Wednesday, November 3, 2010

What did you think about the Walking Dead?

Did anybody watch The Walking Dead last Sunday? Although I was completely over the endless commercials and non-stop hype, I (along with Flyboy because I'm not about to watch zombies by myself) did tune in for the premiere.


The opening was a little slow but that's to be expected when a show is trying to lay all the groundwork and backstory. Nobody is quite sure what started this outbreak but those that are bitten are quickly overcome. I was reminded a bit of Stephen King's The Stand- loads of information to sort through, gripping characters, untold depth and a core story that remains about humanity.


One aspect that interested me was the amount of time spent humanizing the zombies. They didn't all have empty, mindless eyes (which is totally scary) like you would expect of one that only wants to eat flesh and blood. These zombies seemed different to me. Morgan's wife is a 'walker' and she still comes back to the house they were staying in when she died, almost as if she remembers that her family is there waiting for her. You really felt sorry for her and I can understand the temptation to somehow try to spare/save her. The little boy, Duane, was so heartbreaking when he cried...and then you remember that he can wield a wicked mean shovel. He's a tough little guy that has seen the impossible.


I'm fascinated by this show and have high hopes for future episodes. Definitely tuning in this Sunday. What do you think about The Walking Dead? Any thoughts about episode 1? Which characters did you love/hate?

11 comments:

Melissa Walker said...

So glad you asked!

I loved it - and I'm not much of a zombie girl. The fact that the show gave me nightmares Halloween night is a feat in itself. I think the doomsday aspect of it got to me more so than the actual monsters, if that makes any sense. The acting was so much more than I expected.

Plus, Deputy Sheriff Rick Grimes is a bit of a hottie! :-) It's hopeless in this household - we are already addicted to The Walking Dead.

Michele Hauf said...

I've heard a lot of good things about this show. I wish I got the channel!

Jen D. @ Not Now...I'm Reading! said...

Ack!! I haven't watched it yet!! It's on my to do list for tonight since my boyfriend's been hogging the TV watching election stuff.

Anonymous said...

@Melissa- The doomsday aspect of the show was almost like a character in itself and I was totally drawn in. Like maybe we should all learn to ride a horse and take a few survival classes, ya know?

@Michele- Since I know you don't like the scary/bloody stuff it might be better that you don't have this channel. At times it was a bit much for me and I had to cover my eyes and peer through my fingers.

@Jen- Let me know what you think!

Raven Corinn Carluk said...

I liked it, but I'm holding judgment until the second episode. It had a very human element, and the lack of score, and lack of general noises, made it fairly intense.

There were a few plot holes, like how was he the only one in the hospital to survive, and how did he last without food and water for a month?

Loved the very end scene. That was great.

There's definitely potential, and I'll keep watching. Not like there's a whole lot to obsess over right now.

Melissa Walker said...

Anna - As women we would just pack our photo albums, apparently. :-)

Hi Raven! I wondered about that obvious plot hole myself - the fact that he was the only survivor in that mess of a hospital with no food or water. When I watched it the 2nd time, I think I figured it out.

When he left his room, he had to push a big gurney out of the way. Seems like the zombies wouldn't have bothered to move it and go after him since he wasn't making any noise.

Food and water issue - he took an IV out when he woke up. Maybe the electricity had stayed on and nursing staff had managed to take care of him through most of the drama. We really don't know how long the hospital was a total loss.

Just my thoughts! And I disagree - I'm totally obsessing already, lol!

Anonymous said...

Hey Melissa! I'm curious about your thoughts on the cop partner guy and the wife. What did you think about them?

I ask because me and Flyboy were discussing the show over lunch today and we both agree that for the show to succeed they need these characters to have real depth, a way for viewers to make that emotional connection. However, I think both those characters sucked and were really unlikeable. I kept wondering why Rick was so hell-bent on finding his wife. The kid I can understand and relate to, but the wife, not so much. And the partner was a jerk, a big bossy #$%$#.

Don't get me wrong, I will be tuning in this weekend but I am hoping that this week addresses some of those layers and depth.

Melissa Walker said...

Hey Anna! I'm so glad you are encouraging my growing obsession.

The wife and the jerk partner guy were the weak link for me too. I couldn't figure out why I was supposed to care about his wife surviving! So, I did a little reading about the graphic novels the series is based on and found out a major plot point about those two. I won't tell you what it is (spoilers suck) but I think we are supposed to hate them. Might be some major drama going down, love-triangle style.

From what I read, this is going to be a human drama/soap opera sort of story. Days of Our Undead Lives?

Jen D. @ Not Now...I'm Reading! said...

So I finally got to watch the show and all I have to say is...whoa! It started a little slow but, I think it was better than what I expected. I agree with everyone about the doomsday feel. That's what unnerved me the most.

I don't know about you all but, even before the whole zombie apocalypse went down I got the impression that his cop buddy was shady. And then when I saw him and Rick's wife interacting at the camp it all clicked. IMO, it's looking like they're both scumbags.

Aside from that whole thing, my heart went out to Morgan and his kid. Don't know that I'd be able to take out my hubby if he became a brain muncher.

Melissa Walker said...

Hi Jen! I laughed at your brain muncher comment because I made my husband promise to take me out if I ever became zombiefied. I couldn't handle the head and tongue twitching. Quite unseemly.

Episode 2 tonight! Woot.

Jen D. @ Not Now...I'm Reading! said...

Hi Melissa! I also made my boyfriend promise to off me. He thinks I'm nuts when I start talking about the zombie apocalypse but, he goes along with it. LOL!

Can't wait to see what's in store for the suvivors.