Walking dead tv show with spoilers. Please mark comic spoilers.

Watched the second episode last night and the show still impresses me. There was some great action, gore, a little comedy, and they added some really interesting new characters and conflicts. I definitely want to see how the story continues to play out. So far I have two main characters I am really invested in: Officer "Friendly" Grimes and Glenn, who had the best line in the show..."Also, he was an organ donor." Perfect place for a joke, especially considering the speech beforehand. It completely made that scene work for me. And then the ending of the show, "where's Glenn?"

I have a feeling Glenn will be a fan favorite. He is sort of a bad ass in his own particular way...smart, brave, and resourceful. The fact that he is a bit of a loner/self-preservationist makes him even cooler, because he is helping people even though it completely goes against his better judgement. It is just plain fun to root for him. He is a nice counterbalance to the overly serious paladin gunslinger that Grimes is. They both make the show work for me. As long as they keep those two alive, the rest are free to be zombie food, in my opinion.

heavyfeul wrote:

I have a feeling Glenn will be a fan favorite. He is sort of a bad ass in his own particular way...smart, brave, and resourceful. The fact that he is a bit of a loner/self-preservationist makes him even cooler, because he is helping people even though it completely goes against his better judgment. It is just plain fun to root for him. He is a nice counterbalance to the overly serious paladin gunslinger that Grimes is. They both make the show work for me. As long as they keep those two alive, the rest are free to be zombie food, in my opinion.

Yeah, Glenn is pretty awesome in the comic, too. In the comic, he rescued Rick himself, as the others never made a trip into the city with him. I think he comes off even better in the TV show, though.

I like that they are using many of the elements from the comic, but it has already diverged in some significant ways. But stuff like using the zombie juice, and the rain following was from the comic, but it happened at a different time, under completely different circumstances. But it is clear that they are finding the right way to tell this story in this form, rather than being a slave to the comic.

I still have to see the second episode, so I am not looking at any spoiler text yet, but can people figure out a way to warn those of us who are just doing the show when they spoil something from the comics. I was assuming that the spoiler blocks were on the first episode, and saw something pretty troubling from the comics instead... sadface.

Atras wrote:

I still have to see the second episode, so I am not looking at any spoiler text yet, but can people figure out a way to warn those of us who are just doing the show when they spoil something from the comics. I was assuming that the spoiler blocks were on the first episode, and saw something pretty troubling from the comics instead... sadface.

Probably a good idea.

Glenn, favorite in the books and with episode 2 favorite in the TV show.

bombsfall wrote:

I seem to be in the minority here. I read the first few Walking Dead collections and really dug them. The show, however, is just not doing it for me. The pilot was alright. This second episode was cringe-inducing for me. Clunky writing, some terrible acting and bad jokes. And the main antagonist in the episode made no damn sense!

I'm sticking with it because I really want to like it and see where it goes. I also understand that

Really? Its no clunkier that the first few issues where Kirkman just started killing characters left and right because he thought he was going to get axed. I think you need to reread some issues, like say 7-18. There is some definite clunk man.
Grimes in this became Grimes of the early books, long speeches, grittingly determined to keep up some semblance of order in the new world.
Glenn becomes the adventurous loner who wants to be accepted by a group.

Totally dug the second episode. Full of really intense moments and left me on edge the whole time.

bombsfall wrote:

I suppose some things read better than they sound. I remember thinking the same thing when I saw The Watchmen.

Maybe you are just a bigger fan of the comic medium, more-so than the others (movies/tv). I love movies/tv and I prefer to get my graphic novels in that form. The best thing about comics is the freedom and cost of production, but as a medium based on images, I think movies and tv are superior to comics, so seeing things like Sin City, Watchmen, and the Walking Dead in live action is a real thrill for me. I don't get that same reaction when I read the comics. I love the stories in some comics, but the way they are presented ruins it for me some. They just never grab me like a movie or a good TV show does.

I wasn't too hot on this show in the Fall 2010 TV thread, but I went ahead and put my money where my mouth was and bought the first episode. I have to admit that I'm somewhat more interested than I thought I would be, but I'm still not won over to the production as a whole. It's a show that I'd watch if it were available, but I won't be going out of my way to see it.

Perhaps the story of the survivors becomes more creative as it goes along, but this opening episode wasn't very surprising. While it did have some nice touches, it felt like a fairly run of the mill zombie story with all the attendant clichés in tow. I don't see what this brings to the table that hasn't been brought in the forty-odd years of zombie pop culture to this point. The long form storytelling reveals some interesting possibilities, but it remains to be seen whether or not the show will follow through on them.

bombsfall wrote:

Yeah... I'm actually not that big a comic guy either and actually prefer moving images (I'm an animator by trade, so I think I'm contractually bound to think that), but storytelling through sequential art has its own place. I think that dialogue written is a very different beast than dialogue spoken, though, which is why some great comics/books would be crappy movies and vice-versa.

Regardless, let's assume that I hadn't read the comics. The dialogue and especially the delivery from some of the actors would still be clunky. I rarely get to use that word so often. Clunky clunky clunky. It's fun!

I really want this to become awesome so I'm going to keep watching. I would love to be proven completely and utterly wrong as the series goes on. But I don't quite get the adulation the series is receiving at the moment, especially in an era where cable dramas are so good. Perhaps its just the novelty of having such a gory horror show on tv, and some benefit-of-the-doubt giving on account of the lauded source material and the people behind it. But then again, I'm also still watching.

I think most people have just thought the acting and writing are better than your impression. I haven't had any problem with the acting at all. For me, the comic book was a pretty clunky, but enjoyable.

I want to buy a Dodge Challenger now.

I can't for the life of me figure out why though

I want to buy a moving truck! And rubber gloves.

OK, knowing Atlanta, I'm going to nitpick.

Seems they are camping way out. Probably outside the Perimeter/I285 somewhere.

Why the hell would they be scavenging in downtown? Where there are mostly office buildings and hotels? Seems you should scavenge the suburbs, or maybe areas like Buckhead where there's more retail and residential. You know, places with stuff they might need?

/nitpicking

Continue to like the show.

MannishBoy wrote:

OK, knowing Atlanta, I'm going to nitpick.

Seems they are camping way out. Probably outside the Perimeter/I285 somewhere.

Why the hell would they be scavenging in downtown? Where there are mostly office buildings and hotels? Seems you should scavenge the suburbs, or maybe areas like Buckhead where there's more retail and residential. You know, places with stuff they might need?

/nitpicking

Continue to like the show.

Having higher population densities, the more urban areas would become uninhabitable faster, so there would be more stuff left behind. People would have more time to grab what they need in the suburban areas, plus the waves of people fleeing the urban areas would eat/loot/destroy everything in the outlying areas as they roll
through ahead of the infected.

ruhk wrote:

Having higher population densities, the more urban areas would become uninhabitable faster, so there would be more stuff left behind. People would have more time to grab what they need in the suburban areas, plus the waves of people fleeing the urban areas would eat/loot/destroy everything in the outlying areas as they roll
through ahead of the infected.

They area where they show them is all business. I keep seeing places around the several buildings where my company has offices.

Not a place I would loot, unless I was looking for staplers.

And if your theory held, they'd be better going the opposite direction from Atlanta to loot. Lots of smaller towns and communities radiating out.

MannishBoy wrote:
ruhk wrote:

Having higher population densities, the more urban areas would become uninhabitable faster, so there would be more stuff left behind. People would have more time to grab what they need in the suburban areas, plus the waves of people fleeing the urban areas would eat/loot/destroy everything in the outlying areas as they roll
through ahead of the infected.

They area where they show them is all business. I keep seeing places around the several buildings where my company has offices.

Not a place I would loot, unless I was looking for staplers.

And if your theory held, they'd be better going the opposite direction from Atlanta to loot. Lots of smaller towns and communities radiating out.

They looked to be in a department store so maybe they were looking for clean underwear.

I don't think they've explicitly said it in the show yet, but in the comics the reason why they are squatting outside of town is because emergency services were trying to gather people in the cities when sh*t got out of hand, and the survivors figure that they should stay nearby in case rescue comes.

iaintgotnopants wrote:

They looked to be in a department store so maybe they were looking for clean underwear.

This is a user name disconnect coming from you

Actually, now that I think about it, there is a Macy's on Peachtree a couple of blocks up and over, but that's not where they are

(I'm really just joking around)

MannishBoy wrote:

They area where they show them is all business. I keep seeing places around the several buildings where my company has offices.

Not a place I would loot, unless I was looking for staplers.

How about this: it's easier for AMC to get permits to clear business districts for filming because they shut down on the weekends.

ClockworkHouse wrote:
MannishBoy wrote:

They area where they show them is all business. I keep seeing places around the several buildings where my company has offices.

Not a place I would loot, unless I was looking for staplers.

How about this: it's easier for AMC to get permits to clear business districts for filming because they shut down on the weekends.

Or just CG it like they did I75

I actually kind of remember the book being set in a tower building area like downtown, too. Been awhile since I read it, though.

(You know I'm just kidding, right?)

MannishBoy wrote:

(You know I'm just kidding, right?)

IMAGE(http://imgur.com/isoOI.jpg)

I've started reading the comics and have to say I'm having trouble putting them down. A lot of twists and turns, along with some incredibly bad decisions. Nice to see that the show so far is forging its own identity as well.

ruhk wrote:
MannishBoy wrote:

OK, knowing Atlanta, I'm going to nitpick.

Seems they are camping way out. Probably outside the Perimeter/I285 somewhere.

Why the hell would they be scavenging in downtown? Where there are mostly office buildings and hotels? Seems you should scavenge the suburbs, or maybe areas like Buckhead where there's more retail and residential. You know, places with stuff they might need?

/nitpicking

Continue to like the show.

Having higher population densities, the more urban areas would become uninhabitable faster, so there would be more stuff left behind. People would have more time to grab what they need in the suburban areas, plus the waves of people fleeing the urban areas would eat/loot/destroy everything in the outlying areas as they roll
through ahead of the infected.

IDK. That bothered me as well.

Judging by the line of abandoned cars stuck on the highways out of Atlanta and the condition of the hospital there wasn't a whole heck of a lot of time between the first outbreak and the poo completely hitting the fan. It doesn't seem like there were many people left alive to flee.

Also, it doesn't make sense for them to head into a known hotspot to get supplies. The people back at the base camp tried to warn the Sheriff from going into Atlanta because they knew it was hell on earth and yet somehow, out of every location in the entire Atlanta metro area, it's the best pace for supplies?

I just finished watching the BBC remake of The Survivors and what struck me in that show was they used some brains for scavenging. Sure, they hit the stores like everyone else. But then they decided to track down the distribution warehouse where the stores all their goods from, go there, and take what they needed in relative peace.

The place I'd want to hole up in would be a Wal-Mart regional distribution hub. Off the beaten path and chock full of most of what you'd need to survive.

I never noticed the issue you guys bring up. It makes sense, but Atlanta was hailed as safe haven (CDC), so it drew people there for protection and possibly a cure. Also, once the society started to collapse, smaller towns probably got looted out quickly (less stuff) and traveling seems sketchy with zombies everywhere. Why traverse hundreds of square miles in hostile unprotected country where resources are sparsely distributed, when you can get all you need with one trip to a few square blocks in Atlanta, where alternate routes (sewers, water mains, etc. are available.

It seems to me until the zombie apocalypse actually happens, these are all untestable hypotheses.

How do you know it is less safe to make a short but dangerous trek to Atlanta, then to spend days searching for necessities in the suburbs?

I hope blondie gets killed real fast. I can't stand to watch her try to act. Her first scene where she stuffs a gun in Grimes' face was the most hackneyed thing I've seen the show so far.

heavyfeul wrote:

It seems to me until the zombie apocalypse actually happens, these are all untestable hypotheses. How do you know it is less safe to make a short but dangerous trek to Atlanta, then to spend days searching for necessities in the suburbs?

Honestly I think we all have a better sense of it because our nerd quotient is much higher than the average persons. We play games simulating these events, read the fiction, watch the programing...hell I've even caught myself thinking of were the best place to hold up would be (my school's training ship by the way:)).

I think the creators have to add in a certain level of "stupidity" in order to generate the drama. My little pet peeve, with the show and the comic, is that when people are looking for things they don't just get a freakin' map from a gas station or a yellow pages. Low tech, but effective.

Oh and if you've read the comic series
[spoiler]Keeping zombies in your barn is an epically bad idea.[spoiler]

Oh No broken page!
Edit
Ironic then that my post pushed it to a new page.

Problem Solvers: Always have been, always will be.

DanyBoy wrote:

I hope blondie gets killed real fast. I can't stand to watch her try to act. Her first scene where she stuffs a gun in Grimes' face was the most hackneyed thing I've seen the show so far.

sometimes I feel shows on AMC/HBO/Showtime etc go one step to far proving you can field never seen actors to get the job done when the story/writing is A+. I think one advantage they have in this format though is if the character is minor to the original material you can always just kill them off

Can't really say I'm a huge fan of the zombie genre but honestly in TV format? Sold. Giving this show a long leash to slap my intelligence around because honestly its unique. Nice to turn on the tv and watch something that isn't sports/reality tv/cop drama.

It's going to be a soap opera with Zombies, because they don't have the budget to have gigantic shootouts every week, but i'm interested in good writing and character development, so i'm going to give them a long leash.

Regarding the comics however, I saw someone somewhere saying they got "too depressing and dark."

The Zombie Apocalype. The Zombie Apocalypse. Too depressing and dark.

Unless Kirkman is just unceasingly, unendingly cruel in a new and spectacular way to his characters (since i'd argue that Ceaseless cruelty and the incapability to find peace are hallmarks of the Zombie Apocalypse), i'm going to assume that's a crazy person talking.