AMC zombie series from Frank 'Majestic' Darabont - The Walking Dead

Haven't mustered the interest to watch this latest ep yet, but beginning to suspect this show would work better not as a survivor tale but simply as a weekly zombies-on-the-rampage series. Like, each week a different camp somewhere in the States (world?) is overrun by zombies. Because as a survivor's tale it's backing itself further and further into a corner, given that there will/can never be a satisfying conclusion to the narrative, and the show will inevitably run out of steam/money/viewers before it gets anywhere close to that point, anyway. If we grow to care about any of these people, they can't really kill them off, or at least not with any frequency. If we never care about them ... then who cares, right?

If we grow to care about any of these people, they can't really kill them off, or at least not with any frequency. If we never care about them ... then who cares, right?

The comic has been surprisingly unafraid to kill main characters. Of course, you may hate the comic, but it hasn't hurt the narrative.

I suspect the promo image here gives a good clue as to who will styill be standing at the first series end: http://media.amctv.com/img/originals/walking-dead/downloads/TWD-800x600-2PRE.jpg

Actually, Amy's in that picture, so I'm probably wrong.

You know what? I liked this last episode. It actually reminded me of a stand-alone issue of the comic (coincidence that Kirkland wrote it, or has he been writing them all?) The dialogue was corny, but the acting was strong, and if the search for Merle remains stupid, lots of other stuff was pretty right on. And for once, no lame ragging on the women folk.

(Though I was dubious about how those dudes apparently ran several miles from downtown Atlanta to the camp in 100 degree weather, carrying guns, with no food and water, to arrive just in time to help fight the zombies)

Actually, Amy's in that picture, so I'm probably wrong.

I've read most of the comic and I'm pretty glad this show is not as stupid as the comic. In fact it's quite good, enough that I wish I hadn't read the comic and know all the corny plotting and stupid story arcs that may or may not be coming up.

Not to say that this show is never corny or stupid, but the comic... holy shit.

I've been reading the comic & finding it kind of a chore. Glad I'm not alone...

And they're not going to kill off the lone black guy.

Oh, don't worry, they'll sub in for him soon enough, so long as they're keeping some VERY popular comic characters.

Yeah, methinks the lone black guy (in Atlanta!) won't be alone for long.

EW article (which also addresses the lack of a clear ending) implied this short season was rushed, which I imagine affected the writing as well. Curious to see how well things improve next year. Downside of EW article is that (and these aren't really spoilers, but just FYI) Shane and Merle are apparently sticking around, with a non-denial denial that Merle may, um, become the Governor. As if that character needed more elements to push him OTT.

a non-denial denial that Merle may, um, become the Governor

You know, that thought crossed my mind while I was watching the last episode, and I thought, "No, they wouldn't do that." Apparently maybe they would. Huh.

Well, Darabont confirms Merle will not make a reappearance this season, and that the Governor most definitely later will. When the interviewer mentions internet theories that Merle will morph into the Governor, Darabont more or less responds. "Huh, that's interesting. You never know." Or something like that.

Of course, it seems like a weird choice to me, or at least as weird as introducing this Merle guy at all. Again, the show is not lacking for villains or villainy, so who needs a gratuitous vengeful racist psycho? For that matter, when they do get to the Governor, won't they realize it's, um, Merle? Who knows. Darabont says there will not be a cliffhanger this season, though.

Who is the governor?

guessing a character from the books yet to emerge

correct and one that stirs the soup on one of the longer and more engaging (and most romero-esque) arcs

How did the dead find them? Like just at random? You'd sort of assume given there were lots of "geeks" that something specific led them. Merle maybe? Or just inexplicable "they found them because they did.."

i was figuring Merle had trucked a bunch up as a sort of revenge.

watched the 3rd and 4th episodes yesterday afternoon. engaging in that i sought them out and watched them through, abusing my non-authority to override college football games that my gf's dad would have preferred. and i'm sure i'll make time for this season's last two episodes as well. i want to know what happens next (that's the thing about soap operas: you don't really have to like them to get hooked).

"engaging" or not, i still don't like this show. main problem is that i don't really buy or relate to the behavior of the main characters. they're boring and two-dimensional, and i don't believe that people this focused on survival would run their camp so carelessly. i find the main character's relentless moral rectitude more tiresome than inspiring. i'm sick of the casual pandering to gender stereotypes. and for god's sake, quit pushing everything towards unearned pathos.

I guess we don't have to worry about dropping spoilers from the comic books anymore.

apparently not!
for those of you who didn't read the books, the CDC thing is totally new.
Also the sheriff's friend gets shot in the head by his son right around the middle of this episode. So much for that plotline.
this was the episode that the dismal writing finally got to me. I have enough impetus to get through one more episode now that they've decided to go all LOST on us but then they damn well better get around to writing these people to sound like human beings

I think they sound more like human beings than any of the mannequins Kirkman writes. I thought this was wayyy better than the last ep, but it's still amazing how much they've been spinning their wheels during a six episode season. Nice ending.

I dropped this on the 3rd episode - still worth watching?

Mostly the convenient new-car-smell Challenger and the fact that the hick tied to the roof-top did not cut off the pipe he was hooked to, but his own harm for dramatic effect made my eyes roll. The whole conflict between genders is groan inducing. Or, in my case, was.

*arm, not harm

It's pretty much the same show still. If you didn't like it enough to keep watching then I don't think you'll find much to like about it two episodes later.

Who are these people who are nitpicking a show about zombies on television

Have fun waiting ten more years for the next zombie show to come along

thought this was one of the better episodes.

Best episode yet, IMO. Better dialogue, plus I actually teared up at the scene with Jim by the roadside.

liked the sort of biblical feel of the door opening...

I know this is a weird nitpicky nerdy thing to fixate on, but I am having a really hard time believing that zombies could wipe out the U.S.(let alone the rest of the world) in a 2-3 month timespan. If it had been a year, fine.

how did they get to other countries? or is this some kind of pandemic. does the show eventually look at how the virus started?

Not necc a virus. You don't find out how or why the ppl became zombies.

yeah of course could be anything...

OK prob a virus obv. What I meant was more that I don't think you ever find out how it started.

Robert Kirkman, dumbass:

EW: The whole CDC plot line hints at the possibility that we will find out why the dead have risen, which is something you’ve never explained in your comic book. Why did you decide to avoid that topic?

RK: It occurred to me that, if this were to happen to real people, then real people wouldn’t be concerned with why it’s happening and how to fix it. They would just be concerned with finding food and surviving from day to day. But Frank Darabont said, “We’re in Atlanta and the CDC is based in Atlanta. Why wouldn’t they at least pop by?” And I said, “Huh?” Because I don’t know where the hell the CDC is stationed. I don’t watch the news a lot.

I know this is a weird nitpicky nerdy thing to fixate on, but I am having a really hard time believing that zombies could wipe out the U.S.(let alone the rest of the world) in a 2-3 month timespan. If it had been a year, fine.

That also goes back to how long the Hero was in a coma - are we to assume that the virus/whatever was out there before he got shot but hadn't been bad enough to get to their small town?

I also suspect that if the feds knew what was going on and had a couple of months, the military wouldn't have just had soldiers standing near barricades and stuff.

RK: It occurred to me that, if this were to happen to real people, then real people wouldn’t be concerned with why it’s happening and how to fix it.

Wow. I'm sure that survival would be everyone's first concern, but eventually people are gonna wonder. I mean not everyone is as intellectually incurious as comic book writers.

I mean when bird flu was a big scare everyone wanted to know how to avoid contracting it first and foremost... but people certainly wanted to know how it developed, where it came from, why it was different from other influenza, etc. And that's just a pandemic flu, imagine how intense curiosity would be over something that literally turns people into zombies! I know I certainly wouldn't just be like "oh well, shit happens. lets find something to eat..."

i don't believe that people this focused on survival would run their camp so carelessly.

Well, in most zombie apocalypse stuff of this sort, it always takes a while for people to realize just how bad things have gotten. Like, in "Dawn of the Dead," the movie begins with the zombie breakout in progress but just short of the total collapse of civilization, or at least the fall of Pittsburgh. I suppose it's possible the camper just got complacent because there had been no wandering zombies (at least until, um, the episode where a zombie does wander in, so ...).

World War Z again sticks out as one of the few zombie tales that deals with the aftermath and actually comes up with a solution.

the introduction of the CDC guy reminded me of Desmond's introduction in season 2 of LOST

yeah... not really as cool tho... that opening sequence from s2e1 of lost is one of my fav tv moments ever... show was all downhill from there...

btw wb gr80

Episode 5 by far the best yet imo. Dudes zombie bite getting exposed and his totally scetched out panicked explanations if how he was ok was a+++

I'm getting bored of this show.

I am, too. Kinda. Every episode loses me a little bit more. Some kind of emotional hook would be helpful. Giving a guy ten minutes of screen time in one episode and offing him in the next doesn't really count. Hope season 2 is better.

Basically this show is fun when there's zombies to deal with but not that fun when there aren't zombies to deal with.

More zombies, IMO.

still, I'm hooked.

xpost ^^^ they are really bad at 'human drama'

as i said before the graphic nature of the killings makes the shitty characters more sympathetic imo

yeah, but it sucks that they only become sympathetic when they die

maybe this is true of everyone though

^

Apparently Darabont fired the entire writing staff:

http://tv.ign.com/articles/113/1137550p1.html