S01E01
Anticipation was pretty high for The Walking Dead after information kept trickling out about the cast, the producers, and of course the involvement of Frank Darabont. After being teased for months with a five minute preview, various zombie images, and only a passing familiarity with the source comic, I am extremely happy (if not at all surprised) that the premiere episode of Dead was damn near perfect.
Of course, being that this is just the first part of a six-episode season, we are just getting started with the introductions to the zombie apocalypse. I’m happy that we are treated to the necessary exposition in random bits and phrases as opposed to an entire episode as we are kept on the same level as our protagonist Rick (played by Andrew Lincoln) who has literally just stumbled out of a hospital ward into hell on earth. When he is rescued from certain doom by Morgan Jones (Lennie James) and his son Duane (catch the reference?), Rick is thrust headfirst into this new world, one which his wife and son are missing in.
Desolate and destroyed metropolitan areas are always an impactful image in a post-apocalyptic world and we are treated to see how the world has become as it is overrun with zombies. Some of the more quiet scenes like when Rick approaches Atlanta on horseback or searches for gas in a previous makeshift refugee camp are haunting, not in the overt images but in the allusions that they bring as we see childrens’ toys laying unattended in a lot of deserted cars. I have no doubt that the relationship issues (for a number of involved characters) that normally drag down many narratives will be handled gracefully and relevantly over the next few installments.
From a production standpoint, I could buy this as just one part of an ongoing cinematic series as all of the locations, props, and special effects are chillingly effective and mostly superior to even a theatrical movie around the same subject matter. Darabont’s involvement no doubt escalates what could have been (or honestly still could be) a cheesy, clunky story to an epic journey of the human spirit set in the most trying of times, not unlike the miniseries The Stand from many moons ago.
All of the naysayers who cry foul over the similar opening to 28 Days Later can piss off as the medium of weekly installments hint to some great things to come over the next month.
BONUS: Zombie Kill of the Week
In keeping with Zombieland’s television origins, I declare that the zombie kill of the week goes to ‘Little Girl in Bunny Slippers’. It was a toss up between her and ‘Legless Zombie’ but the little girl wins as not only is she is our first look at a zombie in the series but also one of the most painful to see a teddy bear-clutching preteen get blown away. Kudos to the crew (and AMC) for not skimping on the emotional stuff.
Anticipation was pretty high for The Walking Dead after information kept trickling out about the cast, the producers, and of course the involvement of Frank Darabont. After being teased for months with a five minute preview, various zombie images, and only a passing familiarity with the source comic, I am extremely happy (if not at all surprised) that the premiere episode of Dead was damn near perfect.
Of course, being that this is just the first part of a six-episode season, we are just getting started with the introductions to the zombie apocalypse. I’m happy that we are treated to the necessary exposition in random bits and phrases as opposed to an entire episode as we are kept on the same level as our protagonist Rick (played by Andrew Lincoln) who has literally just stumbled out of a hospital ward into hell on earth. When he is rescued from certain doom by Morgan Jones (Lennie James) and his son Duane (catch the reference?), Rick is thrust headfirst into this new world, one which his wife and son are missing in.
Desolate and destroyed metropolitan areas are always an impactful image in a post-apocalyptic world and we are treated to see how the world has become as it is overrun with zombies. Some of the more quiet scenes like when Rick approaches Atlanta on horseback or searches for gas in a previous makeshift refugee camp are haunting, not in the overt images but in the allusions that they bring as we see childrens’ toys laying unattended in a lot of deserted cars. I have no doubt that the relationship issues (for a number of involved characters) that normally drag down many narratives will be handled gracefully and relevantly over the next few installments.
From a production standpoint, I could buy this as just one part of an ongoing cinematic series as all of the locations, props, and special effects are chillingly effective and mostly superior to even a theatrical movie around the same subject matter. Darabont’s involvement no doubt escalates what could have been (or honestly still could be) a cheesy, clunky story to an epic journey of the human spirit set in the most trying of times, not unlike the miniseries The Stand from many moons ago.
All of the naysayers who cry foul over the similar opening to 28 Days Later can piss off as the medium of weekly installments hint to some great things to come over the next month.
BONUS: Zombie Kill of the Week
In keeping with Zombieland’s television origins, I declare that the zombie kill of the week goes to ‘Little Girl in Bunny Slippers’. It was a toss up between her and ‘Legless Zombie’ but the little girl wins as not only is she is our first look at a zombie in the series but also one of the most painful to see a teddy bear-clutching preteen get blown away. Kudos to the crew (and AMC) for not skimping on the emotional stuff.
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