S01E06
While I am thankful that AMC gave Frank Darabont a chance to bring Walking Dead to TV screens, I have to curse their apprehension at the beginning with only a six episode order for the first season. Not only does that cut things short before really establishing the tone and direction of the show, but this episode was pretty lousy as a season finale but would have been much better if we did not have eleven months to go before seeing the next installment.
Now safely inside the CDC in Atlanta, the group (they really need a catchy name like Apocalypse Avengers or something) meet Dr. Edwin Jenner, the lone scientist left studying the zombification disease after everyone else fled or checked out. At first Jenner is fairly welcoming (as much as a man carrying an automatic weapon can be) offering hot showers, food, and beds to sleep in. He explains what is known about the disease and how it affects the brain before rendering the host dead and resurrecting the brain stem to drive the mindless munching on flesh. But we learn that when an ominous countdown hits zero indicating they are out of fuel, the entire building will disintegrate. Jenner’s first foul as a host was not informing his guests of their impending doom.
Meanwhile, courtesy of a pre-credits flashback, we learn that Shane is not as much of a tool as we thought showing him attempt to get the still comatose Rick out of the hospital before believing he had died. After telling Lori as much, I hope the Lori and Shane drama ends here as it is rather getting on my nerves at this point. That flashback was a high point of the show however as it is entertaining to see the characters in the thick of the zombie outbreak and I hope that makes a comeback with the second season ala Lost. We don’t need half the episode dedicated to previous events but a quick sequence that shows Daryl was drinking moonshine and coming across his first zombie would be a neat weekly addition to further the backstory.
I was about to totally write off the show when Andrea and Dale were threatening to stay behind and give up the fight as Laurie Holden and Jeffrey DeMunn continue to absolutely own the screen when they are on with more emotion and subtleties than you can get in an award-winning movie. Fortunately, this week’s co-writer Darabont chose the right thing and got them the hell out of there.
The episode ultimately felt disposable as it offered little reason to head to the CDC in the end. Jenner’s explanation of how the virus/bacteria/diety-wrath affects the human body was neatly presented but offered little to nothing that we already knew. There is no definitive cause and no cure in sight as every other disease-research center has likely been leveled by doctors who run lights and air conditioning like it’s another day on Earth. The character of Jenner did not really make much sense considering that he was purposely vague when it didn’t really matter like on account of the test subject’s identity. Even letting the group in knowing that he only had a limited amount of emergency fuel left was quite a dick move to seal their fates even if he had fairly solid reasoning.
For a season finale, I will say I was left underwhelmed. The entire season has stayed consistently excellent in certain aspects like the acting, the direction, and the production value. But the story comes and goes between excellent and merely passable and sadly this episode was more the latter than the former. Like a typical season finale does, it establishes more questions than answers provided but as we are guaranteed at least another thirteen episodes, I am not bothered by that too much. I just wish I didn’t have to wait.
While I am thankful that AMC gave Frank Darabont a chance to bring Walking Dead to TV screens, I have to curse their apprehension at the beginning with only a six episode order for the first season. Not only does that cut things short before really establishing the tone and direction of the show, but this episode was pretty lousy as a season finale but would have been much better if we did not have eleven months to go before seeing the next installment.
Now safely inside the CDC in Atlanta, the group (they really need a catchy name like Apocalypse Avengers or something) meet Dr. Edwin Jenner, the lone scientist left studying the zombification disease after everyone else fled or checked out. At first Jenner is fairly welcoming (as much as a man carrying an automatic weapon can be) offering hot showers, food, and beds to sleep in. He explains what is known about the disease and how it affects the brain before rendering the host dead and resurrecting the brain stem to drive the mindless munching on flesh. But we learn that when an ominous countdown hits zero indicating they are out of fuel, the entire building will disintegrate. Jenner’s first foul as a host was not informing his guests of their impending doom.
Meanwhile, courtesy of a pre-credits flashback, we learn that Shane is not as much of a tool as we thought showing him attempt to get the still comatose Rick out of the hospital before believing he had died. After telling Lori as much, I hope the Lori and Shane drama ends here as it is rather getting on my nerves at this point. That flashback was a high point of the show however as it is entertaining to see the characters in the thick of the zombie outbreak and I hope that makes a comeback with the second season ala Lost. We don’t need half the episode dedicated to previous events but a quick sequence that shows Daryl was drinking moonshine and coming across his first zombie would be a neat weekly addition to further the backstory.
I was about to totally write off the show when Andrea and Dale were threatening to stay behind and give up the fight as Laurie Holden and Jeffrey DeMunn continue to absolutely own the screen when they are on with more emotion and subtleties than you can get in an award-winning movie. Fortunately, this week’s co-writer Darabont chose the right thing and got them the hell out of there.
The episode ultimately felt disposable as it offered little reason to head to the CDC in the end. Jenner’s explanation of how the virus/bacteria/diety-wrath affects the human body was neatly presented but offered little to nothing that we already knew. There is no definitive cause and no cure in sight as every other disease-research center has likely been leveled by doctors who run lights and air conditioning like it’s another day on Earth. The character of Jenner did not really make much sense considering that he was purposely vague when it didn’t really matter like on account of the test subject’s identity. Even letting the group in knowing that he only had a limited amount of emergency fuel left was quite a dick move to seal their fates even if he had fairly solid reasoning.
For a season finale, I will say I was left underwhelmed. The entire season has stayed consistently excellent in certain aspects like the acting, the direction, and the production value. But the story comes and goes between excellent and merely passable and sadly this episode was more the latter than the former. Like a typical season finale does, it establishes more questions than answers provided but as we are guaranteed at least another thirteen episodes, I am not bothered by that too much. I just wish I didn’t have to wait.
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