Anyone else catch the debut episode last night?  Have to say I was very disappointed in it.  It seemed completely uninspired and derivative.  Pretty much everything in that hour and a half, we have seen ad nauseum in better zombie flicks.  The bite, the fever, the bullet to the head, etc.  The opening was a blatant rip off of 28 Days Later.  Still have no idea why the zombies didn't devour him while he was in his hospital bed.  And, the decision of the cop to ride a horse up I-85...uhhh, yeah.  Great choice of transportation.  Especially when it looked like he was minimum ten miles from downtown Atlanta.  Oh, and those zombies that can pull you right off and eat your horse.  Wise choice. Frankly, I expected a much more original angle than Darabont gave us.  

I dunno, it was catch 22 for me.  It was better than the script read... That's for sure.  But, at the same time, they used a lot of things from other movies as you said.  But, to a degree, to me, it was done better and that's sad.  Sure it's the same basic idea... Zombies are boring.  They're lame.  There is nothing to do with them anymore.  And I think the show showcased that much, but they did it in one place and all at once.  It could be the best thing to happen to Zombies.  It could.  I've said this before, there hasn't really been a fantastic Zombie movie.  There has been good ones... just not great ones.

Everything is stolen material and this was an interesting clone.  I didn't like some of the choices (The sleeping Zombies) and the character stupidity, but it worked.  And really worked for how minuscule the budget is opposed to some of the alternatives.

C+ for me.

In regards to the opening, 28 Days Later stole it from Day of the Triffids.
And Triffids, probably stole it from something older than me. =p

As to the pilot episode...
Originality = nada
Execution = solid
Character Development = promising
Humanity Factor = excellent

I felt for the dude struggling with the situation over his wife and son.
The way he baited her, it felt very human to me.  
It was a do or die moment, and it worked for me.
I like this trend of feature directors turning to cable to tell stories.

E.D.

P.S. To Frank Darabont, stop wrecking awesome muscle cars immediately!

I was pleasantly surprised. I thought it worked really well. Having read the comic I already knew what was going to happen but it was great to put an actual face on the characters. I didn't like the actor who plays Rick - the scene where he cries after getting home to his empty house was a case of really, really cheesy acting. The black guy was fantastic though. A very promising start.

By far the best show on right now, and in recent years, and it had one of the best openings ever!

Well, maybe if I had read the comics, I would have liked it better.  I guess I was hoping for something that would turn the whole zombie genre on its head.  This episode offered absolutely nothing new, IMO.  The actors were decent, I just thought they had very little to work with.

Quoted from The boy who could fly By far the best show on right now, and in recent years, and it had one of the best openings ever!

Really?  Best show in years?  Well, we'll just have to agree to disagree on that one.  I do hope it gets better, though.  I'm gonna stick with it at least through this season.

Quoted from Ryan1 Well, maybe if I had read the comics, I would have liked it better.  I guess I was hoping for something that would turn the whole zombie genre on its head.  This episode offered absolutely nothing new, IMO.  The actors were decent, I just thought they had very little to work with. Really?  Best show in years?  Well, we'll just have to agree to disagree on that one.  I do hope it gets better, though.  I'm gonna stick with it at least through this season.

This guy likes everything... Every piece of human excrement pulled out of Hollywoods toilet falls under critical acclaim by this guy.  Glowing reviews for everything from Piranha 3d to Death Proof.  This is Hollywood's demograph.  That guy right there.  He also praised Halloween 2 (Zombie's version)... Yeah, that's what we're dealing with here.  

But, with that said, I think the series has promise.  Albeit, like you said, very typical and basic.  It's not going to break the mold for old fans, but for TV it has set a bar.  It did a by the numbers job, but they stayed inside the lines better than most care to do.

Quoted from Ryan1 Frankly, I expected a much more original angle than Darabont gave us.

I'm not sure why you would, look at his three most prominent films. All adapted. It seems like some people were expecting some sort of zombie genre revolution.

Quoted from Baltis. This guy likes everything... Every piece of human excrement pulled out of Hollywoods toilet falls under critical acclaim by this guy.  Glowing reviews for everything from Piranha 3d to Death Proof.  This is Hollywood's demograph.  That guy right there.  He also praised Halloween 2 (Zombie's version)... Yeah, that's what we're dealing with here.

Wow. Sarcasm is hard to read over the internet, so I hope you're joking. He's entitled to his opinion. I'm sure you like tons of movies I'd consider shitty but I wouldn't call you out on it.

Anyway... I thought this was awesome. In terms of breaking new ground in the zombie genre, no, this show didn't do that but the performances were fucking amazing. Andrew Lincoln and Lennie James acted their asses off. The show also looked great. I'm impressed with what they did, shooting on 16mm film. Also, Gregory Nicotero had the zombies looking incredible. I was actually worried about that. Would the zombies look stupid? Nope.

I can't wait for more. Seriously... I'm looking online for bootlegs right now.

Quoted from Nixon Wow. Sarcasm is hard to read over the internet, so I hope you're joking. He's entitled to his opinion. I'm sure you like tons of movies I'd consider shitty but I wouldn't call you out on it.

Impossible... There is no way I like a shitty movie.  Just can't happen.  It'd be easier for someone to rotoscope a retarded monkey than it would be for me to like a shitty film.  With that said, I wish they'd remake the Wizard, only instead of Nintendo being whored out it was Microsoft and the insidiously faulty xbox 360.  The Wizard is the best movie of all time!

Quoted from Nixon I'm not sure why you would, look at his three most prominent films. All adapted. It seems like some people were expecting some sort of zombie genre revolution.

I think revolution would be too strong a word for what I was expecting.  A fresh idea somewhere within that hour and a half would have been nice, though.  Like I said, there was nothing in there I hadn't seen before.  The acting was good, definitely not awesome, IMO.  I thought the makeup effects were excellent.  I'm not familiar at all with the source material, so I don't know how closely the producers adhered to that storyline.  Maybe I bought into the hype too much and therefore was expecting a lot more, I don't know.  But, the pilot episode was a "meh" for me.

Quoted from RayW Re-broadcast schedule

Yeah, they usually do that when it didn't have as many viewers as they wanted... Just saying.    

Quoted from Baltis. Impossible... There is no way I like a shitty movie.  Just can't happen.  It'd be easier for someone to rotoscope a retarded monkey than it would be for me to like a shitty film.  With that said, I wish they'd remake the Wizard, only instead of Nintendo being whored out it was Microsoft and the insidiously faulty xbox 360.  The Wizard is the best movie of all time!

Quoted from Baltis. Yeah, they usually do that when it didn't have as many viewers as they wanted... Just saying.

The Walking Dead actually beat every other non-“Housewives” hourlong airing Sunday night in broadcast.

I watched this last night and while Zombies are not really my thing, I actually thought this was pretty decent for TV show. The season is only going to be six episodes long so am expecting the high quality to be kept up for the duration. It was quite fun actually.

I wonder if he called Danny Boyle and asked if he could effectively steal the first 15 mins of 28 days later?

Quoted from Murphy I wonder if he called Danny Boyle and asked if he could effectively steal the first 15 mins of 28 days later?

It's not the fact if he did or didn't take it... I don't know.  These books are older than 28days is I believe.  For me it's how much better it was orchestrated and brought to life.  I much preferred The Walking Dead to most any zombie movie out there in the last 20 years.  Easily.

If it were me writing it --  I'd have had more people in the hospital, though.  Having everyone "BUT HIM" gone was a mistake.  Took me out of the picture.  Have some dead patients laying about and what not.  Have another guy who is paralyzed in physical therapy or just down the hall screaming for help.  I could've added a little more to it.

Say what you will about derivative or whatever -- but this series actually has my wife sitting with me on the couch watching zombies.  Zombies, I say!

**sniffle-sniffle**

It's a beautiful thing...

Boy, the series took a huge nose dive into a pile of Elephant shit tonight.  Couldn't believe how it kept getting worse and worse.  I was looking away for most of it; not for shock or fear or fright, either -- Rather, because it was so badly done.

My favorite part of the evening came when the cast were faced with a problem and pulled a zombie inside to help them out with it... Then they sat around talking about who he was and why he was important and then they all agreed to talk about him for as long as they all shall live.  Yes, sounds pretty rainbow to me too.  But, I digress...  This tid bit of dialog was too good to pass by.

"Be careful not to get any on your skin or eyes... Now rub these Zombie guts all over me."


WTF?  I couldn't believe how absurd it got.  And only because they had no other choice but to move the story along.  It was such a horrible viewing and showing tonight.  I can't return to it.  I don't even care how it plays out now.  

Tonight we saw --

1.  A racial spat play out in cheesy fashion
2.  A Noah's arc of a cast, containing every racial background.  Asian, White, Black, Hispanic... And all of them were shoe horned into one location.  Crazy divine intervention!
3.  Stupid ideas like rubbing zombie parts on you to fool zombies.
4.  Typical best friend sleeping with your wife yawner.
5.  Everyone being in tune with the lingo like "Walkers".  

This show officially sucks the proverbial Donkey.

I'm going to agree with Baltis.
Episode two had none of the cinematic qualities of the pilot.
Another department store, another racist. Seen all this before.
This badly suffers from not having its feature film director helming the series.
Boardwalk Empire holds up much better without Scorsese than this does without Darabont.
I did laundry during this episode and didn't feel like I missed a thing. Meh.

E.D.

I'm gonna have to make it three.

I actually thought Baltis was on one when I read his comments yesterday, there is no way, I said to myself, that it could have gone so downhill, so quickly. Then I watched it...

The good news is that all the faults are with the writing. That is easy to fix, sack the writers and hire some better ones. There are enough horror writers here, why don't you knock a sample episode together and get it sent to the production company ASAP?

It was awful though.

The scene where the young kid showed them where the sewer was, he spewed out two big chunks of dialogue to serve as exposition so we did not question why or how he knew all of his stuff. Why?

They did not have to do that, that is screenwriting 101. He may have been new to us, but they had already made it clear these guys have been together for at least a short period of time. So if they don't question it then nor do we, an audience will naturally place our trust in characters who know more than us. I certainly did not start to wonder how he knew, simply because nobody else did.

It was full of bad writing like this, I am not sure it will get renewed if this is an indication of the rest of this season. Shame, it had a lot of promise.

Quoted from Murphy It was full of bad writing like this, I am not sure it will get renewed if this is an indication of the rest of this season. Shame, it had a lot of promise.

Murphy,

It was announced today that the series has been renewed for a second season.
Seas on two will be 13 episodes, as opposed to this year's 6 episodes.

http://www.imdb.com/news/ni5366400/

E.D.

Quoted from Electric Dreamer Murphy, It was announced today that the series has been renewed for a second season. Seas on two will be 13 episodes, as opposed to this year's 6 episodes. http://www.imdb.com/news/ni5366400/ E.D.

Me thinks they have jumped the gun a bit.

The are relying on episode two ratings after what was a great pilot, they should really wait and see how many people stick around for episode three, no?

I don't know, good news for some I guess though, get your samples sent in peeps. You never know...

T-Dog? Really?

Make room on the band wagon. Almost everything I liked about the first episode is gone. The first episode stuck closely to the comic, so I was excited to see how they'd deviate from the source material in this episode. Frank Darabont, you disappointed me... just like with The Mist.  

My biggest problem was that this episode didn't move the story forward. In the comic, Rick and Glen got out of the city almost immediately. Why? There was no real need for them to stay. Darabont is stretching the story out too thin, perhaps he's just trying to squeeze a few more episodes out of the comic. Frank, quality over quantity. I'd rather have a solid, well produced season consisting of four episode than one with six mediocre episodes.

Anyway, with this episode, the characters and dialogue were shit. I don't like that Darabont is showing how Laurie and Karl are alive. The audience should find them when Rick does. And did anyone notice the terrible CGI?

That was about what I expected, given the first episode.  More o' the same.  I had to wonder in that scene where the two guys are walking around with the zombie guts, would they really leave their entire heads gore-free?  I know, avoid the eyes, but how about a nice hat or hoodie piled with intestines?  

I'd like to know what Zombie Sean or thedeadwalktonite thinks of the show.

While I can't say I looked forward to seeing this, I didn't understand just how bad it could really be.  I wanted to shut it off after five minutes; somehow, I lasted thirteen minutes.

Why is it that there are so many cop shows out there written by people who know jack-shit about police procedure?  There are handbooks you can buy for this!

The opening scene:  the main character (the cop) drives along in this zombie-infested and stops to get gas.  Okay.  That's believable.  But why stop his car two hundred yards away from the pumps and walk the rest of the way?  Why stop your car (your safe place) and walk where you can't even see your car any more?  Why not drive up to the pumps, or as close as you can get to them?  Why not drive around the scene to make sure it is safe to get out the car?  

Cops are trained in the police academy not to leave the car until the area is secure. Driving around could've shown him if there were any problems.  Getting on the car's speakers could've done the same?  If he had asked "Is anyone there?" he could've learned if the zombie girl was around, or if there were people around.  If people came out, then it would be safe to say that the area is safe.

Second scene:  the flashback leading up to the main character getting shot.  In the academy, when a bunch of cops draw their weapons and get involved in a firefight, they don't stand near each other.  They certainly don't stand in front of each other where friendly-fire could take your partner's head off.  And they don't turn their backs on a crime scene until after the scene is secure.

Are these points really valid in a zombie world?  Or am I just bitching about some irrelevant nonsense?  They're valid points, of course.  When the main character of a show is a cop, and he starts off by doing some really stupid uncop-like things, then the shows level of realism starts that much lower.


Phil

Episode three...

Well...at least no one wore intestine sweaters this week.
Is it just me or has the production value gone down the toilet?
Recycled locations, minimal CG and the rooftop zombies looked pathetic.
Must be all that time they spend at the mall or something.
I feel like eps. 2 & 3 were loaded with padding. The season is only six episodes!
Is it just me or could have these two episodes been condensed into 30 minutes max?
Did anyone else spot all the on the nose dialogue at the camp.
We go from the racist (Michael Rooker trying at least) to the fat wife beater. Yay.
Anyone else having trouble staying invested in this show?

E.D.

I watched like 12 min of it last night but had to leave so I didn't catch it all.  I'll probably watch it on on demand but I could really care less at this point.  It just kind of has suck written all over it to me.

The hate seems pretty justified to me, although I personally am loving the shit out of it so far. Episode one was pretty rocking, episode two was a step in the wrong direction. Kind of felt like Rick Grimes was dropped into a pop-up book of cliches. That kinda pissed me off. But episode three was a huge improvement, started delving more deeply into the other survivors. I like the subplot of the wife and her abusive husband, hopefully there'll be more stuff like that.

I'm not pretending that it's brilliant stuff, but it's better than shit like Gossip Girl, or Grey's Anatomy. You've gotta give it that.

Quoted from Matt Chisholm I'm not pretending that it's brilliant stuff, but it's better than shit like Gossip Girl, or Grey's Anatomy. You've gotta give it that.

Raise the bar, will ya?  The reason why shit shows like this are on is because people compare it to other shit shows.


Phil

Well, sure. There will always be shit shows on television as long as there are idiots to watch them.

I'm just saying you could do a lot worse than this.

I'll  finish watching the season, as there's only three more episodes to go.  But...this thing just hasn't gotten any better.  The story line really stagnated these last two episodes.  Last night was more trailer trash melodrama than zombie flick.  Uh, isn't this thing supposed to get scary at some point?  And that ending...did anyone not see that coming?  Weak.  

I caught the rest of it in the background here as I'm doing other things, so forgive me if I've missed a huge plot point or something along the way --

Why the hell do you have access to a Hacksaw and instead of cutting through one link of a handcuff chain you decide to cut off your hand?  I don't get that.  That's ignorance to me.  More so because ol'buddy was talking about cutting through pipe in the previous episode with the exact same saw.  & Why lay there for however long talking babble and incoherences when you had the tools in your reach the whole time?  

This writing is horrible.  I know of 5 writes on this board who are more capable writers than the junk these Poon Darts are penning.  That doesn't include me, either.  Make that 6.

I'm insulted by the offensive nature of how shitty this show is.

Quoted from Matt Chisholm Well, sure. There will always be shit shows on television as long as there are idiots to watch them. I'm just saying you could do a lot worse than this.

If you write a sci-fi/space fantasy script, don't try to write something better than Revenge of the Sith.  Write something better than Star Wars.


Phil

Great episode this week. Very character driven, smart, unpredictable, zombies were used to better effect than they have up to this point. Opened up the world a little more, continued the mystery of Merle and how 'bout that ending? That was really something. This weeks episode was written by the creator of the original comic books, hopefully he'll contribute a couple more next season.

Best episode of the series so far. Finally it's living up to the potential of the first episode, at least it is for me. Can't wait for episode five.

Episode four...

Was a marked improvement over the episodes two and three.
I like consequences, its good drama and this episode has a lot of that.
The opening sequence was a big red flag that one of the blonds was toast though.
I was irked by the elderly lady's entrance...plot convenience, meh.
I was irked we did not get back to the father and son from the pilot.
I like getting to know the campsite  characters better.
But when its used simply to ramp up sympathy when they get munched, I feel used.
Still, its some steps overall in the right direction, but its still pretty slow going.
Four down, two to go.

E.D.

Episode five...

Another step in the direction for me.
Actions have consequences and bring up questions of character and moral ethics.
We finally sorta get back to Morgan from the pilot, its about damn time.
I felt the sisters final moments together were very well done.
I dug the foreshadowing of the rift between the two cops growing.
On to the CDC...

First, I had a real problem with the mass exodus to the city that most probably won't.
It's a quirk I have, I get annoyed when TV shows hijack movie scores.
I get really annoyed when they swipe them from my favorite soundtracks.
When they left the camp, the editor cannibalized the climax theme to Sunshine.
I adore that soundtrack, played it dozens of times, even listen to it when I write.
To use the music when a hero sacrifices himself to save the earth like this...
really killed any kind of effect the driving scene might have had for me.
Not to mention nothing happened right after using such dramatic music.
I know I'm being a prig, but I love that music and it ruined the magic for me here.
I also thought it was odd they arrived right at dark, seemed forced tension there.
I suppose the mechanical problems made that so, a mention of it would have helped.
At least we're in a new place now and hopefully moving in some good directions.
If the CDC guy starts acting like Desmond, I'll be pi*sed! =p

E.D.

Congratulations The Walking Dead writers...
You helped create the highest rated show in AMC's history!

YOU"RE ALL FIRED!

http://twitchfilm.com/news/201.....-youre-all-fired.php

Quoted from Electric Dreamer Congratulations The Walking Dead writers... You helped create the highest rated show in AMC's history! YOU"RE ALL FIRED! http://twitchfilm.com/news/201.....-youre-all-fired.php

Lol, nice find E.D.

Right all you horror people, why don't you try and and something in front of someone at Darabont's place?

Maybe someone could write an episode...

This is a little strange, but I don't see what the big deal is. Most of the writers on the first season were freelancers anyway. What this equates to is him firing like two or three people.

Quoted from Shawnkjr I'd like to know what Zombie Sean or thedeadwalktonite thinks of the show.

I don't like it.

I'm a big fan of the graphic novels, but this show isn't really great at capturing the atmosphere that the graphic novels have. And besides, since when did the zombies practically jog in the novels?

I may give this another chance once all the hype is gone and the show gets canceled or ends. That what I normally do. So far the best thing I've seen for this is a really cute Rick and some pretty neat zombie make-up effects.

Sean

Quoted from Baltis. Why the hell do you have access to a Hacksaw and instead of cutting through one link of a handcuff chain you decide to cut off your hand?  I don't get that.  That's ignorance to me.  More so because ol'buddy was talking about cutting through pipe in the previous episode with the exact same saw.  & Why lay there for however long talking babble and incoherences when you had the tools in your reach the whole time?

I was wondering the same thing myself.  The brother addressed it in the next episode, saying something along the lines of "Guess the blade was too dull to get through the pipe."  Pretty weak.

I cracked up when he showed the hand to the Mexican kid later on though.

Hacksaws actually have limits to what they can cut; all saws do.  Same thing with drill bits (but that's a discussion for another day).  And handcuffs are designed to be hard to cut through.  The average hack saw blade would break if you tried cutting cuffs with it.

Here's a fun project for everyone.  Go to the local hardware store and ask for a hacksaw.  When they ask what you're cutting, tell them handcuffs.

Get back to me with their reaction.


Phil

Plot holes aside, I think this series is intended as "zombie-light" -- and was not really designed for hard-core fans of the "genre."

The show is not intended for the fanboys.  It was not meant for those who are going to recognize every cliche and moan about broken "zombie" rules.

The target audience for this show does not even know there is a debate about "running" zombies or zombies who walk too fast or whatever.

With the ultra-classy "Mad Men" as a neighbor on AMC, my wife was willing to give the series one shot -- willing to indulge me for one episode but promising to bail if she did not like it.

She has watched every episode, and says she likes it, which is cool.  And I like it well enough, as I am willing to forgive a few flaws for a generally pretty good show.

I think those dismissing it as trash are not being fair, or at any rate, too harsh.

I will bet there are a lot of people out there who do not watch zombie films -- or even horror films much -- and they find that they like this show just fine.  Heck, it is probably something "fresh" to your typical AMC viewer.

Last night's finale was probably the strongest episode of the bunch. It's actually a shame that we have to wait another year for new episodes when it was just gearing itself up. But it was still a good episodes, nicely written and strongly performed. I've come to care about one or two of these characters (though most of them still have no real character to speak of and it seems like Darabont was just putting his words in an actor's mouth) and I'm looking forward to getting to know them better. With 13 episodes for next season hopefully the story and the characters will have more room to breathe and the writers -- whoever they wind up being -- will not be so eager to hammer us with so many different plots and allow it to take a slower, slightly more Sopranos style to its storytelling.

Overall, I think this series is pretty strong. It's different enough from anything else on TV to keep me interested and the more I watch it, the more I like it. People's reasons for not liking it are perfectly valid. Wrong, in my opinion, but valid.

Season Finale...

Felt more like a pilot.
I think I would have preferred the "camp" to be the CDC than the woods.
The story had more potential there and more opportunity for character conflict.
They could have run errands to help the doctor for an episodic mission, etc.
The whole we gotta go screw around so we can come back in the end feels bleh.
That fundamental flaw aside, the show still has merit.
I hope they find their footing in the off season and start telling a substantial story.
Like it or not, it successfully makes zombies suitable for public consumption.
That in and if itself, along with being the highest rated basic cable drama, is a lot.

E.D.

So, season two opener.

Most watched. Basic Cable. Show. EVER.

I thought the season premiere was more of the same.
The parts of the show I like (tension and gore) were there in spades.
The scene under the cars grabbed me, it was well put together.
They got Dan Attias to direct and he's done some feature horror and "Lost".

The run and stumble bit with the little girl was checkout time for me.
Wandering around the woods with guns reminded me of Falling Skies for some reason.
Jeffrey DeMunn is eminently watchable, loved his beat with the radiator hose.

The meandering infidelity subplot continues to meander in eye rolling fashion.

13 episodes this year, as opposed to 6 last year.
Gonna need some real story arcs to pull it off and stretch the budget.

What did y'all think about the season premiere?

E.D.

yo ED, have you read the graphic novel? if not, pick up the compendium. its 1000 pages long and i breezed through it in a few days.

that being said, the storyline in the comic is too quickly paced. you barely get a feel for the characters before theyre devoured, shot, etc.

however i feel like the tv show has the opposite problem. i loved the first season. and the whole highway scene in S02E01 was awesome. but the story in between the opening and the incident at the end just felt like filler to me. it deviates from the comic quite a bit.

plus what was up with all the damn commercials? really distracting.

anyways i thought the season 2 opener was good, but not amazing. i hope its not because frank darabont isn't involved.

regardless, i just want to see the governor. he is by far the most sick, sadistic, and twisted character ive ever read in ANY piece of fiction.

I wasn't a fan of season one, but because it's zombies, I had to tune in for season two.  The premiere had its issues, but I did appreciate the gore factor.  That love triangle is a really, really slow moving storyline, but I'm hoping it will pay off.  Didn't see the ending coming.

But, uh, am I crazy or did they outright reveal in the upcoming highlights that the black guy loses his arm?  Kind of a big deal to just throw out there.

Quoted from Ryan1 But, uh, am I crazy or did they outright reveal in the upcoming highlights that the black guy loses his arm?  Kind of a big deal to just throw out there.

No limb loss in episode two last night.
Though it was briefly discussed.
Then antibiotics the crossbow dude had stashed saved the day.
I guess he found those last season and we're supposed to remember that.

*shrug*

I thought last night's episode was a transparent budget saver.
Way too much searching in the woods with repetitive dialogue.
Plot convenience and contrivances are starting to pile up.
The little girl goes missing, they search, which leads to random attacks.
Those lead to the boy getting shot by a random third party.
That third party just happens to be affiliated with a doctor, etc.

Is it just me, or have we gone nowhere since the RV stopped?
I don't feel like they've furthered the plot or characters much at all.
Thoughts?

E.D.

Quoted from albinopenguin yo ED, have you read the graphic novel? if not, pick up the compendium. its 1000 pages long and i breezed through it in a few days.

Hey Albino,

I did skim the comics, someone gave me the set, up to #70, I think.
The characters didn't grab me, so I tuned out pretty quickly.

I'm glad for the genre that the show is popular.
Hopefully it will open the door for some indie talent to contribute.
But the overall quality of the show, doe snot excite me.

E.D.

to be honest, season 2 isnt doing much for me. i just want them to find that damn girl. she never went missing the comics and its pointless for her to be missing now.

i hate t-dawg. i cringe every time dale says his name. he's not in the comic. furthermore, there's a major character who shouldnt be alive right now. the show is going to have to deal with this sometime soon.

i am happy that they finally made it to herschell's farm. and oh look, it's that psychiatrist from office space.

did anyone catch the breaking bad reference? the hick had some "blue crystal..."

Quoted from Electric Dreamer No limb loss in episode two last night. Though it was briefly discussed. Then antibiotics the crossbow dude had stashed saved the day. I guess he found those last season and we're supposed to remember that. *shrug* I thought last night's episode was a transparent budget saver. Way too much searching in the woods with repetitive dialogue. Plot convenience and contrivances are starting to pile up. The little girl goes missing, they search, which leads to random attacks. Those lead to the boy getting shot by a random third party. That third party just happens to be affiliated with a doctor, etc. Is it just me, or have we gone nowhere since the RV stopped? I don't feel like they've furthered the plot or characters much at all. Thoughts? E.D.

It's sagging badly. Almost turned it over when they went to have a conversation with Jesus for the second time.

The comic doesn;t have a dull moment, but this series is painful to watch.

The problem is that it's not the walking dead...it's just a very long cliched zombie story. It completely misses what made the comics so good...the sense of conflict betwee characters/humans and in particular the internal conflict with Rick Grimes, who may as well not be there.

Very poor adaptation.

Quoted from Electric Dreamer Is it just me, or have we gone nowhere since the RV stopped?

It's not just you.  The plot is treading water right now, not moving forward.  The kid is definitely gonna live, so all this drama centered around that feels like a time waster.  T-Dog's dialogue to DeMunn's character about being the next to go because he's black was an eye-roller.  

And I have to say these zombies aren't coming off as much of a threat.  Here come the zombies, let's hide under a car.  Or kill a couple with a rock.  Or distract an entire horde of them by throwing flares.  Notice how the farmhouse had no protection on the windows or doors?  Their only protection seemed to be the fat guy(doesn't look good for him, btw.)

So yeah, right now it's just a bunch of people standing around, waiting for the plot to get moving again.

They need to kill off like 6 characters in my estimate.  That Japanese kid/guy does nothing... I've only ever seen him say something profoundly stupid and then follow a pack of others away from the scene.  I stopped watching last year, picked back up on the opener this year and couldn't stomach the 2nd episode.  It's horrible.  It's all but as bad as "American Horror Story".  Seriously... it is.  Maybe worse even.

None of the characters seem to have any defining characteristics...the only ones that are interesting to watch are the redneck and the dodgy cop.

They all had well defined roles in the comic...the Chinese kid was the scout/hunter gatherer...they're all just reduced to standing around.

And Rick has been badly miscast and under written.

Shame. All the good stuff in the comic has gone really....been watered down so that it doesn't work.

i have a huge problem with rick's accent. they cast a british actor to portray a southern cop.

anyone else wondering when Tyreese is going to be introduced? he's a pretty substantial character.

and balt, i agree, the chinese kid serves little to no purpose after his initial introduction. he was much more vital in the comics. then again, now that herschell's daughter has been introduced....

when it comes to pacing, i completely agree. its too damn slow. in the comics, its actually a bit too fast. however season 1 was only 6 episodes long. so they crammed A LOT into those six episodes. season 2 is 13 episodes so the creators are taking their time. i have a rising suspicion that they'll preview the governor at the end of season 2 but they wont show him.

I'm watching the third episode of season two.

In a word, tedious.
And I feel like this is the longest stroke off in basic cable history.

Nothing happens on the show, for long periods of time.
Nick of time, trick editing bull crap stands in for genuine suspense.
Even faking the boy's death just to get a rise out of the viewer.
I practically forgot the Asian chap was in the show.

I feel cheated. Stale action choreography.
All the Doctor stuff feels a little too Waltons for my taste.

And I don't buy our villain going all psycho after sacrificing the portly fella.
He's done much worse, why does this push him over the edge?
Felt like at times they were going for a serial killer vibe with the music.
Am I alone on this one?

E.D.

i actually thought the 3rd episode of season 2 was the best episode of the new season. still not as amazing as season 1, but better than s02e01 and s02e02. the hanging zombie was bad ass.

i was surprised they killed off otis. he lives much longer in the comics.

ED, i have no idea what they're doing with Shane. i don't want to spoil anything, but they're taking Shane in an entirely new direction. they're really going back and forth with his character. first he's crazy, and then he's rick's best friend. the show needs to pick a side and stick with it. i hope they're finally realizing this now. i liked how shane wasted otis to save himself. but was it necessary? hmmmm

the big thing about the comic, is that it was incredibly depraved, sick, and daring. it's got that "holy shit" factor. i'm still curious to see if AMC is willing to "go there."

Quoted from albinopenguin i was surprised they killed off otis. he lives much longer in the comics.

That part didn't surprise me one bit.  Fat guy + zombies = all you can eat.  I knew he was never making it out of there.  

At least they're trying to make Shane a somewhat interesting, dimensional character, unlike the rest of them.  Most of the characters on this show, I still couldn't name.  And they're really milking this "look for the girl" "save the boy" storyline.  Three episodes in and not much of anything has happened.  I really hope it picks up.

I was pretty dumbfounded with this weeks episode.
The gory joke at the well was, insulting.
Can't believe we spent so much time on that.
This episode really felt like a total penny pincher.

And what's with the evil shaved head guy sounding like a Sling Blade refugee?
It's one hurdle after another that gets us further away from any kind of plot.

Heck, even feels like their cutting the music budget, cheaply quiet episode.
And crossbow bro is all touchy feely this year, I can't figure this show out.

E.D.

yeah this last episode was pretty pointless. if there was a zombie in a well, and you had FOUR other wells, why wouldnt you just close that well up? furthermore, who wants to drink out of a well in which a zombie's been stewing in for the past 6 months or so? can someone please tell me how glenn got the rope around the zombie in the first place? i was pretty impressed when it fell apart (simply because it looked so gory for television), but it honestly served no point.

and of course we knew lorie was pregnant. but if that wasnt what the guy at the CDC whispered into Rick's ear, then what did he tell him?

a REALLY slow episode. i wonder if they'll ever get off the farm by the end of season 2....

oh and theres something in herschell's barn. they keep hinting at it.

Man that episode sucked.  The well scene has got to be the most pointless, ultimate time waster thus far in the season.  Yeah, a bleeding zombie has been stewing in that water for god knows how long, let's save the well and have a nice, refreshing glass.  That poor Asian kid, lol.  Did using that rusty old piece of machinery as a fulcum seem like a great idea?  I mean, was anyone at all surprised when it broke?  Yeesh.

And, uh, lets just forget that they have the WATER TRUCK back on the highway.  Nah, let's lower that Asian kid down there, and as a reward for his bravery, we'll get him laid in the ol' pharmacy.  

The "lost girl" plot point that got all this started has almost been forgotten by this time.  I don't even remember what the girl looked like.  This just seems like a show that's lost its way.

Quoted from albinopenguin can someone please tell me how glenn got the rope around the zombie in the first place?

I was baffled by this too. Some fancy rope work.
I don't recall ever seeing him getting the rope around the zombie dope.

We all know that little girl is kidnapped by Doctor Bible in the barn.
If she was dead, we wouldn't be lingering on this farm, like a fart in a car.
So for f*ck's sake discover the girl and get on with the shooting!

E.D.

It's gone to pieces.

Poor writing, poor direction.

Officially a write off at this point IMHO.

Simply amazes me at how badly things can go wrong when you already have a solid template to work from. I'll never understand how it happens, even with boardroom shenanigans.

Quoted from Scar Tissue Films It's gone to pieces. Poor writing, poor direction. Officially a write off at this point IMHO. Simply amazes me at how badly things can go wrong when you already have a solid template to work from. I'll never understand how it happens, even with boardroom shenanigans.

Agreed on all counts.
I wonder how much of this has to do with Darabont's exit.
Makes me think he didn't like the approach AMC wanted for the second season.

I recall AMC having issues with renewing Mad Men.
Something about shoehorning product placement into the show.
But taking all that ad money and pocketing it while trimming the show's budget.

Methinks something similiar may have precipitated Darabont's exit.
As much as I was mixed on the first season, the show is a disaster now.

E.D.

well here we go again. another Sunday, another episode of the walking dead. up until this point, i was annoyed by season 2. sure, it was moving at a snail's pace, but i was willing to put up with it. this weeks episode was just so...pointless. and aggravating. and frustrating in more ways than one.

first, they teased us with showing us clips of meryl. turns out, he's just inside deryl's head. i see what you did there AMC...and f uck you.

and now everyone's getting hurt. andrea shoots deryl in the head and whoops! no big deal. otis will just fix em up. i feel like TWD is just pulling at straws at this point. they'll do anything to build a moment's suspense (or a cliff hanger before a commercial break) without ever exploring the consequences. they're pulling all of this out of their ass and making it all up as they go along. they're sidetracking the plot for as long as they can. seriously, how long are we going to stay on this damn farm?!

this show is so flighty right now, its becoming tiresome. i rolled my eyes several times during this episode. first a character will think this way, and then the next, he'll be thinking the opposite, and then the next scene, he'll be thinking back to two scenes ago. the same can be said with andrea. first she's allowed to have a gun. then she's not. and then she is. and then she shoots deryl in the head so i guess she shouldn't of had a gun to begin with. SHE'S A DAMN SHARP SHOOTER, LET HER HAVE THE F UCKING GUN.

and to top it all off, we still haven't found the girl. and there hasn't been a good zombie attack since episode one of season two.

god damn it. just, god damn it.

So, a big thumbs up from you, albino?  Lolz.  I hate it when shows rely on this plot device of having another character appear clear as day, even though he's a hallucination.  And, uh, why was the zombie chewing on Daryl's boot when he had an unconscious piece of meat in front of him?  I just thank god girls don't know how to shoot, else Daryl'd be dead.

The only plot point I liked was the zombies in the barn, and I'm gonna guess the good doctor is conducting some kind of experiments on them.  Kind of hard to believe no one would walk by that barn and hear the occasional groan, though.

I did see an interview with Jon Bernthal where he said there's a big, crazy climax to this storyline coming up at midpoint, right before the show breaks for hiatus and returns in Feb.

that was annoying. and where in the hell did otis' kid come from? was he even in any of the episodes prior to this one?

but see thats what made andrea so cool. in the comics, she was the best shooter in the group. furthermore, if you read the comics, then you knew what was in the barn. dont mean to keep bringing up the graphic novel, but they're doing fans of the comics a huge disservice.

any idea when that hiatus will begin?

Two more episodes until the hiatus.  

Quoted from Ryan1 Two more episodes until the hiatus.

I don't think I can make it that long.
What a hot poker in the eye of a TV show.
I feel more insulted than ever by the shameless tactics to save money.

I'm so tired of the rampant mutilation stalling story progression.
T-Dawg slashes up his arm.
Little Sophia takes a long hike in a short forest.
Little boy gets gut shot.
Now Daryl takes a bullet to the head.

It makes no sense to me that what's in the barn wouldn't be discovered earlier.
Dozens of walkers stink and they make a lot of racket.

AMC has turned the promise of epic storytelling into a lukewarm cash cow.
Never seen a show squandered so badly so fast.

E.D.

Huh.  I know this second season's getting a lot of chaffe from folks, but I'm loving it.  I don't mind that they're dragging things out.  I don't mind that there aren't as many zombies so far this season.  I've never read the comics, but from the get-go this show has always been about the characters, their actions and reactions, their conflicts with one another, set against a zombie apocalypse.  The zombies are just the setting; the drama is what made the first season so exceptional.  I freely admit, yes, there's not as much going on right now, but like I said, I don't mind that.  

At the very least, it's not near as frustrating as that god-awful American Horror Story.  Talk about television for the attention span-deprived...

well i'm probably the only one here who still watches TWD, but i figured i should still probably comment on last night's "mid-season" finale.

as usual, the episode was inconsistent and milked for any and every emotion whatsoever. i realized that this is my problem with season 2 as a whole...its over milked. the show reminds me of a 13 year old girl (pointless drama 24/7). there were some things last night that made no sense at all. first shane is pissed off at rick's wife. and then he starts acting all buddy buddy with rick jr. characters don't interact like they should and the whole episode just felt a little off. and why wouldnt anyone stop shane when he opens the barn? and i highly doubt that rick is going to help hershell wrangle zombies.

before i get to the big event, cgi gun fire? seriously?! you have thousands of dollars and instead of empty rounds the creators opt for cgi gun fire instead? the guns didnt even recoil... f uck that.

so as for the little girl, i liked it. i really liked it. almost made the whole ordeal worth while (almost). although it deviated from the comic, having the little girl in the barn reminded me of the first season. as a reviewer said, TWD is awesome when it's sad. and having the little girl in the barn was very bitter sweet.

however TWD has some explaining to do. how did she get in the barn in the first place? how did she get in there? why wouldnt herschell tell rick...especially if he wanted them gone? anyways, it doesnt all add up and i probably shouldnt hold my breath, but i would like a proper explanation...

I guessed awhile back that the girl was in the barn, so it wasn't all that shocking when she wandered out.  Still, I was glad to at least get that plotline out of the way. According to the producers, the question of what Herschel knew will be addressed when the series picks back up.  Although, it seems hard to believe that he wouldn't know the little girl who happened to show up in the barn at the same time these people showed up would be Sophia.

Ryan, what did you think about the trailer for the next half of the series? to me, it seemed to suggest that we STILL dont get off the damn farm...

From what I saw, at least a good portion of next half of the season takes place at the farm.  Now, it just looks like a financial decision by the producers.  Instead of having to scout and set up at new locations, you just keep the whole story localized to this magic farm which is somehow impervious to walkers, even though the farmer's daughter said every other farm in the area is crawling with zombies.

when in doubt, follow. the.money.

i wrote a short about this called "The Gawking Dead" currently in the short forum if anyone is interested.

Gotta say, I think this show really upped its game in the second half of this season.  The storyline with the missing girl had the plot spinning its wheels for quite a while, but these last few episodes have delivered the goods big time.  I predicted Dale's demise last week, but I did not see this latest plot twist coming.  Very ballsy move by the producers.  Really looking forward to the final episode.

sorry Ryan but I couldn't disagree more. killing Dale was the final straw for me. now i absolutely loathe the show. dale is actually still alive in the comic books so i have no idea why they'd kill him instead of T-Dawg. i will say that the second half of season 2 is better. the episode where they leave randall at the school yard was pretty good (although it was essentially pointless to the story and another method for the writers to draw out the plot). the episode where dale died was utter s hit. it was just dale talking for 45 minutes. furthermore, carl is a terrible actor and i have no idea why his character wouldn't tell the others that there was a zombie in the woods. either way, dale was one of the few characters that i still really enjoyed and he was the only one who stood out in the group. now i haven't seen tonight's episode. i know they kill off another character (who should have been dead a looooong time ago). once i see how they kill him, i'll weigh in on the discussion.

but seriously, remember when laurie flipped her car? me neither.

I was shocked at Dale's death but I'm kinda glad they did something so unpredictable. I love the show so far and thought the recent episode was great. Hopefully they'll finally get off of the farm and have a change in environment, it was getting kind of old.

They blew their chance at re-doing probably the best moment from the comic book last night. Now, while I'm not an obsessed fan who demands it to be a carbon copy, this was something they should have (but I knew they wouldn't have) done.

**SPOILERS** (for those who saw last night's episode.)


**YOU WERE WARNED**


Rick should not have been the one to kill Shane. That was Carl's chance to prove that he was actually going to do something worth doing. Instead, he kills zombie Shane to protect his dad, but it doesn't have nearly the effect because Rick already talked Shane out of killing him.

Now, I can be a realist. Only about a million people read TWD each month but they have about five, six million viewers so they're catering mostly to people who aren't familiar with it. It's just one of those things where they had a chance to get something right, but they just didn't. It makes me wonder if Darabont would've done it like the comics, but I don't care because I'm just happy he's going off to work on an old school noir TV show.

But, whatever, it hasn't resembled anything near the comics since episode 5 of season 1. I just watch it out of habit, now, anyway.

the show isnt perfect...but i find it FAR FAR more entertaining then anything else on tv right now.

Good and bad, but I still watch, too.  Zombie effects are usually top-notch, and that is really what I go into it looking for.

I thought the shooting in the bar was brilliantly played -- but then they go off and have Lori drive off in the car for no darn reason at all.  Or one of the no-name daughters goes into "shock" for some inexplicable reason.

There is surely some lazy writing going on, but on the whole, my wife is still watching zombies so I still like it for that.

Fun Walking Dead trivia:  My wife's maiden name was Lori Grimes.  For real.

as far as the Dale character being killed off...

Looks like an "actor's choice" to leave the show

i wish they didnt kill shane... he was developing into a genuinely scary mo-fo....

Quoted from Mr. Blonde Rick should not have been the one to kill Shane. That was Carl's chance to prove that he was actually going to do something worth doing..

I have to disagree, I think it was more fitting since Rick had tried time and time again to make things right with Shane. Their final confrontation was when Rick had to really step up and make the hard decision he was hiding from all along. I thought his son shooting the zombie Shane tied things together nicely.

Quoted from bert There is surely some lazy writing going on.

something tells me the writers would aruge with you there..

breaking down and writing out 65-70 page scripts/stories on a weekly basis.... keeping in mind budget concerns - is not easy...

infact its downright grueling....even if you're working with 5 or 6 other geniuses.

the writing is VERY lazy. they pull the cheapest of tricks in order to get a reaction from the audience and then completely forget about the incident two scenes later.

in the comics, carl kills shane as shane has rick in his cross hairs (carl shoots shane in the neck). it worked beautifully in the comic. don't know why they had to change it.

saw an interview with the creators of the walking dead. apparently A LOT is going to happen next week and the show won't end on the same number of people it started with. time to introduce some new (and long awaited) characters!

Quoted from Penoyer79 something tells me the writers would aruge with you there.. breaking down and writing out 65-70 page scripts/stories on a weekly basis.... keeping in mind budget concerns - is not easy... infact its downright grueling....even if you're working with 5 or 6 other geniuses.

If you say so.

But I understand they have some excellent source material in place already, which undoubtedly makes the chore a bit easier.

But that whole nonsense with Lori driving off in the car for absolutely no reason and telling nobody?  That was painfully forced.

So was that blond girl who suddenly lapsed into some kind of weird coma.  Again, for no reason whatsoever.  Had she even had any lines up to that point?

And this veterinarian guy is like a walking MASH unit.

Sure, it is easy to sit on my couch and throw stones.  And I like it as a whole.  But some of their choices just make me cringe.  I don't think it unreasonable to call foul on some of that stuff.

they've all had their pay offs though...

everyone was complaining about the "missing girl" story line... tell me you thought she'd end up a walker in the barn...and Shane would go apesh1t?
tell me that wasnt one of- if not the best scene of the series?
and lori's car crash set up the lie that lead to Rick ultimately killing shane..

Quoted from Penoyer79 they've all had their pay offs though... everyone was complaining about the "missing girl" story line... tell me you thought she'd end up a walker in the barn...and Shane would go apesh1t? tell me that wasnt one of- if not the best scene of the series? and lori's car crash set up the lie that lead to Rick ultimately killing shane..

I knew from about episode four (of season 2) that she was in the barn. It was something that had to pay off and knowing that they hadn't cast any major roles during that few weeks kind of solidified it.

It was fine, but only by comparison.

And, the crash... Don't even remind me. But, I still watch and enjoy the show. Somebody already told me a good portion of what happens next week and I'm not exactly thrilled with all of it. Some is good times, but we'll see. Maybe the first full season under Mazzara will be better than his first half a season.

Finally finished the second series last night and I for one thought it was an excellent second half. Now this comes from someone who hasn’t read the comics though I may have to change that in the future.

Some of the deaths were surprising and the special effects like always were amazing throughout IMO.

Also a nod to Andrew Lincoln who I always remember from the television show “Teachers” back in the early noughties. Still not overly convinced on his attempted accent but I’ve always thought he was a decent actor.

A great second series after a rocky start and now looking forward to series 3 later in the year.

Yet another ratings milestone for the season three opener.
More than doubled the season two finale!

I stopped watching the show at the farm last year.
I hear the season finally got better towards the end.

So, what's the consensus so far this year, guys?

Regards,
E.D.