What makes THE WALKING DEAD so engaging is the characters. Yes, youll yell at the screen at dumb character choices (like going to the creepy heroin church at night after you were told what happened there), but in essence, thats what makes this show interesting.
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Still, most of the first episode is about establishing Madison’s various relationships, which slows the pace waaaay down. It’s a double-edged sword because with the slow set-up, we get to know a lot about the family dynamic for the Clark family and how Travis fits into this whole situation.
The trick will be finding the right balance between the two. I get that. Thinking theres no way in hell something bad could happen without us being told about it isnt completely illogical, but its handled makes me think of the recent episodes of THE STRAIN. Never happening, no matter how much Nick (Frank Dillane) says he saw a chick eating another person and there is a leaked video of a dead guy getting up and getting shot by a thousand bullets and keep coming. But sadly, because of his drugged out brain, no one believes his testimony about the bloodbath at the church courtesy of his now-departed friend Gloria. How quickly would we go from worrying about our jobs, family, and petty problems before we had to start worrying about where our water comes from, how we’re going to eat, and our colleagues succumbing to a virus and attacking us in the hallways.
To her credit, Madison is too distracted by Nick’s annoyingly frequent disappearances to notice much of anything. I suppose you could argue that Alicia’s version of the scene shows us the kill shot, serving the goal of teaching the characters how to kill walkers. (Because drugs can apparently do that!) So, not only is the show a warning against drugs, but it’s a warning about the role drugs could play in the apocalypse. I’m sure she’ll be given more to do as the season rolls on, but almost every scene with Alicia felt grafted onto the show from a different series altogether.
I do like her chemistry with Travis, who is also quite likable as the stoic teacher trying to help everyone. He goes in search of his girlfriend, only to find her munching on someone’s cheek.
Amidst the heart-to-hearts at Nick’s hospital bed with Travis (who is gallantly dealing with bad stepdad syndrome) and Alicia (the flawless sister who rebels by dating an artist), Travis decides to test out Nick’s theory and visits the church. Travis and Madison found Nick and he took them to Calvin’s body, but it had disappeared… or had it?
As they are driving back they hit a line of traffic and are soon swarmed by choppers as gunshots start ringing out, so they take off. Because symbolism. A bit heavy-handed for my taste, but this a zombie show, so I mean… Personally I feel having one of the main protagonists be a drug addict is a bold move. Nick, Madison and Travis ran him down with their truck and finally escaped the newly zombified Calvin’s wrath, an ending that perfectly sets up what’s to come this season.
During one of Travis’ literature classes, he talks up Jack London’s Call of the Wild as a kind of instruction manual for “how not to die”, and pegs its plot as a classic “man against nature” story. “We may see a woman who is more equipped for what’s to come”.
Also, in the 90-minute premiere, you get an hour of Madison’s denials and Nick walking around like a cross between Heath Ledger’s Joke in The Dark Knight and Johnny Depp’s touched, eccentric character in Benny & Joon.
Nick then revs up and hits him again, sending him off the edge of the ledge.
“We went with a lot more of a cataract look on the eyes”, says Nicotero.
Until he turns his head to look t them, sending them all reeling back in horror.
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Hopefully, they work out the kinks, because they have something worth watching. So far, though, I think the best thing “Fear the Walking Dead” has going for it is the potential to deliver on something truly unique. But overall things are basically the same.
