into a tired group dynamic we've seen a million times before in any number of movies. It seems pretty obvious that the majority of plot action is now going to be centered on interpersonal/relationship bullshit in a zombie setting, rather than straight up survival. Certainly there's a place for such stuff, but as SteveMax noted, those themes aren't all that unique in today's TV world (the Jericho comparison, with it's many post-apocalyptic love triangles, seems particularly apt after 3 episodes), and it's not the show I was looking for, nor the one I thought I was getting after the pilot.

Having read the source material, I pretty much knew what to expect in terms of what the series was going to be about. It's partially about trying to survive in this post-apacolyptic setting, but it's also about the inter-personal relationships within the group trying to survive.

If you were expecting something else, I could understand the disappointment. It's tough to deal with unsettled expectations. I remember going to see "Fifth Element", think it was supposed to be a gritty, sci-fi film in the vein of "Bladrunner" and hating it. Or my friend thinking "Starship Troopers" was going to be serious and gritty and hating that movie because it was campy. I knew going into "Starship Troopers" what it was meant to be and loved it and have since accept "Fifth Element" for what it is and love that. But, still, unsettled expectations can very much ruin an experience.

I don't really see how compelling a "straight up survival" show would be actually. Maybe for a while, but I think it'd run its course in due time.

Pretty much all of the best zombie films were a mix of surivial and group dynamics. "Night of The Living Dead" is probably the best example of it.

[Peregrine]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

If anything, all the dialog on this show suffers from too much composure, and the stuff most worthy of cringing comes from trying to jam in too much (shoddy) character development into a tiny time frame.

Exactly - is even one character shown struggling with the reality of their entire world being lost? No, of course not - instead they are wistfully longing for washing machines. These are people who have gone through the seven stages of grief and come out on the other side, clearly.

[Raiders Army]

Nice third episode. Lori is such a whore. Even if Shane told her that Rick died, she slept with him a month or so later?

[Critch]

I unfortunately saw Jethro Tull in concert last night (wifey is a huge fan), and the main guy (Ian Anderson, the man with the rock flute) mentioned that his daughter is married to the main guy in Walking Dead. So now you know.

[Honolulu_Blue]

I really like the way they handling the Rick/Lori/Shane situation. First, they've made Shane very likeable. He's not only the "leader" of the group and seems responsible for holding everyone together, he's pretty charming, funny and obviously has a lot of genuine effection for Lori and Carl. In everyway he seems a much better husband and father than Rick. And he knows this. He sees it and it's driving him crazy. Rick wasn't back for one day before he and Lori were going at it again. The whole exchange between the two had a very familiar vibe to it, as if this the type of stuff that they argued about over and over again. Rick feeling some sort of responsibility for something or other and willing to ignore his family to do it. Shane sees what Rick has, obviously wants it, and must be thinking, "What's wrong with him? How can he do this to them? I'd never do this. He's doesn't care about them like I do."

So, taking it back to the beginning. I do believe that Shane really thought Rick was dead. He wasn't 100% sure, but probably saw the condition of the hospital, made some attempt to get information, knew it had gone to shit and then told Lori and Carl Rick was dead. I believe he did that for both selfish reasons and to help them. If he had said, "I don't know, he may be alive" or, "I think they airlifted him to Atlanta", that lingering feeling of "He could still be alive!" would torture Carl and Lori. It would make it hard on them and, of course, harder on Shane to become the husband/father figure he so desperately wants. I am sure Shane even talked himself into believing that Rick really was dead.

I am also a little sympathetic to Lori. Yes, she was pretty passionately into Shane. He seems to be everything that Rick isn't. Maybe she was so passionate about him to try and ease her pain/guilt about Rick. Maybe it was because she thought it would be the best for her and Carl, given Shane was the head honcho. Maybe she really liked him.

I think her switch was motivated by two things: 1) Guilt and 2) a feeling of betrayal by Shane, since he was the one who told her Rick was dead. She feels guilty for cheating on Rick, guilty for believing Rick was dead, perhaps even guilty for believing it so readily and being so passionate with Shane and then, of course, she'd lash out and blame all of this on Shane, even if she thinks she's also somewhat culpable. It's a pretty typical and understandable reaction to the situation.

[Drake]

It's a pretty typical and understandable reaction to the situation.

Yeah, for a whore (ref. Raiders Army).

For what it's worth, my wife has been ranting for 3 episodes about what sort of trampy slut spreads like peanut butter for her husband's best friend only a month or so after she thinks he's dead.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Ep 3 numbers are in btw. 18-49 held steady, total viewers up another 400k.
The Walking Dead Adds More Viewers In Week Three; Steady With 18-49

[Draft Dodger]

Originally Posted by Critch

I unfortunately saw Jethro Tull in concert last night (wifey is a huge fan), and the main guy (Ian Anderson, the man with the rock flute) mentioned that his daughter is married to the main guy in Walking Dead. So now you know.

that is most unfortunate. you haven't cured her of that addiction yet?

[Draft Dodger]

Originally Posted by Peregrine

I am enjoying the show and the characters, but like I said before, I just feel like there's not much effort to show the kind of real survival measures that would be needed in a situation like that. They haven't really said how long the zombie plague has been going on, but I assume it's a few weeks rather than months - you'd think they'd be stocking up a year's supply of canned food and guns, gas, etc while they can. And what's with all the cars parked willy-nilly in the camp? Wouldn't they have used them to form some kind of barricade, put up some fencing, etc?

I guess I will have to treat it as a regular drama set in a zombie world instead of a "realistic" type show. It's still a lot of fun to watch.

this is Lost 2.0 to me. A show that starts out with a really interesting survival / rescue story that gets abandoned in no time. I'm sure it won't be long before crates of food just start falling out of the sky.

I get that it's not what either show is really about, but I wouldn't mind just a tad more effort to make it more believable.

[thesloppy]

I'm considering bailing early on this one, as I can tell I'm choosing to set myself up to be disappointed every week, and looking forward to complaining, rather than adjusting my expectations (AKA Sons of Anarchy Syndrome).

[JediKooter]

I think it's a good show. I would like to see more zombie/non-zombie conflict though. Only 3 more episodes left I think?

[Butter]

Originally Posted by Draft Dodger

this is Lost 2.0 to me. A show that starts out with a really interesting survival / rescue story that gets abandoned in no time. I'm sure it won't be long before crates of food just start falling out of the sky.

I get that it's not what either show is really about, but I wouldn't mind just a tad more effort to make it more believable.

I don't get any comparison to Lost. If there is any mythology bullshit or smoke creatures or Locke, then I am deleting all of that shit off my DVR and never looking back.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by Draft Dodger

this is Lost 2.0 to me. A show that starts out with a really interesting survival / rescue story that gets abandoned in no time. I'm sure it won't be long before crates of food just start falling out of the sky.

I get that it's not what either show is really about, but I wouldn't mind just a tad more effort to make it more believable.

I don't get this comparison at all.

Is this show going to be just about "survival"? Absolutely not. That would be an incredibly dull show if it centered around raiding Wal-Marts for food, ciphoning gas from broken down cars, getting water, finding medical supplies, etc.

The show certainly can't ignore the fact that survival is key and the characters are living in a very dangerous world and it hasn't. I think it's hit the right not on that.


Just looking at this last episode alone, I think it hit all the notes. The episode wasn’t about zombies, but rather about family and brotherhood; the ties that bind and the ugly mistakes that corrode through them. This is what the comic is about and what the show should be about.

You need the zombies to always be present. You need that threat. You also need a level of believability and I think they have that. They may not think of every little thing and there may be some gaps to increase the dramatic tension (i.e., going to Atlanta and not the 'burbs for supplies), but I think they've done a fantastic job.

Again, look at last episode. There was one prominent walker, the one that was eating the deer. It was particularly horrific, with its grayed flesh and rotted mouth, but it serves a purpose beyond horror. It’s a transition to introduce new a character - Daryl - and to show both his strength, and the others’ potential weaknesses. It’s another indication of the genius of the show. It also succeeds by showing us the little things — people immediately and efficiently cannibalizing automobiles for parts, bartering with each other for tools and weaponry, using primitive methods to keep themselves clean — all ways that this little society is forced to regress in order to continue surviving. Finally and most interestingly, the burgeoning gender dynamics at play provide yet another layer of dramatic depth.

Obviously people watch/read stories for different reasons and are always looking for different things, characters, themes, a certain level of realism, what have you. This is the kind of stuff I love from my zombie yarns. and so far this show has delivered in spades.

I used to hate Sunday nights. End of the weekend, no more football, work on Monday, but not these last three weeks and not these next three either.

[Ronnie Dobbs2]

My roommate made the same Lost connection when they were all at the camp folding clothes and stuff. You have to admit that it was very similar, but not that it extends all the way throughout the whole show.

I thought the third episode showed some cracks, some laziness in the storytelling, but that the show can survive them.

[Kodos]

Originally Posted by Drake

Yeah, for a whore (ref. Raiders Army).

For what it's worth, my wife has been ranting for 3 episodes about what sort of trampy slut spreads like peanut butter for her husband's best friend only a month or so after she thinks he's dead.

My wife has been railing on the whore angle as well. In the book, they made her a somewhat more sympathetic heat-of-the-moment whore.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by Ronnie Dobbs2

My roommate made the same Lost connection when they were all at the camp folding clothes and stuff. You have to admit that it was very similar, but not that it extends all the way throughout the whole show.

I thought the third episode showed some cracks, some laziness in the storytelling, but that the show can survive them.

That's interesting, though. What made you and your roommate think it was like "Lost" was the survivalish aspect of the show, the mundane, run-of-the-mill steps necessary to keep suriving in that situation, i.e., washing clothes by hand.

Whereas the other comparisons to "Lost", mentioned above, seemed to be that the show was veering away from a simple survival story into something else.

I really felt this last episode was affecting and powerful, portending great and terrible things. We’ve learned of the carnage that has occurred, the chaos the dead have created. Now, it’s time to show what the lingering aftereffects of their unexplained presence on the living will be. Will people gather together, or tear each other apart? Will they run and hide, stand and fight, lay down and die? Or will they, like Merle trapped on that rooftop, do literally anything to survive?

[Ronnie Dobbs2]

No, really, what made it seem like Lost was that you had this group of people who talk to each other while absentmindedly folding clothes. It was just like the scenes at the beach camp.

[lighthousekeeper]

I think it's like Lost simply because both are mediocre dramas, dumbed down for mass consumption. I keep expecting it to be followed by Deal or No Deal or The Bachelor.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by lighthousekeeper

I think it's like Lost simply because both are mediocre dramas, dumbed down for mass consumption. I keep expecting it to be followed by Deal or No Deal or The Bachelor.

We must be watching two different shows.

[Draft Dodger]

my comparison to Lost is that if either of these events happened in real life, the very basics of survival - finding food, water, shelter - would be vitally important. Instead, it gets glossed over really quickly, unless it's needed to further a plot point...like sending them to Atlanta for "supplies"

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by Draft Dodger

my comparison to Lost is that if either of these events happened in real life, the very basics of survival - finding food, water, shelter - would be vitally important. Instead, it gets glossed over really quickly, unless it's needed to further a plot point...like sending them to Atlanta for "supplies"

They are glossed over, but not ignored. They are glossed over because it doesn't make for interesting TV.

1. They had a scene where Shane drove up in the jeep with a bunch coolers full of water. He reminds the people to boil it. Did we need a scene with Shane heading down to the quarry, carefully filling the coolers, looking for zombies and then heading back?

2. They mentioned food supplies multitple times. The whole "frog catching" side story was about food. Darryl was out hunting and had found squirrels. Did we need a scene where Darryl was out tracking the deer? Setting the traps for the squirrels?

3. They have shelter. They have the tents and RVs. Do we need a scene showing them getting the tents? Putting them up?

They have also set up a perimeter around the tent with the tin cans on strings so that any walkers coming too close will make noise and they always have someone on top of the RV with bionoculars.

I think they've done an excellent job with making the very basics of survial constantly present, but not focusing on them other than to move the plot along or develop characters. That's just good writing and pacing.

[DanGarion]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

They are glossed over, but not ignored. They are glossed over because it doesn't make for interesting TV.

1. They had a scene where Shane drove up in the jeep with a bunch coolers full of water. He reminds the people to boil it. Did we need a scene with Shane heading down to the quarry, carefully filling the coolers, looking for zombies and then heading back?

2. They mentioned food supplies multitple times. The whole "frog catching" side story was about food. Darryl was out hunting and had found squirrels. Did we need a scene where Darryl was out tracking the deer? Setting the traps for the squirrels?

3. They have shelter. They have the tents and RVs. Do we need a scene showing them getting the tents? Putting them up?

They have also set up a perimeter around the tent with the tin cans on strings so that any walkers coming too close will make noise and they always have someone on top of the RV with bionoculars.

I think they've done an excellent job with making the very basics of survial constantly present, but not focusing on them other than to move the plot along or develop characters. That's just good writing and pacing.

This sounds like the makings of a great show for DIY...

[JediKooter]

I only saw part of one episode of Lost and turned it off and never watched it again. I don't get the same feeling with this show as I did those 20 minutes of watching Lost, but, I also like the zombie genre so I'm sure that helps my bias.

Not every episode is going to hit a home run, there will probably be a couple of strike outs. Regardless though, it beats the hell out of American Idol or any of the other reality crap that's on right now.

[Subby]

I really like it, but it doesn't feel as desperate or tense as I think it should. I also think that will change as the story continues.

It beats the hell out of any other scripted television show right now.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by Subby

I really like it, but it doesn't feel as desperate or tense as I think it should. I also think that will change as the story continues.

It beats the hell out of any other scripted television show right now.

I agree with all of this.

[samifan24]

Originally Posted by Subby

I really like it, but it doesn't feel as desperate or tense as I think it should. I also think that will change as the story continues.

This. I am enjoying the show and am hopeful that future episodes will ratchet up the sense of despair and desperation that I felt while watching the pilot episode.