I think it's about time for a change of setting. Let's shift from the bustling world of New York and How I Met Your Mother to the more ominous post-apocalyptic world of the Walking Dead. This is a world where decent people don't stand a chance while ruthless criminals thrive. Each episode brings about intense zombie-fighting and sudden deaths you never anticipated. But ultimately, you experience the true nature of individuals who band together to try to survive in a world pitted against them.
Here's a trailer for the First Season:
The main character is Rick Grimes, a Georgian sheriff who was seriously injured during a gunfight early on. He falls into a coma and is completely oblivious to the unknown plague that ravages the world and leaves it's countless victims vicious and zombie-like. When he awakes, he finds the town abandoned and his family missing. Rick decides to travel to Atlanta where it's supposedly safe and the Center for Disease Control is working on a cure. The rest of the first season involves him finding other survivors and naturally being elected to lead the group to find a safe haven.
My family watched the first season when it first aired and they raved on and on about it. I wasn't surprised with the show garnering nearly six million viewers by the season finale and it being rated one of the highest quality shows by National Public Radio. So when my cross country season and Carissa's soccer season came to a halt, my family decided to start season 2, which was conveniently all on Netflix.
A number of things immediately shocked me as we finished the entire season in a mere two days. First, the extensive set and cast was absolutely astounding with its abandoned metropolis setting, congested highways, and massive numbers of zombies on set. The budget for every season was immense and I felt like the producers did a meticulous job making sure the setting was entirely believable and realistic. Second, the quality of the characters was refreshing. Each one changed to better adapt to the new world, and every character was well rounded and thought out. Some characters began to fall apart as the apocalypse proved too much for them while others grew stronger and more able. The show also brought up topics that delved much deeper than basic survival. Some of them include religion, capital punishment, social dynamics, individualism, poor parenting, and the recurring question of whether humanity still plays a role in this now twisted world. Finally there's a capable Asian character, Glenn who is pivotal and breaks Asian stereotypes commonly used in Hollywood. Represent!
Sounds like a fascinating show, and one it would be easy to get drawn into. The trailer looks good, but it also makes me wonder if I could handle this series and all the zombie gore. I'm pretty squeamish.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting how zombies have made such a big comeback in popular culture lately. I recall zombie movies being popular when I was a kid (some of them revivals of films from a decade or two in the past), and of course there was Michael Jackson's Thriller video. But zombies seemed to go out of style for quite awhile. I guess they're back!
I have watched some of The Walking Dead too but never really kept up with it because of cross country. My family watches it regularly, so maybe I can find time to have a marathon of the first couple seasons over winter break!
ReplyDeleteFrom the few episodes I have seen, the show is definitely gory. The action-packed zombie-fighting combined with dramatic interactions between the main characters make each episode really exciting. Great show to feature!
As a lover of all things sic-fi, fantasy, and post-apocolyptic, this show sounds great! I can't believe that I had never heard of it before. I like that you not only included a description of the plot, but your critique of the themes and set design. This sounds like a weird show to watch with your family, but to each his/her own. I can't wait to start watching this!
ReplyDeleteHmmm...I watch a lot of things on Netflix, but never really considered myself a zombie-lover. Your rave review of the show seems like a definite recommendation, and hopefully this winter (and maybe second semester) I'll have time to look at it. It's kind of interesting how different types of shows have, through the years, captured the public imagination. It used to be sitcoms, but then in the early 2000's turned to reality TV, and game shows, and now the tide seems to have turned more towards drama and comedy and news.
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