The Walking Dead Review Episode 1.1

Stunning. Epic. Gut-wrenching. Sorry about that last one. Arguably the best pilot episode since Lost.

The long opening scenes of absolute quiet and stillness represented by abandoned cars and trucks… the great surprise in finding a survivor, a little girl … who turned out to be a walker, “put down” by the deputy… was an astounding way to begin the series. It truly set the tone of horror, not in the genre sense, but it the general-use sense; real horror at the situation.

Perhaps the most effective tool for supporting this atmosphere was the near-complete lack of background noises and incidental music. No pop songs, no emo, not even much of a soundtrack. THANK GOD. The pervasive and intrusive use of music in many series in recent years has been a giant bête noir for me. This exceptionally courageous refusal to fill the quiet is becoming a hallmark for AMC, the American network for whom this series was produced. The quiet means that gunshots are extra loud, and the splatter of blood when walkers are put down is clear as a bell.

The head writer of the series has said in interviews that the series is meant to be a character study that happens to have zombies. This opening episode, however, was heavy on effects. I’ve seen few things on television as disturbing as the zombies in this episode. They were absolutely overwhelmingly disgusting. Thank goodness we were given a break from the horror and the disgust and the despair with the simple joy of a hot water shower. It was literally a cleansing, before diving back into the gore.

There were of course several excellent moments of character study. Interesting that those were the moments that employed incidental music, but treated just as delicately as the gore was brutal. When Morgan was planning to put down his walker wife, while Deputy Grimes was planning on shooting the partial walker, dragging entrails, the music was subtle and almost ethereal, definitely not intrusive. And “I’m sorry this happened to you” must be an indicator of the conflict to come – will that mindset win out as the sheer numbers become overwhelming? And Morgan‘s inability to “put down” his wife – when will the disgust overcome the memories?

Kudos especially to Britons Andrew Lincoln and Lennie James for their breathtaking performances (and excellent American southern accents). This is clearly must-see tv, and I can’t wait for the next installment. I can only hope that it can live up to the promise of this outstanding first episode.

Favorite line of the episode: “They may not seem like much one at a time…”

First published on Simply Television on 11/5/10  http://simplytelevision.blogspot.com/2010/11/walking-dead-episode-1-review.html

The Walking Dead Review Episode 1.2 "Guts"

Another excellent episode of this groundbreaking series.  Introductions continued this week as we met additional survivors and learned more about the walkers, while the how-do-we-survive-while-keeping-our-humanity-intact theme was taken to the next level. 

The ensemble was an interesting mix, though we only spent time with a few of them this week.  The showrunner seems to be taking his cues from the late great LOST in how he handles the introduction of these archetypal characters, by separating them into smaller groups.  At this point we have met The Walking Dead’s versions of Lost’s Jack in Rick (Andrew Lincoln), Kate as Andrea (Laurie Holden), Sawyer (or at least the worst of him) as Merle (played to perfection by Michael Rooker).  Of course there is no denying that The Walking Dead’s version of Miles is Glenn (Steven Yeun).  He gets all the snarky lines -  “Bright side? It’ll be the fall that kills us. I’m a glass-half-full kinda guy”; “if bad ideas were an Olympic event, this would take the gold”; and “a diversion – like in Hogan’s Heroes” (an American sitcom from the 1960s).  Fortunately those lines are delivered in a straightforward and tempered way; in the hands of a less-gifted actor and director they could have been distracting, but were so subtlely delivered that several were missed on a first watch.

In spite of the action-movie feel to this episode, the question of how well a person can cling to humanity while under attack by – subhumans? – continued unabated.  Merle Dixon was merely the loudest beat of that theme, but there were many more subtle points made.  It was interesting to note that the group in Atlanta called walkers “geeks,” just as enemy combatants often call each other perjorative terms, or the way that bigots refer to their targets.  We learned the more respectful and elegant term “walkers” first, admittedly from a man whose wife is one of them.  To the survivors in Atlanta they are a swarm, their inhumanity visually underscored by the early overhead view. 

The guts scene.  The scene that most people referred to as “THE scene” or “you know which scene.”  It was wonderful that Rick couldn’t chop up the body right away.  That he thought to honor the person who once inhabited that body, honor the person and his humanity, before hacking him to bits, was a clear indication that he still has a firm grasp of his own humanity.  But what I found so interesting about the scene was that, for all the fan reaction for its gruesomeness, it was actually fairly tame visually.  It was in fact the reaction of the Atlantans that sold the gore, horror, and revulsion, not the actual effects – though the entrails were pretty disgusting.  While this may not have been Hitchcock-level implied gore, it was still sold by a great performance by the ensemble.  The walker eating the rat in the sewer was much more visually appalling. 

I loved that the group, once rescued and in the van, obviously was wondering about Merle but didn’t ask, and that T-Dog offered up the news that he had dropped the key.  That they didn’t ask and he didn’t try to cover it up was an indication that they are all still holding on to their humanity… for now.  Glenn’s joy-filled drive of freedom was a terrific exclamation point to the Escape from Atlanta that was this episode.

Bear McCreary’s excellent tension-building score continues to be wonderfully subtle and eerie and is used so sparingly that it’s almost a shame that his talent seems underutilized.  A heavier hand would ruin it, though, so much appreciation to the showrunner’s and Mr. McCreary’s willingness to use it so lightly.

Next week’s episode will apparently address what happens when the group in Atlanta reunites with the group outside of town, which includes Rick’s partner and wife, Laurie’s sister, and Merle’s brother.  Such a setup could easily devolve into a tiresome melodrama, but with the inclusion of the zombie factor, and the excellent work of this series so far, I’m not too worried.

Favorite line of the episode:  “One more thing – he was an organ donor.”

First published on Simply Television on 11/12/10 http://simplytelevision.blogspot.com/2010/11/walking-dead-episode-12-review.html

The Walking Dead Review Episode 1.3 "Tell it to the Frogs"

Many people found this to be the slowest episode of the three so far – only three zombie sightings! - but it gets better with every strongly-recommended rewatch; I found a lot of hidden gems during mine. This episode has been referred to as the “landing” episode, the one where the ensemble reunites and gets its bearings, and to an extent, its division of labor. We become familiar with the new home base and with the remaining ensemble characters, to varying degrees.

I loved that Merle went through the 5 stages of grief when confronting the very real possibility of being taken by the zombies on the Atlanta rooftop. Denial, bargaining, anger (he had those two switched), depression, and acceptance – or action, depending on your point of view. Maybe he accepted the fact that he had to hack off his hand? If only he had known that he was safe from the zombies. If he survives, is it possible that he will become even nastier?

The reveal that Shane told Lori that her husband died put a whole different spin on every scene with Shane and with Lori. A rewatch reveals that what she’s thinking is NOT what we THOUGHT she was thinking when she saw her husband and then looked at Shane. “I barely got them out” – so did Shane lie to Lori to get her to leave, or to get her to leave with him? I expect we shall learn, at least from his point of view, as the story continues to unfold.

Ed. We hate Ed. And he’s not even Merle’s brother. We were warned that Merle’s brother was no treat, so when we met Ed and his selfishness with his campfire, and horrible way with his wife, it would have been easy to think that he was Merle’s brother. “Mind your own business for once” - seriously? In this new world? Sorry, that can’t happen, especially about something like a fire big enough to draw the attention of walkers. Eejit. And he just keeps getting worse.

Rick, on the other hand, is wonderful. He thanks Carol for her kindness in doing the washing; we like Rick. He is a hero. He is willing to leave his newly-reunited family to go back to Atlanta, and even has no fewer than three reasons to do so. Not only does he want to rescue Horrible Merle but he has guns, ammo, and tools to pick up, and his friend Morgan to save from entering Atlanta. But here’s an interesting question: Rick is a good person who has held on to his humanity. But if he had lived through what the others did instead of sleeping through it, would he still be as good a person? Are we going to see his humanity slip away as his ordeal catches up with what the rest have already faced?

When a walker does show up near camp, our gang has to beat it to “death.” But ewww the head still moves – “gotta be the brain, don’t y’all know nothin?” is our introduction to Daryl. Thanks for the zombie lesson, Daryl. Yes, Daryl’s a problem, but sorry, Ed is worse.

Poor Glenn has a bad time this episode. He gets yelled at – AGAIN – for bringing trouble to his friends; in this case, it’s the car alarm and its potential for summoning walkers. He gets dragged into another mission. And – he loses his beloved car. I’m slightly uncomfortable with how they’re dealing with Glenn, it’s getting dangerously close to being stereotypical, but I’m hoping that this will be adjusted in the coming episodes.

We learned a little more about Dale in this episode, and I laughed out loud at his “I don’t like lending my tools” line. He really is not that far off from the “On Golden Pond” slam that Darryl made about him and his hat. I thought it was really interesting to note that he and the mechanic were bargaining with Rick. This may be a small community, but there is no community property and it is no family.

My favorite scene of insight into the characters, though, was the scene in the quarry during which the women listed the machines they missed:
Carol: I do miss my Maytag (laundry is a big part of her life)
Andrea: I miss my Benz, my sat nav (she had a well-paying job and traveled)
Jacqui: I miss my coffee maker with dual drip filter and built in grinder, honey (she had the money to enjoy some of the better things)
Amy: my computer; texting (she’s young)
Andrea: I miss my vibrator
Carol: Me too (she may be battered but she hasn’t completely abandoned her self-worth)

Shane’s brutal beatdown of Ed was satisfying if disturbing, and it will be interesting to see how that plays out in future episodes. The music (subtle as ever) was relentless, and continued exquisitely to the rooftop scene. Kudos to Norman Reedus as Daryl for the pitch-perfect rage and anguish upon finding Merle’s hand but no Merle.

Favorite lines (besides the episode title – Tell it to the Frogs): “How we ended up getting all the Hattie McDaniel work …” and the women’s missed objects discussion, of course.

First published on Simply Television on 11/19/10  http://simplytelevision.blogspot.com/2010/11/walking-dead-episode-13-review.html

The Walking Dead Review Episode 1.4 "Vatos"

 
I presume you’ve had to take a rest to recover, as I did, from that ordeal. Astounding. Heartbreaking. Jaw dropping. What the heck? Who exactly is left now? And where is Merle?
 
This episode was packed. Amy and Andrea fishing. Jim totally creeping everyone out. Trying to find Merle. Trying to save Glenn. The gang – “vatos” – who turn out to be good guys. Jim’s dream. Truck stolen by Merle. The campfire. Ed recovering in the tent. And of course…
 
Again I was reminded of LOST in this episode, most especially in those last few minutes. Just like in LOST, no one in The Walking Dead is safe. And the question of leadership:
Guillermo: People here, they all look to me now, I don’t even know why”
Rick: Because they can.
Did anyone else hear echoes of Jack saying he never asked to be a leader, and Locke’s response “and yet they all treat you like one”?
 
Too many things happened this week to find an obvious central theme, but several things stood out for me. The episode title roughly translates to “dudes” or “homies” –and refers to the newly-revealed gang who were transformed before our eyes from scary ruthless profiteers to valiant soldiers and protectors of the weak. How beautifully perfect was it that it was the grandmother who caused them all to see things as they really were. The dogs were an excellent sight gag. And a terrific synopsis of the conundrum of the series: “Guess the world has changed.” “No, it’s the same as it ever was, the weak get taken.”
 
The search for Merle. “Any man can pass out from blood loss, no matter how tough he is” was an excellent point, and a reminder that, as unbelievable as the whole premise of this show is, no one is a superman. “We can help look for a few blocks around but only if we keep a level head” from Rick, with Daryl’s response “I could do that” – WHAT? Could it possibly be that Merle’s brother can be reasonable? This may prove to be excellent news for the group.
 
The Jim story was completely creepy. No one says it but it’s clear he’s digging graves. “Sorry I scared your girl, your boy… You’re not scared now, are you?” Are you kidding me? These kids have seen zombies. Still, Jim’s words to the boy “there ain’t anything that’s gonna stop him from getting back to you and your mom, I promise you that” He was right, of course – he had that dream …
 
Once that settled down, the camp is lulled into a false – ridiculously false – sense of calm and security. I have to pee…
 
Amy’s bite is straight out of Jaws. The special effects coordinator actually played that zombie, to ensure that it was done perfectly. And then the last reminder of LOST for the night – who ARE those people who are being attacked? Did we even know there were others in the camp besides those people who are part of the “in crowd”? Other than the scene where the group confronts Jim while he was still digging, have we seen these others? This would be my only complaint about the series to date; they needed to show us more of the other people there, so that we would understand that not everyone who was attacked was a main player. A tiny complaint that should be lost in the sea of accolades this series, and this episode in particular, must earn.
 
Two episodes left in this first series. I. Can’t. Wait.
 
Favorite line: “I’m not strolling the streets of Atlanta with just my good intentions, okay?”

Review first posted on Simply Television on 11/26/10  http://simplytelevision.blogspot.com/2010/11/walking-dead-episode-14-review.html

The Walking Dead Review Episode 1.5 "Wildfire"

Opening the hatch The final scene in the church The final scene of The Walking Dead 1.5 

Wow, were there ever a lot of LOST-like scenes in this episode!  The Twitterverse practically blew up with all the tweets from LOST fans asking each other “Was it just me, or did that seem… familiar?”  As an all-in LOST fan myself (note the Twitter name) I couldn’t help but notice them, but when they are done so well and incorporated so beautifully into this caliber of show, I don’t mind a bit.  Let’s go through them, shall we?

The first was the most subtle.  Andrea’s refusal to leave Amy’s body was disturbing, especially when she pulled a gun on Rick.  Even more disturbing was the thought that she might try to somehow rehabilitate Walker Amy as Amy started to transform.  But when Andrea then blew Amy’s brains out, it all became clear.  Andrea wanted as much time as possible with Amy, to somehow try to make up for all the time she had missed, and as a final act of love, make certain that Amy would not become an abomination.  Andrea – like Kate! – was strong and capable of doing what needed to be done.

Rick was conflicted – like Jack! – about the choice he had made, going to Atlanta to retrieve Merle and guns instead of staying at the camp and potentially saving some of the campers’ lives.  Jack Rick talked with Kate Lori about his plan to go to the CDC, but wanted to know if she would, as Jack would say, have his back.  Lori’s decision to support him was clearly a decision to support her marriage.  But being a leader is hard, especially when there is another strong person, like Locke Shane disagreeing.  Shane, however, was so disturbed by his own action in having Rick in his gun sight, especially when caught by Dale, that the best penance was to step back and support Rick in his plan to go to the CDC.

I loved the beautiful Michael Giacchino Bear McCreary music that accompanied the launching of the raft caravan of cars as they started their, err, Exodus to the CDC. 

In a non-LOST-related note, I found it interesting that the women and Dale, who is the representative older person, seemed to be much more accepting of Jim’s decision to be left behind, than the two leader-level men.  Was it because they didn’t feel as personally responsible for the lives of every member of the group, or was it because as non-leaders they didn’t feel the need to make decisions FOR members of the group?

Granted, much of the foregoing is not the exclusive domain of LOST.  Next, however, the LOST scenes shifted to In Your Face.  We were presented with a previously-unknown man, whom we learned was Desmond Jenner, alone in a strange place, which we later learned was the hatch CDC.  He set about what appeared to be daily tasks.  He put on a safety suit.  He played recorded music.  At one point something happened that made him consider suicide.  He had a bottle of McCutcheon’s whiskey red wine.  He was in a place that appeared to be safe from the Others smoke monster walkers.  He may be the saviour of the survivors.

Jack Rick couldn’t save his people by going back to the island getting in to the CDC, and finally lost control, yelling and screaming at Kate the camera.  When Jenner opened the hatch CDC door, I literally burst out laughing.  It was my favorite LOST homage of the episode, a wonderful combination of the hatch door opening, the final scene in the church, and the promo picture for the last season.  Hopefully it was powerful for non-LOST fans; for LOST fans it was a little too distracting to have its presumably-desired impact.  Nevertheless, I thought the scene, and the entire episode, were more respectful and less derivative than other series who have attempted to harness the LOST mystique.  The Walking Dead as a series has been amazing, compelling, must-see television on its own, without obvious reliance on popular shows that have come before.  Though I loved all the LOST references in this episode, I am hoping that The Walking Dead will continue to push the boundaries of dramatic television in new directions, and not revisit old ones.

My favorite line of the episode was actually a favorite bit of scene – the zeal with which Carol bashed Earl’s head in; just priceless.

Post first published on Simply Television on 12/3/10  http://simplytelevision.blogspot.com/2010/12/walking-dead-episode-15-review.html

The Walking Dead Review - Episode 6, Season Finale, "T-19"

Ooo, looks like it might have been pretty good! It wasn't.

Wow. Unfortunately, not a good Wow. It’s a “wow, I expected so much more from a season finale.” It’s a “wow, I thought it would at least be as good as the other five episodes.” It’s a “wow, at least I won’t be pining for it while it’s away until NEXT OCTOBER.” It’s a “wow, if they’re going to do a scene that’s reminiscent of LOST, did it have to be my least favorite scene of the entire series?”

The best scenes from this episode were the first and last, and they were both action scenes. Action scenes should not, in my view, be the best scenes of this show, because in my mind that’s not writing, that’s directing. One of the worst conversations comes almost directly after the opening:

Jenner: Anybody infected?
Rick: One of our group was; he didn’t make it

So the answer is no, right? Isn’t that what you’d want to say? And what about Amy? She was infected, and didn’t make it.

Jenner: Why are you here, what do you want?
Rick: A chance
Jenner: That’s asking an awful lot these days

Oh my God, really?
AND THEN Jenner lets them in but tells them “once this door closes it stays closed.” HEY JENNER, WOULDN’T THIS BE A GOOD TIME TO TELL THEM THAT THE PLACE IS GOING TO EXPLODE IN THE NEXT DAY OR SO? SO MAYBE THEY MIGHT WANT TO RETHINK THE WHOLE “LETS GO IN” THING?

Every episode feels like it was written by someone different, but they were each brilliant. Except for this one, which felt like it was written by, well let’s just call him “less gifted” than the other writers. According to IMdB, Frank Darabont, who developed the series, wrote the first two episodes by himself, and co-wrote the third and sixth episodes with different writers each time. The author of the graphic novels, Robert Kirkman, wrote the fourth episode, and Glen Mazzara wrote the fifth episode. Many rumors have been swirling around about the writing staff having been fired after completion of the first season, but this may not be true. What is true is that the season was exceptional, until this last episode.

I was going to write that it was “lovely symmetry” that gave us joyous hot water showers that directly mirrored the joyous hot water showers of the first episode. Upon reflection, however, it was lovely in the same way that matching up a pair of socks is lovely. Not exciting, nowhere near elegant, just… lovely. Even the music, which was, err, lovely, was similar to the music from the first episode.

Wine at the “last supper”? Really? Too much wine, obviously, for any of them (except for Carl of course) to be able to handle. So, Jenner lets them eat as much as they want, drink as much as they want, because tomorrow they will die. Sigh.

I did enjoy Bear McCreary’s music during the TS-19 scene; it was nicely science-y, then appropriately subtle and nearly memorial-service-like. And I did appreciate the information we received about the extent of understanding of the virus, and the global nature. “The French held out the longest” reminded me of Charlie’s line in the LOST pilot when they heard a French person’s voice on the radio. “The French! I love the French!”

The whole section starting with the survivors learning about the decontamination procedures, right up until the survivors were able to leave the room. was just as heavy-handed as the rest of the episode. Shane probably had the best idea when he tried shooting up the computers; why didn’t we hear more about why that wouldn’t work? Made sense to me. Dale’s talk with Andrea was, I’ll admit, nicely done, but that was the acting, not the writing; the lines were as they had been throughout the episode, heavy handed. Similarly, Jacqui staying behind was nicely done, but again, not because of the writing.

Did anyone else laugh out loud, as I did, when Carol pulled out the grenade? Here sheriff, I took THIS GRENADE out of your pants when I washed them, and put it IN MY HANDBAG in case we needed it later….

The explosion and resulting fire… was a thing of beauty. Honestly, it was gorgeous. I loved it. I would have included a photo in this review had one been available.

Then… the montage. I HATE MONTAGES. It is lazy writing, especially when accompanied, as this of course was, with a song with lyrics. They did it at the end of episode 3 of season 1 of LOST and it was my least favorite scene of the entire series. It ties things up with a neat little bow, a glimpse of each character, and is straight out of teenage fiction. This show deserved better. It deserved the lack of heart, mind, soul, zombies, and horror that the Series Finale of The Walking Dead left utterly lacking. I shall damn it with faint praise: it was okay, for a regular show.

The one thing that might have redeemed this episode would have been a twist. “The Whisper” was not a twist. I’ve heard several different twist ideas, all of which were better than anything in this episode except for the hospital scene and the explosion. Someone suggested to me it would be cool to see, in the closing moments, a group of people in another country, totally unaffected. How sinister, ooo! A twist would have saved it.

Here’s a thought, though. If they had included a twist, people would have been talking about it and discussing the implications for a long time. The risk in that is when you have a fan base that tends towards the – no pun intended – rabid side, they have a tendency to take a twist and spin out elaborate storylines (for LOST they were called “answers”) that are far more complicated than would ever work on a 44 minute episode or even an entire season on television. AHA, THAT’S IT! The showrunners for The Walking Dead have cleverly avoided disappointing their fanbase with the next season by giving them NOTHING to work with in the intervening 10 months! So sorry for the snarky review; well done, you!

I don’t have a favorite line from the episode, but I do have a least favorite line: “My daughter doesn’t deserve to die like this.” Because being EATEN BY ZOMBIES is so much better.
Originally posted on Simply Television, 12/10/10 http://simplytelevision.blogspot.com/2010/12/walking-dead-review-episode-6-season.html