The Walking Dead TV Episode 4 Review

The Walking Dead TV Episode 4

Review by Bill Bedlam

Episode 4, "Vatos" is the first episode that Robert Kirkman, creator of The Walking Dead, wrote for the television series, and man did he write a good one!

The episode itself is a major divergence from the original comic continuity, with the inclusion of a Hispanic gang who Rick and his group of survivors run across in their attempt to find Merle and retrieve the bag of guns Rick left behind in the first episode of The Walking Dead. As with the prior changes made to the show from the comic storyline, it didn't feel shoehorned in whatsoever, and although the concept of the "bad guys" who are really misunderstood good guys isn't anything new, its set-up is an important aspect of The Walking Dead's mythos in that you cannot take anybody you encounter for face value.

Also in this episode, we get to see more examples of how living in the zombie apocalypse can just play hell with a person's mental stability. We see Jim digging graves for no other reason than a combination of a bad dream and too much exposure to the sun, which ends up with Shane once again stepping in to take control of the situation. Thankfully for Jim, it ends much better for him than it did for Ed.

For those of you who have been waiting for a full-on zombie attack, wait no more! As the survivors are sitting down for a fresh fish dinner around the campfire, a group of walkers invade leaving carnage in their wake! We see the expected munching of wife-beater Ed and the surprisingly early demise of Amy. Amy's death came as a surprise to me, because it comes much sooner then it did in the comic, but it was great to be surprised yet again by the television series! Her death captures another important aspect of the comic, in which nobody is ever safe. NOBODY!

With only two more episodes left of the inaugural season, I'm dying to see where we will be left with the season finale. I have my guesses on where it could in contrast to the comics, but as we're seeing, anything can happen!

The Walking Dead TV Episode 3 Review

The Walking Dead TV Episode 3

Review by Bill Bedlam

Episode 3 of The Walking Dead, "Tell it to The Frogs", again reaffirms the greatness of the series with another massive increase in viewership! The phenom television series is spreading like a zombie epidemic, picking-up new watchers with every episode, and for those who have been in the know, it isn't a surprise.

Case in point, lets look at episode 3:

As I pointed-out in my review for The Walking Dead episode 2, I mentioned the difference in tone of the first two episodes. Where episode 1 was methodically paced and had chilling feel to it, episode 2 was more face paced and intense. With episode 3, we have yet another tone with an emotional roller coaster of human drama. Watching the reunion of Rick with his wife, Lori and their son, Carl was a perfect example of the compelling drama that drove the comic series for so many years. Where Rick and his family were awash with disbelief and joy, you see Shane being torn apart. Besides the shock of seeing that his partner and best friend Rick has "returned from the dead", he also has to come to grips with the relationship he was having with Lori and Carl coming to a crashing end.

The reunion is short lived as Merle's brother, Daryl (played by Norman Reedus of THE BOONDOCK SAINTS) returns to camp and the news of his brother's fate. Understandingly, Daryl lashes-out, and once Rick and Shane calm him down, Rick decides he must return to the city to not only rescue, Merle, but to retrieve the bag of guns, ammo and his walkie-talkie to contact Morgan and Dwayne who we last saw in episode 1. Merle, being the shiny ray of sunshine that he is, doesn't have many sympathizers at the camp supporting his rescue, but ultimately T-Dog's guilt gets the better of him and he volunteers for the mission. Rick also enlists Glen, since he knows the ins and outs of the city, and is their best bet to help ensure their return.

In episode 3 we also get a glimpse into the day to day life of the survivors in the camp, and how they are coping with life in a world with none of the comforts that they have grown accustomed to. We see the women have been designated for laundry duty while the men hunt, repair their vehicles, and keep watch. During one particular scene of the women down by a nearby lake, the ladies discuss some of the things they miss most, from their washing machines to their vibrators. And hey, who wouldn't miss their sex toys during the zombie apocalypse?

A growing plot thread that is developing is Shane's struggle with the return of Rick, and the fallout of his relationship with Lori and Carl. As mentioned earlier, when Rick returns Shane becomes a conflicted man. You see both the sheer shock and devastation underlying his happiness to see his best friend back from the grave. You almost wonder if he's happy at all? My answer is, "hell no". We see the night after Rick's return, Shane keeping watch... watching, Lori's tent that is. You can see him getting twisted-up inside with the thought of her laying with her husband once again.

Later on, back at the lake where the women are doing laundry, a confrontation between Lori and Shane reveals that Shane lied to Lori about Rick being dead, and she warns him to stay away from her and her family. Here is where the story deviates from the comic. In the comic, Shane never lied to Lori about Rick being dead. It was just assumed by both that he was. I feel that this is something of a slight cop-out for the character of Lori for the series. While it maintains the guilt she feels for being with Shane, it absolves her from taking responsibility for her actions, being able to blame in on Shane's deception. I don't think it will really take away from the story in the long run, but that little change to her character makes her more of a sympathetic character then she is in the comics and may alter some of her more choice moments from the comic.

After this scene, you can see Shane start to come apart even further. An incident breaks out at the aforementioned women at the lake with the one older woman and her abusive husband. Shane intervenes and succumbs to his rage, brutally beating the guy to a pulp. Andrea looks on knowing that something is seriously wrong with Shane, and wonders if this guy is quickly becoming a loose canon.

Have you noticed something about this review yet? If you're thinking, "This guy has hardly mentioned anything about the zombies", then my friend, you are correct. The episode really had only one zombie moment with a walker coming close to the camp, feasting on a deer carcass, and the group dispatching it accordingly. But that's the thing about The Walking Dead. Yes, it is a show about the zombie apocalypse and hordes of walkers looking for fresh meat to feast on, but they're more of a backdrop to the show, giving cause to the survivor's effect, than being the main antagonists. The real story is about the survivors and how they... well... survive. So, like in the comics, some issues deal with the survivors dealing with the zombies and some issues deal with the survivors dealing with each other. And that being done as well as it has been is the reason The Walking Dead is just so damn compelling!

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!

The Walking Dead TV Episode 1 Review

The Walking Dead Episode 1

Review by Bill Bedlam

So, were you one of the 5.3 million people to tuned-in to the premier of The Walking Dead on AMC? If you weren't (and you should hang your head in shame), you missed out on a historical moment in not only in the history of the zombie genre and comic book adaptions, but television as well!

Now you may say thats a bold statement, but I can back it up with ease.

First of all, any doubt of the show being faithful to its source material can be put to rest. From the opening scene of Rick's grisly encounter with a diminutive zombie, to his shoot-out with crazed gunmen, as well as his first venture into the city on horseback is like watching the comic come to life!

Although I knew exactly what was different from the comic, the changes were all very organic and enhanced story elements, rather than trying to "improve" on them like so many other comic adaptions in the past. Obviously, the creative team knows the old saying, "if it's not broken, don't mess with it".

I sit here now trying to figure-out where to start with this review, but it's almost impossible to pick out just one aspect of awesomeness. Do I begin with the gore and violence that go hand and hand with a zombie apocalypse? How about the spot-on characterization of Rick Grimes and Shane? Maybe I could talk about the brilliant tapestry of the world of The Walking Dead that really makes you think the zombie apocalypse could happen? Or how the terror and tension of just about the entire episode never gives you a moment to breathe? I could go on and on about any one of those for quite some time, but what stood-out to me about the episode most was that you are sucked in immediately, not only because it's a great story, but because you actually find yourself caring for these characters. Just like in the comic, Rick and the others are so very human and you easily relate to them. You sympathize with their struggles both physically and emotionally, while fearing for them with the constant threat of the ravenous undead lurking behind every corner!

This a great start for The Walking Dead. Although I try to avoid reading other reviews before I finish mine, the articles I have seen have been nothing but praise from critics and fans alike. This is a true testament to not only the phenomenal talent behind the show, but to the dedicated effort on AMC's part of marketing the hell out of the show before it's premiere.

AMC is streaming episode one on their site now, and it is also available on Hulu, in case you missed it. But really, you should have no excuse other than being in a coma if you did miss it, so get to that streaming video now so you're ready for episode two this Sunday.

To me, we're looking at a historic moment in zombie genre history! There have been plenty of movies, both good and bad over the years, but Kirkman's The Walking Dead weekly television series may be the greatest thing to happens to zombies since George Romero's NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD!

Well, thats it for this week's review. I'll be back next week with another for episode two!