The Walking Dead Brings Life to the Fall TV Season

Written by: Chris Petersen

The Walking Dead gave me nightmares, not because it was necessarily scary, but I really did dream about getting chased by zombies all night and I am sure that was a direct result of watching the show. After months of anticipation, teaser trailers, and zombie enthusiasts claiming that the end is coming, AMC premiered its new series, The Walking Dead on Sunday to 5.3 million viewers, which is more than any other cable network series premiere this season (including smash hits Mad Men and Breaking Bad).

The series starts off very similarly to 28 Days Later, the protagonist, Sheriff’s Deputy Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln)  wakes up in an abandoned hospital, finding several dead bodies and that the town has been deserted. He is found by a widowed father and his son, who take him in and explain that an unknown virus has infected several people which kills them and then reanimates them into an undead state. Desperate to find his wife and son, Rick takes off across the desolate highways of Georgia to find them.

Frank Darabont, director of Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile, took on directorial duties for the show, which is based on a comic book series of the same name, and did an outstanding job setting the stage for what could end up being one of the best shows on television. He paced the premiere as slow as the zombies, but really took time to develop the main character and some of the supporting roles. Darabont is also supported by the outstanding production value that AMC delivers to its viewers and is solidifying itself as the new go-to network for great television.

While it is interesting to see how the characters react emotionally to the devastation, they are as dumb as a bag of hammers. I don’t know how Rick Grimes ever made it as far as he did as a police officer. He has the worst ideas when it comes to escaping the lumbering undead and acts like he has nothing to lose, when they spend the entire episode trying to establish that he does have something to lose, his family. But, the plot probably couldn’t move forward without a hefty amount of stupidity on the part of the main characters; most horror films can’t.

This seems like a good idea....

My favorite part was after they had established that noise attracts the undead and then when Rick and his friends part ways in separate cars, they all honk at each other and Rick even whoops the siren. Real smart guys…

Outside of that, the script was pretty well written, and the zombie make up was some of the best in recent memory. These are not the quick moving, rage virus affected people from the 28 Days series, but instead the classic slow-moving zombies, which I think are better. While they may not create the simple thrills of a fast chase, they do provide a much more claustrophobic horror as they slowly surround and close in on the survivors.

Wait!!! Have you seen my contact?

I think this series is headed in the right direction, striking a good balance between character development and plot progression and with a great cliffhanger of an ending to the first episode, I am eagerly awaiting a second. Plus, with the positive feedback of most of the 5.3 million viewers, I think the following of this show will grow and AMC will make the announcement soon that they are renewing it for a second season.

• Characters: B+
• Cinematography: A-
• Directing: A
• Performances: A-
• Plot: A
• Overall: A-

What are your thoughts? Is the Walking Dead going to die after one season? Or will it get renewed for an extended viewing next year?