what made season 1 so much better?

sparkthatbled

Just wondering what people's opinions are on this. I think most people agree that the first half of season 2 and the second half of season 3 (thus far) were poorly written with barely any kind of interesting storyline. Season 1, on the other hand, was nothing but good episodes! Are they just drawing it out too much? Season 1 was just 6 eps, whereas Season 2 had 13 and Season 3 has 16.

People have also mentioned how much weaker the walkers are. In season 1, 5 or 6 walkers overran the camp and almost killed everyone. In season 3, 5 or 6 walkers is a job for Carl!

My opinion is that for Season 4 they should bring it down to a nice even 10 episodes and scrap the mid-season break. That gives them time to pop in some relevant filler and still move the story along at a decent pace. They should also find a way to make the walkers more menacing again and most importantly they should start calling them 'geeks' again! I really miss that!

username123

Season 1 was a short season that was effectively a pilot season, the writers really needed to make every episode count otherwise the whole thing would have just been cancelled.

But since then, meh, bad writing, inconsistent episodes (some are brilliant some are not good at all), bad character development (especially the women) and a really crappy tendency to have long drawn out storylines where absolutely nothing happens for way too many episodes.

I had actually forgotten that Tyreese and co even existed, to the point that I didnt recognise the guys he was talking to as being members of his own group and didnt know what the conversation was about at first.

Michonne - has said effectively nothing and has just pouted her way through most episodes, no character development at all.

Im bored with the Woodbury storyline now. Its become way too linear, they are spelling out stuff for the american audiences, and nothing is happening.

I cant see it being as popular going forward tbh which is a shame as it had great promise, but after yet more boring episodes this season, its just not as good as it should be.

Mid season breaks should be banned, theyve done it with Breaking Bad too and Ive just lost interest in that as well.

Jason Todd

I don't mind how much they 'drag' stuff out, it's the only show I really watch on TV so the more episodes the better as far as I'm concerned, I'll always find something enjoyable about an episode despite a flaw or two.

This is not aimed at you OP, but I think some people are hyper-critical of shows nowadays, and think they know what's best for the show. Nothing wrong with having an opinion, but when you're calling a show shít and saying you're done with it probably means it ain't the show for you. Relax.

Season 1 was great, but everything was fresh then, plenty of characters, great scenery and a budget that only had to be split across 6 or 8 episodes or whatever it was.

Season 2 slowed down somewhat, but I think a lot of background interference, budget cuts and the upheaval with Darabont leaving and Mazzarra coming in had a lot to do with that. Obviously it picked up near the end, but a lot of character development happened in Season 2, we grew to hate Shane, Lori (and Andrea), we grew to love Daryl, Carol and Hershel. The magic shotgun scenes in the last episode was about the only thing that bothered me!

Season 3 started like a bat outta hell, and no show could keep up that pace for a whole season. We already lost Lori, T-Dog and the prisoners, no harm in having a breather before the big finish imo. I reckon (and hope) the finale will quiet the doubters. They've done it before, they can do it again.

tiny timy

[Quote=My opinion is that for Season 4 they should bring it down to a nice even 10 episodes and scrap the mid-season break. That gives them time to pop in some relevant filler and still move the story along at a decent pace. They should also find a way to make the walkers more menacing again and most importantly they should start calling them 'geeks' again! I really miss that![/Quote]
season 3 is defo dragging on way to much,alot of crap to fill weeks. is there a season 4? I thought season 3 was the last.

simon360

What made series 1 so good was that Rick was actually sane and not idiotically insane like he is shown in this season, a lot of plot inconsistencies when he goes out to the forest but isn't attacked by zombies that roam outside the prison.

Slattsy

Hopefully this is the last season. Season 3 has been total ****e from the first episode.

simon360

Yep after the mid season break I watched 1 episode and said f**k this im not bothered anymore!

ricero

Slattsy wrote: »

Hopefully this is the last season. Season 3 has been total ****e from the first episode.

Grimebox

I just want to point out mid-season break are there for contractual reasons. The actors etc. are not required to renegotiate terms which is effectively for a second season. It makes it far less messy for the producers and means more $$$ for them. This is a trend that will continue. Just treat the two parts of one season as two separate seasons, which they are in everything but name.

username123

Grimebox wrote: »

I just want to point out mid-season break are there for contractual reasons. The actors etc. are not required to renegotiate terms which is effectively for a second season. It makes it far less messy for the producers and means more $$$ for them. This is a trend that will continue. Just treat the two parts of one season as two separate seasons, which they are in everything but name.

But then from the viewers perspective the seasons are too short. It loses a show viewers as people get sick of waiting in between to be drip fed a short set of episodes. It sucks - no matter what the reasons are.

sparkthatbled

I don't think season 2 or 3 have been 'complete sh**e', they've just drawn out the same basic amount of material over more and more episodes per season and have struggled to fill in the gaps. I think part of this is pressure from AMC to milk their cash cow for every penny. Anyone who watches Comic Book Men (also an AMC show for those who don't) will notice that there is always a prominently displayed stand of Walking Dead comics during filming, even more prominent than Kevin Smith's own carefully placed Clerks figurines.

I think it's important (especially for the purposes of this thread) to make a distinction between:
1 - Slating a show because you have unreasonably high standards/expectations

and

2 - Worrying about a serious slide in quality in a show you love and the interference of a network that will continue to flog that horse long after it's dead.

Also, for whoever asked, season 4 has been confirmed and is planned to be 16 episodes again http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Walking_Dead_(TV_series)#Season_4_.282013.E2.80.9314.29

Grimebox

sparkthatbled wrote: »

I don't think season 2 or 3 have been 'complete sh**e', they've just drawn out the same basic amount of material over more and more episodes per season and have struggled to fill in the gaps. I think part of this is pressure from AMC to milk their cash cow for every penny. Anyone who watches Comic Book Men (also an AMC show for those who don't) will notice that there is always a prominently displayed stand of Walking Dead comics during filming, even more prominent than Kevin Smith's own carefully placed Clerks figurines.

I think it's important (especially for the purposes of this thread) to make a distinction between:
1 - Slating a show because you have unreasonably high standards/expectations

and

2 - Worrying about a serious slide in quality in a show you love and the interference of a network that will continue to flog that horse long after it's dead.

Also, for whoever asked, season 4 has been confirmed and is planned to be 16 episodes again http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Walking_Dead_(TV_series)#Season_4_.282013.E2.80.9314.29

Why should I have to drop my expectations? If its bad, I will say so. I expect one of the most popular TV shows at the moment to be of a high standard. This isn't Jersey Shore. I expect better. The comics are one of the only comics I have ever read and I think they are brilliant. The game is easily the best game I played last year. I want this TV show to able to stand up next to them.

As regards to flogging the horse, I hope it goes on to cover all of the comic book's main character's and locations. There is over 100 comics so far and the TV show covers up to around issue 30-40 so far. While I rate the TV show as an above average B-movie, I certainly have watched worse things. As long as the viewers remain high, the money will still be there to make new seasons. There is absolutely no sign of this slowing up anytime soon. I wouldn't mind seeing this program reach season 10+

krudler

sparkthatbled wrote: »

Just wondering what people's opinions are on this. I think most people agree that the first half of season 2 and the second half of season 3 (thus far) were poorly written with barely any kind of interesting storyline. Season 1, on the other hand, was nothing but good episodes! Are they just drawing it out too much? Season 1 was just 6 eps, whereas Season 2 had 13 and Season 3 has 16.

People have also mentioned how much weaker the walkers are. In season 1, 5 or 6 walkers overran the camp and almost killed everyone. In season 3, 5 or 6 walkers is a job for Carl!

My opinion is that for Season 4 they should bring it down to a nice even 10 episodes and scrap the mid-season break. That gives them time to pop in some relevant filler and still move the story along at a decent pace. They should also find a way to make the walkers more menacing again and most importantly they should start calling them 'geeks' again! I really miss that!

That's a natural progression in the comics as well, the walkers aren't the biggest threat anymore, they're just there. its the other people who are the problem.

Carl is a badass in the comic, so is Andrea, she's meant to be an exceptional sharpshooter and never gets to show it in the tv show.

the Woodbury thing should be so much more, along with the Governor, he's a complete psychopath in the comic, and the whole reason why he wants to kill Michonne is much bigger after major comic spoiler:

She takes his eye after he rapes her, in the show its Maggie he intimidates, in the comic its Michonne who gets raped for days and tortured by him, so she chops his arm off, beats the crap out of him, sticks a spoon up his ass and then digs out his eye with it

delightful stuff :pac:

PhiloCypher

Thought I'd go back and have a look at what I said way back when

A decent but not great season finale but then my expectations have been lowered week on week with this show .

My problems :
-The joy over the food and showers don't feel as well earned here as they do in the comic , in the comic there was always a few panels devoted to hunting and the daily slog of surviving , with all the detours into atlanta we never get that sort of insight into camp life in the show .

-Why try and humanize shane by showing us he really did think Rick was dead only to have him try and rape Lori .

-In an effort not to leave people with a cliffhanger if the series didn't get a second season the show lumbers on past the most obvious place to end it and leave people wanting more ie. where Jenner locks them all in the control room and gives his speech about a quick death being far preferable .

-The most powerful non nuclear explosive in existence and it doesn't blow out the campers and every other car in a half mile radius windows ? ..... sorry not buying it .

I have been giving a bit of thought as to why this season dissapointed some of us given the (imo) strong source material and I have come to the conclusion that the problem was down to 3 things A) being just that the strong source material (for many the show will always be a pale shadow of its printed form) The PTB desire to change things but not completely break with the source material . and C) the shortness of the season .

To expand on my points :

A) The source material : to the purist any digessions from it are heresy to a realist like myself they are an unfortunate necessity when adapting from one medium to another not just for the new audiances benefit but for the old ones so they don't know all the twists .

& C) Im Gonna tackle B and C together because they are inextricably linked, in the walking dead the PTB's found a wonderful character study of ordinary people in an extraordinary situation in adapting this story they had 2 choices hew closely to the material and thus leave those familiar with the material knowing all the story beats or as they ended up doing make changes(something I would have had no problem with if the changes had improved on the original material) . Where the problem arose aside from the obvious(and questionable)cast changes was that in such a short season to fit in these new story elements they shortchanged others , we get Daryl, the search for Merle and the kindly gangbangers but at the expense of a more detailed view of camp life and the various character Dynamics therein, dynamics that may have made us actually give a **** when the hispanic family left when amy & Jim died or when Jaqui(sp?) stayed behind .

Effectively they more or less kept to the bones(certain story beats) of the story(the meat suits , shane drawing a bead on Rick , the zombie attack) but cut out alot of the meat and sinew that made those bones(beats) work, now It's quite possible that if they had gotten a full 13 episode season and had put some flesh on the bones of the cyphers we currently have we could forgive them their digressions but as things stand I'm not feeling very forgiving , they need to seriously up their game come next season

While I still stand by that, given what we got in season two (first half anyways) in hindsight its better then what came after it for the most part.

el dude

Disagree that season one is nothing but good episodes. For me the Pilot is the only stand-out one. And it's still the benchmark.