Fear the Walking Dead

Started by Jeremy Blackman, August 26, 2015, 11:11:26 AM

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Jeremy Blackman

Spoilery trailer:




This is the much-anticipated Walking Dead spinoff whose pilot broke the ratings record for a cable premier.

I have to say, I really enjoyed it. It's almost like this time they managed to assemble a cast of professional actors and a staff of professional writers. The performances are remarkably consistent across the board, and there was no cringe-worthy writing.

I kind of like the characters already. The junkie son is likable (picture an evolved Shia LeBeouf), despite that weird shirt he was wearing in the opening scene. The teenage daughter is somehow sidestepping the angsty teen girl cliches that are nails on a chalkboard for me. Kim Dickens is especially excellent; I can see her holding things together.

I also admire the deliberate pace. This is a very patient show. It works because the actors are actually selling their characters, and the writers seem to be actually interested in telling a story. This could easily surpass The Walking Dead at its best if it stays on this path.

polkablues

I haven't seen this yet, but I wanted to share Kumail Nanjiani's excellent Twitter joke:

My house, my rules, my coffee

Jeremy Blackman

The title is really bad, for sure. "Walking Dead: L.A." would have been better.

I just listened to the Vulture TV Podcast review of this, and they kind of teared it apart because it's "not as good as it could have been." And yes, to be fair, it could definitely under-deliver on its potential. But unlike The Walking Dead, I think it's properly calibrated. Anyone sticking with the show will have been prepared for a slow burn.

"Potential" is what makes this show exciting. Even the story is basically that, a bottle of apocalyptic potential slowly expelling its contents. The premise appeals to me so much that, as long as it continues to avoid being dumb or annoying, I'll probably stay on board.

03

sooo....do we wanna go ahead and talk about the second episode since we have to wait for this sunday for the next one?

Jeremy Blackman

Sure. I enjoyed it. I guess there's not much to say yet... So far it's mostly exciting for its potential.

I liked the protest scene. It was cute to see the kid having a social awakening but in a completely warped context. Could be interesting if that continues to come into play. #zombielivesmatter

Quick note to anyone complaining that they don't say "zombie" in these shows: If they said "zombie" or were aware of that as a thing, they would immediately know all the rules, and it would actually be weirder that a fictional concept is coming to life. (This is presumably not supposed to be a horror comedy.)

That guy attacking the neighbor girl was completely chilling. Good job.

03

well i had to watch the first episode twice before i liked it. your review actually helped me appreciate it, when you referred to it as 'patient', jb.

but yeah the second episode was pretty on point, i like the progression. the violence is vague but effective. ( that dude obviously did not have his exploded when it cut back to him )

and as mentioned, the ending was very disturbing but also connected to me to the show.
once i realized that scene was showing the inevitable transition of just watching horrible shit happen, i definitely became a fan.

Robyn

the third episode was the best one yet.

favorite moments:
-when they where sitting in the car and the lights went out for the very first time.
-the scene when nick said "they are not sick, they are dead". I really like that character and it would be amazing if he will devolop and become the "leader" of the group. maybe it seems unlikely now but I do think that he is showing signs of becoming a good leader. as you guys said, the potential of this show is what makes it exciting.

also, didn't the mom get bitten in one of the first two episodes or am I remember it wrong? it made me think of The last of us and it would be cool if she is like ellie in that game, if she is bitten but doesn't become a zombie. that would be really interesting.


03

dont like either son characters yet.
last episode was pretty amazing.
some genuinely scary moments. it's interesting to see the evolution of what we're already used to, that's the scariest part, when it seems like things are still kind of normal.

Jeremy Blackman

Last week was very good, but this week was kind of brilliant. (SPOILERS) I love the way they're letting the military occupation unfold as it probably would, with incremental overreach.

It's still just barely at the point where you can understand both sides. For example, it's an obvious infringement of rights to take Nick against his will. However, he is a legitimate danger to the community, stealing medicine right out from under people (literally). He might also overdose and zombify inside the community. The military is obviously looking for those who are at risk of dying. Which is why they're also on the lookout for suicidal people like the overwhelmed dad.

The last scene blew me away. Good job, FTWD. That moment and the fact that military is separating families does push things over the line.

I wonder how things will eventually break down. Since the civilians are not armed, we can probably rule out an armed insurrection. It's got to be a zombie threat that leads to violence inside the safe zone and an opening in the fence. People will flee in their cars amid the chaos (the no driving rule was mentioned this week), escaping both the immediate threat and the problematic military.

03

spoilers ep05:



well that was a bunch of confusing bullshit
i didnt even know what was going on half the time. the arrival of the weird idris elba clone was confusing and the payoff slash explanation was bullshit. he's just some random dude that wants to get out or something? why the fuck should we even care?

this show is pretty great at some points but i'm getting the same feeling as when i tried to give homeland a chance. there are some moments that really pull you in, but for the most its bullshit,,,, and its cool to see the background of a show we all love, but dude, wtf is going for the other part.

we've got the dude from cant hardly wait or the 70s show or whoever the fuck that asshole is getting tortured for no discernible reason, and on top of that his torture is super vague and confusing as well, is he cutting his leg up or something?

we just see bloody tools but no actual shit going down but we can see a dude get a shotgun blast to the face twice?
i still have faith in this show but jesus christ all of this military bullshit is incredibly boring nonsense. the explanation of the original title 'cobalt' was the only redeeming factor.

diggler

I actually quite enjoyed the salesman guy. I'll keep tuning in for the buddy cop movie with salesman guy and heroin boy. Hispanic torture dad can join in. Everyone else can fuck right off.
I'm not racist, I'm just slutty

Jeremy Blackman

Finale was okay.

SPOILERS

I'm usually not one to nitpick, but 3 things got to me:

- In the middle of their escape, Ofelia, for a moment, demands to see her mom's body. Are you serious? Is the character meant to be that dumb? The actress didn't even commit to the line, because of how transparently stupid this idea is. Feels like they were trying to develop some honor in her character and dropped the ball.

- After Ofelia is shot, it cuts to commercial and we don't see the extent of her injury until like 2-3 minutes later. It comes back from commercial with their truck ride, easygoing music included. You could see her leaning against her dad, but I had no clue even which part of her body had been hit. We didn't get the full reveal until she was on the couch.

- It strikes me that Liza would have said goodbye to her son in some way. I wouldn't expect her to say explicitly what was going to go down, but even that would have been less painful and shocking than what happened, right?


Jeremy Blackman

Quote from: Jeremy Blackman on August 26, 2015, 04:43:48 PMThis could easily surpass The Walking Dead at its best . . . As long as it continues to avoid being dumb or annoying, I'll probably stay on board.


03

the new full trailer just dropped and i would avoid it.
it seems basically like the first half of the season mashed up.