In Defense of ... The Walking Dead Season 7

The viewing figures would have you believe that The Walking Dead is on a downward spiral, as would the negative Tweets and Facebook posts which seem to be on the increase. Yes, it's sure to say that season seven of The Walking Dead hasn't been to everyone's taste. The 'seeming' lack of walker action, Negan and the scattered group have all been given as reasons for switching off. In this post I'm going to, hopefully, provide a reason to keep on watching. Sure there are bad things but there's a whole host of good things to say about the show and in my opinion, humble as it is, most of those negatives can actually be seen as positives from the right angle.

The introduction of Negan brought a more sympathetic
side out of Rick 

First I'm going to deal with Negan. Prior to Negan and his menacing Saviors, The Walking Dead had lacked a real bad guy. The Governor was good but was dispatched too quickly in my opinion. Since then, we've had Gareth and his band of cannibals, the hospital in Atlanta and the Wolves. None of those provided a prolonged obstacle to our main group of survivors. With Negan we perhaps have the greatest threat our group has ever faced. Let's be honest, Rick needed bringing to his knees and Negan did just that. The effect has been, from my point of view at least, a new found sympathy for Rick. He's changed as a character and he's now someone I can get on board with again. Gone is the arrogance of the man who waltzed into Alexandria like he owned the place. As for Negan, for all of his pantomime villainy, he's actually a multi-layered character. Sure, some of his morals seem slightly off (he doesn't allow rape yet essentially has a harem of slave women of his own) but underneath his bluster, there's a man who once upon a time just wanted to do the right thing.

The lack of Walker action is something that I've seen suggested by a few people as a negative. The thing is that there are still lots of Walkers featured in the show. It's just that they are no longer the threat they once were. Remember, in The Walking Dead time, we are perhaps 2-3 years into the apocalypse. It's not that Walkers are suddenly no longer dangerous, it's just that our survivors are bloody good at dispatching them. Regardless of this fact, to suggest that the show has gone Walker lite is just plain wrong. What about the highway in the mid season premiere? What about the Ocean side walkers in episode 15? What about Rick and Michone at the fair? What about the Alexandrian Walkers on the fence? What about the lake walkers in the mid season finale? Walkers are featured in pretty much every episode. The truth of the matter is that after 7 years, they just no longer add shock value.

Would've been great to have seen more of the King and his
tiger in the first half of the season.

The scattered group is a problem, I completely agree with that. However, it becomes less of a problem if the show handles it correctly. When we get stand alone episodes featuring one group of characters as happened at the start of this season, then it becomes a problem. Tara's first visit to Ocean side was great but that fact that it happened in one episode meant that we actually didn't care for the newly introduced characters. The same can be said of the kingdom, which featured twice in that first 8 episode run. Now though, with recent episodes splitting time between different characters things are looking better. It allows for better story lining in my opinion as each strand connects.

My final point is that this season has an endgame in sight and I guess will probably be viewed better as part of a marathon in years to come. In the comics, these events we're witnessing on screen are part of the famed 'All Out War' arc which sees our coalition of settlements take on the Saviors. Most of that war will encompass season 8, I'm sure, with what we're seeing now being the build up. If next season is going to be the 'All Out War' season, then this season is the 'Rise Up' season. Let's not forget where this season started! With Rick and his group on their knees in the dirt as Negan bashed in the skulls of two of their friends! That's not something you get over easily. Trust me, in the wider context this season makes total sense.

What do you think about this season? What do you love or hate about it? What would you change? Feel free to leave a comment below and thank you for reading.

Why the long wait?

It's an agonising wait for the 3rd season of Outlander

Doctor Who will be back in April following a sixteen month break since season 9 finished. Since then we have had two Christmas specials but the wait for a full season has still been painful. In June, Game of Thrones will air its season 7 premiere, a full two months later than normal. Only a couple of days ago, it was announced that Outlander's third season wouldn't be airing until September, a full fourteen months since the season 2 finale. It seems that the makers of some of our favourite shows delight in making us wait, but why?

In Doctor Who's case, it isn't a new thing to have long breaks between seasons from time to time. David Tennant's departure aired seventeen months after his last full season aired! As for Game of Thrones, the later season is down to the crew having to film in Winter to account for the more wintry scenes they require. For Outlander, the reason is that they simply want to put out the best series they possibly can and you can't blame them for that.

Of course, having a long wait between seasons can be a good thing for the viewer. More time means for time to film a show. It also means that the show gets to spend more time in post-production which then means that we get a more polished product. It also means that we are more likely to get a full uninterrupted season as opposed to the split season model favoured by shows such as The Walking Dead and Once Upon A Time.

We had to wait 3 months for Rick to finally meet
King Ezekiel

The split season model, where we get a two or three month break in the middle of a season, is something that often frustrates the viewer. With a show such as The Walking Dead which has a standard sixteen episode season, eight episodes just seem to fly by. Often we are still getting over the premiere when the mid season finale airs. The good thing with this model though is that we only get a six month break between seasons as opposed to the nine months we'd get if The Walking Dead aired an uninterrupted season.


What do you think of the long wait for your favourite shows? Would you prefer shows like The Walking Dead to have a full uniterupted season or are you a fan of the split season model? Please, feel free to comment below...

The Walking Dead: S7 Mid-Season Premiere Glance

So, The Walking Dead is back after its winter break. When we left our main characters before Christmas, they had soon grown tired of Negan's dictatorship over them and knew it was a system that just couldn't continue. Reuniting with the previously held prisoner by the Saviors Daryl, the smell of an uprising was in the air. The mid season premier built on that feeling although it also let us know that this uprising would be anything but easy.

The first thing to say about the episode is that it definitely benefited from a lack of Negan. I'm a big fan of the character and of Jeffrey Dean Morgans portrayal of him. However, because he is such a big character I found that he overshadowed pretty much everyone else he appeared on screen with. Aside from a couple of voice overs courtesy of a stolen Savior , he was absent but I don't think that was a bad thing. If anything, I didn't really notice that he wasn't in the episode. Of course, while Negan himself may not have appeared, his right hand man Simon certainly made his presence known.

Simon the Savior is a truly terrifying
antagonist.

Steven Ogg is excellent as the psychotic Simon. In many ways, he plays the role like his GTA5 character Trevor. He's menacing, unpredictable and truly terrifying because of that. While Negan 'plays' by a set of rules, you get the feeling that were Simon in charge he wouldn't. For that reason, while the removal of Negan is obviously of the most import, at least he keeps Simon on a leash. If Simon were in charge then life for the other communities would probably be far worse. In the premiere, he seemed to take delight in smashing up Alexandria during a failed hunt for Daryl.

Rick and Michones impressive new way of dispatching
walkers was a great scene!

Possibly the biggest talking point, well one of them at least, of the whole episode has to be the cable dispatch of a walker herd. Upon coming across a steel cable laced with explosives that ran across a highway (to keep a herd away from the Saviors base no doubt), Rick knew that they needed the dynamite and rockets for their fight against Negan. However, the herd was soon upon them so Rick and Michone each drove a car which was attached to the cable down the highway, slicing walkers in two. Arguably one of the most impressive ways we've seen walkers be dispatched so far!

In an episode with so many talking points, it's hard to pick a second and final one to talk about. However, that ending has to at least get a mention. The episode was titled Rock in the Road and Ricks smile said it all. In any other time, being surrounded by a huge gang of armed people would've spelt danger. Here, it means that Rick has found a way of moving his particular rock; Negan and the Saviors. With the Kingdom refusing to have any part in a potential uprising (although that is sure to change), Rick knew he was short of people and weapons. This new group, should he manage to get them onside, solves both of those problems and will only help our survivors in their upcoming fight against the Saviors.

What did you think of the season 7 midseason premiere and what do you think is next for our survivors? Also, where the hell is Father Gabriel? Please, feel free to comment below...

The Walking Dead - Review

I can remember when I first started watching The Walking Dead. It arrived amidst a huge fanfare and many predicted that it would have the same effect on zombies as True Blood had on vampires. While The Walking Dead remains the only good zombie series on the telly (and few would claim that zombies are 'sexier' because of it) it is also one of the best things on the telly. I've reviewed The Walking Dead a number of times on this blog and I've always sung its praises because it is genuinely one of my favourite shows. It's true 'event' television at its very best and with record breaking numbers of viewers tuning in for the Season 5 premiere, I'm obviously not the only one who feels that way!

Slaughter of the 'cattle' at Terminus!

The season 5 premiere picked up just moments after the season 4 finale finished, with our main core of survivors trapped by the terminites (the people at terminus, see what I did there?) in a train carriage. The signs leading up to Terminus and said that it was a 'sanctuary for all! You arrive, you survive!'. Fans of the comic books upon which the series is based knew that there was obviously something not quite right about the folks at Terminus and I did have some inkling that they were probably bad people. I, much like the majority of geekdom, was proved right as Rick, Daryl, Bob and Glen were hog tied over a metal trough in a scene straight out of Hostel! The Walking Dead has never been a show that has shied away from showing some pretty gross scenes but even I found myself cringing at the sight of the 'torture porn' that seemed to be unfolding on screen. I also thought that Glen was a goner! The early trailers had all pointed to Glen being whacked over the head by a baseball bat wielding thug and he dodged THAT bullet a number of times. This The Walking Dead at it's very best, cranking up the tension to unbearable levels. What made it worse was that our main group of characters had to watch as three non-characters were slaughtered brutally in front of their eyes like cattle

Of course, we knew that all would turn out well for our survivors, didn't we? They managed to escape courtesy of a new kick-ass version of Carol. She has had the most extreme character arc from all of our main characters, surely. From domestic abuse victim in the first season to a female version of Rambo is quite an extreme change. Of course, it's been a complex change but also quite a welcome one. This is a world in which good people die, as said by a 'terminate' offed by Tyreese in typically brutal fashion! Carol has had to change in order for her own survival and, as it turned out, the survival of her fellow survivors.

Another character that's had an extreme character arc is Rick Grimes, de facto leader of our main band of survivors. Of course, he's a character that's been really put through the wringer and he's come out of it as a man without boundaries. When he tore the throat out of the leader of 'the claimers' in the

Rick Grimes, de facto leader.

season 4 finale, that was the start of a new Rick, a Rick that will do whatever it takes to survive and god have mercy on those who threaten him, his son or his 'family'! He knows (his experience with The Governor being a major lesson) that his world isn't only in danger from walkers. They are only an inconvenience with the real threat coming from the living! In his role as Rick, Andrew Lincoln is a revelation and the fact that he's English only makes me smile.

One of The Walking Dead's strengths is how it deals with issues we can relate to, issues of family. I've always said that the show is more than about the zombies, it's a show about the little glimmers of hope that appear when all faith is lost. It's about family, about the family you're born into and about the family you create as you live your life. It's about survival against the odds and about how people change, about how situations cause those changes and the effects those changes have on the ones you love. At its absolute core, The Walking Dead is a beautiful show.

Morgans back!

Another strength that The Walking Dead possesses is the element of surprise. How the writers manage to keep their secrets I'll never know yet at the end of the episode, in the shows first ever post credits scene, we got a glimpse of one of the shows true icons, Morgan. He's a much welcome return

to the show, despite only appearing twice before. As a character, he's undergone a transformation

akin to that of Carol or Rick. From father in mourning, unable to kill his zombified wife in his first episode to insane hermit in his second episode to the man on a mission he appears now. It will be interesting to see whether this is another fleeting appearance by Morgan or whether he's here to stay this time!

RATING

As a stand alone episode, the premiere stands amongst the shows best. It's got tension, guts and gore, action and emotion. It's also got the return of Morgan which earns it a star on its own. It will certainly be interesting where the show goes from here and hopefully it'll maintain the standard set by the premiere. 5/5

The Walking Dead - Season 4 Finale - My View

SPOILER ALERT

*** The following article may spoil certain events shown in the season 4 finale of The Walking Dead. Please only continue reading if you are okay with this.

     The Walking Dead is a funny show. It's a show that when it's at the top of it's game, when it's really reaching it's potential, it is truly superb television. The trouble is that this quite often acts against it because the episodes that don't quite reach this potential seem all the more poorer. It's a shame that it's perhaps become a victim of it's own success because nearly every episode is great television when you take them on their own merits. Take a recent episode for example, the Beth/Daryl centric episode 'Still'. This episode is a superb episode that deals with how two characters, who couldn't be more different, form a relationship and bond.

Daryl and Beth in 'Still'

Daryl is the ex drug dealer, the strong, silent type who wouldn't look out of place in a spaghetti western. Beth is the sweet and innocent farmers daughter who's never had a drink before. In the normal world, these two characters would never interact but here, in the harsh reality of a zombie apocalypse they are forced to survive together and interact. Taken as a stand alone episode, 'Still' is a fascinating character dissection, an outstanding hour of television. Taken as a part of The Walking Dead though and it appears poor and boring which is a real shame.

     The Walking Dead quite often lives and dies by it's finales. Who can forget the explosion at the C.D.C. that brought to an  end season one, or the herd attack at Hershels Farm in the unbelievable season two finale. Last years finale fell a little short in my opinion and disappointed me. It didn't leave me wanting more which is what a good finale should do. The Season four finale ticked alot of boxes in my opinion. It gave us action, shocks and questions and the next seven months are going to be tough.

     Now, onto the dissection of The Walking Dead Season Four finale. The episode kicked off with the familiar face of Hershel. Seeing him again was a welcome sight as we saw events in the prison prior to the season four premier. From the idyllic sanctuary of the prison we cut to a bloodied and obviously shook up Rick Grimes on a deserted road before the opening titles kicked in. The flashbacks to the prison were great throughout the episode. They were scenes of safety and calm and punctuated the present day scenes as Rick, Carl and Michone survived in the wild on their way to Terminus. Far from being a backstory as to how Rick became a farmer, they were a contrast. They showed Rick as the man he used to be, as the man he probably could be again. They contrasted perfectly with the present day scenes of Rick as a man of desperation, as a man who would do anything to protect his family. 

Rick following the incident with
The Claimers

     We saw the type of man Rick now was when Joe and his gang of 'claimers' caught up with him on the road. Joe held a gun to Ricks head as Daryl (who'd joined the claimers in an earlier episode), pleaded with Joe. Joe was having none of it though and his men began to beat Daryl to death. That wasn't all though as Michone and Carl both faced rape as Rick was forced to look on, Joes gun to his temple. This was perhaps one of the most upsetting scenes ever featured on the show and I did wonder how far the potential rapes would go. Thankfully they didn't go too far though as Rick reacted. In a scene taken straight from issue 57 of the comic books, Rick tore Joes throat out with his teeth. The shock from the claimers meant that Daryl and Michone both got the upper hand on their attackers while Rick stabbed to death Carls potential rapist after saying chillingly 'He's mine!'. This was the scene in which Rick changed, possibly forever. The world is no longer safe, there are no longer any rules. It's survival of the fittest and Rick now knows that. 

     Ricks character arc has perhaps been the most complex in the show. He's developed in so many different ways from the man who woke up alone in hospital. He's lost so much, flirted with insanity and nearly been consumed by grief. It's a testament to Andrew Lincolns supreme acting skills that he has given this character such believability in the most unbelievable of circumstances. 

Rick and Carl meet Gareth at Terminus

     The journey to Terminus has dominated this second half of season four as our different bands of characters have made their way there. The internet has been rife with rumours as to what Terminus was or is and what kind of dangers lurked there for our characters. One of the main rumours has been that Terminus is in fact a colony of cannibals and that the signs and directions are a way of getting a food source. In the penultimate episode we were treated to a sneak preview of Terminus as Glenn, Maggie, Abraham, etc walked though unguarded doors to a scene of sanctuary as a mysterious lady called Mary cooked on a BBQ. This episode, Rick, Daryl, Michone and Carl arrived and they went through the 'backdoor', having grown suspicious of places that offered sanctuary after Woodbury and The Governor. They were met by their leader Gareth before being offered a plate by Mary at the BBQ. It was then that Rick spotted Hershel's pocket watch (the one he gave to Glenn) sticked out of one of the Terminians (that's what I'm calling them!) pocket. Then a chase ensued and Rick, Daryl, Michone and Carl ended up captive in a train carriage along with Glenn and company. 

     Ever since that first episode we've been told that The Walking Dead isn't about the zombies. It's a series more about the living than the dead. The human element has been responisible for the majority of dangers faced by our core characters, whether it's the prisoners in the prison, the governor or more recently Joes gang. The zombies are a side show, something to throw in every now and again. The walking Dead is a character driven show, a profile of human survival in a world gone crazy. It's about the relationships formed when the question of survival is on the line, when death is around every corner. Ultimately it's about a world where the fittest survive and as Rick realised, where only those prepared to go to the extremes will win out.

The Walking Dead Goes Nuclear!!!

Recently, a number of big American shows have returned with their respective seasons. Once Upon A Time has really hit the ground running with its 2nd season while dexter is as good as it's ever been. One show which has really changed the game is The Walking Dead. This is a show which has been abit of funny one over the past couple of seasons. Season 1 was superb but lacked something. It was only 6 episodes long, which was kinda enough. It had plenty of zombie action while also having the time to focus on the human element. Season 2 took it down a notch as the group settled at Hershels farm. Many within the tv critic community have dubbed it as a post apocalyptic Emmerdale Farm. It had shocks, sure. It was too slow though and gave the impression that there were genuine sanctuaries within this world that had gone to hell. The moment it turned was (ironically) when Shane turned. That in turn led to the farm getting overrun forcing our survivors onto the road. This season began 3 months later with the survivors still on the road. They soon found the prison and set about clearing it out. Andrea meanwhile has found herself in a heavily defended town called Woodbury. Fans of the comic book will be loving this 3rd season. The Prison and Woodbury are both iconic settings within the comic book universe. The Governor (the man in charge at Woodbury) and Michone (Andrea came across her after getting split from the group) are also two hugely ionic characters in the comic. The great thing about this show though is that it only really uses its source material as a base. It would've been so easy to follow the comic story line to the T. It would've kept the the hardcore cult fan base happy while having enough about it to keep the rest of us hooked. In deviating away from the source material, the writers have done a very smart thing as it means that even the hardcore amongst us are often surprised. This season has been the most surprising yet, despite the presence of the most iconic features from the comic book. In the comic book the prison is a place of safety where the walkers are kept at bay outside of the prison compound. It's a place where our group live for some time before they are forced back onto the road. The governor is a genuine madman, an evil psychopath of the highest order. On screen, he is more of a thinker, more of a manipulator. You can see the man he may eventually become but he is very much a psycho in the making. The one thing that needs to be noted as regards to the comic book is that that universe is based in a different reality. The tv show is a reality that we can maybe relate to more, even though it's a reality few of us can really imagine and it is that which is the genius behind the show. So, onto this season and how the group has evolved. This season picks up 6 months after the end of season 2. In that time the group have moved around and got through winter as best they can. Andrea has been experiencing life away from the group who think she's dead. From the off we can see how the group had evolved in the way they go about the dispatching of walkers. Now they are more of a unit, more disciplined. They opt for the silent kills and make use of ambush techniques. They also know when to make a quick exit. They are a more together group too, no doubt in part due to the absence of Shane. I will actually take a moment to talk about Shane because for the first 2 seasons he was a pretty integral part of the show. Cult fans of the comic book will have known his days were numbered as he dies in issue six! For fans of the show though who aren't familiar with the comic book, his death will have come as a bit of a shock, especially so soon after Dale's death. Although his presence is still being felt in regards to Rick and Lori's marriage, his absence is pretty much unnoticed. That is yet more testament to the fantastic writing as you get the feeling that any character could die and the show could carry on. That feeling that anyone could die has certainly not been eased by the first 4 episodes, especially episode 4 and it's episode 4 that I'm going to talk about now.

T-Dog has been criminally underused throughout The Walking Dead. His imminent death has been the subject of speculation since the 1st season finale as he was essentially a spectator throughout season 2. His self sacrifice to protect Carol was a fitting end for the character although by the end of the episode, his death was quickly forgotten. Another character who's death has been widely expected is Lori. Many people will have cheered in the 2nd episode when it looked like Hershel had turned and attacked her. This cheer will have quickly turned into a groan when it turned out he was just hugging her. For some reason she had been hated by the majority of viewers. Saying that, she redeemed herself when she died in the way she died.

In the comic book, she dies in a shoot out when the prison falls. In the Tv show, she died in childbirth in a harrowing hark back to the Pre-modern era of child birth. Insisting that Maggie perform a caesarean to save her child she gave an emotional speech to her young son Carl. In the end It fell to Carl to shoot his mother in the head before she came back as a Walker, something that will surely affect the character for the remainder of the show. Ricks reaction when he realised what had happened was unbelievably heart wrenching. I've been impressed with Andrew Lincolns portrayal of Rick on numerous occasions throughout the show. His portrayal of a father who had just found out his wife had died then that his son had had to shoot her in the head was absolute brilliance of the highest calibre that should earn him an award or two. Of course, with the events at the Prison, as well as the addition of The Governor, it would be easy to overlook a major cast returnee. Merle was a guest character back in season 1. He ended up handcuffed to the top of a roof, courtesy of Rick, after being racist towards T Dog. When the group went back to rescue him he had gone, leaving behind his severed hand. Despite a brief dream appearance last season he was presumed gone

forever. He is back now though having been taken on by The Governor and his reunion with Daryl (his brother, now Ricks right hand man) is surely only a matter of time. It will be interesting to see where Daryl's allegiances lie then. It will also be interesting to see the confrontation between Rick and Merle. With this first 4 episodes packing so much in, it will be interesting to see where the season goes from here. We have maybe been spoiled somewhat and surely there has to be some respite. That may come from the mid-season hiatus which is a couple of weeks away although I'm sure that we'll be left with the mother of all cliffhangers!