RECAP: The Walking Dead – S01E01 – Days Gone By

While you were out collecting 100 Grand bars and miniature Reese's cups in your mildewed old bed linens or trying to get a number off that stranger in the sexy cactus costume, I was here chronicling the first episode of AMC's The Walking Dead. Consider me your fuzzy DVR. Just save me something sinful and chocolatey. No Mounds though. Anyways, here's all the entrails and minutia.

NOTE: Let's be mindful of all the new viewers participating in this conversation and try not to spoil plot points taking place deep into the run of the comic series. Mild speculation is fine and encouraged, but don't get too explicit with regard to future surprises. Thanks!
 


 

 

Tonight's adventure: "Days Gone By"

OR

"Mind if I Borrow Your Bike? You're Basically Just a Torso Anyway"

 

We begin in the future. Deputy Sheriff Rick Grimes pulls up to a country intersection and retrieves a gas tank from the trunk of his cruiser. This is just as good a time as any to point out he's English actor Andrew Lincoln, who once promised Keira Knightley he'd Love her til she looked like the xeroxed image of a worn out skeleton, Actually. But, oh, there's been just a massive accident involving several cars, trucks, and pastel colored big wheels. Well, not so much an accident as a mass abandonment of vehicles. He's not leaving any tickets though. Rick spies a decaying woman in the driver's seat of a car, but he seems unmoved. He leaves her to the flies and heads toward a gas station. A makeshift sign reads: No Gas.

Rick notices a little girl in a filthy pink bathrobe and bunny slippers. She seems disoriented. This has lot to do with the fact that she'd deceased. Rick doesn't know or assume this right away because he's got a big heart. But we know, because this is television and we're cynical and awful. The ex-girl turns on him, sneering a Harvey Dent sneer because she no longer possesses the musculature to do much else, then lurches toward him. Disappointed, Rick draws his sidearm and fires into her forehead. She drops to the pavement.

The title sequence features an antiqued cast over depressing images of abandoned homes, shattered photographs, forgotten teddy bears, and crows eating roadkill. The theme music feels like a loop from a Garageband pack called "Suspense theme 7." But that's okay because whatever.

Some time earlier, Rick eats lunch in his cruiser with partner Shane Walsh. Shane has a lot to say about energy conservation and the fundamental differences between men and women. Rick nods politely to his friend, but tenses up when Shane asks about Rick's wife Lori. It's a strained relationship and Rick is worried about the effects of their arguments on their son Carl. Just then a notice from dispatch alerts them to a car chase in progress. Shane slam dunks the last of their lunch into the trash and they're on their way to assist.

Two crows pick at a dead cat, because, ya know, creepy.  

Rick and Shane join officers on a lonely stretch of road. They drop a spike strip, take position with their weapons, and wait. The fleeing car finally appears and takes a tumble out into the brush, rolling several yards before its occupants poke their heads out. Rick gets clipped by the first suspect, but his fellow officers fire round after round into the hick's chest. They take out a second man and Shane rushes to Rick's side. Luckily, Rick's vest took the brunt of the damage. But as Rick laughs it off with his back turned, one more shooter wriggles out of the wreckage and fires through his shoulder. Shane hollers for an ambulance and comforts Rick as he slips into unconsciousness.

Later, Rick emerges from the fog and stares up at a blurry Shane who's come to drop off some flowers at the hospital. Shane drifts out of frame to set the bouquet on his bedside table, and Rick attempts to respond. But when he turns, Shane's nowhere to be seen and the flowers are withered, long dead. Rick looks to the clock on the wall, frozen permanently at 2:17. And probably not the most recent 2:17. Rick tries to get to his feet, but weakened from his coma, he collapses to the floor. He calls for a nurse, but no one answers. He scrambles for the faucet. Off camera, he pisses for about six minutes straight.

Rick makes his way out to the hall. Failing electricity. Overturned gurneys. No movement whatsoever. Then he turns a corner and out through the door into the neighboring wing. A woman lies dead on the floor, more skeleton that flesh. She's just laying there, as if half eaten by a jungle cat and abandoned. Healthcare's hit an all time low. Rick stumbles the other way because that's gross. The janitorial staff must've been the first to die. Wiring and insulation dangle like vines from the ruined ceiling. He finds a double door barred by an old plank of wood and padlocked length of chain. Ominous haunted house graffiti reads: "Don't Open Dead Outside." It's no joke either. Several powder-white fingers wriggle between the doors, crying out for manicures. Rick hurries away to another set of doors leading downstairs. He lights a match and finds the staircase, but it may as well be Roman catacombs. He spots an unlit EXIT sign just as his last match fails. He opens the doors into violent white light. He descends down into the morning, barefoot amongst hastily wrapped corpses. Two. Four. Seven of them. Rows and rows of cadavers. Literal truckloads of the dead. All of them bound in white and weighted down with bricks. Rick staggers up a hill and finds an abandoned military base. Christ, there's a helicopter just sitting there.

This is bigger than just like Mad Cow apparently.

But rather than take the helicopter, he wanders into the suburbs and finds a bicycle lying in the grass. A nude torso growls at him and he hurries off with the bike, pedaling only a short way before abandoning the thing and scrambling up the lawn to his house. "Lori!" he shouts. "Carl!" But they're gone. He crumples on the floor in his hospital gown, wailing. He looks to his palm and questions whether any of this is real. "Wake up."

He heads out of the house, not even bothering to grab a pair of khakis. Seated on his lawn, he spots a man in a suit shuffling up the road toward him. But then he only knows the kiss of a shovel. "Daddy, I got him!" a boy cries. And Daddy executes the man in a suit with a single bullet to the brainpan. "Carl.." Rick whimpers at the boy. Soon father and son stand over him, weapons poised. Dad wants to know about Rick's wound, the bandage on his exposed chest. "Tell me or I'll kill you." But Rick blacks out.

Rick wakes up tied to a bed, which is never really a good thing. Go to sleep that way, maybe. Rarely. But wake up that way. Nuh uh. Father and son watch over him. These are Morgan and Duane and they're fed up with this shit. Morgan cuts Rick loose and tells him to join them in the dining room when he's able. Rick recognizes the house as belonging to his friends the Drakes. Morgan and Duane are not the Drakes. But Rick has seen enough to know that this might be reasonable. Morgan offers him food and explains the situation with "the Walkers." The word 'zombie' is never spoken. Duane asks his father to say grace, which he does. "I woke up today in the hospital," Rick explains. "and I came home and that's all I know." Morgan says he knows how odd this all must sound. But it's a reality he's been living with for some time now. The Walkers like the night. They come to the sound of gunshots. You get bit, and you get sick and you die and then you get back up again.

Duane wonders if Rick is a bank robber on account of the gunshot wound. Rick reveals that he is a deputy sheriff, that his son Carl is a little younger than Duane, that hopefully's he's safe with his mother. A car alarm blares outside. They peer through the heavy curtains. Walkers everywhere. One in particular unsettles Duane. His mother. Morgan's wife. She wanders the street in her nightgown, most of her still in tact. She can't have been dead long. Rick peers at her through the peephole on the front door as she tries the knob. Morgan says he watched her die in this house, could do nothing to stop it. Was unable to put her down, even though he knew what would happen.

The next morning, Rick finally finds some clothes. They venture outside and Rick, donning a welder's mask, takes out a loitering Walker with a baseball bat. Back in his house he explains to Morgan that he knows his wife and son left of their own accord because select clothing is missing and so are the family photos. Morgan says they must be in Atlanta, a safe haven. Where the Center for Disease Control is located. A possible cure. Hope. But why aren't Morgan and Duane there? They're just chilling in the burbs, it looks like.

Rick takes them to the police station, and though heating's been out for near on a month, the place has its own propane supply. They enjoy their first hot shower in ages. For more communal shower scenes directed by Frank Darabont, see The Shawshank Redemption.

Morgan and Duane haven't been able to move on since the mother's death. Rick wants to help them move on. To go to Atlanta together. They stock up on guns and ammo. Rick's back in his uniform as they exit out into the light. Morgan will teach Duane to shoot. They'll meet up in Atlanta soon. Rick gives him a walkie talkie and they agree to try and contact each other by radio on some future morning. They spot Rick's zombified co-worker Leon across a chain link fence. Rick takes pity on him and puts him down, knowing full well the sound will draw the attention of more Walkers. They drive out.

Morgan tells Duane to read some comics while he heads upstairs and sets up a sniper's nest. Placing a favorite photo of his wife on the window and leveling a gun on the sill, he fires to draw some attention. The Walkers come and he fires a few headshots. He finds his wife through the scope and she meets his gaze. He can't do it. He lowers his weapon and sobs. One more try. But he just can't.

Meanwhile, Rick bumps into his friend the nude torso again. She grins at him, wheezing from exhaustion. "I'm sorry this happened to you." he says (line of the night) before drawing his gun and firing.

Rick drives out on highway 85. He broadcasts on the emergency channel, looking for anyone who might hear his voice. Somewhere outside Atlanta, a camp of survivors hear him over their own radio. They try to respond, but Rick doesn't hear them. Turns out Shane is their leader. Lori and Carl are there too (snazzy Science Dog t-shirt, little man!). They don't recognize Rick's voice though. It's just some stranger headed toward Atlanta. Which is apparently very bad news. They wish they'd put some kind of sign up near the road. A warning. And Lori's ready to head off and do just that. But Shane talks her down. Too dangerous. Also, they've been having sex. Like a lot of it. This is just like that movie Brothers, with Tobey Maguire and Jake Gyllenhaal and Natalie Portman. Except this has zombies.

Carey Mulligan was in that too. But only for a little bit.

Rick stumbles on a farmhouse, where the people from "American Gothic" killed themselves in a suicide pact with the message "God Forgive Us" scrawled on the wall in blood. Rick's had about enough of this. He tries their truck, but there's no key. That's when he spots a horse. Horses do not require keys. Rick befriends the horse–let's call him Shadowfax–and rides out towards Atlanta, living out what seems to be a childhood fantasy. Together, Rick and Shadowfax approach the city on an abandoned highway. The exiting lane is thick with abandoned vehicles. They pass barricades and helicopters, burnt out vans, and ruined buses. A few Walkers appear along the road and Rick moves to avoid them. Two crows–possibly those cat-eaters from earlier–pick at a cadaver sprawled out on the top of a tank.

Then Rick spies a helicopter passing behind a skyscraper. He spurs Shadowfax to a gallop, hoping to get the distant aircraft's attention. They pass through an intersection. To the left, oodles of Walkers are holding their first annual block party. They both cry out and Rick looks for a way out. But now the zombies are everywhere, spiraling in on them. They reach up to take hold of Rick, but then they realize the horse is also composed of delicious living tissue, to they envelop the creature. Rick falls to the pavement and scrambles under a tank. His bag of weapons is lost out on the street, but he's still got one gun. He fires at the zombies as they begin crawling to reach him from either side. There are just too many. He raises the gun to his temple. "Lori, Carl, I'm sorry."

But before he can shoot, he notices the open hatch in the underside of the tank. Once inside, he disarms a soldier's corpse and then kills him again when it starts growling at him. The blast echoes through the innards of the tank, nearly knocking Rick out. He finds the upper hatch and rises up to gaze out at the zombies. His bag's too far away and he's got to close the hatch to escape. Back inside, he considers his gun once again. This has been just a miserable day.

But then there's static on the radio.

"Hey, you. Dumbass. Yeah, you in the tank. Cozy in there?"

Rick stares in disbelief. Outside, hordes of walking dead feast on the downed horse. Others pound on the tank, prying at its hatch. We pull up and out of the avenue, zombies wandering the streets of downtown Atlanta like ants over a carcass.
 



Editor's Note: We were able to get this recap up quickly due to the advance copy of the premiere episode of The Walking Dead that was sent out to various media outlets. In the future you can look forward to Paul's recaps and Walking Dead discussion and analysis every Monday morning here on iFanboy.com. We hope you'll join us, it should be a lot of fun!

Comments

  1. I’m in for next week. This was kick ass episode

  2. awesome premiere, can’t wait till next sunday!!!

     that horse scene was f-ed up, violence against horses always gets to me for some reason lol

  3. fun, great im in.

  4. Off to a great start.  I loved the slow pace.

  5. I never read the comics, but i’m all in for this. The zombies are incredibly gory….really give the movies a run for its money. 

    Why would you go to the city!?!? lol 

    If one were to shoot a .357 inside of a small room, metal or otherwise (tank) he’d have no more ear drums. Thats the magic of TV!

  6. Let’s hear it for Kirkman, Moore and Adlard!

  7. This was excellent, can’t wait for next week’s episode.

  8. Off to a good start and it looks to get even better!!

  9. Couldn’t have been better, all the actors were superb.

    The scene were Rick is about to shoot himself but sees the open hatch and quicky reacts was very well done. The horse scene got to me as it did in the book.

    Great start.

  10. Don’t forget the spoiler warning at the top, people. Don’t talk about anythingof a surprising nature that hasn’t happened yet.

  11. @Journal

    SHHHH! Unwritten Rule of Comics #1: Don’t Spoil Walking Dead. 

  12. I thought this was a fantastic episode to dive into the Kirkman Zombie madness. But let me get two little nitpicks out of the way before continuing:

    1) The opening with the little girl zombie didn’t seem right to me. Not just because a child got killed (which is horrible; also, super slo-mo for the death seemed odd) but it seemed to make the pacing in the beginning uneven. I would’ve preferred to start with Rick and Shane talking to each other then lead up to Rick waking up. I’m not saying I wanted it to be EXACTLY like the opening sequence in the comic (This episode proved you didn’t need to be precise anyways). But the reveal of the torso zombie in the book was so shocking cause you didn’t see it coming. Having the kid zombie shown and killed, to me anyways, seemed to lose some of the tension.

    2) Shane giving Rick flowers……Seriously, why did Darabont think that was needed?

    Other then those slight little nitpicks in the beginning, I really loved this. The acting was great, the music was haunting, and the zombies didn’t feel ridiculous. I was so sure zombie was going to make this way over the top; but to Darabont’s credit it really feels something genuine. The violence was realistic and Rick’s choices in the show felt real. I also loved Lennie James in this as Morgan and if we’re in for the long haul; I hope to see his character return in the future (Long way away future)

    Also, I was really shocked they showed the horse getting eaten. At first I thought ‘Oh just showing them advance on it is good enough to convey the message’. But no, the ending had to have them show in graphic detail of the guts and organs being ripped apart. That’s ballsy and sorta symbolizes what this show is gonna be all about. It’s going to take risks but the pacing and fantastic period of ‘down time’ between the characters will make up for the level of gore here. I’m definitely in it for the long haul baby!

    A- 

  13. I was gonna read but… might as well watch the episode tomorrow. Or read the issue. Glad yall liked it!

  14. Quick question, how many issues of the series did this cover extra long episode cover?

  15. I’ll be really curious to see what people think of the show. People who haven’t read the book, I mean. Or comics, really. The pace was slower than most shows and it was very gory for TV. Also, even though WALKING DEAD isn’t really about the zombies, the beginning of the story is very zombie heavy.

    Overall, it was quite good. I’m just itching for everyone to get together so the real story can start. My only question mark going in was Andrew Lincoln but he was great as Rick.

    I loved that there was an extended sequence — after Rick wakes up until he gts hit with the shovel — that was pretty much totally dialogue-free. Ballsy. Also, there was some great sound work in this episode. The ambient noises were cranked up during the silent sequence and it made everything that much more tense.

  16. @TNC – The flowers are used to show the passage of time. He’s lucid when he first gets the flowers and it seems as if no time has gone by when he finally wakes up. But by then the flowers are all dead. It’s actually a pretty brilliant element and one of the more unsettling moments in the story up to that point. It makes Rick’s confusion as he wakes from the coma all the more palpable. 

  17. @TNC: The flowers served to show the passing of time that occured. It was a nice device, I thought.

  18. @TheAskanison: About 1 1/2 issues so far.

  19. Wondering if the cold open with Rick shooting the little girl zombie was a network decision to get a zombie kill right up front. It’s obviously a more exciting opening than the conversation between Rick and Shane over lunch. Chronologically, the cold open scene would fit somewhere around the third act, probably just before Rick gets to that farm house. But was moving it to the front Darabont’s stylistic decision or a mandate of AMC? Or someone else?

  20. @Paul/Conor I understand why it was included; but it could’ve been done better is all I’m saying. The book just had him waking up so did we really need that?

    I think maybe just show him noticing the flowers when he first wakes up and sees a note from Lori on it. Would’ve fit better with the theme of him trying to find his family and still show the dead flowers.

    Also, @Paul something else bothered me about that scene with the girl. He needed gas in that scene, but if we take into account later in the episode, he needs gas once again and has run out completely at the farm house. So did he run out of gas twice or was the farm house like 5mins away from the scene? 

  21. Couldn’t have been happier with the first episode, it stayed very true to the comic, and the minor additions really added to the story I felt.  I like how they revealed what Lori and Carl looked like after the ‘tent scene’, if I hadn’t already read the books that reveal would have been an ‘awww snap! moment for sure.  Looking forward to next episode.

  22. Also, great review Paul, the "Horses do not require keys" line made me chuckle

  23. @TNC – There’s nothing wrong with the flower scene. 

    He’s running low on gas. He sees a gas station up ahead, but it’s blocked. He stops. He gets out for gas. No gas. Kills a zombie girl. Oh well, back on the road. He drives for a bit. Sees a farmhouse up ahead…

  24. Anybody else catch Carl’s Science Dog T-Shirt?

  25. @Paul: I’m not saying the overall scene was a bad idea. Just get rid of that Shane stuff in the beginning and it would’ve been fine. Again, have them come from Lori and/or Carl. Especially since they aren’t mentioned again for a good half hour after the opening scene.

  26. There is nothing wrong with the flower scene. Moving on…

  27. This episode made me pull the WALKING DEAD VOL. 1 off the shelf. Haven’t done that in a while.

  28. I love the scene with Morgan shooting the zombie before Rick passes out. It came out of no where and it had me laughing because the violence there was so not needed. 

    @Paul: Okay I said it was a nitpick; don’t act like I’m saying it destroys the entire show.

  29. Some talking points:

    What did you think of the zombie makeup and kill effects?

    How about the score?

    Did you find the show scary? What was the most unsettling scene/image/moment?

    Did you watch the show with a group? Was anybody there who hadn’t read the comics? What did they think? Wil they continue watching? 

  30. Paul is totally right: "I’m sorry this happened to you" was a fantastic line. The best of the episode and summed up Rick pretty well. Andrew Lincoln was also really good when Rick first got home and broke down. Really impressive.

    Lincoln was also great when he was holding up the boombox and the cards and… oh, wait. Nevermind.

  31. @conor – I love that line and the look on his face. I know his accent was a little inconsistent, but his reactions and silent acting absolutely made up for it. Many actors in similar scenes can look unnerved or panicked. Lincoln pulled off true horror, revulsion, and despair. 

  32. 1) Zombie make up was pretty good; didn’t look like zombies from other films. The kill effects were pretty good; although it’s hard to tell if it was CGI or squibs.

    2) Score was good, but the song at the end didn’t feel right with the rest of the show.

    3) Not really all that scary, more unsettling then anything else. Kirkman always seemed to write in a way to fool the reading into something is happening. Nothing like that here, except for when Rick is about to pull the trigger and sees the hatch opening. Probably the most unsettling scene is the horse getting ripped apart because I didn’t believe they had the "guts" to show it.

    4) I saw it with my parents and they really enjoyed it. I gave them a few ideas of what the series is about so they weren’t too lost with what was going on. My parents were a bit unsettled with the violence but they want to continue for now. Funny, I think they turned their head away from the screen a good 1/3rd of the show. 

  33. @Paul: Yeah, his accent was a bit all over the place but it was usually somewhat subtle so I didn’t mind too much.

  34. I thought the makeup and kill effects were really well done, especially for a tv show.  I found it all as believable as possible considering the story.  I was actually a bit surprised how much blood and what not they showed, but in a good way.

    The score was great, set the tone well I thought.

    I don’t get scared at movies but my wife does and she didn’t watch for very long…..in terms of unsettling scenes the "I’m sorry this happened to you" scene is by far the best scene in the show in my opinion.  I also thought the horse getting ripped apart showed just how brutal the world there is now and also showed that AMC does not plan to hold much back in regards of how graphic it will let this show be.

    I tried to get my wife to watch it, but I think it was a little much for her, especially with a little girl zombie getting shot in the head right off the bat, so I watched it alone 🙁

  35. To Paul’s questions: I didn’t find it scary so much as extremely unsettling. The scene with the matches in the stairwell had me on pins and needles, and the fact that nothing happened was great. While I liked the general dead/zombie effects, the scene with the covered bodies buzzing with flies got more of a response – I felt like I could smell it. I commented more than once on the lack of filler sound – I thought it added to the tension and the realism. My big takeaway was: this is what it would really be like. Nothing looked crazy out of place. Things just stopped and started falling apart.

  36. @cubman987: Tell her that if she refuses to watch she can’t blame you when the zombie apocalypse comes and you’re the only one in the house who’s prepared.

  37. I loved they didnt do any lame jump scares that are in most movies. Looking forward to talking to people who havent read the book to see what they think.

  38. Living in Atlanta, it was kinda fun seeing local landmarks get turned into a war zone. 

    I’m a regular Wednesday guy, but I don’t read Walking Dead.  The missus doesn’t read comics at all.  We both loved the show. 

  39. i was talking to someone who never read or heard of the comic series. someone who came to it fresh and they were hung up on WHY this had happened. i had to explain the show is not about the WHY, but about the HOW one survives it.  the human story.

  40. @Jediaxle – That’s an excellent point. It was so refreshing to watch a zombie story without a single jump scare. There were plenty of disturbing images and sequences, but none of it was a cheaply engineered jolt. This was all about true horror and dread. I was very impressed. 

  41. i’ve never read the comics, but i’ve seen an s-ton of zombie flicks. This one stood out for a few reasons. Lincoln cares about people still. As horrific as this new reality is to him, he still sees the humanity in all the walkers. The whole "i’m sorry this happened to you" line really was nice. 

    When i first heard the main guy was a cop, i thought, oh great…a gung ho vet with surival skills who’ll be all chuck norris…typical. i’m glad that wasn’t the case.

    The gore effects were good. The kill shots were obvious CGI and i could see a few "frame jumps" but still really nice. 

    I really really really wanted him to bust out the .50 cal on top of the tank and waste all the zombies.

    I wasn’t scared, but my wife thought the previews looked scary enough and elected to watch bridezillas in the bedroom. lol 

  42. @wally: Hey don’t laugh; Bridezilla is scary as hell when you try and sit through it.

  43. I’ll be honest, I was a little nervous, as I thought the trailers looked slightly questionable – not sure what it was about them.  Instead, I feel like the pacing and atmosphere were absolutely perfect.  All in all, I was blown away and can’t wait for next Sunday.  I know a couple friends who watched without having read the comics (or any comics for that matter), but I haven’t talked to them about it yet.

  44. It’s been about 4 years since I read the first issues, so some of it may be true to the comic, but a few nit picky problems I had.

    – I am a little unsure why the wires were all toredown from the ceiling in the hospital. The zombies wouldn’t have done it. and for what reason would live people do it all over the place. The same goes with all the cars caught on fire. By all reports this "dead walking" thing wasn’t like a Flash Forward disaster, so cars wouldn’t be careening out of control, and not sure why there would be holes in buildings.  So I feel like they overdid the collateral damage.

    – I have a hard time believing that a guy’s wife, best friend or son would hear a his voice, and no one even say… Wow that sounds like Rick.  Static or not.

     Other than that, fairly solid. We will see if I am invested in the live action characters after the first season as much as I was at the end of the first trade.

  45. do the zombies have heightened senses? They some how "felt" Lincoln’s presence in the hospital with the doors, Can they smell humans?  The wife "knew" someone was behind the peephole etc. These zombies seem smarter than usual. 

    How come the dead humans in the cars and bodies in bags outside the hospital were not zombies? Were they burnt or "put down" as the father mentioned? 

    Lots of credit needs to be given to Frank Darabont…the guys kinda sort of a big time All Star fillmmaker.  

  46. @xrcst–i thought the same thing as you about the hospital. in a way, it would have been more surprising if it were normal looking, but empty, and then reveals of the body, bullet holes etc. As far as collateral damage, i mean there was military there….seems like they would have lit the place up. It seems like they bought into the complete wasteland look to sell the zombie-pocalypse. 

    @TNC–i’ve watched my fair share, TRUE HORROR.. its my penance for watching Football/Baseball/Basketball all weekend on the Big TV. haha.  

  47. it’s funny, I came here to praise the hell out of this thing except for one moment!

    THE FLOWER SCENE!

     Thought the smash cut of the book would have been more effective and I just don’t like the woozy cam (especially done from POV) as a stylistic choice.

    The acting was also fantastic all around, except for the girl who plays Amy (she was stilted but it was just a few lines).

    I’m totally in.

  48. Finally, Yes!!! I thought maing the first episode zombie heavy served as a great tool for bring those in unfamiliar with the books on board. Give’m what they expect and slowly shift it to what the series is really about, but it builds the characters.

    @conor I am pulling out my Walking Dead books also.

    @Next Champion, shooting the little girl served as a great shock valueto introduce the non reading audience to the series, my friend never read the series, but it pulled him in, and I gave him hints about how great the series will unravel. My friend was hung up on how it happened though, I had to tell him, no one knows yet, it’s aboutte people.

  49. Read my post, I misspelled and rambled from the excitement. Walking Dead!!!!

  50. I loved the show, only nitpick was Rick almost shooting self then climbing in tank…thought it was just odd.

     also, I got some of my friends (3 guys and 2 girls, only the guy had any idea what it was because I had mentioned it to him before and he was a bit nerdy) and they loved it. She said we would be going back to her apartment next week to watch, and I’m very much looking forward to it!

  51. It just occured to me how crazy it actually is that we just watched a kick ass adaptation of WALKING DEAD. In an age where just about every major comic book property gets optioned and then enters into some form of development hell never to be actually seen, this one moved along at a pace better suited for rockets or fast German carts on the Autobahn.

  52. I think one of the main zombies (with the most screen time) was C Adlard

  53. Like most people, I am very interested in what non-WD-readers have to say about this. I have a friend who is a huge zombie fan but has only read the first trade (because basically I have failed him as his "comic guy".) Think I’ll encourage my ladyfriend to watch it as well, even though she hasn’t read any of it.

    It’s been a long long time since I read the first trade, so I wasn’t comparing this episode to what happened originally, and I don’t intend to do any straight comparisons. Like with all adaptations, I think it is important to judge this on its own merits – what works for TV should work for TV, and not just be "here is what made the comic work, let’s slap it on screen" a la Watchmen.

    Definitely looking forward to more of this, I’m pretty sure it’s a blu-ray purchase for me already.

    Also: very excited for Paul’s recaps! I’m a big fan of your Mad Men ones, so I’m thrilled you’re doing them for this as well. Huzzah! 

  54. Trying not to really read any of this right now as the series kicks off in the Uk on the FX channel this Friday, which is a ludicrously fast turnaround for us Brits.  Good to see there’s some faith in this series.  Still, the generally positive stance people have has got me really excited for the pilot, can’t wait…

  55. Wow, this episode was just really WoW! Seriously hoping they keep up the super high quality. Could very well be a prime contender for some Emmy’s if the critics agree, hopefully.

  56. This was a masterpiece of awesomeness. Best new show this fall. AMC is really putting out the best shows on TV.

     

    I want to know who was piloting that helicopter, I don’t remember that being in the comics. 

  57. Thank you for the recap, Paul.  Well done. 

    The only thing I didn’t like about the episode was the Teddy Bear/doorknob moments.  Don’t humanize the zombies.  I like them as brainless as possible.  The characters have enough to deal with.  They don’t need to wonder if the people they love are still alive in there.

    Morgan’s inability to shoot his wife was heartbreakingly perfect. 

  58. My wife has not read the series (she does read a few comics, though) and she loved the first episode.

  59. I haven’t read much of the Walking Dead and I still thought this was really good. The makeup and effects look real good, especially for a TV show. I loved the music as well but that’s not surprising since Bear McCreary, best known for his work on BSG, is in charge of the music. AMC has done it yet again.

  60. @stuclach Agreed with the teady bear moment. Add that to my nitpick list.  Having her pick up the bear and try to get into the house adds this layer of. "Are the people we used to love, still in there somewhere" and as we know, this book is not about the zombies, its about the survivors. Worrying about "are they in there somewhere" makes it about them… can we save save them? It may be done to make decisions to kill loved ones that turn harder, but I think it achieves that significance instantly anyway.

     I am also a little worried they are going to change Morgan’s story from how it happened in the book. I hope they keep it the same way, maybe add more episdoes than we saw in the book as a second storyline but I don’t want to see it tied any more closely to the main storyline than it was in the book.

  61. @Paul I could see the zombie girl opening being a stylistic choice to immediately show that there will be no skimping, as a nod to the comic fans who have come to expect uncomfortable, f’d up scenes.

  62. Had to DVR this last night because its on past my bed time (lame, but hey, it’s what happens when you’re a teacher who gets up at 5:15 am every day).  I’m looking forward to checking this episode out after work today.

  63. @xrcst – Exactly.  The episode was wonderful, but they made a few little tweaks that I don’t think it needed. However, if they have a plan for using the changes in a creative fashion (that doesn’t weaken the show), I have no problem with changes.

  64. The most tense scene for me was the hospital sequence, which I thought was fantastically done. I’ve read the comic, but there had been enough little differences in the show up to that point (and in the trailers) that I didn’t know if they were going to get him out of there without incident. When he goes into the dark stairwell was particularly good.

    It was great overall, and I’m looking forward to the rest. Hope it does well enough for them to get at least a couple of seasons.

  65. Jeez, I’ve never seen so much nitpicking over a door nob turn. I really dug the show and watched it with two people who know nothing of the comic (other then, it’s a comic) and they both loved it as well. They plan on coming back to my house next week to keep watching. It’s funny that it seems the harshest critics are going to be the fans of the book. The general public I’ve seen comment have loved it or been very impressed. It’s the comic fans going "Oh man, they changed this! How?! WHY?! WHAT!?" Despite the fact that for months and months on podcast after podcast over the internet Darabondt and Kirkman have said "We’re doing parts of the book but being different too." 

    BTW, I hope that Teddy Bear shows up in every episode now, for no reason. Basically The Teddy Bear is to Walking Dead what Kenny was to South Park. A running gag.  

  66. anyone notice the zombie that looked like tommy wiseau??

     

  67. The only problem i had with the Teddy bear opening sequence is that it set up this precedent that internal timeline of the story will jump around and not be linear, which doesn’t seem to be the case because it never happens again for the rest of the show. Others had mentioned that the book starts with the cops talking. Yeah that woulda sucked for TV, so i see why they did it, but it just doesn’t make sense stylistically with the rest of the show. 

    is every episode going to be an hour and half? 

  68. @Evangelion11

    Yeah! My friend while watching it said "Oh Hi Mark" took me out of the show for a second because the comment was damn funny and well timed.  

  69. @jurassicalien Well duh. the general public that have not read the comic have no basis to say "oh man they changed this" And its not just comic fans that do this. Almost anyone who has ever read a book, then went and saw a movie based on the book always picks out what is different. And usually I have heard or been in conversations between people that are familiar with the source material and those that are not concerning the differences.  I think its only natural.

    I don’t think anyone on this thread has said the show was bad, just pointing out things they found different and thought might have been better another way or liked it better in the book. In the end the show is its own separate thing, and might be very good. But for those of us that have read the source material we have our own ideas what would make it the perfect adaptation. and everything that has changed is going to stand out to us, and some will work better than it did in the story, and some not as good.

    And IMO, the doornob turning or the teddy bear isn’t just a little bit of changing of plot points, it changes the complete thematic tone of the show. The very thing that has made the walking dead "not just another zombie book" not a 28 days later or dawn of the dead rip off.

  70. I’m reading The Walking Dead and was really happy with it.  But I liked seeing my wife’s reactions since she’s never read any of it.  The show was really suspenseful for her.  She was hiding behind a pillow for much of the show.  Especially the match scene.  She screamed when you see someone approaching Rick from behind with a shovel.  She also said she liked how it didn’t pull typical gags.  For example when Morgan’s son separates from Rick & Morgan at one point, she expected him to be killed.  That’s what would happen in a typical horror movie.  She liked how it’s about the characters and is interested in the plot points set up with Morgan and his son and the "affair" going on with Rick’s wife and Shane.  Anyway, if I had to be nit-picky, the only scene that pulled me out was the tank scene.  There isn’t a hatch at the bottom of an M1A1 tank.  And the interior of the tank was wrong.  It’s way more cramped than that.  But I’m sure you couldn’t really shoot the scene in the space so small.  

  71. I tried to get a girl friend to watch it but she said it looked too scary.

  72. @xrcst: Really? What amounts to ten seconds of on screen time in an hour and half "chamges the thematic tone"? Woah, you are not going to enjoy this show. 

  73. @stuclach:  I don’t agree, the major changes (Morgan trying to kill his wife and the tank at the end) were major improvements over the comic.

    However, and this has to do with the medium, the show is much harder/stressful to watch than the comic to read.

  74. When Rick first got to his house and he was just lightly touching the floor asking "Am i here?" man that was just heartbreaking to watch. Superb acting

  75. @odino1 – I had no problem with those changes (I even used the word "perfect" when referring to Morgan’s response).  They fit well with the focus on stress and emotion shown in the the comic.  The only change I have a problem with (and it is a very minor problem that I had no intention of harping on and didn’t think I would have to explain) is giving the zombies memories/reflexes.  I want them mindless.  That keeps the focus on the characters.

    It was an excellent episode.  I’m glad everyone enjoyed it so much.  (I’m sorry my initial post wasn’t gushing enough for everyone.) 

  76. @stuclach – I know you’re not trying to make a big thing of it, but I don’t see how latent memories and reflexes in the zombies serve as that big a distraction from the human drama. It just makes it that much creepier, tragic. It’s not as if it shows hope for a zombie cure or redemption. It’s just a cruel trick of the mind. I think it’s a cool choice. 

  77. @Stuclach

    Also the fact the zombies were in fact human once. Having them indeed have some memory even if it’s just sense memory heightens the drama. I’m not saying they soon need to start talking or loading rifles, but basic things. If all they did was walk around and eat then it might as well be an epidemic of bears attacking people or giant ants that can’t be killed. The fact that they were once human and show in the SLIGHTEST hint of humanity adds something, if not to the viewing experience then the it adds to the drama of the characters.

  78. @Jurassicalien I actually did enjoy the show. Not as much as I enjoyed the book.  But I don’t think thats a bad thing. 

    And if what those two scenes mean, pop up again and again in the series, it does change what the series is thematically about. And makes the show not really, "the Walking Dead" because it has taken away what has made the comic special. So, yeah, I guess if we keep seeing the zombies with memories and emotion and they go with the "how much of my loved one is left inside the zombie" conflict, then no… I won’t like this show as much as I would if they didn’t change that element. I want to see why this show is different.

    Yeah I would watch Die Hard 100 and every movie since the first one because the premise and formula is good. And I would watch most every zombie/post apocalyptic show because I like the premise and formula. But this has a chance to be "special" because the book is different than you standard zombie fare.  And mind you, I’m not saying its not going to be good. I won’t even fully make that determination till they cancel the show. At that point Ill decide, for me, if I think this was 3,4 or 5 stars. But until that point, I will (and I’m sure most people familiar with the books), will continue to "nitpick" and judge things that were changed, or even evaluate how things translate from book to video form even when they are exact tranlsations.

  79. Although I didn’t get to watch the episode, I’m super excited to read people enjoyed it. I love the Walking Dead comic. I can’t wait for the tv series to come out on dvd!!!!

  80. This episode was better than the first issue of the comic (yes, I know the episode covered more than just the first issue).

    It is an amazing introduction to what I love about the comic.

  81. Great first issue, and great discussion on the thread.

     A couple of things; I thought the scene with the match in the hospital stairwell was brilliant. It did a great job of building suspense without giving you the prototypical payoff, a zombie coming out of nowhere.

     The flower scene, and the use of the flowers to show the passage of time was great. It instantly gave you some frame of reference as to how much time had passed since Rick was last there, and how long Rick had been lying there unaware to what was happening around him.

     The scene with the sniper, and the character not having the courage to shot his wife gave the show a lot of depth. I really hope the show doesn’t stay completely faithful to the book so it gives some of us readers some surprises going forward.

    Is it Sunday yet?

  82. @paul and stulach–i think the latent memories/reflexes/instincts of the zombies is what helps add to the human drama. It would be easy to just kill em all if they were mindless demons, but they are still people trapped in there who remind the survivors at every turn of how life used to be. Its an extra layer of creepy and emotion. Mindless zombies are a trite convention thats been overused to the point of futility…and the reason why i stopped watching zombie flicks….same sh#t, different day. Its very rare that zombie films have humanistic zombies. Love it. 

  83. Loved the episode, it was one of those rare instances where the reality of the experience exceeds the anticipation even when you had mammoth expectations. I loved MOST of Darabont’s choices in terms of diverging from the book, save for one seemingly very important distinction.

    I really didn’t care for Shane/Lori making out as though the interplay was in motion and there are actual feelings there. That makes for what’s to come soon a MUCH different experience, particularly in terms of how Lori and Rick interact after that. I can understand why Darabont chose to do it this way, but I didn’t like it versus the comic series.

    Other distinctions worked really well for me, though.

    Loved the opening dialog to set the tone for Shane/Rick

    Loved Morgan and his son being MUCH more savvy and skeptical about Rick than in the book, and then the wife/mother aspects worked for me too

    Loved the feeling of gravitas Darabont gave the world by having all the bodies lined up outside the hospital and the abandoned military setup, it was a much different vibe than the desolate hicktown feel we get from Tony Moore’s pencils in the first few issues

    Loved the tank scene

     

  84. Missed this.  Would have like to watch it.  I didn’t see any advertizing on TV that this was even coming up.

  85. A wonderful start. I’m a huge WD fan, and the fact that I can still look forward to the book as much as I always have and look forward to the show every week still hasn’t really sunken in yet.

    Like Conor, Lincoln was my biggest concern going in and he really stepped up to the plate here. Rick Grimes is very near and dear to me, but it looks like Lincoln can at the very least pull off the emotional work if not the look and accent. The acting overall was phenomenal here. Lennie James (Morgan) blew me away. Not just in the sniper scene but overall. He will be missed. Also, I can’t wait to see more of Jeffrey DeMunn as Dale, and Laurie Holden’s Andrea.

    I watched it with a group of people and they all seemed confident they would return next week. None of them had read the books but it all seemed to reach them in all the right spots. Some were surprised at the fact that there weren’t any jump scares, but it wasn’t a complaint. I for one really enjoyed the slow pace mixed with suspense. Also, it’s really fun being the one that says "I can’t tell you." when prodded for spoilers.

    The violence was spot-on, and I couldn’t believe what they were able to get away with in some parts. I hope they maintain that shock value throughout the series, and it wasn’t just amped up for the pilot. I also enjoyed the curve balls thrown in for the longtime readers, and that’s also something I hope they can balance without changing any major plot points. The shot where Rick finds the hatch in the tank was one of the best shots I’ve seen on TV in a long time.

    Also, my girl and I both had zombie dreams last night so it obviously made an impact. Hers was scary. Mine was just weird. It involved a dead ex-girlfriend and Conan O’Brien with half a face. The hair was intact though. Can ya tell I’m excited for Friday? I’m also excited for next Sunday. Bring it on! 

  86. I would’ve liked the zombies to remained mindless and not have human like qualities to them. When George Romero did stuff like that he always made sure it looks like an ‘accident’ or the zombies just happened to walk into something.

    Here, having the little girl purposely pick up the teddy bear or Morgan’s wife trying to open the door, is too much for zombies. In the book there was nothing like that and I really don’t see why we need it here. Especially since they’re just gonna get shot in the head a few seconds later. The ‘slow jog’ pace of the zombies was pretty cool though. Not running like in today’s zombie films; but fast enough so it’s not ‘Dawn of the Dead’ where they can easily push them away. 

  87. @grandturk–there was a pretty massive ad campaign for the show on AMC. If you ever watched anything on that channel recently you would have seen something. The ads were very well done and mysterious. I loved the dark screen/ radio one "Stay away from the City". 

  88. My favorite comic, now my favorite new tv show – i am very excited about this.

    What did people think about the helicopter that rick saw/heard flying in atlanta?  really there or not?  that was something i saw as a possible big difference from the comic that i was very curious about.

     @Paul – I really enjoyed your recap, would you consider making it a recap/review in the future?  i was curious to hear what you thought of the episode.

  89. @TNC  Well why do we "need" anything really? Probably, and this is just a shot in the dark, the producers and writers felt that it served the story better.

  90. @chrischurch522 Thanks! I try to get a bit of commentary in there as I go, but I’ll try and finish each recap with a brief review. And of course I’ll try and be very active in the comment section with discussion questions and my own impressions. 

  91. @chrischurch522-i thought the helicopter was really there….seemed like the zombies were watching it as well. 

  92. Picking up a teddy bear and turning a door knob hardly makes them human. It’s not inconcievable that there would be some kind of humanity left in them, nor is it harmful to the plot IMO. Don’t get me wrong, I like my zombies brainless, and I’d agree that it would bother me if it became a plot point, but as it is I think it works for the adaptation without hurting the themes of the story.

    "Unless they figure out how to open doors." Click. Click. Creeeeeak.

    Clever girl.

  93. @chrischurch522: I agree with Wally that the chopper was real. It’s a little ealry for Rick to be losing it in that way. He’s got a ways to go before he starts imaginning things. I don’t think we need to read much into though, as it seemed to me to be a device more than anything else. They wanted Rick to pick up speed so that when he turned that corner the impact would be stronger. I don’t think it goes far beyond that.

  94. Awesome first episode. As a comic fan, it worked, and as a huge horror fan, it worked even better. Kept the usual zombie tropes but didn’t go for the obvious scare (the scene in the stairway was creepy and suspensful without resorting to the usual "boo" scare). And a great Kirkman-esque cliffhanger. I’m so on board with this.

  95. @Dan Yeah when the voice came in over the radio it really felt like the last page of an issue

  96. I didn’t particularly like the small change.  It sounds like some of you didn’t mind it and some of you liked it.  That’s cool.  To each his own.  I’m glad we could have a reasonably polite and intelligent discussion (that’s what makes iFanboy great).

    Didn’t mean to hijack the thread, at all.  Sorry about that. 

  97. @stuclach this is like cake brownies all over again 🙂

  98. @Wood Did you think the opening dialoge made Shane come off as a jerk, setting us up to not like him in the Rick Lori Shane triangle?

    @wheelhands then they become velociraptors and everyone knows velociraptors are smarter than zombies.

    Add me to the "liked the chopper" column. Even if it never shows up again I think it added something to it. Infused a little hope. And it could lead to a payoff this season, some other season or not at all. any of the three options are interesting.

  99. @Wood: You got that there were feelings between Lori and Shane? Interesting. I didn’t get that at all. She didn’t seem to me that she was happy to be kissing him. Seemed like obligation.

  100. Is the first season only 6 episodes? I thought I heard that somewhere but I wasn’t sure.

     

    Does anyone know if the 1st season is supposed to encompass all of Volume 1 of the trades? If the 1st season ends the same way as the 1st volume, that would be an awesome way to end the series…

  101. @WonderAli – I know.  I don’t know how to stop it from happening (other than the obvious).

  102. @conor – I got the same feeling.  She is doing what she felts she has to for her self and her son.  There was very little passion in that kiss (in my opinion). 

  103. @supertrackmonkey: Yep, it’s only six episodes. AMC sometimes orders short initial seasons. BREAKING BAD only had 7 episodes in the first season.

    @stuclach: Nothing wrong with differences of opinion expressed intelligently. Leads to good discussion, which is the point! 

  104. @stuclach: Yeah, her face after the kiss seemed to say it all.

  105. @conor – Agreed.

  106. @conor – To both responses.

  107. Just read the first few chapters of the series. Like the book and the show. Not sure how much more I’m going to push on though. For me I need a little levity in my books/shows. I think the show had a lot of violence that was avoided/implied in the book. Not sure how this will play out over time. I wonder if they were just trying to make a splash for the 1st ep. For me I can only take so much of the gore im not into it if it does not strengthen the strory.

  108. I got the impression that something was going on between Lori and Shange between the zombie outbreak.  When Rick and Shane are hanging out in the squad car, Shange asks Rick how are things between him and his wife.  When he asks that, he has this suspicious look on his face.  Either he’s already having an affair with Lori, or he’s harboring feelings for her and is gathering info to swoop in.  But I agree, so far Shane seems like a jerk.

  109. @wayne2001bc: I think that Shane was definitely into Rick’s wife before the zombies. It’s why he swoops right in on her afterwards.

  110. @conor – well, she is cute, but that’s still wrong.  I can’t wait for Rick to catch up with them.

  111. @wayne2001bc: It’s definitely wrong.

  112. Some talking points:

     

    1. The Zombie effects were awesome, I really enoyed it and it reminded me a lot fo the Romero films I grew up with. 

     2.  Loved the score, wasn’t too forced. It felt natural.  

    3. Didn’t really find the show scary.  Just the idea of living in that situation freaked me out.  When Dwayne was crying because he saw his mother… that got me. I was young when I lost my mother so I can only imagine how truely heart breakign and terrifying that must be.  

    4. I had a huge screening party at my place.  I made medium rare burgers and some random southern dishes.  Out of the 7 people there, 3 had not read the book but they LOVED the show. My gf had problems with the flower scene and the dialogue scene in the car with Rick and Shane.  She thought they went on too long, but once Rick woke up from his Coma she was gung ho into the show.  I think everyone will keep watching, I know I will be.

    I did have one nit pick, I did not like that they showed Lori and company before Rick got to them. I understand why they had to show that they were all alive… but it kills tension for me.  Either way, best new show of the fall season hands down.

  113. I thought showing the camp before Rick got there worked out beautifully. Things do work differently on television. In my crew, two girls literally gasped when Rick flipped the visor and it became apparent that his wife was alive and smoochin his besty. In my opinion it was an excellent choice.

  114. @wayne2001bc – Yeah, that was pretty much the point of the intial Rick/Shane scene. Planting seeds of Shane shacking up with Lori. Well, besides introducing us to the characters. Rick was talking about the troubles he was having with his wife, and how she felt distant recently. You could see the gears turning in Shane’s head.

    As for the show, awesome. That more than exceeded my expectations. As a huge fan of the book, I went in guarded. Not wanting to be disappointed. But it was great. Nearly pitch perfect. Lennie James as Morgan stole the show, IMO. Great performance, very emotional. Great job by Andrew Lincoln as well. Even if his Southern accent wasn’t the best, and at times disappeared. None of the accents were all that great. Still didn’t bother me much. I’m guessing if I was from the South, it might a tad bit more.

    While the pilot is straight up the first couple issues of the book, I’ve read that the show deviates a bit after. Altering the story at times, introducing some characters earlier than they appeared in the book, creating new ones, etc. As a fan of the book, I think this is great. I don’t want to know every single thing that is going to happen. As long as they keep enough of the original story, characters, and spirit, it’ll be just fine. I’m looking forward to watching it unfold.

    It sucks that it’s only a 6 episode season. But it’s already been renewed for a second season of 13 episodes. Falling in line with other AMC hits, Breaking Bad and Mad Men. It is a bit different though. Mad Men started out 13 eps. Breaking Bad would have as well, but it’s season was cut short at 7 thanks to the writers’ strike. I’m guessing that the short initial order from AMC had to do with the fact that the networks are a lot more cautious since the big economic downturn. Also, they might not have been sure how a zombie themed tv show might play out. But after they saw the first 6, they immediately ordered more. Before the show ever aired. I take that as a good sign.

    Can’t wait for next week!

  115. Ok, SORT OF scratch what I said about it already being renewed for a second season. I’d read this a month ago or so when it was reported all over the internet. But upon looking for some info, I found subsquent articles saying that after Darabont claimed it was picked up, that AMC made a point to dispell the rumors. But it still seems as if everything is pointing to an eventual pick up. I think AMC didn’t want word getting out as they want to focus on getting people to watch these first 6 episodes. If viewers think a show is safe, they might wait for dvd. Networks want ratings.

  116. Another sign that a 13 ep season 2 is likely a given. AMC has a contest to win a guest starring role as a zombie on the show. Seeing as how the first 6 episodes have all been shot. I’m guessing that would have to take place next season. 😉

  117. I love how the commercials advertised first prize as a "stagger-on role". Awesome.

  118. @j206 AMC already annouced they were gonna do a full second season weeks ago

  119. Giving the zombies a certain vague amount of muscle memory makes sense. Otherwise it would be difficult for them to climb stairs or even work their jaws. It’s not much a stretch for a little girl zombie to instinctively pick up a once-treasured teddy bear, or Lincoln’s wife shamble to the spot where she died.

  120. Hey, has anyone seen anything on the ratings for the show.  How has it done compared to other cable shows such as Breaking Bad, Sons of Anarchy, Terriers, or Mad Men?

  121. @MisterJ: Yes.

  122. @MisterJ – There is a new post on iFanboy with the numbers.  They are impressive.

  123. Wow, that was perfect timing!  Thanks ifanboy.com!

  124. Love it from front to back. I’ve seen one episode and I am hoping season two comes sooner then next October. 6 episodes is not nearly enough.

  125. @wood – Dude spoilers.

  126. The show was great, and the success couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy in the industry. I’ve spoken with Kirkman at a few cons and the guy is so nice, without any hint of ego. Unlike certain folk who still think it’s 1992 and they walk on water. Kirkman did the work his way and now is getting the success he has earned. I’m looking forward to the rest of the season!

  127. Great news!!!  I hope this leads to another comic property getting developed as a series, it’s such an obvious format (at least for properties that don’t require super hero-like special effects).  Here’s hoping for Y

  128. So very happy this started so strong!

    One good thing about a short Season 1 is that the repeats will start that much sooner, and latecomers can still get in on ‘the ground floor’ without a lot of episodes to confuse.

  129. @cutty – Y would make for a great series, given the same treatment and quality. I also think Chew could be a really fun detective show. But it would have to be on the right network. I’m all for more comics getting a shot on tv. I just don’t want them anywhere near the broadcast networks. That’s just asking for crap being made for the lowest common denomotar (Heroes) and immediate cancelation.

  130. How does it work with Vertigo or Icon properties?  Does Warner Bros. have 100% control still?

  131. Really loved the episode.  I liked the fact that they kept the pacing.  They’re not rushing the story.  Though the opening sequence seemed a little out of place.

    What I think is most impressive is AMC.  They’re cranking out some quality, quality television.  

  132. I just watched this 24 hours later (lame, I know). 

    Carl’s SCIENCE DOG shirt was a very cool, subtle shout out to the fans. Very slick. 

     

  133. Just finished watching with the wife.  She told me she’s passing on the rest of the series.  Not that it’s bad, just that she can’t take the slow, unrelenting bleakness.

    It’s that bleakness that has me hooked.  The show could have gone wrong in so many Hollywood ways (like how quickly The Event turned me off) but it didn’t. 

  134. Concerning the chopper being real or not – Going on the season preview footage at the end of the episode, I think that we are going to have to wait a little while for Rick to be reunited with his family. My prediction for the series is that he locates a more militant group first (perhaps they were the ones in the helicopter) and then after some kind of emotionally trying circumstances he is reunited as a season finisher. I think we may be surprised by which group Glenn is running with.

    Honestly, I twitch a little bit everytime someone starts a complaint about a scene with "In the comic…" because, well, who cares? Why even compare them? If you read the comic, then do you really want to see the exact same events unfold in live action? I don’t. I want the characters to start off with the same basic personalities that they have in the comic, and then let the events of the story shape them naturally and organically. I want to see different people dying and surviving, and I want to be as surprised by the show as I was by the comic. There are certain story beats and events that I would love for new audiences to see, like some of the twists in the prison later on, but aside from that, I want to see this become its own narrative. And when people decide to pick up the book, they’ll be surprised too.

  135. Avatar photo PymSlap (@alaska_nebraska) says:

    It was a Science Dog t-shirt. That’s cool. I thought it was a Blackwater tee.