WattMag: Spooky November Issue

The Walking Dead

Topic: The Walking Dead

Written by: WckdWzrd

“Blood is really warm,
it's like drinking hot chocolate
but with more screaming.” 

― Ryan Mecum, Zombie Haiku: Good Poetry for Your...Brains

 

Admit it or not, we all love some gory action and whatnots. All the blood and lose flesh and the screaming...

Or maybe that’s just me.

Either way, I know for a fact that people love good shows built with the right amount of suspense, action, and of course (ugh), drama. And for some who like a bit of spine-tingling entertainment, a show should make them grab the edges of their seats in excitement, involuntarily inch their heads forward in anticipation, and leave their hearts beating furiously inside their chests.

If you’re a lover of adrenaline rush, zombie hordes, and a lot of feels, then The Walking Dead is for you. This comic-book-series-turned-TV-show is a lot popular these days. Developed by Frank Darabont, The Walking Dead features sheriff’s deputy, Rick Grimes, who wakes up from a coma to find that the world is now infested with flesh-eating zombies – walkers, I mean (sorry, TWD fans) ­– and his search for a safe shelter with a group of survivors. It is from the comic book series written by Robert Kirkman, who also wrote some of the episodes in the show.

The Walking Dead is now on its fifth season, and it was announced sometime this year that it’s already renewed for its sixth. For a zombie story, you can say it must be a good one to have that many episodes.

Well it is. And I have Rotten Tomatoes to prove it, giving the show a 96% rating, saying:

 “Blood-spattered, emotionally resonant, and white-knuckle intense, The Walking Dead puts an intelligent spin on the overcrowded zombie subgenre.”

The show is an adaptation of the comic books, which gives it a lot of unique story arcs to explore. You would think fans of the comics will react negatively to the show, but actually, most of them love the series, too. The series is such a close rendition of the comics that virtually no harm has been done with the story. Yes, a lot of changes were made, but mostly they are good changes, sometimes even better than that in the comics. And that’s what people like.

Carol, the very emotional mouse-haired lady, was greatly appreciated by the fans of the show when she turned into this badass woman who has no remorse for walkers and/or anyone who poses a threat to the group. She was very different from the comic books in which she was quite a looker, but has a bit of psychological problem. She even suggested a threesome with Rick and his wife, Lori. Talk about a creeper.

Then there’s the guy who is not even in the books, Daryl, who is a brooding anti-hero with his crossbow and motorcycle. Even if he’s not part of the original cast in the books, he is well-loved by viewers. They even created shirts that say, “If Daryl dies, we riot.”

These changes make the TV series its own thing, even if it still follows the original arc of the comics.

But I think character development has the most contribution in the show’s success. With a large ensemble of characters with his/her own story, it opens doors for the writers of the show to explore each life, especially on how they cope with the destruction of mankind. Each character has his/her own foundation built before the apocalypse took place, and we watch them as those foundations either grow stronger or fall apart, which I think is what makes viewers hooked to each episode. We see them react to drastic situations and get their morals tested. Relationships are broken apart and new ones are started, even under the shade of mistrust. Animalistic tendencies are discovered in order to continue surviving in a place where death is the only thing that exists.

It makes you think: How would I react if I were in the same situation?

With the zombie genre overpopulated, it is really a mystery how The Walking Dead maintains on being a hit. A lot of people have tried making zombie stories, but they end up failing. This show, on the other hand, has been running on AMC since 2010, with nothing but a continuously growing fan base. And every episode only brings new surprises.

If truth be told, the show has gone further than what the viewers expected from it (despite the temporary setback which is Season 2). And with the comic books still being published, expect that the TV show will continue to satisfy.

So if you’re looking for a TV series for a marathon this Halloween, you already know what to illegally download.