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The Walking Dead

white43

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Anyone watching this Frank Darabont adapted version of the comic book series?

Just two episodes in and it's damn good. Breaking all kinds of cable ratings and has already been renewed for a second season after two episodes!
 

Q2

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I haven't had a chance to watch the second episode yet but I loved the first one. I love how much is being focused on the human drama as opposed to just the zombies and survival. Hopefully they will be able to continue in this fashion and not be a let down like a certain vampire show on HBO.
 

white43

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Definitely more of the same thing for Ep2. It was one of these episodes where before you know it, it's the end of the episode. Unlike a certain 'The Event', which is dragging more ass than the 2nd season of Heroes.

I like True Blood as well......:p
 

Q2

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white43 said:
Definitely more of the same thing for Ep2. It was one of these episodes where before you know it, it's the end of the episode. Unlike a certain 'The Event', which is dragging more ass than the 2nd season of Heroes.

I like True Blood as well......:p

You think The Event is worse than the second season of Heroes? In my mind there is no comparison. Heroes is a prime example of what not to do with a show, especially everything from season two one. And True Blood has been going downhill ever since the second season. This season was barely watchable.
 

zeppelinrox

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I was going to make a thread about this last week.
I haven't seen episode 2 yet, but episode 1 was fantastic.

Did anybody else feel sorry for the zombie with no legs even though we knew nothing about its past?
 

white43

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thunderclap said:
You think The Event is worse than the second season of Heroes? In my mind there is no comparison. Heroes is a prime example of what not to do with a show, especially everything from season two one. And True Blood has been going downhill ever since the second season. This season was barely watchable.

Yes. The Event has become so, so dull. It dragged, it's going nowhere. Hopefully it will be cancelled ala Flashforward and Persons Unknown which were way better IMPO. I have no issue with True Blood, still enjoying it very much.
 

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As a reader of Walking Dead, I'm very unhappy with the tv show. It draaaaags! Two episodes in and we're still not even through issue #2. They're adding lots of stuff which mostly is just padding. Michael Rooker's character? Snore. Everything about him was predictable to the last second. Not saying the comic isn't a little predictable, but wouldn't an adaptation be leaner rather than fatter?
Example: first episode, shooting the zombie in the park. In the comic, he just stops the car and shoots it by the roadside. Bam, done. In the tv show, he drives by the park, thinks for a while "hmm, that zombie must have gone that way", then he walks through the park, tralalaa nice weather, he's walking, he's walking, he sees the zombie, ah there it is, he walks up to it, hello little zombie, how are you, nice weather, picks up the gun, thinks about it for TWO FREAKING HOURS and then shoots.
The whole show is like this, dragged out. New and unnecessary scenes with needless exposition to write you on the nose. His wife is now with another guy! Do you realize this? Let us show you it some more! And again! While in the comic this is only hinted at for several issues until it's revealed and dropped like a bomb.
And don't get me started on them calling the zombies "walkies". Ugh.
The walking dead is more like The slowmotion car accident. I can't help watching but it's crap.
Great effects though.
 

white43

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Cactus - I spoke with a friend who has been reading The Walking Dead from the start. He is a fan of the new TV adaptation. He is of the opinion that the earlier writing wasn't the best and he also says, which I agree with, that character development is different for TV.

What I like about the TV series is that we're taking our time to understand the characters, that this is character driven, not plot driven, that it is far more about the characters than the scenario. It's very easy to convey various emotions and thoughts in a few easy animations - which is not the same as on the screen. For me, if the Sheriff had simply gone to the park and blown the woman away from his car - it would simply have been rather meaningless. Now, we're seeing him think about it, sympathise about it, it shows depth and character development.

Darabont only had 6 episodes to portray this story and could simply not have followed the comic scene by scene, plot by plot. It would have been completely lacking in depth. I fully expected him to move away from the source material and use it where necessary. The ultimate goal is to be within the spirit of the source material - now bearing in mind that the comic has been running 6 years, you have to start somewhere and present well, pull us in. The rules that apply to a comic are not the same as a TV series. I'll accept a guy passing a park and blowing someones head off in a comic, but in TV, it makes no sense. The most interesting TV series are those that give us good character development and depth to characters.

Aside all that, it's the best thing on TV.
 

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Well, I accept what you say about the difference in mediums, but it still doesn't change the fact that for me there has been a lot of bloating in the form of unnecessary character development and overly in your face exposition. It's simply fat, and it's insulting the viewers.
I understand they feel the need to rewrite the original story, but I think they're don't have to and they're doing it wrong. The six years of comics (78 issues at this point I think) will make for very tedious TV unless they make it a lot leaner. My opinion is that it was rather better read in the earlier issues before it all starts falling into the usual "characters thrown together" thing. Episode two's character group was taken straight out of the text book (and not the comic) with the bad guy, the angry girl, the hero, the kid, bla bla bla.
The changes to the tv show are weak, unimaginative and worst of all unnecessary additions to already well plotted source material. I don't really think anyone turns on a zombie tv show to see character drama with depth and development, but rather tense thrills. It's there in the book, and watching the guy walk through a park for five years contemplating to shoot a zombie just makes me think of what to cook for dinner rather than feel for his situation. The later demise of central characters will most certainly still be emotional to the viewer without these boring bits.
 

Remixed by Jorge

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I think the tv show and the comic should soon part company. I have been reading the comic for a while now and find it in a bit of a slump. especially during a certain winter/prison part.

But if we follow the LOST example and run this tv show for 6 seasons, where do you guys see the first season ending?
 

elbarto1

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I need to check this show out. saw it briefly on a tv at a bar in austin last weekend and i was like "wtf is this? a zombie movie i havent seen?!" looked pretty good. And the world can never have enough zombie apocalypse movies/shows/etc

And oh yeah - dead set finally aired (that I know of) in the US a week or 2 ago on AMC or Bravo channel.

also i will comment briefly on a few OT points:

True blood season 1 - awesome
True blood season 2 - laaaaaaaame OMG so lame. Lafayette was the only reason to tune in.... Ok, ok... and sookies ta-ta's
True blood season 3 - somewhere in between. Russell kept me entertained.... and more ta-ta's

Heroes season 1 - rad
Heroes season 2 - bad
Heroes season 3 - I gave up

The Event - I lost interest after the 3rd episode

Rewatching BSG and thats just perfect entertainment even in re-run form

Hooked on 'Weeds' as well. What a good show.
 

white43

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Going slightly OT now - Elbarto- BSG was the best thing ever on TV. Caprica doesn't come close and has been cancelled. But I am very pleased to see this.

Anyway. Other thoughts on The Walking Dead. Jorge - I don't know where it's headed, I don't read the comic - although my friend claims that he thinks he knows where this is going and it baaaaaaad.
 

elbarto1

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white43 said:
Going slightly OT now - Elbarto- BSG was the best thing ever on TV. Caprica doesn't come close and has been cancelled. But I am very pleased to see this.

Oh HELL yeah! :rockon::rockon::rockon::rockon:
 

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Cactus said:
Well, I accept what you say about the difference in mediums, but it still doesn't change the fact that for me there has been a lot of bloating in the form of unnecessary character development and overly in your face exposition. It's simply fat, and it's insulting the viewers.

Maybe you think it's "fat" and "insulting the viewers" because you've been reading the comic and have all this character development in your head going into the show? Some of us never heard of the comic until now so we're watching it as a TV series, not as a comic adapted to TV.
 

zeppelinrox

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I've watched all 3 episodes now and it's keeping me interested that's for sure.
I'm really liking it.

I think it has a pretty good pace and if anything, thought to myself, thank god it didnt take all year
for a reunion.
Did anybody else notice that there are about 4 actors that were in The Mist?
 

white43

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Did anybody else notice that there are about 4 actors that were in The Mist?

I recognised a couple - it's Darabont's mates.....one of them was in The Green Mile as well????
 

Uncanny Antman

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I love the comic, and am greatly enjoying the show. I can only hope that it goes on and on just like the comic. Especially if it starts to diverge from the comic more and more. I like the idea of exploring different things on TV and in the comic.
 

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Well, it's already been approved for a second season and the first set of eps hasn't even finished airing yet. Hopefully that's a good thing and not just some suit jumping the gun banking on the show's early success.
 

mnkykungfu

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white43 said:
Cactus - I spoke with a friend who has been reading The Walking Dead from the start. He is a fan of the new TV adaptation. He is of the opinion that the earlier writing wasn't the best and he also says, which I agree with, that character development is different for TV.

What I like about the TV series is that we're taking our time to understand the characters, that this is character driven, not plot driven, that it is far more about the characters than the scenario. It's very easy to convey various emotions and thoughts in a few easy animations - which is not the same as on the screen. For me, if the Sheriff had simply gone to the park and blown the woman away from his car - it would simply have been rather meaningless. Now, we're seeing him think about it, sympathise about it, it shows depth and character development.

Darabont only had 6 episodes to portray this story and could simply not have followed the comic scene by scene, plot by plot. It would have been completely lacking in depth. I fully expected him to move away from the source material and use it where necessary. The ultimate goal is to be within the spirit of the source material - now bearing in mind that the comic has been running 6 years, you have to start somewhere and present well, pull us in. The rules that apply to a comic are not the same as a TV series. I'll accept a guy passing a park and blowing someones head off in a comic, but in TV, it makes no sense. The most interesting TV series are those that give us good character development and depth to characters.

Aside all that, it's the best thing on TV.

I think the comic was mis-characterized in that earlier comment.  The comic is very much about exploring the characters and taking moments.  The difference is that if someone is an impatient reader, they can look at 2 pages that have 8 panels each of walking, and instead of studying the panels, they can blow by and turn the page.  "Yeah, yeah, walking...get to the 'good stuff'!"  Comics are a great medium for those with short attention spans, since the reader is the director, in a way.

In a TV show, you are forced to sit through the director giving a few seconds to each of those panels of walking.  You're forced to feel the weight of that walk.  For people who just want zombie action, they might be able to fool themselves into thinking The Walking Dead comic is for them, and it has "slumps" and "good parts".  (It's not for them.)

The comic is and has always been about the humans.  THEY are the Walking Dead, not the walkers.  It is about how horrible mankind can be, and about trying to find hope and meaning in that.  The zombies are incidental.  It's a character drama.  So for anyone griping about "nothing happening" or it being boring...sorry, it's just not the kind of story you're looking for.

The TV show eventually mis-stepped when it tried to pander to these kind of fans.  Trying to advertise big character deaths and exciting fights led to some of the worst writing of the show, and audiences saw right through that crass manipulation.  Almost every point where the show has diverged from the comic was to its detriment.  You don't deviate much from an Eisner-award-winning story.
 
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