'The Walking Dead' Premieres on AMC Sunday, October 31 (Hall

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Epi 1 is free on AMC site

Post by Live365 » 11-11-2010 07:51 PM

Oh, my God. Not so sure about this. And I see above you all are talking about the "horse scene". I hope you mean *that* one. Because if there is another "horse scene", I will bail!! Very, very high quality show. But geez, Guys. I dunno............
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Re: Epi 1 is free on AMC site

Post by Joolz » 11-12-2010 03:21 AM

Live365 wrote: Oh, my God. Not so sure about this. And I see above you all are talking about the "horse scene". I hope you mean *that* one. Because if there is another "horse scene", I will bail!! Very, very high quality show. But geez, Guys. I dunno............

I know... I wasn't sure I would be able to deal with it, either. I mean, c'mon, it's zombies. Creepy, disgusting, shuffling, moaning ZOMBIES. So, yeah, it's gonna be gross. And there's definitely some really gross stuff. But, for me, the quality of the show won me over. I can deal with the gross to watch something so excellent. It's much, much MORE than the gross-out stuff.

P.S. - The "horse scene" is not the one in the picture I posted. Nope. Not.
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Post by Live365 » 11-12-2010 03:09 PM

Let me ask you this. Is it pretty much just about the zombies? I was thinking it would be a little more like "The Stand", with religious themes and sci-fi tones. But if it's strictly a horror show, I may as well know it now! Also leery because it's cable, so they can get away with stuff that's alot more graphic. One reason I avoided "Sopranos". They also, at least in Epi 1, never completely explained what the he!! was going on: what Apocolypse? What virus? Why are they coming back to life? God knows we already have enough of a headache with "Event". Or is that what is Lost-ish about this show?

Not sure I'm jazzed about seeing Epi 1 again. Once was enough! But I'm gonna try for Epi 2/3 Sunday night.
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Re: Joolz

Post by Joolz » 11-12-2010 04:36 PM

Live365 wrote: Let me ask you this. Is it pretty much just about the zombies? I was thinking it would be a little more like "The Stand", with religious themes and sci-fi tones. But if it's strictly a horror show, I may as well know it now! Also leery because it's cable, so they can get away with stuff that's alot more graphic. One reason I avoided "Sopranos". They also, at least in Epi 1, never completely explained what the he!! was going on: what Apocolypse? What virus? Why are they coming back to life? God knows we already have enough of a headache with "Event". Or is that what is Lost-ish about this show?

Not sure I'm jazzed about seeing Epi 1 again. Once was enough! But I'm gonna try for Epi 2/3 Sunday night.

No, it is not just about the zombies. You are correct that it is more like 'The Stand' (only better, so far, IMO). What it is ABOUT is the people, the survivors. I think the themes they will explore are going to be fascinating. Read some of the reviews I posted about it, and my own comments above, and I think you'll see what I mean.

This is a character-driven drama. This, for me, is what makes it 'Lost-ish.' We have an ensemble cast of compelling characters who form a small community and are learning how to deal with a life-changing event (a disaster) in a hostile environment. THAT is very 'Lost-ish' The 'Lost' community is all abuzz about this show. It's the first one that GETS that about what made 'Lost' special. And interestingly, they did NOT bill it as some sort of 'replacement' for 'Lost' (a good thing!).

If it were just horror, or if that were the primary focus, I wouldn't like it all (note my comments about 'Zombieland' above, which I detested). I abhor most horror flicks, and don't/won't watch them. I only tune in IF there is something more involved that sparks my interest -- primarily well-drawn characters, interesting themes, and great storytelling. This show has all of that. I can deal with the gross-out stuff to experience the good stuff. ;)

As for what the virus IS... I think we will find that out when our main character, Rick Grimes, finds out. We seem to be learning along with him. (This is also 'Lost-ish, IMO. We learn what's going on as the characters learn, and can share their frustrations, anguish, wonderment, etc.) My guess is that it will be a part of the finale for this season (6th episode -- this is a 6-epi season). I'm thinking that because of the title of that episode (see above). I am also suspicious of the setting -- Atlanta area -- because of that being the HQ of the CDC. Hmmmm... what might that portend?

Another thing my daughter and I have wondered about is what will be the overall 'life-span' of the zombies. Their purpose, as far as the virus goes, is simply to spread the virus. They obviously can't go on forever. They would HAVE to deteriorate to an eventual death state. When the brain dies, they would have to officially die as well, and it seems like that would have to happen eventually. I haven't read the comics, so don't know how this is dealt with, but it seems a reasonable assumption.

As for being on cable -- yes, this isn't something that would make it on the broadcast networks. BUT there is a difference between what is OK on basic cable and what is allowed on the premium channels (like HBO and Showtime, for instance). This show is rated TV-14, which is considered sorta like PG-13 in the movies (except that there isn't a governing body that judges like in the movies -- the networks assign their own ratings and are expected to be responsible for meeting the standards they claim). You aren't going to see explicit sex or violence with a TV-14 rating (except that, in our culture, violence is more acceptable than sex, so they can get away with more in the realm of violence than sex). But it will still be gross, I expect. Zombies are just gross. There's no getting around that.

OK... hope that helped answer some of your questions. At least from my POV. :) Maybe others here will chime in as well...
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Post by Live365 » 11-13-2010 04:06 PM

Thank you, Joolz, for your wonderful comments! My only remaining question is about the "not knowing" stuff. With Lost, you at least knew right away that they were on a plane that crashed on an island, and the story took off from there. Here, they seemed to just jump right into it: in the very first scene a police officer enters a ravaged village and encounters a young girl. He sees she's a zombie and kills her. This is the story set-up?! One thing I'll say, at least they're not making us endure endless flashbacks for the explanations. For that, I'm grateful!
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Post by Joolz » 11-14-2010 04:25 AM

You're welcome! :)

As for the "not knowing" stuff... like I said, it seems to me that we are learning about what's going on along with the characters, primarily Rick Grimes. We are also seeing some stuff in the small camp where his (cheating?) wife and (cheating?) partner are hanging out, but we aren't learning much there about what's actually happened. I think that as Rick's knowledge grows, so will ours.

I kind of like this approach, of seeing it through the characters' eyes. I enjoy it much more than when the viewers have an omniscient view and know more than the characters do. I like those little "ah-ha" moments we get to share with the characters. It makes their journey OUR journey, and we can relate to them better on a human-to-human level.

That, for me, was a big part of what made 'Lost' so much fun. We identified with those characters, and shared it ALL with them. We never felt like we knew more than they did. Once in while we may have known more than a particular character, but that was only because one of the other characters knew, so we knew through them. Sometimes, they knew more than we did, and just weren't saying, too (like Ben), or pretended they knew more than we did (like Ben), which was often frustrating, but always FUN. :D

P.S. - Yes, we knew in the 'Lost' pilot that a plane had crashed on a tropical island, but that's about all we knew. We also knew, in that very first episode, that there was some sort of 'monster' in the jungle, but we never really found out what that was all about until the last (sixth) season (and even so, I'm still not absolutely certain what it was! ;) ).

And ya know... just thinking out loud here... I can see it being entirely possible that we may NOT find out about the origins of the virus that caused the 'walkers' (zombies). If we put ourselves in Rick's shoes and look through his eyes, unless he meets up with someone in the know, someone who can explain exactly what happened, he will never know for sure, and neither will we. I hope that we do find out, though, because, like you, I'd like to know what went wrong.
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Post by Joolz » 11-14-2010 05:38 AM

Ha! Check this out: Floating Zombie 'Safe House' (click image to enlarge to full size)
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Post by Joolz » 11-14-2010 06:50 AM

Ya know... to round out my comments about whatever this show may (or may not) have in common with (my beloved) 'Lost,' one thing they definitely DO have in common is a talented composer. 'Lost' had Michael Giacchino (who won an Oscar for his score for 'Up' - great little film!) and 'TWD' has Bear McCreary (who also masterfully scored 'BSG' and several other notable shows).

I'm not a musician... can't read music... can't play an instrument... but I do know what I like and don't like and can recognize excellence. I enjoy reading Bear McCreary's blogs about the music he does for the shows because it gives me a deeper appreciation of what he does and how a great composer can make or break a scene. That said, here are links to Bear McCreary's blog posts for the two episodes that have aired to date (as I write this post):


The Walking Dead: Days Gone Bye | Posted by Bear McCreary on November 1st, 2010


The Walking Dead: Guts | Posted by Bear McCreary on November 7th, 2010


These posts are complete with audio clips (and a few video clips of the orchestra actually performing) and still shots of the scenes he's talking about. Great stuff! I love reading about what he was thinking and trying to get across when he composed for these scenes. (BTW, I appreciated his mention of their decision to use complete silence in part of the first episode, too. I noticed that on the first watch and thought it was incredibly effective.) Even if I'm not a musician, I can still appreciate the talent of a great artist.

Anyhow, go ahead... check this out! You might enjoy it as much as I did. ;)
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Post by Joolz » 11-15-2010 07:12 AM

Here's a trivia quiz about tonight's episode: http://polls.amctv.com//chart/data/2624-question-1.html

I got 'em all right. ;) Bet you will, too!

If you haven't seen this episode -- Episode 3: "Tell It To the Frogs" -- then:

BEWARE! SPOILERS BELOW!

I liked this episode. They really lived up to their word about this being ABOUT the survivors in this episode. We got tons of character development and only a few gross ol' zombies in this one. ;) (That one eating the deer had to be one of the awfullest zombies I've seen on the show yet, though. Ewww-yuck. He was really icky.)

I'm glad they let us know what the deal was with Shane and Lori. So, Shane TOLD her Rick was dead, eh? Do you think he lied about that just to get her to go with him? Or do you think he just figured he must be dead, and really believed it at the time?

Lori redeemed herself to me in that scene. Shane, not so much. Although there was some redemption there for him in that beating he gave to the creepy wife-beater dude, Ed. He deserved that ass kickin'.

The reunion scene with Lori, Rick, and Carl was well done, too.

I only have two complaints. I thought it was a bit unrealistic for the redneck dude, Daryl, to say to the older guy (the one with that hat, Dale? I forget his name), "Go back to 'On Golden Pond'" or whatever it was he said about that movie. I just don't think that is a movie Daryl would even be aware of, let alone have watched. That line didn't fit the character, to me.

And the other one was, why the heck did Merle not just saw through the chains of the cuffs? Or maybe saw through the pipe he was cuffed to? Wouldn't that have made more sense? But then, he did seem pretty stark raving mad by that point, so maybe he wasn't really capable of rational thought.

But those were the only things I can complain about. ;)

Something I definitely wonder about, though, is where did Merle GO? He obviously didn't go down the stairs inside the store. That door was still chained. So, where IS he? How did he get off the rooftop? Fire escape? One-handed? WTH? Where is Merle?
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Post by Crow T. Robot » 11-15-2010 03:02 PM

And the other one was, why the heck did Merle not just saw through the chains of the cuffs? Or maybe saw through the pipe he was cuffed to? Wouldn't that have made more sense? But then, he did seem pretty stark raving mad by that point, so maybe he wasn't really capable of rational thought.


Well...if you had blood thirsty zombies practically knocking over the door you might be hard pressed to get the heck out of there PDQ. It's probably easier to hack through wrist bones then it is steel. Then again Merle is bat sh!t crazy.

I can understand Rick wanting to get the walkie talkie so he can warn the father/son to stay out of Atlanta, but why couldn't they go into a Wal-Mart and take all the guns ammo?

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Post by Joolz » 11-15-2010 03:49 PM

Crow T. Robot wrote: Well...if you had blood thirsty zombies practically knocking over the door you might be hard pressed to get the heck out of there PDQ. It's probably easier to hack through wrist bones then it is steel. Then again Merle is bat sh!t crazy.

I can understand Rick wanting to get the walkie talkie so he can warn the father/son to stay out of Atlanta, but why couldn't they go into a Wal-Mart and take all the guns ammo?

Hi Crow! Glad to see you posting here!

Yeah, I thought about that, too. He was in a panic and wanted to get out of there as fast as he could. That, combined with as you say, being "bat sh!t crazy," may have made him go for the quickest (but most horribly painful) solution to his dilemma.

I wonder if this was something in the comics or if it was a deviation from that and was the writers/producers' decision. Even though it doesn't make sense from a practical POV, it may be an important plot element from the comics that they felt they needed to keep. If I learn the answer to that (I know someone I could ask who's read the comics), I'll post it.

That's a really good point about going to a Walmart, too. I'm sure there are Walmarts in darn near every small town in Georgia, and that would be an easier solution to the gun problem (fewer zombies to deal with). But again, going back for the guns AND the walkie-talkie is probably a plot element they need to keep. I'm thinking that's most likely how they're going to be able to bring the father and son (Morgan and Duane? what were their names?) back into the storyline.
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Post by Joolz » 11-15-2010 04:19 PM

I found a couple of things this morning that may be of interest to those reading this thread. The first is an article from MovieLine that echoes some of my own musings about this show and 'Lost' (upthread):
Is The Walking Dead the New Lost?

by Lindsay Wolfe || 11 15 2010 11:15 AM

If the first episode of The Walking Dead was characterized by reverence toward the lost people, and the second was characterized by the inhumanity of those left behind, then the third episode, “Tell It to the Frogs,” struck a welcome middle ground as our camp of survivors began to develop a rough societal framework reminiscent of the early days of, dare I say, Lost?

You’re flinching at the comparison, I know. But doesn’t it seem apt to say — especially after everyone clamored over whether The Event might be the next Lost (whatever that means, it is not) — The Walking Dead shares at least some of characteristics that made the first season of the departed, genre favorite so charming.* The Walking Dead, in “Frogs” particularly, is grounded in the same kind of reluctant microcosm, though obviously formed under different circumstances.

It’s not only the rag-tag-group-of-survivors-all-dealing-with-their-drama element that smacks of Lost — though some familiar archetypes are definitely being invoked in that arena. It’s the hierarchy of roles that the survivors, as they fight over squirrel meat, car alarms and general domestic abuses, are beginning to flesh out. For example, Grimes — who this week reunited with his son, wife and partner (the latter two have been sleeping together) — is stepping into the camp leader role, dictating morality as, in the end of the episode, he decides to return to fallen Atlanta for a left-behind survivor. And in that role, he certainly shows hints of Jack Shephard’s familiar God-complex. “I found you, didn’t I?” he asks wife Lori, who responds by quietly calling attention to his cockiness.

(Another great Grimes line? After Daryl throws a loop of squirrels at the sheriff for leaving his brother shackled to a rooftop, he says: “I’d like to have a calm discussion on this topic. Do you think we can manage that?”)

Grimes’ partner, Shane Walsh, seems to be emerging as a sort of rival to Grimes’ leader — especially considering the square rejection he’s handed by Grimes’ wife near the episode’s end: both she and her son are, from this point on, off limits, which seems sad and a touch extreme in a village where role models and frog-catching coaches are limited. But Walsh’s role is not to be frog-catching coach, as he proves when he steps in to settle a nearly camp-wide domestic dispute in Grimes’ absence — a dispute that proves, as camp-mates rush to aid, that the high premium the survivors place on life isn’t eroding as quickly as the gentle zombie-dispatch technique did. (A noise moratorium now dictates bludgeoning. No more CG blood spatters for you!)

But in an episode very nearly devoid of that type of violence (except for the incident with the forfeit venison) the characters really drove the story, which was what was charming, to me at least, about Lost’s first season.

Final, unrelated-to-the-thesis thoughts: I was surprised the two camps were reunited so early, though now that Grimes has left on his crusade to Atlanta, I suppose the tension will return. And I definitely wouldn’t mind seeing Morgan and Duane (the father and son from the premiere episode) enveloped into the band of survivors.

*Yes, angry comic fan. I know the comic started a year before Lost did. PREEMPTED!

http://www.movieline.com/2010/11/on-the ... taways.php
I had a similar reaction to Rick Grimes in last night's episode, thinking of parallels to Jack (although, so far, I LIKE Rick much better than I did Jack -- although if they keep up with him going for grandiose solutions without listening to to others' opinions, I'll eventually think of him much like I did Jack). ;) Of course, it isn't just "Jack." This is a hero archetype they're tapping into.

I could also see Shane evolving into a "Sawyer"-type character, although lacking the criminal aspects that Sawyer had (so far as we know). They already have the Jack/Kate/Sawyer love triangle set-up with Rick/Lori/Shane.

And, of course, both shows owe homage to 'Lord of the Flies.'
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Post by Joolz » 11-15-2010 04:25 PM

And this one's just for fun: ZOMBIESMART - GET SMART OR GET EATEN
Welcome to ZOMBIESMART

ZOMBIESMART is a public repository of information based around zombies and survival.

We feel the obligation to spread awareness of the reality of zombie outbreaks and the threat they impose on our lives.

We intend to educate people on the undead and build a community of like minded people to work together to obtain and share knowledge. Combining community and knowledge produces preparedness.

At present time, research shows that only 1% of the global population will survive a catastrophic zombie outbreak. In order to increase the survival rate we must spread zombie awareness and cultivate preparedness.

It is up to people in each and every community to take charge and ready themselves against zombies in order to prevent the entire human race from falling victim to the undead. To find out how you can take responsibility in your community please visit our About Us page.
:D Check it out.
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Post by Joolz » 11-15-2010 04:29 PM

Oh, another thing... Merle could end up embodying the same archetype as Sawyer did in 'Lost' in another sense. The initial fight between Merle and T-Dog is reminiscent of the fight early in Season 1 of 'Lost' between Sawyer and Sayid - a cultural clash between two people who eventually learn to put aside their differences and work together for the good of all. Just interesting to think about... (for me anyhow)

ETA: And one MORE thing along these lines... I can see Glenn (the Asian guy) evolving into a "Hurley"-like character in that he is supplying some comic relief (the actor, Steven Yeun, trained with Chicago's famous training ground for comic improv: Second City). This is also an important element that both shows that have touted themselves as 'Lost'-like have neglected to provide -- a character who can become lovable and provide some much-needed comic relief. His improv and ad-lib stuff during the 'zombie-walk' in downtown Atlanta with Rick (after they applied zombie-gore to themselves so as to be able to blend in) was spot-on. As for archetypes, here we have the Fool, who is both naive and smart, and is often able to cut through to the heart of a matter due to his comparative innocence. Steven Yeun will, I think, become a fan favorite much the same as Jorge Garcia did.

ETA (again): Oooooo... or here's an even better idea: how about Daryl (Merle's brother) being our Sawyer-like guy? I could definitely see that happening. So, maybe not Merle (he's missing a hand at this point anyway -- will he die?), but Daryl.

Also, we saw the blond woman (Amy?) in a Kate-like role last night, too, when she stepped up to confront ol' misogynistic Ed, and held his wife as he was pummeled by Shane.

A final (well, probably not) comment on this... the other shows that thought they were emulating 'Lost' forgot the most important part of that equation, IMO: compelling characters who embody archetypes we can all relate to. They tried to focus on the mystery elements -- which were undoubtedly also a big part of Lost's success, and a part of the show I always loved -- but forgot to give us characters we could care about (love 'em or hate 'em, either way they're evoking an emotional reaction). They both missed the mark there, IMO. This show is hitting it without even trying to (or at least I haven't heard anyone connected with the show making that claim).
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Post by Joolz » 11-15-2010 04:56 PM

And speaking of Steven Yeun, here's a really good interview with the actor from AMC's blog about the show (which is where I learned some of what I said above about him): Q&A - Steven Yeun (Glenn)
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