The Walking Dead

[Depression Moon]

Anybody watched this show on AMC last night? It's based on the comic series of the same name and by the name I guess you could tell what the overall plot is about, but the show had surprised me some after its opening sequence and it left on a great cliffhanger. You might be able to watch it online if you missed it.

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[Madame Adequate]

Oh snap, I completely forgot this was starting. I will yoink it from the torrents immediately; the comic book is great, and the trailer for this looked pretty sweet as well.

[Depression Moon]

I just found out that there is a re-airing of the first episode on Friday.

[escobert]

I'll have to look for it Wednesday. I saw the commercials for it and it looked interesting.

[Shiny]

I missed it. D: Someone send me a link when they find it please.

EDIT: The entire Walking Dead comic con panel in San Diego is up on On Demand. There was also a NY one, but it wasn't on there. :(

[Depression Moon]

Don't forget a new episode airs tonight at 10.

[Vyk]

Just watched the first episode. It wasn't terrible. But there's something odd about AMC's style. I've noticed it in other series. I'm not sure if its their directing, editing, or what. Its just odd, artistically. Like they're tying to make something seem like an indie movie or something. Hard to place my finger on the particulars. When Rick was lying on the floor of his house the cut-aways and camera angles and blends just caught me as ... odd

I read a good portion of the graphic novels before giving up on them for getting lame, predictable, and repetitive. One of those cases where they should have quit while they were ahead, but they thought they had something good going and wanted to keep it going, just for the sake of keeping it going. A good artist knows when to call it quits. And speaking of art, the art style totally changed in that comic which completely threw me off. Once the plot took a nose dive there was no reason for me to keep returning to it

I honestly don't expect much better out of the series. But I'll give it a couple episodes. I'll probably download episode 2 sometime today or tomorrow

[Madame Adequate]

Wait seriously Vyk? I thought the comic book was pretty amazing throughout.

[Shiny]

The beginning of the first episode was too much like 28 Weeks Later. It didn't really start to get interesting until towards the end with the horse. I really enjoyed the second episode though. I was very happy when the redneck got owned.

[Madame Adequate]

Now that I've got around to watching, I'm in love with this show. It is awesome.

[Depression Moon]

Walking Dead gets a second season, twice as long as the first (http://io9.com/5684850/walking-dead-gets-a-second-season-twice-as-long-as-the-first)

[Del Murder]

I really liked episode 1 of this show and I need to remember to catch episode 2!

[Depression Moon]

Last night's episode was pretty interesting. I believe it's obvious what happened at the end and can't wait to find out what kind of drama it causes.

[Bunny]

If anyone thinks this show is bad, I question their sanity and intelligence.

[Miriel]

I think the show is enjoyable, but it's almost painfully predictable. And I wish there weren't so many plot holes/things that don't make any sense. I know, I know, it's a zombie show. You're not supposed to nitpick. But it's a zombie show on AMC (home of Mad Men!!), I expected better.

Also surprised by how slow the pace is with this show, considering that there's only 6 episodes in the first season.

Things that don't make sense:
How come some of the zombies can barely shuffle around, and others can climb over fences like it's no big deal despite seemingly being at the same stage of decay?
Why are they sticking so close to a major city that is absolutely OVERRUN with zombies instead of stocking up and heading to deserted areas?
Why did redneck dude cut off his hand when he could have hacked at the rusty, worn down looking piping or just broken/cut his thumb to wiggle out of the cuffs?
Why is no one explaining how all this zombie stuff started out in the first place?
If the sheriff's office where Mr. Main Sheriff guy was from was still fully stocked with guns and ammo, why don't they head to other outlying suburbs to load up on weapons and gear?
Why the hell did Asian dude drive all that way with the alarms blaring?
While I fully expect a significant amount of reverting back to traditional gender roles in times of apocalyptic crisis, I don't buy for a second that 100% of the washing would be done by women while one man stands around smoking a cigarette and another man sloshes around playfully looking for frogs. How does that make any sense? And the lady with the gun doesn't even know that the safety is on despite currently having to fight for her life? Not sure what exactly they're trying to illustrate with the gender dynamics on this show.


Overall I'm enjoying the show but disappointed in its lack of depth, the stereotypical roles, the things that happen simply for shock value. I thought this would be like... I dunno, really awesome. But so far it seems to be following in the same vein as a lot of other zombie movies/shows rather than elevating itself and standing apart.

As for episode 3, I thought the first scene was the most gripping and horrifying one but it kinda just became lackluster from there on.

[Bunny]

Why are they sticking so close to a major city that is absolutely OVERRUN with zombies instead of stocking up and heading to deserted areas?

The location they have now is fairly secure and close enough to the city (and probably smaller towns) that they can go on small raids to get whatever they want. If they were to stock up and then head to a deserted area, they would still have to return from time-to-time in order to get more supplies, specifically food, which their current location has.


Why did redneck dude cut off his hand when he could have hacked at the rusty, worn down looking piping or just broken/cut his thumb to wiggle out of the cuffs?

There probably isn't an in-depth answer to this. He was probably just stupid. If you want a longer answer, he was probably freaking out because the zombies at the door, the sun blazing down on him probably fried wahtever intelligence he did have on him (since he was there about a day, just baking), and he probably just didn't think of it. People aren't really at their most rational when met with situations of brutal death.


Why the hell did Asian dude drive all that way with the alarms blaring?

He said he didn't know how when they first arrived back at the camp.



Why is no one explaining how all this zombie stuff started out in the first place?

The show has focused on a group of people that do not have a scientist or specialized doctor in order to deduce the cause of the zombification. Also, they probably just don't know and are merely trying to survive.


While I fully expect a significant amount of reverting back to traditional gender roles in times of apocalyptic crisis, I don't buy for a second that 100% of the washing would be done by women while one man stands around smoking a cigarette and another man sloshes around playfully looking for frogs. How does that make any sense? And the lady with the gun doesn't even know that the safety is on despite currently having to fight for her life?

Yeah, I don't understand either of those. I think it was just a small plot point for them to use at that time and, possibly, in future episodes. The safety on the gun would be more believable if it wasn't a god damn zombie apocalypse. You'd think that would be the first thing you learn, aside from "shoot the motherfuckers in the head!"

[Miriel]

He said he didn't know how when they first arrived back at the camp.

I know that's what he said, but it makes no freakin' sense! Couldn't he have ditched that noise bucket further away from camp and then hitch a ride in the van? If they wanted to pick at the car they could have always done so later on. Driving it right into camp seemed like the dumbest thing in the world. But I give him a pass because he looks like he's training to take on the Elite Four so I can't hate too much.

[Depression Moon]

How come some of the zombies can barely shuffle around, and others can climb over fences like it's no big deal despite seemingly being at the same stage of decay?
Some zombies retain more motor skills or memory than others. That one zombie who did hop over the fence should've face planted though.


Why are they sticking so close to a major city that is absolutely OVERRUN with zombies instead of stocking up and heading to deserted areas?
What Bunny said.


Why did redneck dude cut off his hand when he could have hacked at the rusty, worn down looking piping or just broken/cut his thumb to wiggle out of the cuffs? Might've not been able to get out of the pipe quick enough and his sanity was slipping.


Why is no one explaining how all this zombie stuff started out in the first place?
They are all just regular people, I doubt any of them even know. They did explain how the hospitals had discovered zombies when people were getting sick and they put people down and were going to dump them off as shown in the 1st ep.


If the sheriff's office where Mr. Main Sheriff guy was from was still fully stocked with guns and ammo, why don't they head to other outlying suburbs to load up on weapons and gear?
Same as the 2nd question

Why the hell did Asian dude drive all that way with the alarms blaring?
He said he didn't know how to stop it once he got to camp and the car was fast and nice. He was thrilled when he was speeding with it.


While I fully expect a significant amount of reverting back to traditional gender roles in times of apocalyptic crisis, I don't buy for a second that 100% of the washing would be done by women while one man stands around smoking a cigarette and another man sloshes around playfully looking for frogs. How does that make any sense? And the lady with the gun doesn't even know that the safety is on despite currently having to fight for her life? Not sure what exactly they're trying to illustrate with the gender dynamics on this show.


Don't remember the safety thing, but I doubt that the women can force the men to help with washing if they don't want to or feel like it. A lot of women feel prone to have things clean as well.

[Madame Adequate]

Why are they sticking so close to a major city that is absolutely OVERRUN with zombies instead of stocking up and heading to deserted areas?

Their quest to find somewhere safe and secure is half the point of the comic. It's just that they are content to have a slow pace with the show, so we're not there yet. :p Also remember that the outbreak is still fairly young and they're probably still hopeful of rescue, which means they'd want to stay fairly close to Atlanta.


Why did redneck dude cut off his hand when he could have hacked at the rusty, worn down looking piping or just broken/cut his thumb to wiggle out of the cuffs?

Well, he's not the smartest guy in the world. He's probably heard that old thing about it being quicker to saw through your own wrist than a pair of handcuffs and didn't even think of other options. Or maybe he did try the other stuff and felt it wasn't getting him anywhere.


Why is no one explaining how all this zombie stuff started out in the first place?

If you mean the cause, the comic is seven years old and they've still not explained this. If you mean just talking about events during the first days of the outbreak, where it began, how it spread, etc., I'm not sure but I guess they aren't fond to relive memories of the whole world being devoured, billions of people dying, and so forth? I dunno. The start of the outbreak was probably also when most of them watched their friends and family get eaten or turned, too.


Why the hell did Asian dude drive all that way with the alarms blaring?

That was derpy. I think they just wanted to add some drama "omg they're going to find us now!". He was pretty enthused about the car though, he probably didn't want to ditch it.


While I fully expect a significant amount of reverting back to traditional gender roles in times of apocalyptic crisis, I don't buy for a second that 100% of the washing would be done by women while one man stands around smoking a cigarette and another man sloshes around playfully looking for frogs. How does that make any sense? And the lady with the gun doesn't even know that the safety is on despite currently having to fight for her life? Not sure what exactly they're trying to illustrate with the gender dynamics on this show.

I was a bit weirded out by this as well. But I've thought a lot about zombie apocalypses, and I've realized that there probably aren't that many chores to do. Get supplies, keep a lookout, cooking and cleaning, and washing clothes. Beyond that people won't have a great deal to do. Given that the men seem to be the ones on lookout and getting the supplies (Probably more due to their existing skills than any actual sexism) it was probably felt to be fair that the women take up the remainder.

[Miriel]

I feel like a lot of your responses to my questions are pretty thin answers that just goes to show that the writing on the show isn't really that great. Rather paltry as the old man with the good vocabulary would say.
There's always things that don't make a ton of sense in TV shows, but a lot of the times you a) don't notice it, or b) your suspension of disbelief can carry you through it so that it doesn't pull you out or distract you from the story. All the stuff I listed were things that completely sucked me out of the story. Things I commented on WHILE watching the show which totally took away from the enjoyment. The last scene of Episode 2 with Asian dude roaring through the streets with his alarm on? Totally took away from what was otherwise a gripping episode. This kind of dumb writing brings down the show. I heard that the comics are critically acclaimed so I'm surprised by the lack of wit and storyteling ability on the show.

By the cause, I don't mean the scientific explanation for what happened, I mean, someone could have at some point filled in the gaps between the time that Mr. Sherriff was in the hospital and the world was all right, and the time he woke up and everything had gone to :bou::bou::bou::bou:. Maybe they did and we didn't hear it, in which case, BALLS. The most we got was that they were overrun at some point and that the government was still actively trying to control this thing (ie: evacuating people, setting up refugee points, etc). Some sort of explanation of how it went down is necessary I think, and the opportunity to give that explanation was in this past episode. It seems weird that they're waiting to do the exposition on this, or maybe they're not planning on doing it at all.

The thing with them heading into the zombiefied Atlanta that is so ridiculously stupid to me, despite whatever excuses y'all can come up with, is that the first time we see Mr. Sherriff go into Atlanta it's clear that it's absolutely deserted and that people were fleeing from the city. But he's all, "duuurrr, I wonder what's waiting for me in the city!" and leads his nice horse to slaughter. Poor horsie! And then later he has the galls to call it a "trap". No, mister, it wasn't a trap if you can clearly see what's ahead of you is danger!

That's like calling a cliff a trap. C'mon.

Just a single line of dialogue that said, "we've raided all the stores in the nearby area, Atlanta's all that's left" would have made everything make a lot more sense. Why they would put themselves in so much danger.


He said he didn't know how to stop it once he got to camp and the car was fast and nice. He was thrilled when he was speeding with it.
That doesn't explain away the stupidity.


Don't remember the safety thing, but I doubt that the women can force the men to help with washing if they don't want to or feel like it. A lot of women feel prone to have things clean as well.
Are you serious with this?

[Madame Adequate]

Yeah, that's all fair enough. I'm not bothered as much as you, but to some extent that's probably because the comic is automatically filling in gaps for me (Though you never, that I recall, get one long exposition of things going south. It's bits and pieces told by different characters, their own stories. The fact that these are usually horrendous and awful is what leads me to think that people don't much like talking about that time). There are definitely some things that could be better though, for sure, and the only way around some of it is to make excuses.

[*ETERNAL FANTASY*]

Like it! Dont love it...Sucks its only 6 episodes though!!

Those Zombie sequences are insane!

[Depression Moon]

Are you serious with this?

Yeah

[Levian]

Planning on saving this till after my exams! Never seen a zombie mini-series, so this ought to be interesting.

[Shiny]

Are you serious with this?

Yeah

:lol:

[Miriel]

Are you serious with this?

Yeah
Because in a nightmare scenario where the dead have risen, all the women are going to be doing the laundry because that's just what women do.

MILF, I've been reading synopsis of the comics and you're right, it does fill in a lot of gaps.

[Bunny]

Because in a nightmare scenario where the dead have risen, all the women are going to be doing the laundry because that's just what women do.

Women best know their place in the fucking zombie apocalypse. Gun? NOPE WASHBOARD

[Miss_Lulu]

I love this show. Pretty much everyone my age in my town has been watching it. My brothers and I watch it every Sunday when it comes on.

Though it is pretty easy to realize what's going to happen next.

[Madame Adequate]

I like the part where this show exists and I watch it. Another awesome episode.

[Chris]

Sorry for bringing this one back from the dead! But I just finished watching all of season one, and I must say that I am unequivocally and irrevocably hooked. I can't think of a single moment that didn't have me by the boys. Yes, it's predictable. Yes, there are some plot holes, but it is just so damn good if you ask me.

Thrilled! Can't think of a better word for the way I feel about season two.

[Vyk]

I quit watching the show, it wasn't doing it for me. But at least I gave it a solid try. And I am glad that it's caught on so well with people. At least that tells AMC that risking the creation of this non-standard series was worth it. Opens avenues for other interesting risks. Maybe one day I'll like one. I will say it is a well done show