The Walking Dead (New Show On AMC)

[logan82]

You do realize they stole that car in the previous episode right?

 

I didn't like this episode as much as the previous episodes. Almost nothing happened. It took them an hour to get to the good part and then it was over.

[thebruce44]

I think they are kinda spacing it out for what I am assuming will be the season finale. The story would be unfolding a lot better if they had more than 6 episodes.

[pitchleague]

I saw in Entertainment Weekly last week that they renewed it for a second season with 13 episodes.

[logan82]

I also think it is way to early to be worried much about charater development. We have had basically 3 episodes of setting up the rules of the world and introducing characters. The main character was a "white hat" guy and has only just been dropped into the world.

[pogokat]

as a resident of Georgia, i will justifiably say that all of the characters are horribly,and sadly generalized versions of stereotypical southerners...in fact, the topic of most conversation I've had about the show has been about the disappointment that the show didn't get further away from Kirkman's dopey stereotypes...That said, at least it didn't snow when Rick reached Atlanta like it did in the book...the comic made it look like they were all going to die of exposure, which is probably less likely in ATl than a zombie attack

[homer]

I don't think Michael Rooker is playing a character. I think he's really like that in real life.

[RobertR]

For me, the "collapse of civilization" stuff is every bit as intriguing as the "surviving a zombie attack" stuff. Which is why I find some of the characterization stuff irritating.

 

Frankly, I get that survival skills might not correlate one to one with a character's integrity. That's good stuff and inherent in good drama. But, right now I think they're not living up to their potential.

 

I mentioned The Day of the Triffids before, and I'll bring it up again. It covered many of the same themes and ideas, collapse of civilization, danger lurking behind every corner, etc. but with a deftness of characterization. To me that's the standard to aspire to for this type of long form story.

 

Robert

[chadomac]

After the last two episodes, this show is starting to feel like LOST to me. Nothing really happens until the last 10 minutes and then it's over. I hope the last two episodes are better - I enjoyed the first two.

[sgtcluels]

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIINNNNNSSSSSSSSS

[davego]

I'm into the show so far. I was a HUGE BSG fan. This isn't there yet, and might never reach those hights. But I do see possibilities in this show. It's a bit different and I love the end-of-the-world genres.

[thebruce44]

Its been a while since I read the comics, but I don't remember this CDC stuff at all.

[The Mexican Weez]

Its been a while since I read the comics, but I don't remember this CDC stuff at all.

I saw on an avclub article that the CDC plotline is a departure fro m the comic source material.

 

So far the show hasbeen great, but the pacing between the zombie attack and the arrival to the CDC seemes slow. But I got my wife tuned in, which says alot!

 

[homer]

It's starting to remind me of Lost where the CDC is like the Orchid (or whatever that station was called). Only instead of "others" lurking in the jungle it's flesh eating zombies. Next week's finale looks pretty entertaining.

[RobertR]

It's taken 5 episodes, but it finally feels like Rick has joined the group. No more wandering off on side-quests, etc. And they've pared away most of the least interesting characters, although as far as I'm concerned T-Dog can go at any time.

 

Because of that, I liked the last episode probably the best since the pilot. There's some honest interaction and debate. Yeah, some of it's still awfully on the nose, but it finally feels like a bit of a community that's going to be tested. And I might care about some of the characters if they're eaten now on a level beyond, "Cool! Intestines!". Too bad the next episode is the finale for the season, but at least it feels like they're going someplace now.

 

I like the show. I want to love it. But there's potential still to be realized.

 

Robert

[Nottso]

I've been wondering when and how Merle will reappear, especially since the group has now moved from the camp.

[TooLiveBrew]

The Walking Dead's producer has reportedly let go of season 1's entire writing staff

 

UPDATE WEDNESDAY 10:45AM: AMC just issued a statement confirming "that there will be changes to the writing staff" of The Walking Dead.

 

EXCLUSIVE TUESDAY 5PM: I hear The Walking Dead writer/ executive producer/ director Frank Darabont has let go of the writers on the hot freshman AMC series, which has already renewed for a second season. That includes Darabont's No. 2, writing executive producer Charles “Chic” Eglee. Writer turnover on series between seasons is commonplace but wholesale overhauls are unusual. What's more, I hear Darabont is looking to forgo having a writing staff for the second season of Walking Dead altogether and assign scripts to freelancers.

 

Darabont, who hails from the feature world with The Young Indiana Jones as the only series credit before Walking Dead, ended up writing 2 of the first season's 6 episodes of Walking Dead - the pilot and the second episode - and co-writing/rewriting the other 4. Two of those 4 were written by non-staff writers, one by executive producer Robert Kirkman, on whose comics the series is based, and one by Glen Mazzara.

 

The freelance model is employed by the Starz/BBC series Tourchwood, which in turn borrowed it from the U.K. where the show originated. Having BBC as producer has allowed Torchwood to proceed with no writing staff but I hear such a plan on an U.S.-based network series such as Walking Dead may face issues with the Writers Guild. And, while the first season of Walking Dead was only 6 episodes, its second-season order is for 13, which may prove harder to manage in pre-production, production and post-production with no writing staff. Sources tell me that no final decision has been made yet with all options open, including using some combination of a writing staff/freelances. There is time - AMC is mulling launching Walking Dead's second season the way it did the first one - in October during Fearfest.

Link

[RobertR]

Given how up and down the writing has been, even within individual episodes, I can't really regard a bunch of writers being let go as a bad thing. Now, Darabont has a reputation of being hard to work with, but when he's on top of his game he's produced good work. And Kirkman probably isn't going anywhere. Given what I've seen, it's hard to say that anyone else really made a case for sticking around.

 

Robert

[JoeHova]

Regardless of what kind of guy Darabont generally is, it seems pretty daring of him to look at his hit show, decide it could be better, and then take the next step and actually try to improve it by replacing the writing staff wholesale. Most people would probably just let it ride and hope that the writers improved, or maybe add a couple to the existing mix. I don't know that it will work but it's an interesting move. I've actually been wishing that The Simpsons would try this, but that seems unlikely.

 

Sucks for the writers who got fired though. Then again, as has been pointed out, there have been plenty of problems with the writing so far. Although the source material didn't give them much to work with in that regard, according to a lot of people.

[colbyjack]

I have always liked zombie movies for the uneasy/anxious feeling it creates, a scary rush of sorts. The show has loads of potential, and again I recognize that it is based off of a comic, but as of right now that rush is nowhere to be found. I've watched every episode, and will watch the finale, but the show overall has been rather 'meh.'

 

I agree with the comment from above that the show is somewhat similar to Lost. I never really watched that show, but watched it enough to get a similar vibe.

[logan82]

Apparently not fired. Just moved on. Holy crap, October of next year. I have to say that I wish I had not watched an episode yet. I like picking up series like this a couple years in like I did with BSG.

A lot of eyebrows raised this week at Deadline's report that the entire writing staff of The Walking Dead had been fired from the series by executive producer Frank Darabont, as the show heads towards its second season. However, in a new interview with EW, executive producer Gale Anne Hurd says those allegations are "completely inaccurate."

 

Hurd says that since writing on the first, six-episode season wrapped months ago (with no guarantee of a renewal at the time), the staff have simply moved on to other projects. Says Hurd, "[in] the writers' room, there are people that have set up other projects that will be their first priority if their own series is picked up as a pilot or if it's a series."

 

The Deadline story specifically named Charles H. Eglee as someone let go, but Hurd says, "I think [Eglee] just decided that he wants to run his own show."

 

Re-assembling most of the key participants from Season 1 may be difficult. Discussing makeup effects creator Greg Nicotero, who created the zombie makeup for the first season, Hurd says, "We certainly hope he'll be back. As with everything, it's subject to availability." Hurd did confirm the principal cast members are all signed for multiple seasons and reiterated reports that Season 2will likely debut next October. She also says Darabont andWalking Dead comic book creator Robert Kirkman will likely meet early next year to begin mapping out Season 2.

[chadomac]

Not much of a finale. I didn't understand why everyone was so standoff-ish with the scientist in the CDC. That never really made any sense to me. They were really rude to him from the second they got inside the hatch-thing. Didn't care for this show much past the first two episodes... but I'll give it a few more next season before giving up hope.

[pretendastronaut]

Agreed, the finale left much to be desired. As a finale, there was no big event really, the inside information we got wasn't all the exciting or unpredictable. Meh.

 

I'll give it another shot next year to see, but ya, it really tailed off after the first few episodes.

[RobertR]

Yeah, pretty underwhelming as it didn't seem to address many of the key themes and conflicts. Yeah, choosing life and hope, however slight it may be, over a quick, painless death has potential as a conflict, but that's an issue better explored in depth than in a situation with the clock counting down. And I think the idea that there's nothing inside a zombie is a pretty boneheaded thing to toss out considering they've gone out of the way earlier in the season to imply that there may be something still there. Although, to be fair, they only showed the first few seconds of zombification so that shouldn't be considered definite. Still, why even go there?

 

The ensemble is underdeveloped (apparently nobody in the group cared about Jacqui and I don't see why any viewer should have) and they really have to develop a goal for this group beyond survival. What kind of life can they carve out for themselves? Obviously they expected to be renewed given the lack of resolution of Merle and whatever was whispered in Rick's ear, but to date it feels more like an extended prelude to a series than an actual story.

 

Say what you will about Lost, but that show was miles ahead of the Walking Dead in terms of characterization, dialogue, and themes. Plot-wise it was often a mess, especially towards the end, but it had the ensemble basics down pat early.

 

Robert

[chadomac]

Say what you will about Lost, but that show was miles ahead of the Walking Dead in terms of characterization, dialogue, and themes. Plot-wise it was often a mess, especially towards the end, but it had the ensemble basics down pat early.

Exactly. It's a zombie show, so I'm willing to forgive the sometimes terrible dialogue, but I just plain don't care very much about any of these characters. The main character is the only one I really like at all. The supporting cast is very "blah" to me. When the blond woman wanted to stay back inside the CDC... I really didn't care whether she went with the group or not. I think I was supposed to - but I didn't. Same with the other woman. I don't even know their names because none of them have any personality.

[JoeHova]

That was a horrible finale. It made me dislike all the characters except Darryl, Glenn and Shane. It also was totally pointless, we didn't learn anything we didn't already know. Why even bother having the characters go to the CDC? It was a poorly done and badly paced rip-off of that scene from The Road (the book, I haven't seen the movie so I don't know if it's in there) when the main characters find that bomb shelter and begin to hope again. The problem is, the whole thing was way too perfunctory and cliched and we don't care enough about any of the characters for it to really have any impact.

 

Also, it was bogus the way Dale begged the one girl to come along and didn't even spare a glance for the other woman who had also decided to stay behind. I already hated the character of Dale (and the actor who plays him stands out as being the most awful actor in a cast that is not exactly brimming with Enver Gjokajs) but that really drove home the point.

 

 

After seeing that finale, Darabont was right to fire the writers. Hopefully next season will be a little more consistently compelling.