The Walking Dead TV Episode 2 Review

Review by Bill Bedlam

If episode two (Guts) of The walking Dead has proven anything to us, it's that:

A. Alot of zombie mayhem and compelling story can be accomplished in just an hour.

B. With another high rating of viewership for the second episode, AMC gave the green light for a second season, which means The walking Dead is here to stay!

With episode two, we begin to see some real departure in the storyline from the comic. As in the comic, Rick is helped by Glen but in the show he meets-up with a group of survivors trapped in the city. Among the group of survivors is Andrea, who is somewhat older than her comic counterpart, T-Dog, and Merle, played by Michael Rooker. After an encounter between Rick and Merle to establish who is running the show, the group puts a plan together to escape the zombie horde who are quickly working their way into the building.

For me, this was the real test of how I would feel about the changes made to the story. In episode one, elements seemed to only be tweaked to flesh-out more aspects of the world of The walking Dead, where in episode two, events playing-out and the inclusion of new non-comic characters were much different than the comic. Again, everything felt very organic and made sense for the show. Each new aspect which venture off the path set in the comics didn't take away from the story at all. I can't see any fans of the comic taking issue with the changes, because it doesn't hurt the story, nor change the characters whatsoever. The inclusion of the many new survivors delights me to no end, not because I'm eager to learn their backstory or get to know them, but I know their inclusion is pretty much going to allow for some awesome zombie chomping!

One aspect I found interesting about the pacing of the second episode is how it was drastically different from the first. Where the first was chillingly tense and almost methodical in laying-out the story, the second was fast-paced and heartpounding! In the comic book, each issue can be completely different in tone with story elements ranging from the survivors dealing with each other and their relationships, adjusting to the the world they live in now, to full-on zombie mayhem! I feel if that pace is maintained in the show, it will give The walking Dead that uncertain uneasiness and keep viewers on their toes throughout the series.

We also get to see some more characterization of Rick, having him start pulling the group together, which foreshadows the man he becomes in the comic. As far as the rest of the comic originated characters, such as Glen, Andrea, Amy, Lori, Shane, and Dale, we get some more glimpse into the type of people they are, which will be more fleshed-out as we go on.

Finally, lets talk about the zombies. I've noticed that the ones that exist in the world of The walking Dead are different from each other based on their state of decay. Some of the fresher ones move and function alot better than their more rotten compatriots. First and foremost, non of them are quite "runner zombies" as we've seen in the DAWN OF THE DEAD remake, or the gun-toting and almost human reasoning as we've seen in LAND OF THE DEAD, but these zombies have basic tool and problem-solving skills on par with a chimp. They seem to be able to "remember" aspects of their past lives, such as how to turn a doorknob and climb a ladder, as well as know that a rock will help break a window all of which is all fine by me. I think that gives them the element of danger where the survivors will learn that simply hiding and waiting is not going to be an option for long once the zombies find them.

All in all, I'm really digging the show. With episode two, The walking Dead is still on the right track and has me glued to the TV from start to finish. As we go into episode 3, I'm interested in the reunion between Rick, Lori, Carl, and, Shane. From what we've seen of the relationship which Lori and Shane have been developing in Rick's absence, it should be bittersweet and lead to some serious tension among the survivors!