Review: The Walking Dead

Photo Credit: fearnet

Nearly two feet of snow fell today in Connecticut.  Thanks in part to the timing of the snowfall, the storm was strong enough to close the federal courts, so I had a grownup snow day.   I spent most of it sleeping and watching TV, but cabin fever got the best of me once the sun went down.  So I bundled up and headed outside to dig out my car.  Not wanting to drive anywhere in such lousy conditions, I decided to walk around West Hartford Center.

Out of over 140 shops and restaurants, only one place was open: Chipotle.  I ate dinner there, along with maybe a dozen other people.  I left around 9:00 p.m. and walked home.  I saw only a handful of cars, plus a few plow trucks.  Every store window was dark and every parking space was empty.  Snow covered everything and it was eerily quiet.  I plodded through the snow alone, and passed just one person on the street -- the only person I'd seen outside all night.  As we shuffled past each other, unable to see eye-to-eye because of our scarves and hooded jackets, I felt like I was in the world of The Walking Dead.  This woman and I were "walkers" or "geeks," as the zombies are called on the show, stumbling around in deserted and inhospitable conditions, hungry for relief (not relief of a thirst for human flesh, but for a warm apartment!).  Given the late hour and the extreme weather conditions, the snowstorm definitely created a subtle-but-perceptible post-apocalyptic feel.


The experience inspired me to finally write my review of AMC's The Walking Dead.  A review, not a recap.  Why?  Even a moderately detailed discussion of the plot will contain some spoilers, and I don't want to ruin the fun I know you'll have in watching this outstanding show.  Plus, the first season was only six episodes, so you can catch up in just a day or two.  So here's what I'll do.  I'll offer up my opinion on this new series -- which, as you might have already guessed, is quite positive -- right after I briefly introduce the characters, the actors behind those characters, and the basic storylines.

Rick Grimes

Much like LOST, everything about The Walking Dead starts and ends with one character: Sheriff's Deputy Rick Grimes.  After we learn some important parts of Rick's backstory, he wakes up in a hospital bed and quickly discovers that the world has collapsed around him.  He is all alone, completely unprotected by a society that has long since fallen apart.  Rick's solo journey from the hospital to his house is spellbinding.  It's not only scary to watch but also psychologically thrilling.  The pilot episode in particular depicts a very terrifying zombie apocalypse, and Rick reacts the same way as most of us would: with a great deal of confusion, some curiosity, and plenty of fear-induced adrenaline.  The zombies themselves are as creepy as expected, even though their slow, shuffling walk is closer to George Romero's original 1968 version of Night of the Living Dead than Zack Snyder's recent fast-paced, full-throttle reincarnation (get it? ha ha) of Dawn of the Dead in 2004.  The effect is very powerful, though, and you feel on edge as you watch the show.

Rick eventually makes his way home, only to find his house empty and his wife and son missing.  He finds safety with two other survivors, setting up perhaps the pilot's tensest moment: the dilemma that one survivor faces when confronted with a zombie he once knew (pre-zombification).

Eventually, Rick leaves for Atlanta, convinced that his family is alive and waiting for him at the CDC's (Centers for Disease Control) quarantine zone.  Except instead of finding the CDC, Rick finds thousands of "walkers" and must be rescued -- in the most dramatic fashion you can possibly ask for in a pilot -- by a small group of survivors.  The other five episodes follow Rick and these survivors as they seek safety, supplies, weapons, and other survivors.

Some of the plot lines are predictable -- zombie attacks occur, survivors are killed, family members must make difficult decisions, and the group of survivors is always on the run.  But the characters have serious conflicts of interest, the presence of several children adds to the heavy emotional complexity of living in an apocalyptic society, and some of the characters are so flawed that you constantly wonder whether their presence is helpful or a hindrance on the entire group.  In fact, the value of each person's role in the group's quest for survival is a recurring question throughout the first season.

Ultimately, what is the appeal of The Walking Dead?  First and foremost, it's the zombies.  Of course it is.  Since the aforementioned Night of the Living Dead came out in 1968, filmmakers have made roughly three million zombie flicks, and they'll keep making them because zombies are awesome.  People love zombies.  In just the past 5-10 years, we have seen an honest-to-goodness Zombie Survival Guide as well as a new book called Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, a parody combining the classic novel with a modern zombie fiction.  Naturally, that book is already in development to become a blockbuster movie.  Personally, I'm hoping that America recovers from its obsession with vampires (Twilight, True Blood, Vampire Diaries, etc.) and gets hooked on zombies instead.

Second, it's what I like to call apocalypse porn.  People love doomsday scenarios.  They make you wonder how well (if at all!) you would survive if modern society completely broke down.  They make you think about the nature of people and how they act in such a primitive conditions.  Are they naturally Machiavellian (think Sawyer from LOST) or will they decide to act together, in everyone's best interest, to form a cohesive unit and protect each other (the John Locke approach).  The psychology of being forced to live in a post-apocalyptic world (zombie or otherwise) is fascinating, and sure enough, Hollywood has capitalized on it.  In terms of variation, we've seen weather (The Day After Tomorrow), viral/chemical (28 Days Later & I Am Legend), technology (Terminator series), sci-fi disaster (Armageddon), aliens (Independence Day), and zombies (too many to name).  So it's easy to see how a TV show about zombies is likely to succeed.

Finally, as with other AMC shows such as Mad Men and Breaking Bad, it all comes down to the characters.  That's really where The Walking Dead shines the brightest.  Grimes, who is brilliantly portrayed sans British accent by Andrew Lincoln, is the lead character but not necessarily the most interesting personality.  That might go to the brothers Dixon (Merle, played by Michael Rooker, who has built quite a career getting typecast as "the douchebag," as well as Daryl, played by Norman Reedus, whom you might remember as one of the Irish brothers in Boondock Saints).  There is also Rick's buddy Shane and a very important lady named Lori.  I guess you'll just have to watch season one to find out more about those two.

Grades:
Pilot: A
Season 1 finale: B+
Season 1 overall: A-

Needless to say, I strongly recommend taking an evening or two to catch up with The Walking Dead.  Season 2 won't start until October 2011, but why wait that long?  I'm happy to start talking in depth about the plot (with obvious spoiler alerts, of course) in the comments section, so start commenting!