AMC's "The Walking Dead"

[MalaCloudy Black]

Comparing things to the comic is like, the bane of me.

[zero]

Again, it's not completely uncommon in the genre for zombies to maintain minor bits from their former lives. Romero tackled this in Dawn of the Dead, with the zombies representing our mindless consumerism. They don't recognize people, they can't do anything that requires too much motor skill, but they have been known to have something of a "routine."

I feel like this was tackled at one point in the comics, but perhaps I'm misremembering.

[Boogey131]

As long as we don't get into Land of the Dead territory where the zombies begin to regain logic and structure, I'm good. The TV show should never be limited to what was seen in the comics, so though I didn't expect to see it and it brought me out of the moment a little, I appreciate the fact they're at least attempting to differentiate themselves from the books and it was not a big enough problem that it changes my opinion that, it's a fuckin' great show so far and I'm in for the long haul.

[Herr Matzat]

I feel like this was tackled at one point in the comics, but perhaps I'm misremembering.

I don´t remember the comic adressing the behaviour of the zombies much at all.

They were getting faster/more active in the summer. But byond that?

Comic Book Spoilers

and wen they tried to research them it endet in death right away. Like in the prison were Tyresses girl suicides intothe research zombie.

Maybe the heard gathering thing were zombies just follow other zombies that walk into a direction after they heared something)

Edited November 10, 2010 by Michael Matzat on a Plane

[thatblindgeye]

i dont mind seeing zombies do basic things such as using a brick to break a window or climbing a fence or remembering where their husband when they were alive lives. Things like that seem simple to me, things that even an undead could know without really knowing or thinking. For me, either they can comprehend simple things such as brick = heavy = breaks glass, or they see someone climb a fence in front of them and recognize it as something they can do.

They recognize that they eat things that are alive rather than trying to eat one another, and they seem to know that staying in a group is better than being on their own (though that could just be zombies going to the same area looking for people that are alive more than them staying in a group) so simples things like what they did in the second episode doesnt bother me.

As long as we dont get zombies without any legs outrunning a human on their hands or a zombie inventing a death ray, Im good.

[LittleDaniel]

I personally relish the thought of a team of crack-zombie-scientists huddled around a gun a human has dropped, trying to figure out how this death ray, this boomstick, works.

[Bryan Blade]

and it's not as if the zombie did a pole vault over the fence ! they were all piled up on the fence and he just clamoured over the rest of them really

[RPS]

I really really really like the television, but two things:

1) I don't want this to end up like Lost and True Blood where they take so much on that it's overwhelming. It's the type of television that lends itself to being so overwhelming and over the top that it loses all suspension of disbelief. So far, really good. Just don't put too much on the plate.

2) Some of it borders on cliche. Not that it's bad, it just makes me roll my eyes some time. Horror in general is a genre that really hinges on walking a fine line between cliche and homage.

[Boogey131]

and it's not as if the zombie did a pole vault over the fence ! they were all piled up on the fence and he just clamoured over the rest of them really

There was no clamouring, he vaulted over and had the mental capacity to know how to swing his legs over the top in a way that he would land on his feet. I wasn't lying earlier when I said I couldn't climb over a chain link fence, I guess you can say it says more about my athleticism than it does a zombies when a rotting corpse can do what I can't.

[Benji]

Rewatching the first episode before watching the second. I think my initial criticism was probably more down to pacing issues than anything. The way I read the comic, it all happened somewhat faster than an episodic TV show would allow, so the start feels very slow since there's not a whole lot of interaction. I stand by what I said about it getting significantly better when Rick gets someone to interact with, but it was all a lot more cohesive and interesting a second time around.

[Herr Matzat]

If you look at a comic you have to understand that stuff needs to happen fast in the beginning. If you look at Ultimate Spider-Man you obviusly got the time to draw out the classic Spider-Man Origin over six issues - half a year - but if you got your start up comic no one exept you knows anything about you need to have pices fall into place a little quicker to not loose the initial interest.

Bunch of stuff other people noticed.

Rick sais he has got 15 rounds in his gun, he fires 14 times so hes saving one for himself.

The camp had a lot more survivers in it than the camp in the Comic. Tons of people to get massacred? Or unnamed extras that stick around forever like there were in Lost?

Not barricading the glassdores in the mall was rather silly.

Edited November 13, 2010 by Michael Matzat on a Plane

[DMN in the House]

They didn't plan to stay in the department store, so them not taking the time to barricade it made sense. They were there to scavenge, not hide-out.

Don't care about zombies climbing fences or using bricks. Romero had a zombie walk around with a rifle and lead other zombies, as well as a zombie John Leguizamo exact revenge (although there's an argument he was only half zombified), and he's George fucking Romero, so shut the fuck up.

Also, during the first episode, is it just me, or was the first guy out of the car in the opening Tom Savini?

[Herr Matzat]

They didn't plan to stay in the department store, so them not taking the time to barricade it made sense. They were there to scavenge, not hide-out.

Yes, Rick and Andrea just standing in the store flirting clearly was the better solution to use that time. It´s just 50+ Zombies behind two glass doores, lets not buy any second possible. I bet they knew they were on tv and üart of the group of characters that would not die any time soon so they were just like "Haha, let´s hope they get T-Dawg, more food for us!"

Speking of. How about some Deathpooling? Who dies next/first?

[fr34k]

Yes, Rick and Andrea just standing in the store flirting clearly was the better solution to use that time. It´s just 50+ Zombies behind two glass doores, lets not buy any second possible. I bet they knew they were on tv and üart of the group of characters that would not die any time soon so they were just like "Haha, let´s hope they get T-Dawg, more food for us!"

Well, we could argue that it was better for them to take their mind of things. They didn't think they were staying there much longer, so instead of wasting energy on building a barricade, why not talk about something else than zombies for the time being. It didn't really strike me as strange behavior.

[TKz]

...Why bother to barricade when they had planned to only be there for a few minutes. Not to mention barricading would probably have gotten them closer to the zombies and gotten them all even more riled up and angry.

[Herr Matzat]

I guess we dissagree than. There are a few vial mistakes in their survival tackticks in my eyes. Lori going into the woods alone, shane and lori pushing their faces into the dirt barly being able to see anything around them while in the woods alone, andrea not unlocking her gun weeks/month into a zombie apocalipse, taking a lunatic like Merle with you wen you go into a zombie hotspot.

Stuff like that gets you killed, not just in zombieland but also in real war. If they continue being slopy like this it will become a very arkward show for smart viewers. Good TV dossent work in a "it´s only important to be smart wen the TV People tell you it´s important" way. Like with Morgan going crazy about Ricks bandage, you understood that he understood how to keep alive.

And unlike shane who is all like "We take the risk to go to atlanta regularly to get suplys but we don´t go there to save our frinds and family even though we would need to send a new group to gather the suplys there dident bring anyway". He should just cary a hugh sign that scream "you are suposed to hate me Mr. TV Audiance. "

I can let them get away with smaler stuff, like breaking the car window on the driver site (with glenn ending up sitting less protected than wen they would have opend another window) because i can understand how you would just not think about that. But all in all i don´t know why many of these people are alive right now. Exept for Glenn who is just awsome.

Edited November 14, 2010 by Michael Matzat on a Plane

[Jimmy]

The fact that they went out of their way to save Rick kind of shows, to me, that they're as much about saving other humans as they are saving themselves.

I think you're looking a little 'too much' into things, to be honest. Shows, yes, do need to be smart. But you're seriously nitpicking.

I really enjoyed episode 2, personally. And this series is really taking great shape. It's become one of my favourite shows on television.

[Herr Matzat]

There is nitpicking and there is three (Merel, Shaun and Lori) major charactes being flatout flat. Episode 2 is easy to compare to Dexter in my eyes. There is a crowed that loves the show being able to ignore the flatness esp. of the sidecharacters and enjoy the great idea of a person that needs to kill on a regular basis. I am just not part of that crowed, i want the great idea to be executed great and i hope TWD turns out to not be aimed at that "we don´t care as long as we got popcorn" crowed only.

I don´t want or need a 1:1 translation of the comic, but i want the qualety the writing of the comic posseses be reflected in the TV Show. While i agree that there need need need to be changes to the overall feel (the show would die fast if it was as dark and depressing as the comic) it dos not excuse slopy writing in what they change.

[Jimmy]

It's two episodes. There's only so many characters you can flesh out without overloading the audience. Give it a little bit of time.

[fr34k]

While I agree with you on giving the show time, which character would you consider fleshed out? I can't think of one.