The Walking Dead

[Reply #560 on:]

The virus wasn't "turning them into walkers," it was just a more extreme variation of the flu that was getting people sick and killing them. In this show, dead bodies have been turning into walkers regardless of whether or not people get bitten. It was established back in season 2.

[Reply #561 on:]

I haven't been watching it from the start. I started to watch the show mid season 3.

[Reply #562 on:]

You shouldn't start any seralised drama mid-way.

[Reply #563 on:]

Last night's episode was mostly filler. And as usual someone does something stupid (Carol) which I am surprised didn't have any major consequences...at least that are apparent right now.

[Reply #564 on:]

The whole show is filler, these days.

[Reply #565 on:]

As someone who's only read segments of the comics, how far along in the canon IS the prison story arc? I mean, if they're stretching this shit out for another season, how does the amount of time we spend in the prison on the show compare to that in the comics? And how much more "story" is there after that before we catch up?

[Reply #566 on:]

The prison appears from issue #12 to issue #49, so it's a pretty big part of the comic.

But there's only a single season or so of storyline for them to tackle, there, and frankly, they've already ignored half of the stuff that would have been part of that or have glossed over it.


For the record, season 2's story-arc took place from issue #10 to #14, so at least they've cut back on the amount of filler, considerably.

[Reply #567 on:]

Is this new killer flu in the comics at all?

[Reply #568 on:]

Not that I remember.

[Reply #569 on:]

I watched last week's episode last night and about 3/4s of the way through it I'm thinking "Isn't this over yet?"  I've watched the show from the beginning and I love zombies, but this show is becoming a chore to watch.  Walking Dead may have to go as an entry in that "Shows you watch, but don't really like." thread that is around here somewhere.

[Reply #570 on:]

It already is.

[Reply #571 on:]

At least something happened this week. Also what happened to Glenn?

[Reply #572 on:]

Also what happened to Glenn?

They're not allowed to have too many non-white people on the show at once.

[Reply #573 on:]

This week's episode reviewed itself for me with its title.

Indifference is exactly what I felt.

[Reply #574 on:]

Also what happened to Glenn?

They're not allowed to have too many non-white people on the show at once.

...Glenn is sick and in quarantine at the prison. We didn't see him because none of this episode took place at the prison.

[Reply #575 on:]

This week's episode was actually pretty decent after the snore-fest that was Indifference. This show's attempts at characterization and melodrama vary from laughably bad to just plain mediocre, but it's always been good at delivering on the mindless action front, and it certainly came through in this instance. More nail-biting intensity, please!

[Reply #576 on:]

Seriously great episode this week, I thought. I actually cared about the characters for once, and the writers showed they could do drama without needing big action scenes. I love that they've completely shifted focus onto the governor and these new characters, fleshing out his character before he interacts with the main characters again. It seems the next episode will be in the same vein and I'm not complaining.

[Reply #577 on:]

I want them to fuck off away from the damn prison already. Also, anyone familiar with the comics know if they actually get to find out the true nature and origin of the zombie virus? I enjoy the sci-fi aspect.

[Reply #578 on:]

I wouldn't call it great.

Best in a while and a step in the right direction, yes, but great? Eh...

[Reply #579 on:]

I want them to fuck off away from the damn prison already.

I doubt it's going to happen until the end of this season. They're still using the prison intro from season 3.

[Reply #580 on:]

I see them trying to make the prison dangerous with the flu outbreak and zombie hoards knocking down the fence, but it all seems too safe still. Not like the nailbiters of season 2 when they were ducking under cars to get away from hundreds of walkers a mere few inches away. Or when they covered themselves in entrails to blend in in season one.

[Reply #581 on:]

Walkers became less scary once they became accustomed to killing them. If they were running about away from the prison, it wouldn't be the same now to have them hiding under cars and stuff. I do wonder every now and then while we're watching the show, how exactly they can make any more story from this? I mean...in a world where everyone is going to turn into a zombie as soon as they die, won't everyone eventually become a zombie and there'll just be animals left, until all the animals are eaten and then the zombies just end up in stasis? The only way to progress is if they find a cure, which doesn't seem likely unless they find another scientist/researcher person, or Carl and/or...the baby whose name escapes me right now...turn out to be super geniuses.

But I don't really watch this show as something to exercise my brain, I watch it as mindless entertainment. It's more fun that way. Like, when are Michonne and Daryl going to get it on already?

[Reply #582 on:]

I see them trying to make the prison dangerous with the flu outbreak and zombie hoards knocking down the fence, but it all seems too safe still. Not like the nailbiters of season 2 when they were ducking under cars to get away from hundreds of walkers a mere few inches away. Or when they covered themselves in entrails to blend in in season one.

The thing is that the walkers never really represented a threat to them, in the prison, in the comic.

The story was interesting because they were finally in a very safe place.

But then the threats came from other places. The Governor (and his army) were a huge threat (and handled very different, I should add), as were other things such as internal problems.
Comic spoilers that the show has already decided not to do ahead:

Show spoiler

In the comic, they find those prisoners in the prison, like in the show, and end up accepting them into the group. A while later, one of them massacres a load of characters in a really fucked up way because, you know, he was a deranged serial killer.

[Reply #583 on:]

I don't like the show anymore. It's a soap opera with occasional zombie killing. I'm not seeing any plot or character development. Comics are miles better.

[Reply #584 on:]

I don't like the show anymore. It's a soap opera with occasional zombie killing. I'm not seeing any plot or character development.

Wasn't the show kind of, like, always that?

[Reply #585 on:]

From season 2, onwards, except for a stellar handful of episodes at the start of season 3, yes.

[Reply #586 on:]

Walkers became less scary once they became accustomed to killing them. If they were running about away from the prison, it wouldn't be the same now to have them hiding under cars and stuff. I do wonder every now and then while we're watching the show, how exactly they can make any more story from this?

Mutant super-zombies.

[Reply #587 on:]

I thought this episode was great...well-directed, I really liked the writing for Rick during the standoff, and I thought the actors were, for the most part, very convincing. Perhaps this show isn't as clever or unpredictable as it could be (certain deaths were pretty easy to see coming), but to me this episode proved that it can be very entertaining and worth the watch despite all the filler and lame melodrama. I got swept up in the action and how relentlessly dark the whole thing was. This felt like the season finale we should have gotten last season, with them finally leaving the prison.

[Reply #588 on:]

I agree with you 100% on that, Josh. This show's quite often disappointing, but the last three episodes have been genuinely excellent. The mid-season finale was truly soul-crushing...

My only concern is, given that it felt like an actual season finale, where to from here, and how does this affect the structure of season 4 as a whole?

[Reply #589 on:]

I assume from what I've heard about how far off the show has veered from the comics that nobody is expecting them to do whatever happened in the comics after the prison?

Edit: Well now that I've looked it up, apparently the way this episode ends is very similar to the way the prison arch ends in the comics, with Rick and Carl walking away from the ruined prison. So I guess they could continue the comic's events if they wanted.

[Reply #590 on:]

I have three words to sum up the mid-season finale: sign beats zombie

I do find it convenient that during the standoff, and ONLY during the standoff, there were no roaming hoards of walkers tearing down the fence like in every other episode.

[Reply #591 on:]

The last episode was intense. I'm looking forward to the next half of the season.

[Reply #592 on:]

Wow that finale left me breathless!  Is it October yet?

[Reply #593 on:]

Really? I thought it was pretty underwhelming.

Although, I have to say that I was quite impressed with the back-end of season 4, overall. It was a huge step-up from how the show's been since the back-end of season 3.

[Reply #594 on:]

I can't believe no one's commented since end of first half of this season...

I agree with cyber on this. I even said to the guys "wow, that was very anti-climactic". Wonder if/when we'll see Carol and Tyrese next season.

[Reply #595 on:]

Ya, not a great season, but whatevs, this show barely enthralls anymore.

[Reply #596 on:]

I did like Rick getting all zombie on Mr. Claimed. That was unexpected.

[Reply #597 on:]

I agree that the finale was a bit less eventful than I expected, but that's almost a good thing. While I think the second half of this season has been mixed, I've enjoyed most of it, and I like the series of events the show is taking us through. I imagine they won't be at Terminus for long at the beginning of the next season and they'll be out on the road again, which I would like. The concept of them moving from dead end to dead end before their next semi-permanent base of operations should make for some tragically addicting storytelling.

[Reply #598 on:]

I just saw the first two episodes of this show, and I'm quite impressed.

One neat thing I picked up on: Glenn, who briefly appeared in The Walking Dead game, spoke with Rick using Clementine's walkie-talkie that he accidentally kept before he left for Atlanta in the game. At least, I assume it's the same one.

Anyway, Im looking forward to getting into this show. It's great so far!

[Reply #599 on:]

I...I never thought about that. I have no idea if that was intentional on the game developer's part or not (obviously the game was made after the show started), especially since the game is supposed to exist more in the world of the comics than the show.