S01E02
This episode illustrates why the concept of a weekly zombie series is an excellent idea (being AMC’s highest rated drama doesn’t hurt either). Any show can have a flashy and expensive pilot (and most do) but when it comes down to it, the premiere episode is merely the foundation of the series and usually not a particularly good expectation of what is to come. Historically, a series’ second episode delves more into the character-driven aspects of the show (one aspect the pilot was not lacking in to begin with) as you begin to get a sense of how the stories will unfold throughout the remaining episodes. If that is the case here, we havefour seventeen(!) more episodes of awesomeness ahead of us.After he escapes the tank from the end of the last episode, Rick (Andrew Lincoln) teams up with another group of survivors who are now in jeopardy as Rick’s presence has drawn more zombies (or “geeks” as one character calls them) to the storefront they are holding up in. Like with any decent zombie movie, more characters equate to more internal conflict and in-fighting which is what I hear a good portion of the comic series is about. The most dangerous among the living is Dixon (Michael Rooker!) who is the requisite asshole, this time with racist tendencies as some fleeting social commentary surfaces about two groups of people who are not meant to live together. Of course, the geeks are still roaming and they force the survivors to engage in some pretty vile acts that you likely will not see on network TV anytime soon.
The direction in this episode by Michelle Maxwell MacLaren is within reach of the first episode with an open and ambitious feel that normally do not accompany serial television series. Certain scenes are more tense than anything you will find in a bargain-bin horror movie these days as the constant threat of the walkers places a sense of danger in even the most mundane settings. While I cannot attest to how faithful the series has been to its source material, so far there have not been any punches pulled in the narrative and even though it smacks of zombie properties from the beginning of time, it does not feel old or recycled. The amazing effort in the zombie effects have been a major contributor as the kills, the gore, and even just the standby zombie makeup are some of the best that I have seen, A-list feature or not, in some time.
Coming up it looks like we have a reunion of sorts as the ragtag team heads back to the larger group in the relative safety of the woods as Rick and several other members of the posse have family awaiting their return.
BONUS: Zombie Kill of the Week
Rick proves once and for all that having a sharp melee weapon works wonders in a pinch as he bifurcates the head of an offending zombie after his death stench washes away. It’s just something you have to see.
This episode illustrates why the concept of a weekly zombie series is an excellent idea (being AMC’s highest rated drama doesn’t hurt either). Any show can have a flashy and expensive pilot (and most do) but when it comes down to it, the premiere episode is merely the foundation of the series and usually not a particularly good expectation of what is to come. Historically, a series’ second episode delves more into the character-driven aspects of the show (one aspect the pilot was not lacking in to begin with) as you begin to get a sense of how the stories will unfold throughout the remaining episodes. If that is the case here, we have
The direction in this episode by Michelle Maxwell MacLaren is within reach of the first episode with an open and ambitious feel that normally do not accompany serial television series. Certain scenes are more tense than anything you will find in a bargain-bin horror movie these days as the constant threat of the walkers places a sense of danger in even the most mundane settings. While I cannot attest to how faithful the series has been to its source material, so far there have not been any punches pulled in the narrative and even though it smacks of zombie properties from the beginning of time, it does not feel old or recycled. The amazing effort in the zombie effects have been a major contributor as the kills, the gore, and even just the standby zombie makeup are some of the best that I have seen, A-list feature or not, in some time.
Coming up it looks like we have a reunion of sorts as the ragtag team heads back to the larger group in the relative safety of the woods as Rick and several other members of the posse have family awaiting their return.
BONUS: Zombie Kill of the Week
Rick proves once and for all that having a sharp melee weapon works wonders in a pinch as he bifurcates the head of an offending zombie after his death stench washes away. It’s just something you have to see.
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