THE WALKING DEAD: THE ONES WHO LIVE
Hoo boy…here we go ANOTHER WALKING DEAD SPINOFF
If anyone knows about my history with this show and the comic, TWD was one of my MUST WATCH shows over the years. One of the only rare few where It was truly appointment driven where when it was 9pm EST on Sunday I HAD to be home watching it live when it aired wayyyyy back when it started in 2010.
To put it in perspective, my daughters were 2 and 4 when it started and had to make sure they were fast asleep with me sometimes pausing it to not only breeze through commercials, but to make sure little Violet didn’t walk out of her room looking for some “ late night chocky milk” while a person’s face was getting torn off by the undead. Plus her room was literally next door to the TV so I’m sure she spent many a night listening to the soothing sounds of CORRRRAL and zombie sounds against her wall with her sleep music while dad ate ribs or a large pudding on the couch. (yes, on finales sometimes I would make ribs to set the tone).
Now my daughters this year will be 18 and 16 and here I am STILL watching this series.
As we all know, The Walking Dead universe has had quite the journey since Rick woke up from his coma (which who did it first Kirkman or 28 Days Later?). The show went from huge success, to let’s face it less than stellar seasons and spinoffs.
Most dropped off after they screwed us with that “Negan cliffhanger” with people having to wait to see the results (come on people, you’re upset about Glenn, if you read you KNEW that was going to happen and I’ll admit didn’t see the “double tap” coming). The Negan “All Out War” dragged on too long for most, most got bored and by the end? It kind of ended with a resounding THUD like a walker getting a hatchet to the skull.
Most of us (myself included) were like “really? That’s it?” It wasn’t really an “ending” people drove off into the “spinoff sunset” and because of the whole “Carl Debacle” storyline it deviated too much from the original ending of the comic book run.
Do yourself a favor and check out the final run of the source material, or check out what they were going to do with the TV ending which IMHO would of been SO MUCH BETTER!
Now let’s get to these multiple spinoffs….
FEAR THE WALKING DEAD While amazing with Seasons 1-3 once the Sawyer Family more or less were killed off slowly along with ANY characters that were engaging and entertaining (AKA John Dorie, NICK) to me the show quickly became a flaming turd. Anyone who listens to me on the podcast knows the last few seasons I was “Hate Watching” just to see how it ended. By the end we have Morgan flip flopping from “clear to unclear” Dwight and Sheri on again off again nonsense, NULEAR BOMBS and reunions that nobody cared or wanted as they searched for PADRE. By the end I could of given a fuck about it and it was a shame,
WALKING DEAD WORLD BEYOND: a VAST improvement, but still only 2 seasons and while familiar, an interesting take from the “tween” perspective. Good characters, teasing us more about this CRM, how they work and of course Jadis being Jadis. I will say, at the time we are are going “where the FUCK is RICK?” but they seem to be paying off the lingering questions from this show in the new one and I HOPE we see somewhat of an appearance from the kids.
TALES OF THE WALKING DEAD: Not much here and a waste of time. “Coulda Woulda Shoulda” I called it, they could of given us back stories of older characters (which they kind of promised) which would of been awesome who wouldn’t watch a “Glenn Prequel”, Beta’s pre country rockstar story or even Shane! What were some of these guys doing pre ZA? Alas, we got ANOTHER Alpha backstory and other boring one off stories. The web series they did were actually much better like “Cold Storage” or “Red Machete” (look em up).
WALKING DEAD: DEAD CITY: (as I’m writing this, I’m looking up going “holy shit, there are a LOT of spinoffs!) Yet another case of “why are we doing this?” we now get a Negan and Maggie spinoff based in a “green screen NYC” in order to give two popular characters more to do. I’ll admit, it wasn’t as bad as I thought and I actually had a good time with this one, but FOR GOD SAKES Maggie….let it go or don’t do NOT pull a Morgan. Either kill the fucker, or stop crying. We get it, HE KILLED GLENN you don’t have to love the guy, but you do you realllllly need his help? I will say I liked that you traded him for Hershel but you know that’s not going to end well. Honestly interested to see how it goes and was surprised (not really) they are doing a S2.
WALKING DEAD: DARRYL DIXON: Oh boy, here we go again another “why?” Somehow we made it to FRANCE? We get it, we all lovvvvvve Darryl (myself included) but we get it, you are looking for others (ok, we all saw numerous times how that turns out) and apparently looking for Rick as well (?) and somehow, you make it to FRANCE. Not FEAR terrible by all means, you get to see these “evolving walkers” we were teased and see how “the other half lives” but really another unnessary story. Poor RJ and Judith they must really feel loved when everyone takes off on them, talk about therapy. This one now is ALSO getting a S2 with “The Book of Carol” ummmm yippee?
NOW FINALLY….WE GET TO THE ONES WHO LIVE
What was once teased by “The Gimple” as a trilogy of movies to now a 6 episode series (I get it, the glory days of TWD are done, but you have to close this chapter) we get our hero Rick and we get some answers on “Dude, you are the mighty RICK GRIMES how have you NOT made it back to your family after all of this time?!” Dwight and Morgan have traveled cross county for god sakes for less!
We see Rick as almost a “post Negan trauma” Rick stuck in this city doing grunt work and trying his best to escape numerous times (even FINALLY GETTING THE HAND CHOP) but failing.
This isn’t some small ass Woodbury, Sanctuary or any “ary” The CRM are HUGE, organized and we are finally getting to see that “missing circle” and ALL of the destruction they caused even going back to OG TWD with them bombing LA, Atlanta and of course the other places shown in World Beyond. It broke my heart to see Rick staring out at the landscape, glass shard to his neck wanting to end it all rather than be there, but honestly what would that solve pal?
It was awesome to see Andrew Lincoln back in this role and he is truly bringing it in this series! Seeing him in the beginning killing walkers again, in the woods still rocking the hatchet looking at this hand going “I have to…I have to…” then CHOP and quartering the wound in a flaming walker? Cue the metal music. You can’t say now the guy isn’t trying.
Also sad to see him finally giving in, conforming to the ways of the CRM, pretty much giving up hope on getting back to his family and moving on. Cut to THAT CHOPPER SCENE. That guy Okafor pretty much being blown to mush next to Rick, the chopper going down, blood everywhere seeing the crash and Rick walking out to these people on ground slaughtering them and then…MICHONNE! I knew it as soon as I saw the outfit and was generally shocked they are already united FIRST EPISODE?! Could you imagine if she cut his head off not knowing it’s Rick then finding out?! Of course that wouldn’t happen but oh man…..
All and all GREAT first episode and very interested to see now how it goes. You get the reunited couple FIRST episode now they will have to flash back on Michonne now getting there? Surprised they went there, but almost kind of glad we didn’t have to wait until episode 4-5 to see it. Welcome back RIIIIICKKK
G2
