The Walking Dead TV series courtesy of AMC.

Moon Jump

Moon Jump

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Third episode felt kinda slow, but after seeing the preview, I want to see the next one now! Sucks there's only three episodes left. Are they still making it? Is this like a mid-season finale or do we have to wait another year for more episodes?

(PS, could somebody PM me a link to the comics? I saw a book at Boarders and it was 80 dollars! So much for seeing how much ONE issue of it would be to try it out)
 
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I'm sorry.....mexican street gang?


MEXICAN STREET GANG?!


WHAAAAAAAAAAAAA


This was a really good episode...not really looking forward to next week.
 
Taiso

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Next week's episode looks like more worldbuilding to me than anything else. The introduction of a survivor faction that isn't interested in playing nice with others seems to be more 'this is what the world is like now' kinda stuff. It's familiar territory, but as long as its well handled I certainly won't complain.

Spoiler:
If I had a gripe about last night's episode, it's that the first segment had some awkward pacing and bad dialogue choices. The beginning, with Merle completely losing it seemed like the writers were trying to explain the character's immoral past through a bit of scenery chewing character acting. 'Oh, this guy's crazy, so now that he thinks he's dying he's in the bargaining phase of his desperation.' I admit that I didn't like how the scene started, but as it progressed I found myself embracing the method of the reveal more. When the zombies are at the door trying to get through and he starts asking for forgiveness, I was really into it. Merle is a weak human being, a coward and a bully, and it makes all the sense in the world that he'd be begging for salvation. I've known guys like Merle before. Take away whatever empowers them and they become frightened and irrational.

So the episode's opening scene almost lost me, but got me back by the end. Then we had the great reunion of all the characters at the camp, and that was truly good stuff, but then it got slow with the campfire confrontation and the sparse dialogue and redundant verbiage. It wasn't terrible, but I found myself drifting in and out of the episode's grasp because of it. After the first commercial break, when we had the tension with Merle's brother and the wife beater indicent at the riverside and the whole issue of Shane and Lori and Rick's decision to go back to Atlanta despite his wife's protests, everything got a whole lot more intense and I found myself really loving the episode.


Also (and seriously, DO NOT READ THE FOLLOWING UNLESS YOU WANT A KEY MOMENT IN THE STORY SPOILED FOR YOU OR YOU'VE READ THE COMIC PAST ISSUE 40!)

Spoiler:
I wonder the tv show's version of Rick's forthcoming handicap is because Merle's gonna exact a little revenge from Rick for the loss of his hand. Are they setting Merle up to be a reworked version of the Governor? I was intrigued by the questions this posed to me as a reader of the comic since the beginning.
 
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jro

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I thought that third episode was really good. Some good reveals (I haven't read the graphic novels, easier to enjoy the show that way), and better pacing.

I'd say this is my second-favorite show on tv, now, only behind Sons of Anarchy. Really enjoying it.
 
SonGohan

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Taiso said:
Also (and seriously, DO NOT READ THE FOLLOWING UNLESS YOU WANT A KEY MOMENT IN THE STORY SPOILED FOR YOU OR YOU'VE READ THE COMIC PAST ISSUE 40!)

Spoiler:
I wonder the tv show's version of Rick's forthcoming handicap is because Merle's gonna exact a little revenge from Rick for the loss of his hand. Are they setting Merle up to be a reworked version of the Governor? I was intrigued by the questions this posed to me as a reader of the comic since the beginning.
Click to expand...

I was thinking the SAME thing.
 
Magician

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Alright, for those in the know, what did the scientist tell Grimes before they fled the exploding CDC building? My guess is that he told him that his wife is pregnant. Give me teh spoilarz.
 
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Taiso

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Us comic readers are completely in the dark about this too, because there was never a CDC compound in the comic book. All that stuff was never in the original story.

I was not a fan of the CDC stuff. I understand that it answered some important questions that the TV audience might have had and set the table so that the characters and audience are on the same page about one key fact: there is no way of knowing if there's any place left for them to go to. But it felt out of place with the rest of the series. I think they did it this way because they didn't know if the series would be any longer than these six episodes and, when watched as a six hour movie, it plays well enough in terms of a. more or less, complete story. Minus the whispering to hook audiences at the end, that is.
 
ForeverSublime

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Taiso said:
Us comic readers are completely in the dark about this too, because there was never a CDC compound in the comic book. All that stuff was never in the original story.
Click to expand...

This episode stuck out like a sore thumb. The premise for all the tension was falsely created and drawn out - almost the opposite of the cliche of when a woman in a horror film does something reckless much less breaks a heel. I know I stuck up for the "televisionisation" of the comic before, but this scenario didn't work.

Spoiler:
The doc seemed more like a Bond or Spiderman villain reject than a character in this story
 
Taiso

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Spolierama

Spoiler:
I just don't like the characters of The Walking Dead, this particular series, tooling about a marginally functional, secured government facility this early in the storyline. I get why it's in the episode, from a creative standpoint. I understand why the writers went in this direction. This is more, I feel, for the audience's benefit than the characters'. It's like the TV producers were saying 'we need to stop certain questions from being asked to set the pace for the show moving forward.'

I mean, maybe it's just me but when it comes to the best of zombie fiction, I have already accepted that the world ended. I don't need to see things detailing what I, as a viewer, already have come to accept.

By way of contrast, in The Mist, I, as an audience member, didn't know the state of the world, so the characters asking questions about 'what's still out there' is a meaningful question for the movie to pose.

Would the characters be talking about such things? Of course. But I'd prefer it be handled offscreen so that it doesn't waste time getting to the stuff that will surprise me more. See the season finale of Sons of Anarchy season 3 for one hell of an excellent surprise twist or three.

In The Walking Dead, as with most zombie apocalypse fiction, the world is gone and we are just survivors now. It's an accepted trope of the genre. Any time there is a semblance of civilization, it's wierd and different and the characters are discovering something that we, as an audience, are as unfamiliar with as they are. To take something from Romero's Land of the Dead, Fiddler's Green is society, and its social dynamic of status and entitlement is similar to our own, but the culture of the city itself is a different world and therefore it poses things worth presenting to the audience. It's world building.

The CDC stuff was basically telling the audience 'you knew everything was fucked but we're going to tell you again anyway just so there's no doubt. But maybe not.' Gee, TV writers. Thank you very much.

Shakespere wrote 'Brevity is the soul of wit,' and the season finale felt like it was wasting my time by putting the characters in a situation where I, as an audience member, knew, at this early stage, that there was no hope to be found in the world outside. The other stuff that happened in the episode, the character based stuff, could have happened anywhere and it would have still had the same impact and meaning for me.

Ultimately, I still recommend The Walking Dead to anyone that wants to watch a good TV show. It's a good, if not great, series, and I will buy the DVDs and watch the second season for sure. As a fan of the genre, I prefer that the expected dystopian tropes be examined in more worthy ways than to have the characters bombing around a CDC bunker happily getting hammered on Murlot. The police station shower scene was a much better examination of a cautious, momentary creature comfort in the midst of armageddon than last night's offering.
 
HeartlessNinny

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I'm not real keen on the TV show's deviation from the comics' plot either. I dunno.

Still a decent show, though, even if it is a bit schmaltzy. Here's hoping season 2 is better.
 
Comrade Porn King Mikhail

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I realize that they had to wrap up a quick season without knowing about the show's future, but the CDC episode felt like a complete departure from what the graphic novel set out to achieve. The GN is all about slow pacing and letting the characters slowly grow into each location and take a while to realize that there is truly no safe place in this world for them. Rushing through a compound in one episode was like watching an action flick rather than the deliberate horror drama that the GN portrays.

I think some of the actors' shortcomings are starting to come out as well. Jeff DeMunn has never had any strong acting outside of Law and Order and does not seem to exhude the same fatherly composure that keeps him so vital to the entire crew in the graphic novel. Shane and Glenn are both not rising up to the challenge of being believable, rather mostly acting as some B-movie sidekicks. Some, like Laurie Holden, are just not being written well. She was excellent as a tough cop on The Shield and her toughness needs to be expanded upon just as in the GN. She was a much more believable combination of fragility and strength in The Mist and I wish she could tap into that role a bit more.

It's not a horrible show by any means and I'm hopeful that having been greenlit for a 2nd Season the show and acting will blossom. But at the same time, outside of Andrew Lincoln no one else has really made the acting jump that can carry the show to true greatness. Andrew Lincoln has potential, but I don't see anyone stepping up their performance like Aaron Paul in Breaking Bad or John Slattery in Mad Men.

Will wait for Season 2 and hope it makes a leap.
 
genjiglove

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Taiso said:
Also (and seriously, DO NOT READ THE FOLLOWING UNLESS YOU WANT A KEY MOMENT IN THE STORY SPOILED FOR YOU OR YOU'VE READ THE COMIC PAST ISSUE 40!)

Spoiler:
I wonder the tv show's version of Rick's forthcoming handicap is because Merle's gonna exact a little revenge from Rick for the loss of his hand. Are they setting Merle up to be a reworked version of the Governor? I was intrigued by the questions this posed to me as a reader of the comic since the beginning.
Click to expand...

I thought the exact same thing.

I watched the season finale last night. I can't say I care for the fact that they've already revealed why the dead are returning to life.
 
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Great, gotta find more stuff to watch.

Luckily they'll have a second season with more episodes.
 
HeartlessNinny

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Kiselgof said:
I realize that they had to wrap up a quick season without knowing about the show's future, but the CDC episode felt like a complete departure from what the graphic novel set out to achieve. The GN is all about slow pacing and letting the characters slowly grow into each location and take a while to realize that there is truly no safe place in this world for them. Rushing through a compound in one episode was like watching an action flick rather than the deliberate horror drama that the GN portrays.

I think some of the actors' shortcomings are starting to come out as well. Jeff DeMunn has never had any strong acting outside of Law and Order and does not seem to exhude the same fatherly composure that keeps him so vital to the entire crew in the graphic novel. Shane and Glenn are both not rising up to the challenge of being believable, rather mostly acting as some B-movie sidekicks. Some, like Laurie Holden, are just not being written well. She was excellent as a tough cop on The Shield and her toughness needs to be expanded upon just as in the GN. She was a much more believable combination of fragility and strength in The Mist and I wish she could tap into that role a bit more.

It's not a horrible show by any means and I'm hopeful that having been greenlit for a 2nd Season the show and acting will blossom. But at the same time, outside of Andrew Lincoln no one else has really made the acting jump that can carry the show to true greatness. Andrew Lincoln has potential, but I don't see anyone stepping up their performance like Aaron Paul in Breaking Bad or John Slattery in Mad Men.

Will wait for Season 2 and hope it makes a leap.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I tend to agree. Everybody but Rick and Dale are shitty actors. Like, sub-par, even. Hopefully they'll pick it up some, Dexter-style.
 
Taiso

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You know, from the standpoint that I don't really care about most of the TV show versions of the characters, I have to agree that the actors haven't lived up to the expectations I had for them.

Rick and Dale are great, everyone else is just kinda bland. I think Laurie Holden's been decent, but I find it distracting that Andrea seems older than she was in the comic. I sorta liked

Spoiler:
the taboo aspect of Dale and Andrea being an item despite the vast difference in ages. It enhanced the whole thematic element that in a world without rules, the social mores we know and accept are moot.


I try not to let my love for the comic color the series, but the comic mostly gets it right. I've enjoyed the changes in story events, such as meeting the Atlanta Mexican holdouts, but I haven't enjoyed the new added cast. They feel like fodder, and that's exactly what they're going to be. I wish more of them would have died in the finale. There might be some kinda sanction for more diversity, but fuck that. Just do what works. The comic cast's diversity works, even at that early part in events. Besides, with

Spoiler:
Tyrese, Michonne and Morgan


coming into things soon enough, the diversity aspect is covered.

I also like Glenn in the show, but it must be said that the portrayal hasn't completely eneared me to the character as of yet. He just seems like 'plucky young smartmouth Asian guy,' and he needs to come into his own. In the comic, he eventually does, but for the TV version, the sooner this happens the better.
 
genjiglove

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I can't wait for Michonne to come into the show. She might be my favorite character from the comics (along with Andrea) so I hope they find a good actress for her.
 
Taiso

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Honestly, and this is not me saying that the character sucks, but I'm ready for Michonne to die. She's almost too strong, and I feel less worried about the characters when she's around. I like her, and Abraham, but I think it's time for them to both take the dirt nap.
 
Kim Kaphwan

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Taiso said:
Honestly, and this is not me saying that the character sucks, but I'm ready for Michonne to die. She's almost too strong, and I feel less worried about the characters when she's around. I like her, and Abraham, but I think it's time for them to both take the dirt nap.
Click to expand...

Well, she did die in the joke ending of issue #75. I can actually see Rick dying before Michonne. Kirkman keeps talking about it everynow and then in the monthly newsletter.
 
Moon Jump

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NeoTheranthrope said:
I can't wait until the next episode!
Click to expand...

You'll have to wait till next year. Sucks their all finished with the first season, but that was a damn fine last episode to end it off. I'm also really surprised the show got a nomination for Best Drama from the Golden Globes. It won't win against Mad Men, but it's nice to see it nominated none the less.
 
genjiglove

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Taiso said:
Honestly, and this is not me saying that the character sucks, but I'm ready for Michonne to die. She's almost too strong, and I feel less worried about the characters when she's around. I like her, and Abraham, but I think it's time for them to both take the dirt nap.
Click to expand...

I like having Michonne around as a wild card, considering how she went against Rick in that recent issue. You never quite know what shes thinking and I think it creates some interesting situations.
 
HeartlessNinny

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Okay, show's back. I thought the season premier was a touch on the dull side until the last second. Even as a reader of the comic, I didn't see that coming. Looks like they're going to pull the same bullshit where he'll be fine, though. In this case that's better, I think, because we need to see that character stick around for the long haul.

I also was surprised by how much I liked Shane over last time. I think that guy stepped up his acting ability. Seems like he'll be gone sooner or later, though.

So far the rest of the characters can be pretty unlikable though. This version of Andrea is really fucking annoying. I wouldn't give a shit if she ate her gun in the next episode. Sophia's mom is pretty worthless too, and Glen is just an empty vessel so far. At least Darryl and Dale are holding up some of the show, because otherwise this sucker'd be dead in the water so far if you ask me.

Anyway. Here's hoping this season is a good one. It's supposed to be long, right? I seem to remember someone telling me it'd be 16 episodes or something. Sounds good to me. It may not be the best show on TV, but it's entertaining.
 
Taiso

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I really liked the tone of last night's episode. It was the right kind of creeping tension for my tastes.

I agree that Andrea is fucking annoying in this show. I'm supposed to like that character, and I DO like that character very much in the comic. I think the character's age in the show is bugging me. I liked the taboo aspect of her relationship with Dale in the comic book: I felt it was challenging to conventional thought in all the right ways. But in the show so far, Andrea just feels like an irritating super bitch, the kind of character I am cheering for to die.

I also agree that Sophia's mom is an annoying character, too. I could do without her.

I think Rick is still great, I really liked Shane in the second season premiere (the character had depth and the actor did a good job) and I think Lori's arc went in the right way: she was another one of those 'super bitch' characters in the first season, but I liked her last night. Dale and Daryl are also both top notch. Personally, I like Daryl as the loose cannon a lot more than Michonne in the comic book. Daryl comes from a real place. Michonne feels like she came out of another universe with her katana, leading two zombies by the neck and just slaughtering everything in sight. If they just kept Daryl and never introduced Michonne, I'd be perfectly happy.

I believe Carl got shot in the same way in the comic book, too. I am glad they kept that scene for the TV show.
 
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