"The Walking Dead" Season 2 Premiere Review
Dead to me. (Watch it Mondays 9/8c on AMC)
2 1/2 Stars
Blog Exclusive!
First a quick recap:
The opening half of the extended length premiere episode picks up right where season one left off. Deputy sheriff Rick Grimes, portrayed by British actor Andrew Lincoln, and his ragtag team of zombie hunters, survivors and a senile old man wonder what they should do next. They eventually decide that getting as far away from the zombie-infested Atlanta streets is their best option. Fort Benning, also in Georgia but over a hundred miles away is there last hope to reconnect with other humans and possibly find a cure for the terrible zombie making disease.
Just as the group thinks they will make it to the fort without incident a plethora of "walkers" searching for human flesh to feast on, come strolling down Interstate 75 (I-75). Of course Rick Grimes and Co. are stuck on that very same road due to some car trouble. Though the zombies pass on without a ton of drama Sophia (Madison Lintz) the young daughter of newly widowed Carol (Melissa McBride), goes missing in all the hoopla and winds up alone in the woods that lie directly to the right of the road.
So what exactly do I hate about this episode.... after all it sounds really exciting!
Well I was already dreading (while admittedly simoultaneously salivating) the premiere of season two. The root of my concern stemmed from AMCs brilliant idea to slice "The Walking Dead's" budget in half! Apparently consumer demand was so high that another six episode season was just out of the question. Now season two is 13 episodes long and half as good. I'm pissed because the quality that stood out in the first season seems to be missing now. Quantity seems to always beat out quality in the end.... which really sucks.
We all know that story structure, character development and gripping plot-lines are what make great TV. Sadly the first episode of season 2 forgets this and manages to decline in all three aforementioned areas. The lame plot takes place mostly on an interstate freeway in the middle of nowhere... There is absolutely nothing exciting about the location. But surely the characters must still be the same one's we've come to love. Wrong again. Each and every character minus Rick, his son Carl and Sophia become bickering, blabbering wretches. I didn't know the show was supposed to be a soap opera.
The negative chain reaction continues with Frank Darabont's ouster at the hands of AMC. Mr. Darabont, director of the critically acclaimed Oscar-winning picture "The Shawshank Redemption" created the show alongside Robert Kirkman, the creator of "The Walking Dead" series of graphic novel from which the idea for a TV program was born. Interestingly Mr. Darabont's name appeared on opening credits of season two as an executive producer. Perhaps AMC is piggybacking off his success? Mr. Darabont also directed the outstanding pilot episode. Yet the continuity that made the first season such a joy to watch is gone.
Going off on the show after just one episode may be considered dickish, but the show's pizazz is gone and the taut, nail-bitting timing is completely off. So compared with the spot-on, kickass first season that was 110% dramatic, haunting, and bloody disgusting there is a steady drop off in nearly every area of the show. However, despite my ranting there were a few bright spots that could help sustain the series. For starters, the zombie makeup is even nastier (aka better) than before. One scene has Rick and his former police partner Shane (Jon Bernthal) gutting a walker and looking for evidence that little Sophia isn't chop liver. Secondly, the music is as ghastly as before. New melodies have been combined with last seasons theme song in order to create more spine-tingling moments. The music really does set the show's tone more so than any actor or lighting technician could hope to do.
That's all for now, but when the season is released on DVD/iTunes stay tuned for more insight from me.
If you love gore then go right ahead and watch The Walking Dead, Season 2 trailer below:
2 1/2 Stars
Blog Exclusive!
First a quick recap:
The opening half of the extended length premiere episode picks up right where season one left off. Deputy sheriff Rick Grimes, portrayed by British actor Andrew Lincoln, and his ragtag team of zombie hunters, survivors and a senile old man wonder what they should do next. They eventually decide that getting as far away from the zombie-infested Atlanta streets is their best option. Fort Benning, also in Georgia but over a hundred miles away is there last hope to reconnect with other humans and possibly find a cure for the terrible zombie making disease.
Just as the group thinks they will make it to the fort without incident a plethora of "walkers" searching for human flesh to feast on, come strolling down Interstate 75 (I-75). Of course Rick Grimes and Co. are stuck on that very same road due to some car trouble. Though the zombies pass on without a ton of drama Sophia (Madison Lintz) the young daughter of newly widowed Carol (Melissa McBride), goes missing in all the hoopla and winds up alone in the woods that lie directly to the right of the road.
So what exactly do I hate about this episode.... after all it sounds really exciting!
Well I was already dreading (while admittedly simoultaneously salivating) the premiere of season two. The root of my concern stemmed from AMCs brilliant idea to slice "The Walking Dead's" budget in half! Apparently consumer demand was so high that another six episode season was just out of the question. Now season two is 13 episodes long and half as good. I'm pissed because the quality that stood out in the first season seems to be missing now. Quantity seems to always beat out quality in the end.... which really sucks.
We all know that story structure, character development and gripping plot-lines are what make great TV. Sadly the first episode of season 2 forgets this and manages to decline in all three aforementioned areas. The lame plot takes place mostly on an interstate freeway in the middle of nowhere... There is absolutely nothing exciting about the location. But surely the characters must still be the same one's we've come to love. Wrong again. Each and every character minus Rick, his son Carl and Sophia become bickering, blabbering wretches. I didn't know the show was supposed to be a soap opera.
The negative chain reaction continues with Frank Darabont's ouster at the hands of AMC. Mr. Darabont, director of the critically acclaimed Oscar-winning picture "The Shawshank Redemption" created the show alongside Robert Kirkman, the creator of "The Walking Dead" series of graphic novel from which the idea for a TV program was born. Interestingly Mr. Darabont's name appeared on opening credits of season two as an executive producer. Perhaps AMC is piggybacking off his success? Mr. Darabont also directed the outstanding pilot episode. Yet the continuity that made the first season such a joy to watch is gone.
Going off on the show after just one episode may be considered dickish, but the show's pizazz is gone and the taut, nail-bitting timing is completely off. So compared with the spot-on, kickass first season that was 110% dramatic, haunting, and bloody disgusting there is a steady drop off in nearly every area of the show. However, despite my ranting there were a few bright spots that could help sustain the series. For starters, the zombie makeup is even nastier (aka better) than before. One scene has Rick and his former police partner Shane (Jon Bernthal) gutting a walker and looking for evidence that little Sophia isn't chop liver. Secondly, the music is as ghastly as before. New melodies have been combined with last seasons theme song in order to create more spine-tingling moments. The music really does set the show's tone more so than any actor or lighting technician could hope to do.
That's all for now, but when the season is released on DVD/iTunes stay tuned for more insight from me.
If you love gore then go right ahead and watch The Walking Dead, Season 2 trailer below:
As always thanks for reading!
© 2011 Matthew R. Reis, All rights reserved.
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