Thoughts on The Walking Dead

My thoughts on AMC’s The Walking Dead are all over the place. It entertains me. It angers me. It makes me twitch (not in a good way). I thought the pilot was brilliant, but found the rest of Season 1 a slow decent into blah. Season 2 was better and worse. The first half was a long slog to a small, but lovely payoff. The second half, which ended just in time for AMC to start putting all that ad revenue where it’s desperately needed (lining Mad Men pockets), was up and down. Kudos on the big kills. Boo on the crazy. Do we really need psycho Rick? (Answer: maybe.)

A little history: I’m not a fan of the comics. I know, I know...just didn’t think they were that good. Loved the idea, just not the execution. Been considering a second look, so maybe if I read a little deeper I’ll be sold. But having no reference does give me a fresh perspective on the show, which I’m not sure I want to give up. I like not knowing what’s going to happen even if the show is often predictable. And strange, unpredictable things do seem afoot. Exhibit A: Andrea's new friend. A sword-wielding forest Jedi with no-armed zombie minions? Count me in! I’ve desperately wanted to see something in the writing other than the doom and gloom moodiness that drives the show. I would have suggested a little humor, but over-the-top weird is cool, too.

And I must admit the show’s success pleases me. It demonstrates a stable, sizeable fan base for mainstream zombie material, a genre to which I will soon be contributing (Portlandtown, October 16, buy many copies). And even when the story veers into blah-blah-land, I still watch. A bit schadenfreudian perhaps, but we writers are a jealous bunch.

Where does that leave me? Cautiously curious, maybe even hopeful. Granted, I wouldn’t mind if 90% of the cast took a header in the first episode of Season 3, but at least I’ll be watching, ever hopeful. Go Team Zombie!