The Walking Dead

This is a great show. AMC has been delivering lately with their shows. First Mad Men, Then Breaking Bad, and now the Walking Dead. I have been a BIG fan of the series for a few years now and I have personally made fans of 5 of my friends. The comic series is undeniable in its awesomeness. So it goes without saying that I was more than a little nervous when I heard that there was going to be a series coming out. Once I heard that Frank Darabont was at the helm I was put a little at ease. Then I saw some of the production stills for the make up effects and assured myself that at least the zombies would look cool. But I still had some reservations about how hardcore a zombie show could really be on regular cable TV.

My fears were soon put to rest… If you count waiting 3 months soon.

The first scene of the first episode has the main character Rick Grimes (played by Andrew Lincoln) walking into an abandoned gas station with a gas can. He soon finds the station is empty and turns to leave. Suddenly he hears some shuffling, which in any zombie apocalypse situation is never a good thing. He investigates it and finds a little girl. After he calls out to her she turns to reveal that (surprise) she IS a zombie. He stares for a second as she starts for him. Then he raises his gun and blows her brains out. ON TV!!! This is cool for two reasons. First: For a long time any violence against children was an extreme taboo. In the original Assault on Precinct 13 they almost got an X rating for shooting a girl in the head. Is this a good or a bad thing? I do not really care. Second: This sets a tone for the rest of the series. It says ‘Hey zombie fans, we are not fucking around’ It also is a warning to all the people watching saying ‘Hey squares! Guess what, we just shot this girl in the head. Don’t be offended. K? Thx, bai.’ I realize those are almost the same things but it is important to make the distinction.

The show on the whole is extremely well done. The special effects are cutting edge. The show is really well shot. The acting is great. And it is extremely well written. The first episode is extremely well written. Now if you have not read the comics THEN BURN IN HELL! No, just kidding. But you definitely should get on that. They are very good. Anyway, the first episode is pretty much page for page the comics. The rest of the season deviates from the comics a good deal; however, I am fine with that. Some of the best adaptations vary a lot from the original material (i.e. Jurassic Park, Fight Club) they add a good deal of characters but all that means is a better body count.

The first season is only six episodes long as they were not sure if they would be able to get away with it. Good news though. After the second episode the ratings were good enough to be granted a second season with thirteen episodes. Recently, Frank Darabont fired all the writers for the show. He felt that since he wrote four of the six episodes that he would just write the second season solo and bring in freelancers from time to time. Hilarious! Crazy, but hilarious.  

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9/10

2 Stars: Ballsy Zombie Gorey Awesomeness
2 Stars: A Great Comic Adaptation
1 Stars: Acting Prowess
1 Star: For Holy Crap They Just Did That On T.V.!
1 Star: For The Guy From Boondock Saints
1 Star: Production Design
1 Star: Top Class Make Up