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- Seen Feb 8, 2015
So I can't be the only Walking Dead fanatic on this site, can I?
This will be a thread where people can share their thoughts on the show or comics, whether negative or positive. Please note there may also be spoilers depending on where you're caught up to currently!
I will mostly be giving my opinions on the show because they seem to be a lot more popular then the comics.
When I heard the Walking Dead was coming to the TV screen I was absolutely ecstatic. 5 seasons in, I still love the show, but my excitement is starting to wane. I'll list a few of the things that are starting to bug me:
1- Cycling of showrunners. Frank Darabont, the showrunner of season 1 and a few episodes early in season 2, is my absolute favorite! I honestly believe he is a casting and directing genius. This is why season 1 is my favorite very very closely followed by season 2. Instead of just episodes, they all almost felt like mini-movies. Getting rid of Darabont was definitely a blunder in my opinion. The second showrunner, Mazzara, had a few shining moments but I hated the way he handled Andrea and his fetish for killing characters for just the shock factor (for this I give him the nickname 'Machete Mazzara'). The current showrunner, Scott Gimple, earned my faith in season 4, but after the first couple of episodes of season 5, it started to go downhill. I still trust him and his vision, I just hope I don't end up disappointed.
2-Cast is too large. Now don't get me wrong, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. The cast in season 2 was also quite large, but the thing is it was quite clear who the background characters were and who the main characters were. I don't think it's a bad thing to say that someone is a background/supporting character. Not everyone can be the star and not everyone has the talent to be the star (looking at you Emily Kinney). There are too many bottle episodes focused on one group splintering off from the main group, only to return. I mean, really, what show on television right now other then The Walking Dead doesn't feature their main character for 3 whole episodes. I can't think of very many...at the end of the day this is Rick's story after all. I like that they're trying to flesh out all the characters, but you don't need to take away screentime from the main characters and/or fan favorites to make them have a role in the big picture.
3-Lack of acting talent-Now don't get me wrong, there are still some strong acts on the show right now, whether they started out strong or evolved during their time on the show, but killing off Bernthal, Rooker, Morissey, Wilson, Callies, and Holden, and not having people who have strong enough talent or screen presence to make up for their departure, really lessens the quality of the show. Right now they're using Rosita horribly; She's basically just there for eye candy. Focusing on Beth (yes I don't think Emily Kinney is that great) was also another blunder. Killing off one of the best villains to date - Andrew J West's Gareth, and then replacing it with the horrid Dawn and hospital cross-car people was absolutely horrific. Such a down turn from the powerful first 3 episodes of the latest season.
Anyway, these are just a few of my current criticisms with the way the show has been going since the beginning of season 3. I still enjoy the show and want it to succeed, and it is because it's so popular, but I just feel like a few things could be done differently for the better.
As for my favorite character, it is none other then Jon Bernthal's Shane (and not just because he's extremely attractive to me, though that's a big reason! :P). I say Jon Bernthal's because I really feel like he (and Darabont) brought new life into the character. For those who don't read the comics, Shane dies extremely early into it. I like that they kept him longer in the TV show, and I really miss the dynamic he brought to the group.
There were so many great, believable, and very authentic lines coming from the first season. I think that has something to do with the fact that at that early point in the outbreak, people were still themselves. That is, the people they were in society, before the plague hit. They're still very much, average blue collar Americans, who figured they'd all be rescued and heading back to life as usual soon enough. They were much more relatable for us as fans back then, and subsequently the dialogue felt more real, and genuine.
Also, not for nothing. But I felt like Bernthal's portrayal of Shane brought a lot to the screen, and the group dynamic in the first and second seasons. Bernthal had this ability to portray him in such a way that was so authentic, so genuine. When I watched Shane on screen, he felt so real, everything that came out of his mouth never felt scripted, his body language and mannerisms felt very genuine. His performance made me feel like I'd met him before, he reminded of so many guys I've met over the years. For me, Bernthal's performance was so charismatic, so believable and authentic, that I really didn't even get the impression he was acting, but rather, just being.
Well, that's my take on it. What's yours? Who's your favorite character? Do you read the comics? Are you going to any of the fan events (I'm going to the WSC in San Francisco later this month)?
I'd love to hear other peoples takes on where the series is heading!
This will be a thread where people can share their thoughts on the show or comics, whether negative or positive. Please note there may also be spoilers depending on where you're caught up to currently!
I will mostly be giving my opinions on the show because they seem to be a lot more popular then the comics.
When I heard the Walking Dead was coming to the TV screen I was absolutely ecstatic. 5 seasons in, I still love the show, but my excitement is starting to wane. I'll list a few of the things that are starting to bug me:
1- Cycling of showrunners. Frank Darabont, the showrunner of season 1 and a few episodes early in season 2, is my absolute favorite! I honestly believe he is a casting and directing genius. This is why season 1 is my favorite very very closely followed by season 2. Instead of just episodes, they all almost felt like mini-movies. Getting rid of Darabont was definitely a blunder in my opinion. The second showrunner, Mazzara, had a few shining moments but I hated the way he handled Andrea and his fetish for killing characters for just the shock factor (for this I give him the nickname 'Machete Mazzara'). The current showrunner, Scott Gimple, earned my faith in season 4, but after the first couple of episodes of season 5, it started to go downhill. I still trust him and his vision, I just hope I don't end up disappointed.
2-Cast is too large. Now don't get me wrong, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. The cast in season 2 was also quite large, but the thing is it was quite clear who the background characters were and who the main characters were. I don't think it's a bad thing to say that someone is a background/supporting character. Not everyone can be the star and not everyone has the talent to be the star (looking at you Emily Kinney). There are too many bottle episodes focused on one group splintering off from the main group, only to return. I mean, really, what show on television right now other then The Walking Dead doesn't feature their main character for 3 whole episodes. I can't think of very many...at the end of the day this is Rick's story after all. I like that they're trying to flesh out all the characters, but you don't need to take away screentime from the main characters and/or fan favorites to make them have a role in the big picture.
3-Lack of acting talent-Now don't get me wrong, there are still some strong acts on the show right now, whether they started out strong or evolved during their time on the show, but killing off Bernthal, Rooker, Morissey, Wilson, Callies, and Holden, and not having people who have strong enough talent or screen presence to make up for their departure, really lessens the quality of the show. Right now they're using Rosita horribly; She's basically just there for eye candy. Focusing on Beth (yes I don't think Emily Kinney is that great) was also another blunder. Killing off one of the best villains to date - Andrew J West's Gareth, and then replacing it with the horrid Dawn and hospital cross-car people was absolutely horrific. Such a down turn from the powerful first 3 episodes of the latest season.
Anyway, these are just a few of my current criticisms with the way the show has been going since the beginning of season 3. I still enjoy the show and want it to succeed, and it is because it's so popular, but I just feel like a few things could be done differently for the better.
As for my favorite character, it is none other then Jon Bernthal's Shane (and not just because he's extremely attractive to me, though that's a big reason! :P). I say Jon Bernthal's because I really feel like he (and Darabont) brought new life into the character. For those who don't read the comics, Shane dies extremely early into it. I like that they kept him longer in the TV show, and I really miss the dynamic he brought to the group.
There were so many great, believable, and very authentic lines coming from the first season. I think that has something to do with the fact that at that early point in the outbreak, people were still themselves. That is, the people they were in society, before the plague hit. They're still very much, average blue collar Americans, who figured they'd all be rescued and heading back to life as usual soon enough. They were much more relatable for us as fans back then, and subsequently the dialogue felt more real, and genuine.
Also, not for nothing. But I felt like Bernthal's portrayal of Shane brought a lot to the screen, and the group dynamic in the first and second seasons. Bernthal had this ability to portray him in such a way that was so authentic, so genuine. When I watched Shane on screen, he felt so real, everything that came out of his mouth never felt scripted, his body language and mannerisms felt very genuine. His performance made me feel like I'd met him before, he reminded of so many guys I've met over the years. For me, Bernthal's performance was so charismatic, so believable and authentic, that I really didn't even get the impression he was acting, but rather, just being.
Well, that's my take on it. What's yours? Who's your favorite character? Do you read the comics? Are you going to any of the fan events (I'm going to the WSC in San Francisco later this month)?
I'd love to hear other peoples takes on where the series is heading!
