The Walking Dead

Started by modage, July 22, 2010, 09:26:52 AM

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Jeremy Blackman

Quote from: polkablues on November 05, 2012, 02:58:05 AM
The new season is so good, you guys.

It sure is. I think it's reasonable to say the show has achieved its potential. This last episode was at least in the top 3. The last scene was flawless (SPOILERS INCOMING), starting with Maggie's slow walk (and all the complex emotions going on there). I loved Rick's agony. Carl could be one of my favorite characters now (unless they overplay it), because he seriously gave me chills.

The plotting is also great, because Rick's decision to leave that guy to die basically led to his wife dying. He's going to be so jaded. This is some legit character development. And *gasp* it's not done by talking for half the episode!

Neil

I thoroughly enjoyed, "say the word."  I'm glad the show finally got some guts. 

Is the silence in this thread due to lack of viewing?

it's not the wrench, it's the plumber.

socketlevel

the cliffhanger of the last episode is probably one of my favourite devices used in the comic book. I really hope they stretch it out nice and long in the show, and don't just make only for the next episode.
the one last hit that spent you...

ElPandaRoyal

Quote from: socketlevel on November 15, 2012, 04:02:41 PM
the cliffhanger of the last episode is probably one of my favourite devices used in the comic book. I really hope they stretch it out nice and long in the show, and don't just make only for the next episode.

I've never read the comic book, but I'd say if that device was what I think it was, they just did what you didn't want to be done.

Season has been great so far.
Si

Brando

Great half of a season. The annoyances and problems from last season didn't show up. I now feel like maybe the writers over reached last year believing they could do the entire season on the farm. The lack of natural/organic problems from living a sheltered life on the farm led to writers having to force conflict or situations.  This half of the season has been it's best run of episodes since the beginning. Last season I was annoyed by both Laurie and Carl characters but have been converted. I'm enjoying the new bad ass Carl and was I was hit hard by Laurie's death. Last season, I would have said the show would never kill Laurie, Carl or Rick.  I was wrong and glad I was cause this kind of show needs that kind of balls to kill off a character like that and in that way.
If you think this is going to have a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention.

AntiDumbFrogQuestion

Quote from: Brando on December 04, 2012, 03:25:38 PM
Great half of a season. The annoyances and problems from last season didn't show up. I now feel like maybe the writers over reached last year believing they could do the entire season on the farm. The lack of natural/organic problems from living a sheltered life on the farm led to writers having to force conflict or situations.

I totally agree. In my opinion, though, I saw it as a transparent way to save money. Less world outside + people who are rabid over the show simply because it features Zombies (despite uneven quality of episodes) + ratings and people buying it on DVD/related products = bigger budget for Season 3.

I also agree, though, that the writers have learned a bit from the fumbles of their previous seasons. I usually don't like when they wink & nod at the online-discussion niche of the audience...but it was great to see them address the non-romantic relationship between Carol and Daryl (hey! a rhyme!), confront the idea that someone thought Carol was a lesbian because of her short hair, and give T-Dog more than 2 lines of dialouge before he went ka-put.

MacGuffin

THE WALKING DEAD Renewed for Season 4; Showrunner Glen Mazzara Exits the Series Over "Difference of Opinion"
Source: Collider

AMC is getting really good at dicking around the showrunners of their most popular and creatively beloved shows.  The network's frequent headbutting with Mad Men creator/showrunner Matthew Weiner is no secret, and they edged out The Walking Dead creator/showrunner Frank Darabont halfway through the hit zombie series' second season.  Now, in a shocking move on the heels of a season four renewal, current The Walking Dead showrunner Glen Mazzara has announced that he's leaving the show over a "difference of opinion" with the network.

Here's the full announcement from AMC and Mazzara:

Today, AMC announces the season 4 pick-up of The Walking Dead.

AMC also jointly announces with Glen Mazzara today that for future seasons, the two parties have mutually decided to part ways.  Glen guided the series creatively for seasons 2 and 3.  AMC is grateful for his hard work.  We are both proud of our shared success.

Both parties acknowledge that there is a difference of opinion about where the show should go moving forward, and conclude that it is best to part ways.  This decision is amicable and Glen will remain on for post-production on season 3B as showrunner and executive producer.

Frankly, this is surprising news.  Since Mazzara took over the reins of the show from Darabont, the series has seen a crazy increase in viewership and critical acclaim.  Not only is it breaking ratings for cable television, it's regularly beating everything on network TV as well.  Season three is generally considered the best installment of the show thus far, and a large part of that is thanks to Mazzara's involvement as showrunner alongside comics creator/executive producer Robert Kirkman.

I don't know what, specifically, Mazzara and AMC disagreed on, but this is getting ridiculous.  The official statement makes clear that Mazzara isn't moving on out of a disinterest with the show, but over a difference of opinion with the network.  What's next, AMC tells Vince Gilligan to turn Breaking Bad into a buddy comedy in order to extend the series' run past the upcoming final season?

There's no word on who will be stepping in to replace Mazzara as showrunner, but I feel like Kirkman is the guy for the job.  He's been with the series from the beginning and has acted as both an executive producer and writer on the show, so The Walking Dead would most assuredly be in good hands if he stepped in.  Seriously, though, AMC has got to stop messing with their successes.

Here are individual statements from Mazzara, Kirkman, and producer Gale Anne Hurd:

My time as showrunner on The Walking Dead has been an amazing experience, but after I finish season 3, it's time to move on.  I have told the stories I wanted to tell and connected with our fans on a level that I never imagined. It doesn't get much better than that. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this journey. – Glen Mazzara

I am in full support of both AMC and Glen Mazzara in the decision they have come to and believe the parties came to this decision in the best interest of the future of the show. I thank Glen for his hard work and appreciate his many contributions to The Walking Dead and look forward to working with him as we complete post production on Season 3. I am also excited to begin work on another spectacular season of this show that I know means so much to so many people. This show has always been the result of a wide range of extremely talented men and women working tirelessly to produce their best work collectively. I believe the future is bright for The Walking Dead. Thank you to the fans for your continued support. – Robert Kirkman

I am appreciative and grateful to Glen for his hard work on 'The Walking Dead.' I am supportive of AMC and Glen's decision and know that the series is in great hands with one of the most talented and dedicated casts and crews in the business. I look forward to the show's continued success. – Gale Anne Hurd
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


Skeleton FilmWorks

Brando

Quote from: Brando on January 10, 2012, 02:59:41 PM


2011 has been a horrendous year for AMC.  Darabount leaves or is forced out of Walking Dead.  I can't remember why or sure I really understand why he no longer part of the show.  They allow their quintessential series Mad Men to be delayed to the point of having to wait till the next year before the series can begin after having the series be off for a year and half.  Potentially had Breaking Bad not coming back for a final season or possibly having the series move to another network but still not giving them the two seasons they asked for.  Allowing a show like The Killing that had so much potential and promise through the first three episodes to dissolve throughout the season and become just bad.  Finally, the show Hell on wheels is not up to par with the rest of the series on the channel.  I read the pilot script before watching it and not sure why AMC chose to green light the show.  Come on AMC!  You got a great line up.  Get your shit together. 

That was my first ever Xixax post one year ago to the day.  I honestly didn't plan it.  One year later and having to post the same thing again. To go along with the previous post I read about Shawn Ryan (The Shield) asking on twitter why anyone would bring their shows to AMC after they've fired two showrunners on Walking Dead which is the most successful show on cable right now.  I have to agree. He didn't even mention the shit that has gone on with Mad Men and Breaking Bad. Mad Men isn't what is was before the layoff. AMC did it to themselves. I don't know why anyone would bring a show to AMC after this. 
If you think this is going to have a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention.

Jeremy Blackman

Spoilers if you're not caught up...

The season's still going well I guess, but I think they're doing incredible damage to the Andrea character. She is so profoundly stupid and directionless that I have stopped caring about her.

I get that the writers must be trying to turn her slowly, but the slowness reached the point of absurdity several episodes ago. Now it's just comical. She went to the prison and got 100% of the information she needed to make good life choices, but she decided to be dumb and immediately went back to Woodbury to sleep with the governor. What?

Brando

Quote from: Jeremy Blackman on February 27, 2013, 10:12:43 PM
Spoilers if you're not caught up...

The season's still going well I guess, but I think they're doing incredible damage to the Andrea character. She is so profoundly stupid and directionless that I have stopped caring about her.

I get that the writers must be trying to turn her slowly, but the slowness reached the point of absurdity several episodes ago. Now it's just comical. She went to the prison and got 100% of the information she needed to make good life choices, but she decided to be dumb and immediately went back to Woodbury to sleep with the governor. What?

I liked how Andrea didn't choose to stay at the prison. It's honest to her character and against what you would expect from a show. I don't think the group told Andrea anything she didn't know. Michonne seemed to think Andrea was naive to who the Governor really is but I think Andrea knew all along. Last season, Andrea was the only one on Shane's side. As Shane alienated the rest of his group with his actions to "protect" everyone, she agreed with Shane's view of what one has to do to survive in this world.  She even slept with him and wanted to leave with him when Shane said he was going to leave the group. So Andrea being attracted to and choosing a violent nut over the group isn't anything new.

The episode after the group gets back to the prison was annoying. This season has earned credit but if that episode happened last season it would have made me want to give up on the show. The group knows they are going to be attacked by a larger and better armed group and yet Rick is wondering the woods, Glenn goes off, Hershel wonders around on his one leg, people are standing out in the open and they did nothing except put up some wood along the chain link fence. 
If you think this is going to have a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention.

Jeremy Blackman

I guess Andrea is attracted to the alpha males, and I think you're right about her having that "whatever needs to be done" attitude in the past. But I don't think she's been characterized like that AT ALL this season. She's mostly a softie. She wants everyone to get along. For God's sake, she even has concerns about letting the asthmatic kid train in the militia.

When she sees the death match, she's like, "Noooo guys don't do that! That's mean! It's kind of messed up too!" But nothing else happens. She's so impotent. When she calls the governor out on his lies, she's like, "Hey, don't lie to me! That's mean!" He's like "whatever" and nothing changes.

When she learns that the governor tried to hunt down and murder Michonne, and captured/tortured/terrorized Maggie & Glen for absolutely no morally defensible reason, and just assaulted the prison after directly lying to her about it... she is clearly unsettled and knows it's all wrong, but is somehow physically incapable of following through on any of those convictions or even delaying her nonsensical trajectory back into the governor's bed. I'm sorry, but that's not challenging viewer expectations in any valuable way... it's simply dumb.

I doubt anything she eventually does will be sufficiently redemptive. We'll see.

Oh and I loved this bit from the AV Club review:


Standing naked over the Governor with a knife in her hand in the episode's last scene, she ponders her next move, and we try and follow her thoughts: Is she contemplating Carol's bizarre advice? Is she planning a ritual sacrifice to the gods, in the hopes that this might end the zombie menace? Does she think the Governor might need a knife for something? It's probably the first question, but they're all just as meaningless. Choosing to stay with him, to not kill him, doesn't count as a defining moment, because it's simply doing what she's been doing the entire season. Pulling that knife was as random as not stabbing anyone with it. It's an action that exists solely to create tension, and sure, there is automatic suspense in a weapon held over a sleeping person, but it doesn't do anything else, and it certainly doesn't strengthen our sense of who the fuck Andrea is.

diggler

These past episodes feel like plot stalling. I think they jumped the gun confronting the Governor at the mid season finale. Now they've ratcheted up the tension between the two camps and they have to drag their feet until the season finale to give it any kind of closure. The attack on Woodbury mainly amounted to a lot of loud noises and an eye missing, and the return attack on the prison was the same thing (with a dead side character they transparently develop right before his death). Shows with good character drama can shift away from the action and still remain riveting, but this show isn't handling it well. With the seasons cut in half there's all this need to have a "big finale moment" that ends up writing the show into corners. Showing the prison at the end of Season 2, attacking Woodbury, the Sophia reveal, these are meant to be jaw dropping moments, but the stalling it takes to get to them is too infuriating to have them really pay off.
I'm not racist, I'm just slutty

diggler

I'm not racist, I'm just slutty

Jeremy Blackman

Yeah, excellent episode. And that was certainly some long-overdue quality Michonne content.

The "clear" business reminded me of Scientology.

polkablues

I take it as an excellent sign for the future that the writer of this episode is the guy tapped to be show runner for season four, because this is a man who clearly understands what makes the show great, the times that it's great. Everything about this episode was perfect, and the little coda of them backing up, grabbing the pack, and driving off was whatever one step above perfect would be.
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