The Walking Dead (AMC) [**Spoilers**]

Frisbee

I thought it was brilliant again. Plenty of really tense moments:

In the woods at the start
Rick getting from the tank to the alley
The sewer scene
Rick and Glenn going for the construction site

Richard Dower

Some of thiose zombies could move pretty sharpish!, naughty sex scene at the start...he flipped her over for doggy, woo!

The Asian kid....kinda like his character but i suspect many of the others will be zombie fodder.
Promo for ep. 3, 100% spoilery!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaJHtjj79Sc

JP Liz V1

I hope Lori dies pretty soon

Richard Dower

Rick's wife?

http://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2010/11/the-walking-dead-can-the-second-episode-live-up-to-the-premiere/66208

The Walking Dead's series premiere last week was a massive critical and commercial success, netting glowing reviews and garnering AMC its largest audience ever. Last week, the question was whether or not zombies can work on television; this week, the question is whether or not zombies can work on television week-to-week. Unfortunately, that question still has yet to be answered. The Walking Dead still has lots of potential, but the second episode, "Guts," doesn't live up to the promise of the stellar series premiere

http://popwatch.ew.com/2010/11/08/the-walking-dead-kirkman/

It's gonna be interesting to see the ratings, i suspect a drop...but not much, i think the real litmus test is next week.

Frisbee

I can't decide with myself whether I should watch that sneak peek.

Quick question, when do y'all reckon we'll see the boxset out on DVD?

MJRS

Frisbee wrote: »

I can't decide with myself whether I should watch that sneak peek.

Quick question, when do y'all reckon we'll see the boxset out on DVD?

Don't do it!

missingtime

Dont watch ANY previews or sneak peaks. They always give too much away.

Anyway - savage episode. Loved every bit of it.

Leaving that guy on the roof is gonna come back to haunt them I feel

Also, great line "He was an organ donor"

Skerries

the red neck is Keith David or is David Keith? can never get their names right
you know he's going to cut his way out with the hacksaw maybe "the fast way" and come after them

TonyD79

Renewed for a second season after one only episode..makes a joke out of somebody questioning the ratings after only the second episode!!!

PhiloCypher

Skerries wrote: »

the red neck is Keith David or is David Keith? can never get their names right
you know he's going to cut his way out with the hacksaw maybe "the fast way" and come after them

No the red neck in question is Micheal Rooker, Keith David is the black guy from the Thing and pitch black and David Keith is the guy from Officer and a gentleman and firestarter

A pretty Solid ep only the lack of a morgan sniping/ Rick mercy kill type scene holds it back for me .

charlie_says

I thought the streets being clear of cars was kinda odd, but I suppose there was plenty trying to leave the city via the motorway.

I'm betting that the band of survivors find somewhere very secure with a good supply of water, food, chainsaws and ammo. Then one of them goes crazy through jealously, racism or revenge and unleashes the horde.

Haven't read the comics but it's a tried and tested zombie model

don ramo

2 eps in and its already top of my to watch pile,

solid second episode, introduces the wider group of survivors, and handy trick of sneaking through zombies in a pinch,

i like most of the groupm nearly all of them, will be interesting to see what happens to the guy on the roof, im thinking hell make it back to camp right before he turns after he gets bitten trying to get there,

cant wait for rick to get back to camp to find his partner doing his wife, i hope there not gonna drag it out, i know its a six episode series, so i hope it doesnt drag on into next series:D,

yeah read it got renewed
http://news-briefs.ew.com/2010/11/08/amc-renews-the-walking-dead/
great to hear,

Basq

Loved the second episode.. it was never gonna be as exciting as the pilot, but it was up there!

Some fantastic scenes and love me a bit of Michael Rooker.

The second episode got a 3.1 (4.7 million viewers) - it was down from a 3.7 (5.3 million viewers) for the pilot - but that's impressive ratings for a second episode.

And a 13 episode second-season..

AMC announced today the renewal of The Walking Dead for a 13-episode second season. Since debuting Sun., Oct. 31, The Walking Dead has broken ratings records, with the series reaching more Adults 18 to 49 than any other show in the history of cable television.

Today's announcement also includes Fox International Channels' (FIC) global renewal for a second season, following record-breaking premiere ratings in 120 countries in Europe, Latin America, Asia and the Middle East. The Walking Dead was the highest-rated original series premiere ever to air on FIC simultaneously worldwide.

"The Dead has spread!" said Charlie Collier, President, AMC. "No other cable series has ever attracted as many Adults 18-49 as The Walking Dead. This reaffirms viewers' hunger for premium television on basic cable. We are so proud to be bringing back The Dead again, across the globe."

Ratings Highlights for The Walking Dead - Episode 2, which premiered on AMC Sunday, 11/7:

• 10pm airing - 3.1 HH rating with over 4.7 million viewers;
• Adults 18-49 - 3.3 million viewers;
• Adults 25-54 - 2.8 million viewers;
• Men 18-49 - 2.1 million viewers.

Ratings Highlights for the The Walking Dead - Episode 1, which premiered on AMC Sunday, 10/31:

• 10pm airing - 3.7 HH rating with over 5.3 million total viewers;
• Adults 18-49 - 3.6 million viewers;
• Adults 25-54 - 3.1 million viewers;
• Men 18-49 - 2.0 million viewers;

"I wish all programming decisions were no brainers like this one," said Sharon Tal Yguado, SVP Scripted Programming for Fox International Channels. "The Walking Dead is a TV masterpiece on so many levels. We want at least 10 seasons, if not more. Kudos to AMC!"

AMC's The Walking Dead is based on the comic book series written by Robert Kirkman and published by Image Comics. Executive Produced by Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption) and Gale Anne Hurd (The Terminator), it tells the story of the months and years that follow after a zombie apocalypse. The series follows a group of survivors, led by police officer Rick Grimes, who travel in search of a safe and secure home.

Shot on location in Atlanta, The Walking Dead is led by a cast that includes Andrew Lincoln (Love Actually) as Rick Grimes, Jon Bernthal (The Pacific) as Shane Walsh, Sarah Wayne Callies (Prison Break) as Lori Grimes, Laurie Holden (The Shield, Stephen King's The Mist) as Andrea, Jeffrey DeMunn (Stephen King's The Mist, The Green Mile) as Dale, Steven Yeun (The Big Bang Theory) as Glenn, Emma Bell (The Bedford Diaries) as Amy and Chandler Riggs (Get Low) as Carl Grimes.

Namabillion

Just saw ep1. Best Tv show of thw new 10-11 season for me anyway

vibe666

well happy with how it turned out. wasn't expecting it to match ep.1 but it was a good solid episode that was just over too soon, which is always a good thing, if you're hoping to get more time out of it.

i just wanted to see him meet up with the missus and see how that turned out. the sneak peek richard posted has bits about that in it so keep clear if you don't want to know anything.

one things for sure, one way or another the michael rooker redneck character is going to come back and bite them in the backside.

Syferus

DeepBlue wrote: »

For me it was a case of "so the whole episode was taken up with getting out of that store???" so it felt a bit meh.

Given that there are only 6 episodes in the first series then they won't really make much headway into the overall story that the comics have portrayed and it doesn't look like we'll get to the really interesting plot points or characters at all in season one.

I mean it's two episodes down and Rick hasn't even made it back to his wife and son yet........

Given the fact that they're stranded in a world full of zombies and almost zero communications technolog I think it's a tad unfair to expect him to be magically drawn to her, even doing it after two episodes isn't all that organic, but at least it makes sense.

I very much feel the pace at which they're connecting things is very brisk and even in this episode we learnt alot about the habbits of the undead as well as being introduced to a raft of new characters, who if Rick met up at the same time as his wife and best friend would have been totally over-shadowed. All in all, a very good episode with just about nothing out of place.

This is based on a graphic novel so remember that to some degree they're at the mercy of someone else's creation!

iguana

Syferus wrote: »

This is based on a graphic novel so remember that to some degree they're at the mercy of someone else's creation!

The comics move much more swiftly. This episode combined Rick's initial escape from Atlanta and a later expedition into the city. I don't mind them changing things, I'm glad they did as it would be a little dull to know what is going to happening in each scene but this change made things slower than I enjoyed.

Syferus

iguana wrote: »

The comics move much more swiftly. This episode combined Rick's initial escape from Atlanta and a later expedition into the city. I don't mind them changing things, I'm glad they did as it would be a little dull to know what is going to happening in each scene but this change made things slower than I enjoyed.

They're also a static medium so it's very hard to even compare the pacing, but obviously it's only to a certain degree that they're tied - any good adaption adds and subtracts things to best suit the new medium. I would never want something that doesn't have a sense of epic adventure i na series liek this and I really don't see how you could make the show go any faster and still have a real sense of an empty and dread-filled world.

We're getting way ahead of ourselves anyways; we're only two episodes into something that going to last a few years, at the very least.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

why would a zombie outbreak mean mobile phones dont work, been wondering about that

Syferus

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar wrote: »

why would a zombie outbreak mean mobile phones dont work, been wondering about that

The electricity needed to run masts (which generally get electricty from a dedicated source, which is why both landlines and mobiles work in domestic blackouts) wouldn't be there without the infrastructure to generate it in the first place. The world seems to have gone to absolute hell - if they army has been destoryed in the area, it's hugely unlikely any power plant remains active.

Richard Dower

TonyD79 wrote: »

Renewed for a second season after one only episode..makes a joke out of somebody questioning the ratings after only the second episode!!!

http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/11/08/amcs-the-walking-dead-renewed-for-13-episode-season-two-as-second-episode-big-ratings/71238

It dropped a little bit, but not much....this order is no surprise given the numbers

Syferus

Richard Dower wrote: »

http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/11/08/amcs-the-walking-dead-renewed-for-13-episode-season-two-as-second-episode-big-ratings/71238

It dropped a little bit, but not much....this order is no surprise given the numbers

I don't think any show expects to maintain a priemere's ratings for the next episode so anyone trying to make a point of a ratings drop-off is either clutching at straws or really doesn't undertsand what they're talking about.

Richard Dower

The only point i made/making was a natural drop in the second ep. - i said i expected a drop but not by much....and i was right. I'm not making any further point then that or implying otherwise. It held up extremely well, the drop is natural and expected from everyone incl. the network.

So i do know what i'm talking about.

Syferus

Richard Dower wrote: »

The only point i made/making was a natural drop in the second ep. - i said i expected a drop but not by much....and i was right. I'm not making any further point then that or implying otherwise. It held up extremely well, the drop is natural and expected from everyone incl. the network.

So i do know what i'm talking about.

Was talking about the people the above poster was referencing with that, not you! I actually thought it might look like that when I wrote it but I thought nothing of it!

pixelburp

I was very surprised because I thought the second episode maintained the high standards of the first so I wouldn't agree with those who were disappointed by it. Fact is, with the follow-up story, you're just not going to recreate that initial sense of "wow" at watching the first episode and being sucked into this world & its characters. We're in it now, it's all familiar, so it's straight into the (ahem) meat of the story from here.

I'm liking Glenn though; he's just the right mix of humanity and sarky awesomeness.

expectationlost

Richard Dower wrote: »

http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/11/08/amcs-the-walking-dead-renewed-for-13-episode-season-two-as-second-episode-big-ratings/71238

It dropped a little bit, but not much....this order is no surprise given the numbers

oh the ignore list you go,i wonder how many people you turn off using the boards

Hyzepher

Quick question for thoose who might be in the know or read the comics etc.

What is the timeline between Rick getting shot and walking up. In terms of what seems to have happened with the zombies etc and how his wife and partner are carrying on it does look like it might have been a year or so.

But his condition on leaving his hospital bed looks like it might have only been a few weeks.

DeepBlue

It's not clearly specified in the comics either. I'd say a week, two weeks max.
If it were a year or even a month he'd probably have died of starvation or dehydration when his IV ran dry.

Frisbee

Frisbee wrote: »

Quick question, when do y'all reckon we'll see the boxset out on DVD?

Anyone hazard a guess at this?

Basq

Frisbee wrote: »

Anyone hazard a guess at this?

It's tough to know.. Amazon.com have the DVD and Blu-ray up for pre-order with no release dates.

AMC have released DVD's of seasons of 'Breaking Bad' a week or two before the next season was due to air on TV - to generate buzz and interest.

I don't think it'll be the case with 'The Walking Dead' though. We might get a early 2011 release.

Dacelonid

DeepBlue wrote: »

If it were a year or even a month he'd probably have died of starvation or dehydration when his IV ran dry.

Not necessarily, it could have been a few months and he was still being looked after, but only in the last week or two when things finally fell apart that there was no one to look after him.

However given that he is still weak, still sore and remembers the partner bringing flowers and the flowers haven't totally wilted away, 1 - 2 weeks is the most likely.

vibe666

expectationlost wrote: »

oh the ignore list you go,i wonder how many people you turn off using the boards

wow, doesn't take much to p1ss you off does it? :rolleyes:

pixelburp

Dacelonid wrote: »

Not necessarily, it could have been a few months and he was still being looked after, but only in the last week or two when things finally fell apart that there was no one to look after him.

However given that he is still weak, still sore and remembers the partner bringing flowers and the flowers haven't totally wilted away, 1 - 2 weeks is the most likely.

That wouldn't explain how badly decomposed some of the zombies are - particularly the "torso" zombie Grimes meets at the beginning.

I'd say your first explanation might make sense: that all this happened over months and Rick was being cared for even when things quickly went downhill. So maybe initially, the military thought they had it under control, were eventually overrun & they abandoned the hospital. Perhaps a week or so later Grimes woke up. I guess the bed propped against the door was to give Grimes a chance.

Hyzepher

I wonder why his partner and wife didn't try and take him out with them - especially when things started to go bad and they might have had a chance to get him.

pixelburp

Hyzepher wrote: »

I wonder why his partner and wife didn't try and take him out with them - especially when things started to go bad and they might have had a chance to get him.

I'd guess that as everything went to hell & panicky / bitten people flocked towards the hospital and other "safe zones", the hospital would have quickly become infested. The number of corpses and walkers still about would be testimony to that. It may be cold, but I think the wife made the right decision - there was little chance of her getting Grimes out.

DeepBlue

Dacelonid wrote: »

Not necessarily, it could have been a few months and he was still being looked after, but only in the last week or two when things finally fell apart that there was no one to look after him.

Good point. I hadn't thought of that. That could greatly expand the timeline between him getting shot and waking up from the coma. Although it still couldn't be all that long as his leg muscles would have atrophied if he were bed ridden for a long time.

pixelburp wrote: »

That wouldn't explain how badly decomposed some of the zombies are - particularly the "torso" zombie Grimes meets at the beginning.

One inconsistency I see is that the zombies tear you apart for food like thy did with the horse yet you only become "zombiefied" after being bitten and yet most of the zombies we've seen so far (bar the odd exception) don't seem to have been munched on much.

Keyzer

One inconsistency I see is that the zombies tear you apart for food like thy did with the horse yet you only become "zombiefied" after being bitten and yet most of the zombies we've seen so far (bar the odd exception) don't seem to have been munched on much.

Bitten and escaped only to become a zombie later?

This show is great - well crafted and well acted plus is has zombies.

How someone hasn't come up with a zombie tv show before is beyond me.

Syferus

DeepBlue wrote: »

One inconsistency I see is that the zombies tear you apart for food like thy did with the horse yet you only become "zombiefied" after being bitten and yet most of the zombies we've seen so far (bar the odd exception) don't seem to have been munched on much.

I'd assume that at the beginning few people would have been outright killed by the relatively small number of lumbering zombies and those bitten whould have been attempted to be treated. I'm sure no one who just got bit would wait around for the zombies to eat them if they could get away, even now.

Who knows the ways the virus can spread - the surivors were wary of touching zombie blood directly in the last episode so it seems likely that it's spread by blood and there's certainly a hell of alot of blood scattered throught the world.

pixelburp

DeepBlue wrote: »

One inconsistency I see is that the zombies tear you apart for food like thy did with the horse yet you only become "zombiefied" after being bitten and yet most of the zombies we've seen so far (bar the odd exception) don't seem to have been munched on much.

Well that comes back to why the hospital would have been a no-go - imagine all the people flocking there to get their bites looked at, not knowing any better. Most people turned I imagine would have been because of simple bites & scratches

iguana

Keyzer wrote: »

How someone hasn't come up with a zombie tv show before is beyond me.

Charlie Brooker did a couple of years ago with Dead Set.

Syferus

iguana wrote: »

Charlie Brooker did a couple of years ago with Dead Set.

Something tells me most people wouldn't count it in the same category as a running tv series, and Dead Set was as much about parodying Big Brother as it was a zombie miniseries.

iguana

Syferus wrote: »

Urgh. Something tells me most people wouldn't count it in the same category as a running tv series, and Dead Set was as much about parodying Big Brother as it was a zombie miniseries.

No it wasn't. Brooker explicitly stated that it was a horror tv show with social commentary along the lines of Dawn of the Dead. It's just that reality tv is to the 00s what shopping was to the 80s.

Syferus

iguana wrote: »

No it wasn't. Brooker explicitly stated that it was a horror tv show with social commentary along the lines of Dawn of the Dead. It's just that reality tv is to the 00s what shopping was to the 80s.

That's like saying Dawn of the Dead wasn't a parody of consumerism - which it was, and which Romero himself has explictedly stated on many occassions. One way way or another it's satire in both cases, but Dead Set was a mini-series, not an on-going series and it was helmed by, you guessed it, a tv satirist. The same stairist who wrung many pages out of humour out of the show he set the series inside, even. There's a far more intimate relationship between Brooker and the source material than there ever was between Romero and his inspiration.

iguana

Syferus wrote: »

That's like saying Dawn of the Dead wasn't a parody of consumerism - which it was, and which Romero himself has explictedly stated on many occassions. One way way or another it's satire in both cases, but Dead Set was a mini-series, not an on-going series and it was helmed by, you guessed it, a tv satirist.

There is quite a big difference between satire and parody. Satire is use of wit to make social criticism, parody is just lampooning. For example, the Scary Movie franchise is a parody, The Daily Show is satire. They are incomparable.

Frisbee

basquille wrote: »

It's tough to know.. Amazon.com have the DVD and Blu-ray up for pre-order with no release dates.

AMC have released DVD's of seasons of 'Breaking Bad' a week or two before the next season was due to air on TV - to generate buzz and interest.

I don't think it'll be the case with 'The Walking Dead' though. We might get a early 2011 release.

Cheers, it's been so long since I've actually bought a boxset of a show

If only it had have started a couple months earlier, would have been a nice Christmas present to get.

Syferus

iguana wrote: »

There is quite a big difference between satire and parody. Satire is use of wit to make social criticism, parody is just lampooning. For example, the Scary Movie franchise is a parody, The Daily Show is satire. They are incomparable.

That's mantipulation of syntax to make your point - the Daily Show regularly uses parody to make satirical points, to extend your example. They're tied, and I'd argue what seperates Scary Movie and Night of the Living Dead is not the methods they use but the intent - one is played for base laughs, the other to make a more serious point, but both parody something. Intelectually you can can attempt to seperate one from the other but both the reference points here, Romero's Dead series and Dead Set, engage in both.

It all takes away from the original point, though, that there really has been no long-form running zombie series of note. The difference between a set length mini-series and a show with room to breath doesn't need to be stated.

oeb

DeepBlue wrote: »

One inconsistency I see is that the zombies tear you apart for food like thy did with the horse yet you only become "zombiefied" after being bitten and yet most of the zombies we've seen so far (bar the odd exception) don't seem to have been munched on much.

I don't think this is too spoilery, but anyway:

In the comic, anyone who dies for any reason becomes a zombie. That explains all the bloody, but not eaten up corpses.

iguana

Syferus wrote: »

Intelectually you can can attempt to seperate one from the other but both the reference points here, Romero's Dead series and Dead Set, engage in both.

So you think Dead Set wasn't really a zombie story for reasons that are similar to the narrative in Romero's Dead films - especially Dawn. Does that mean you don't consider Dawn of the Dead to be a "real" zombie movie? Because many people regard it as the definitive.

Richard Dower

expectationlost wrote: »

oh the ignore list you go,i wonder how many people you turn off using the boards

If i annoy you that much (and others) then at least you're using the forum functions in a proper manner, but it dosen't make you less of a douchebag, sadly.

Richard Dower

vibe666 wrote: »

wow, doesn't take much to p1ss you off does it? :rolleyes:

It's probably blowback from the SGU forum, they hate anyone even hinting at cancellation.