The Walking Dead season 1 - March 8. Special Edition Oct 4

[SleeperAgent]

Originally Posted by Ray O. Blu

I didn't post my opinion about the first episode in an attempt to be radically opposed to the positive consensus that is clearly prevalent throughout this thread. I merely stated my opinion of what I observed in just a single episode. Like I said, I will watch it again, post my findings under spoiler tags, and see what people think.

Considering you said you only watched one episode what you perceived as plot holes may just be thing that haven't been explained yet.

If you only watched the pilot of something like Lost you would see a lot of plot holes too.

[Rob71]

Originally Posted by Valkyr47

very dissapointed so far

SPOILERS

Episode 1 was fantastic, i loved the shots of him wandering outside and seeing the desolate town and bodies strewn everwhere

but within only 5 episodes he already managed to find his wife and kid, a whole other band of survivors ,and trek to the CDC to find a cure

basically they are just moving too fast. they should have spent more time on him discovering the extent to which the destruction has spread, some survival on his own, etc etc

maybe thats just me though

oh and the episode Vatos was real bad. the whole latino street gang protecting elderly home was just laughable and so out of place, and what was the point in developing that when its likely we will NEVER see them again

When Daryl

[Show spoiler]shot the Vatos in the butt cheek with his crossbow, I kept expecting him to turn into a zombie(he does re-use his bolts after all). Maybe he sterilizes them.

Also liked when

[Show spoiler]he threw Merle's hand in their prisoners lap and said his foot was next.

[Valkyr47]

I like how in the beggining there are 3 other cops there along with the main character. and somehow those 3 guys arent paying enough attention to notice the 3rd criminal crawling out of the car before he has time to shoot the main character. that REALLY annoyed me

Also, what are the odds that this guy would HAPPEN to bump into a group of survivors in a city the size of atlanta (WTF) and they just HAPPEN to have a base outside the city that has his wife and kid

again, i dont care if this is based on a graphic novel, no past experience with the walking dead IP should be necessary to begin watching or enjoying the show. They are moving too fast. There should have been several episodes of just him surviving and searching and then eventually found his wife and kid. it seems so ridiculous he finds her by episode 3 when in the show he had no idea where they were too start

to me that would have made a great climax for season 1 or season 2 finale... end the show with him stepping out of the van and meeting his family or something, or hearing their voices on the radio

its just like, theyve already gotten back together, already went to the CDC (which is now destroyed in horrible CGI fashion) what carrot is left to dangle over the viewers heads now? curing the disease? who cares. To that guy having his wife and kid back is all he cared about in the first place

just my 2 cents

not a bad show, but nowhere near the hype level i had been hearing when i picked up this blu-ray

[Valkyr47]

The last episode ts-19 or whatever, felt like something out of LOST

i mean up to that point most of the stuff felt semi-realistic minus the zombies, i mean the setting and situations the characters were in

then the CDC happened

unless your telling me that the real CDC actually has a computer that speaks to you over the intercom and can understand commands

in that case, LOL @ you

[Rob71]

Originally Posted by Valkyr47

The last episode ts-19 or whatever, felt like something out of LOST

i mean up to that point most of the stuff felt semi-realistic minus the zombies, i mean the setting and situations the characters were in

then the CDC happened

unless your telling me that the real CDC actually has a computer that speaks to you over the intercom and can understand commands

in that case, LOL @ you

My home PC($400) responds to voice commands.

[Blu-ray Fanatic]

I finally got to watch the first two episodes last night and was pretty impressed. It looks more like a movie than a show. I was never bored at any time because there was always something going on. I'm gonna finish the season sometime this week. Stay tuned for season 2.

[Ray O. Blu]

Originally Posted by SleeperAgent

Considering you said you only watched one episode what you perceived as plot holes may just be thing that haven't been explained yet.

If you only watched the pilot of something like Lost you would see a lot of plot holes too.

You're right. Point taken. Maybe using the term "plot holes" was an error in judgement on my behalf. I have more of a problem with instances similar to what Valkyr47 referred to with the breach of protocol the police exhibited. I just found too many of these types of writing errors consistently occurring that I couldn't enjoy the show. To list them all would be futile and unproductive.
I don't intend to pollute the thread with any more of my contradictory observations, so I will leave it in the hands of those that enjoy the show to share their experiences and joy.

[Blu-ray Fanatic]

Originally Posted by Ray O. Blu

You're right. Point taken. Maybe using the term "plot holes" was an error in judgement on my behalf. I have more of a problem with instances similar to what Valkyr47 referred to with the breach of protocol the police exhibited. I just found too many of these types of writing errors consistently occurring that I couldn't enjoy the show. To list them all would be futile and unproductive.
I don't intend to pollute the thread with any more of my contradictory observations, so I will leave it in the hands of those that enjoy the show to share their experiences and joy.

Maybe your knowledge of the film industry can ruin the experience of watching movies.

[DuncanChrist]

Watched it yesterday in a marathon... I was really surprised at how much better the PQ is. I originally watched it on AMC HD but I remember a TON of grain on the TV broadcast. Episode 5 in particular was really nice on the bluray.

[ArmyOfDarknessAW]

Originally Posted by Valkyr47

I like how in the beggining there are 3 other cops there along with the main character. and somehow those 3 guys arent paying enough attention to notice the 3rd criminal crawling out of the car before he has time to shoot the main character. that REALLY annoyed me

Also, what are the odds that this guy would HAPPEN to bump into a group of survivors in a city the size of atlanta (WTF) and they just HAPPEN to have a base outside the city that has his wife and kid

again, i dont care if this is based on a graphic novel, no past experience with the walking dead IP should be necessary to begin watching or enjoying the show. They are moving too fast. There should have been several episodes of just him surviving and searching and then eventually found his wife and kid. it seems so ridiculous he finds her by episode 3 when in the show he had no idea where they were too start

to me that would have made a great climax for season 1 or season 2 finale... end the show with him stepping out of the van and meeting his family or something, or hearing their voices on the radio

its just like, theyve already gotten back together, already went to the CDC (which is now destroyed in horrible CGI fashion) what carrot is left to dangle over the viewers heads now? curing the disease? who cares. To that guy having his wife and kid back is all he cared about in the first place

just my 2 cents

not a bad show, but nowhere near the hype level i had been hearing when i picked up this blu-ray

I'm not sure if you know this but the first season was made to be self contained incase it was not picked up for a second season. That may explain a bit why it seems like they went at a fast pace. Had he just been surviving for 4 episodes or so I don't think it would no be quite as good as a stand alone show had it been cancelled. Now that they know the show is a hit season two may be a slower pace.

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

[redonkalous]

Sup guys. Finally got some money to get it but I was wondering. When do you think the price of this will come down next? When season 2 is playing on tv or what? Or most likely it'll be under $22 by the holidays? Man, that's too long of a wait.

[robertc88]

Originally Posted by Scorch

As I mentioned in my other post, everything that happened in Season 1 happened in the first 8 or 9 issues of the comic. The comic is currently somewhere between issues 80-90. If you'd read the comics, you would know that this is barely the beginning.

What's up with that?

I found the hardcovered book 1 today at B&N. I started reading it and first two TV episodes were much more in depth and stuff was missing in the first 20 pages of that book (which was only as far as I could go or I would have been ahead of what I watched of the TV series in those first two episodes which was 90 minutes in total). And the book was more pictures than anything else in those first 20 pages.

Where's all the beef in that book?

[zwoodz]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobb_En...ng_Arts_Centre

look familiar? I live right next to this, so them pretending that this was the CDC really took me away from the show.

[Snicket]

For me I hate it when shows take forever to drag out plot points, like Lost, one of the most overrated shows in the history of television (IMO). AMC doesn't drag you along for several seasons constantly giving you teases of a plot point that was introduced in the first episode and then never heard from again. The Walking Dead and Breaking Bad never play on the hype BS train. And those shows are infinitely more creative than anything else on TV.

[Snake2013]

Originally Posted by redonkalous

Sup guys. Finally got some money to get it but I was wondering. When do you think the price of this will come down next? When season 2 is playing on tv or what? Or most likely it'll be under $22 by the holidays? Man, that's too long of a wait.

The price is likely as low as it will be right now. Even then, the $22.99 is amazon's price which is well below what you would pay at Best Buy or another retailer. If anything, the price will likely go back up after its new release marketing blitz, so I would get it to lock in the current price as it will jump back up to $30 or so.

[Snake2013]

Originally Posted by Valkyr47

I like how in the beggining there are 3 other cops there along with the main character. and somehow those 3 guys arent paying enough attention to notice the 3rd criminal crawling out of the car before he has time to shoot the main character. that REALLY annoyed me

Also, what are the odds that this guy would HAPPEN to bump into a group of survivors in a city the size of atlanta (WTF) and they just HAPPEN to have a base outside the city that has his wife and kid

again, i dont care if this is based on a graphic novel, no past experience with the walking dead IP should be necessary to begin watching or enjoying the show. They are moving too fast. There should have been several episodes of just him surviving and searching and then eventually found his wife and kid. it seems so ridiculous he finds her by episode 3 when in the show he had no idea where they were too start

to me that would have made a great climax for season 1 or season 2 finale... end the show with him stepping out of the van and meeting his family or something, or hearing their voices on the radio

its just like, theyve already gotten back together, already went to the CDC (which is now destroyed in horrible CGI fashion) what carrot is left to dangle over the viewers heads now? curing the disease? who cares. To that guy having his wife and kid back is all he cared about in the first place

just my 2 cents

not a bad show, but nowhere near the hype level i had been hearing when i picked up this blu-ray

I get what you're saying. I would note this is a TV show and things are apt to move a lot faster. Also, I agree with another post which indicated that producers were not certain of the show's future so they got the greenlight on 6 episodes off the back, so they knew they had the space of at least 6 episodes to tell a story (most shows get approved for only two at a time). I think its blockbuster status came as a surprise to everyone involved given it is a genre show with graphic violence, but thankfully people have responded and are loving it.

I can understand the criticisms, but I would note things like finding survivors in Atlanta would not be that hard so early into the event and I do find it believeable he found his family as they made a point of camping on the main route into the city, which makes dramatic sense as they wanted to meet up with other survivors. I am actually glad they did not protract Grimes finding his family, as it gives more time for the simmering conflicts such as his wife's affair with Shane or the fact Shane left him in the hospital. I liked the focus on the larger group and the relationships which is what the show is really about.

I think it comes down to whether you are a plot person or a story person. Plot people are pre-occupied with the mechanics of the story...what happens in what order, is it logical?, is the timeline correct?, whereas story people are more focused on the emotions of the story and dramatic logic. This show is a story not a plot. Plot-based thrillers have to hit certain pieces like those to a puzzle to make sense (like the movie "Inception") this is a story based on a premise and the writers are letting the story flow more naturally rather than propelling each highlight to the next to reach a specific end. "The Walking Dead" is not pre-ccupied with where it needs to go, but it is letting the story and the characters guide the events, which I like a lot more. It feels more organic and it is a more emotional story. The mechanics are less significant, or rather, to be enjoyed they need to be less significant. Like the criticism about the discovery of the seeming gang-bangers running the nursing home. It's not crucial to the plot nor does it propel the events, but it's not the point. The point is to show us the world these characters are occupying...it completely turned on our expectations to find out he really wasn't a gang banger but he was the custodian at the nursing facility who decided to stay after the staff fled, and he emerged as the leader trying to protect the people stranded there. I found this incredibly powerful and it shows us that unlikely people emerge as heroes in these situations. That is what "The Walking Dead" is really about.

I actually have found the events pretty plausible thus far, although I need help with one thing *spoiler alert* when the group runs out of the nursing home they realize the truck is missing and they speculate that Merle took it and one of the characters notes "he's gonna bring some vengeance back to camp." Of course they go back to camp (on foot) and find walkers are attacking. What about Merle? Did I miss any further explanation about this? I am going to rewatch the episode tonight, but I was curious if anyone knows. I actually wondered if Merle rounded up some walkers in the truck and then let them loose on them...he's sure crazy enough. Maybe this will be discussed next season.

I would note for people not to be so rough on people who may not love the show...it's not everyone's cup of tea, but frankly it makes for more interesting discussion for someone to offer some criticism, so thank you for posting, Valkyr, I hope you will offer a bit more to the discussion...

[Daaark]

Originally Posted by robertc88

What's up with that?

I found the hardcovered book 1 today at B&N. I started reading it and first two TV episodes were much more in depth and stuff was missing in the first 20 pages of that book (which was only as far as I could go or I would have been ahead of what I watched of the TV series in those first two episodes which was 90 minutes in total). And the book was more pictures than anything else in those first 20 pages.

Where's all the beef in that book?

Robert Kirkman has given his blessing for the show to detour whenever they want, or to add more depth where they want to. A comic book is limited to the amount of depth and story it can have if it wants to move along at a fast pace.

As for the CDC building, it's the same up here when Toronto stands in for other random cities, and there are local businesses or landmarks in every other shot. It's amazing how the CN tower exists in every major american city.

[MaCruz]

I just finished the entire Season yesterday.

[Show spoiler]Now..... I want more!

[HDMe]

Originally Posted by Valkyr47

I like how in the beggining there are 3 other cops there along with the main character. and somehow those 3 guys arent paying enough attention to notice the 3rd criminal crawling out of the car before he has time to shoot the main character. that REALLY annoyed me

Nobody said that they were all competent deputies... In fact, Rick made a point of telling that one deputy to make sure he had bullets in his gun, the safety off, and one round in the chamber. I'm thinking that you wouldn't have to tell a competent deputy that!

So... one could infer that Rick, and perhaps Shane, might have been the most competent deputies there... and the others were a combination of rookie and less quality officers.

Also... we saw that 3rd guy because we were watching the car since the camera was pointing that way... I think maybe a better criticism would be to ask why they weren't already aware that the car they had been chasing had 3 people in it. Where was that car coming from that they knew to chase it? I think that stuck in my mind more... that they didn't seem to have advance knowledge that they were chasing 3 guys..

Originally Posted by Valkyr47

Also, what are the odds that this guy would HAPPEN to bump into a group of survivors in a city the size of atlanta (WTF) and they just HAPPEN to have a base outside the city that has his wife and kid

The easy out here is... it's a matter of perspective.

The odds of winning the lottery are several million to one in most cases... but people do win the lottery... so in a movie about a guy who wins the lottery, you wouldn't say "the odds of winning the lottery are not good, so how likely is it that in the movie there were several people who knew that guy?"

Another matter of perspective... Rick didn't bump into the group in Atlanta... He rode into the city on a horse, started making noise when he saw the helicopter... and then the group (who had a lookout on one of the tallest buildings) saw him and contacted him.

So... it wasn't so much Rick finding the group... as he wandered into a city where there was a group... and they couldn't help but see him from their vantage point.

Note that the Vatos episode had an entirely different group of survivors that everyone was oblivious of previously... so that interjected the realism that survivors might not find each other even in close proximity.

I grant you, though, that it does seem unlikely that Rick wakes from a coma... and the first group of people he finds happens to be with his wife and son. That does stretch the odds a bit... then again, if I apply perspective...

Everyone was headed towards Atlanta because they had been told it was safe... so any survivors from the same area as Rick would likely have taken roughly the same path to get there...

Had he found them on the hill in the rural area outside Atlanta, then that would have been more unrealistic... but assuming that group survived and made camp outside Atlanta... and then sent some people into Atlanta for supplies... then that group (using the earlier logic) sees Rick from their high-vantage point on the tall building... it's more that the group that was the only group of survivors from that area found him, than the other way around.

It's more likely in some ways that they find each other... than that they wouldn't. The stretch in logic is that his wife and son survived at all... having accomplished that, and being with a deputy who likely had the same training as Rick... they would then follow Shane on a similar course that Rick would take... and eventually meet up.

Originally Posted by Valkyr47

again, i dont care if this is based on a graphic novel, no past experience with the walking dead IP should be necessary to begin watching or enjoying the show. They are moving too fast.

It is difficult to say what is "too fast" when you don't know the larger story arc in play.

I haven't read the comics either... but those who have say that this season involves concepts from the first 10 issues or less of the comic that has now ran nearly 100 issues... and the comic is still being written and heading towards that milestone.

At that rate... we could be talking 50+ episodes of the Walking Dead to adapt those 100 issues (by that time) of story... which would mean at least 3 more seasons of the expanded 13-episode format we will see from Season 2.

I suspect that stretching out the finding of his family more... would just make people lose interest.

I gather the comic is more a larger story of people coming in and people dying (or leaving)... so it is a revolving cast that will wander all over the place.

So I really don't have a problem with the pacing at the moment. Most shows drag stuff out far too long, while we sit waiting for them to get past some milestone.

[Jim Purcell]

Concerning Rick 'Finding his Family'

[Show spoiler]that isn't really the thrust of the series. Rick being separated from his family is merely a tool used to build Shane's relationship with Lori and Rick. Not to mention give Rick a chance to be the character experiencing this new world of horror all alone for a little while. Its a story building device, yes, but its set up for what the series is actually about.

(EDIT: And, to be fair, he doesn't actually reconnect with his family until the beginning of Episode 3. So... its not instant or anything)

The thrust of the series is about how people deal with other people in crisis.