AMC's The Walking Dead Season 1 Discussion & Spoilers

[USS Avenger]

Mr. Adventure wrote:

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Nitpicking isn't so bad, it means they got most everything right so people only notice the details. I mean if the worst problem people find with your show is that the tank shouldn't have an escape hatch in real life you probably should be happy.

Very true. When a show is good its those little things are are important to you (or me in this case) that seem to stand out as not quite right. Its why my sister in law was never able to watch CSI (she is in forensics) and my wife can't watch most legal dramas (she is a lawyer). Me, I tend to see problems with weapons and so forth. Its not a big deal and I still enjoyed the show, can't wait for next week!

[the G-man]

One thing I wonder about is whether the American public is going to be willing to stay with a show this grim for the long haul.

Most people are used to shows that have neat endings and even mythology series (Lost, the X-files, etc.) have moments of joy and/or levity to break up the drama and the scares. And a typical horror movie is usually over after only two hours.

TWD, on the other hand, while brilliant, is an unrelenting tale of dystopia, tragedy and horror. I'm not sure that an audience that expects happy endings is ready for five or more seasons of a story that makes Cormac McCarthy's 'the Road' look like an episode of the Courtship of Eddie's Father.

[Cutter John]

I'm very curious to find out how you end a story like this. Other than the usual 'They get overrun and everyone becomes a zombie. The end.'

the G-man wrote:

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One thing I wonder about is whether the American public is going to be willing to stay with a show this grim for the long haul.

This is true. I mean hey, its zombies so I'm in for the duration. But if it turns into a weekly:

"I hear theres a safe zone in _____."

"Oh noes! Its been taken over by zombies/crazy survivalists! Run!"

Its not likely to last long.

[Vendikarr]

Cutter John wrote:

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I'm very curious to find out how you end a story like this. Other than the usual 'They get overrun and everyone becomes a zombie. The end.'

As of the current issue, the zombies have been around for over a year. As time passes, they have been getting weaker and easier to avoid. It appears they are slowly rotting away. It hasn't been stated explicitly, but it appears to me that humanity may be able to outlast them.

[B.J.]

I don't generally like zombie stories, so I happened across this by accident. This may seem odd to some to have as a high point, but I really like the fact that they actually filmed this in Atlanta! I used to live there, and have been down the streets he was on. Nothing is more annoying to me than when movies or TV shows make LA or southern California stand in for anywhere in the Southeast, since they look nothing alike. (As much as I like the Dukes of Hazzard, it irks me every time I see the countryside in that show.)

And someone mentioned on the first page of this thread about how the Southern accents were going to be atrocious. For most productions, I would agree, but they didn't stand out to me at all this time, so I guess they were close enough. (BTW, *nobody* talks like they do in that stupid Butterfinger commercial! )

[Tom]

Vendikarr wrote:

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As of the current issue, the zombies have been around for over a year. As time passes, they have been getting weaker and easier to avoid. It appears they are slowly rotting away. It hasn't been stated explicitly, but it appears to me that humanity may be able to outlast them.

The idea of a small island that had a town on it could be ideal. Just kill off and dispose of all zomibes and dead bodies then the island will be zomibe safe. Have strict protocols that account for everyone in the population every couple days or so, that way if someone dies they can be quickly disposed of. An island where you can farm and has a fresh water supply would be ideal. If you really needed something you can take an armed team to the mainland to get some supplies and everyone would have to checked for bites before they came back.

[RoJoHen]

Cutter John wrote:

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I'm very curious to find out how you end a story like this. Other than the usual 'They get overrun and everyone becomes a zombie. The end.'

This is true. I mean hey, its zombies so I'm in for the duration. But if it turns into a weekly:

"I hear theres a safe zone in _____."

"Oh noes! Its been taken over by zombies/crazy survivalists! Run!"

Its not likely to last long.

Yeah. It's definitely going to be interesting if they can continue a zombie for a long period of time without it getting either tedious or completely ridiculous.

[Mark_Nguyen]

Tom wrote:

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The idea of a small island that had a town on it could be ideal. Just kill off and dispose of all zomibes and dead bodies then the island will be zomibe safe. Have strict protocols that account for everyone in the population every couple days or so, that way if someone dies they can be quickly disposed of. An island where you can farm and has a fresh water supply would be ideal. If you really needed something you can take an armed team to the mainland to get some supplies and everyone would have to checked for bites before they came back.

Max Brooks' excellent "World War Z" is set looking back ten years after mankind "won" the war on the zombie hordes and has quite a few ideas on what to do globally to adapt to a world filled with the undead:

In particular, his zombies didn't need to breathe so the oceans are still teaming with them walking on the lower surface of the ocean, and they emerge on the beaches periodically to cause trouble - so no land mass of any size is truly safe. Others got bloated in the seawater and simply floated around for ages, making even fishing a hazard to the refugee ships, and still others simply climbed up archor lines and got onto the smaller ones. I'm not sure how the zombies work in this series yet but they do seem to breathe and gasp, suggesting respiration or at least the memory of it.

Mark

[RJDiogenes]

Cutter John wrote:

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I rarely leave the Doctor Who forum anymore, but jeez, does every new show get nit-picked this hard around here?

I would hope so. It would be pretty boring otherwise.

J.T.B. wrote:

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I'm assuming if the power grid is down the cell towers aren't working, and the survivor guy said that broadcasting had stopped at some point, so I guess two-way radio was the best option. Plus it is more likely to be monitored by "authorites," if any still exist.

But earlier, in the hospital, he tried the landline, but didn't go rifling through coats or pocketbooks for a cell phone. It seemed odd to me.

Mr. Adventure wrote:

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The internet and cell phones don't work that well when there's no power.

True, but there was a generator at the police station. I would have at least tried the Internet.

Agent Richard07 wrote:

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That bothered me too. I was hoping that he'd ask more questions so that we could at least get one man's take on what happened.

I suppose you could say he was in shock, but you'd think the other guy would want to talk....

the G-man wrote:

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I'm not sure that an audience that expects happy endings is ready for five or more seasons of a story that makes Cormac McCarthy's 'the Road' look like an episode of the Courtship of Eddie's Father.

Nothing could be more unrelentingly grim than The Road.

[Mr. Adventure]

RJDiogenes wrote:

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True, but there was a generator at the police station. I would have at least tried the Internet.

I suppose it wouldn't hurt to try but somehow I doubt the internet relays and cell towers would be working. Maybe if they could find a sat phone (where the hell would you find those?) they could try calling military or other states.

It says you're in Boston so I don't know if you were hit by that multi-state power outage a few years back but nothing was working.

[watermelony2k]

Bear McCreary is doing a blog post for each episode. He says that the main title will sound differently each week.

http://www.bearmccreary.com/blog/?p=4964#more-4964

The AMC series debuted in over 120 countries simultaneously, making it the most ambitious worldwide launch of a television series of its kind.

Woah. Simultaneously without a long delay? I wonder how many people watched it if you factored in international ratings.

[watermelony2k]

RoJoHen wrote:

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Yeah. It's definitely going to be interesting if they can continue a zombie for a long period of time without it getting either tedious or completely ridiculous.

Perhaps a short season order is actually a blessing because of this. Helps keep momentum in a season if there's no time for filler.

[sojourner]

RJDiogenes wrote:

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True, but there was a generator at the police station. I would have at least tried the Internet.

You do know the internet is more than just that box on your desk? If the phones don't work and the power in general is out, no way in hell is the internet going to be working.

[RoJoHen]

Yeah. Even if you manage to turn on a computer, the internet still has to come from somewhere.

[IndyJones]

RoJoHen wrote:

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Yeah. Even if you manage to turn on a computer, the internet still has to come from somewhere.

Yeah, it's not just a series of tubes.



Too soon?