How does The Walking Dead series measure up to the books?

THE WALKING DEAD - By Michael Moloney

Introduction (by contributor Jonathan Alexandratos):  I've been working with Michael Moloney for a number of months now.  Michael is 17, and hasn't had the typical U.S. high school experience (he grew up in Canada, educated outside of their standard system).  Perhaps because of this, Michael has an immense amount of knowledge, and can eloquently translate his passions into fantastic, college-level essays.  He is passionate about THE WALKING DEAD, and produced the below piece which analyzes both the comic book and the TV series according to three of Robert Kirkman's criteria for a good zombie narrative, which he lays out in Volume 1 of the trades.  As you read this essay, you'll see that Michael has obtained and harnessed a great talent for writing, at a very young age.  I also think you'll find his points about the comic and the show both sophisticated and intriguing.  Here's Michael's work:

THE WALKING DEAD by Michael Moloney

The Walking Dead is a unique series, as it deals with people pushed to the limits of themselves just to survive against hordes of the walking dead. I prefer the comic to the show, but that's mostly because of the “television changes.” What I mean by this is TV shows will often have to change the vision from the original. In other words they have to up the drama and character bonding to attract a wider viewer base. The comic however is much more streamlined with the horror aspect as well as the drama and character development. For instance, there will often be minor problems in the comic that are resolved easily, whereas in the show it takes 2 issues in the comic for 2 seasons (like the Lori and Shane storyline). But at least they kept the ending to that issue the same, where Carl shoots Shane thru the neck to protect his father (this is the first and last time I liked Carl in the show).The three criteria that Robert Kirkman, the writer of the comic, put in place to make his story as good as it is (as set forth in Vol. 1 of the trade collections) are: dealing with extreme situations, Rick changing throughout the series, and having a realistic Zombie Apocalypse.

The characters barely ever get a breather as something almost always goes wrong as quickly as it goes right. That is definitely one of the series’ selling points that there’s rarely a dull moment. The way most of the instances are delivered is brilliant as well as realistic to a degree. So here's how our survivors’ luck holds out: they start off in a camp just outside of Atlanta, which soon gets overrun by zombies, who, in turn, eat a good chunk of the group (depending on medium). They then make their way to a farm where Karl gets shot, which I rather enjoyed. Could you say why this plot point was a favorite? They stay at farm until it gets overrun by zombies. Currently they are in a prison but given the pattern that's going on, I have a feeling I know where that's going.

The main character, Rick, starts off as a small town cop put in a coma after being shot, only to find, when he wakes up, all hell's broken loose, literally. This is my favorite way to begin a zombie story because of the sense of being completely unprepared, as well it eliminates one of the make or break points: how the outbreak started. Rick changes through out the series as things get more and more hopeless (best friend sleeping with wife, who then tries to kill him, wife dies, lose home after home, friends constantly dying around him, and now he has a tyrannical Governor beating down their door), to the point were he goes a little mad, but we all go a little mad sometimes.

This series is a shining example of what the zombie  apocalypse would be like. It's gritty, dark, hopeless, and best of all there are insane morality choices the characters are forced to make just to survive. Not to mention that zombies aren't the only thing trying to kill them, but humans as well. Then there's the zombies, who look absolutely putrid, which is a good thing believe me. The make-up team is the best at making disgusting, scary, yet plausible zombie make up.

In conclusion. The Walking Dead is a great well rounded series. Unfortunately I don't see them doing well in the long term. Because people will lose interest since the show has a pretty noticeable pattern going on. With that said they could save it if they recycled the story with a new group of survivors. But other than that even the crowds' love of Daryl can't save it from its impeding extinction.

Wakling Dead - Hope you can wait until October!

“Welcome to the Tombs”

So this is it, y’all.  Does anyone else feel like this entire season has been building to this episode?  There were a couple of excellent stand-alone types, but all of it lead to what happened last night.

The episode opens with an extreme close-up of an eye ball and I’m creeped out.  It’s the Governor’s remaining eye and we’re seeing him from the perspective of the person he’s dragging down a hallway.  It’s Milty the science guy being dragged and the Governor stops to fill him in on what it’s been like being Governor recently.  Milty evokes the memory of Penny and it doesn’t work because the Governor is loooong gone.  Milty is now with Andrea in the torture chamber and the Governor wants Milty to kill her.  Instead Milty goes for the Governor who deftly disarms him and stabs Milty in the gut.  Before he leaves them to die, the Governor says, “In this life now, you kill or you die.  Or you die and you kill.”  Heavy.

At the prison, Carl is looking at the family photo and then packs it up.  In fact everyone is packing.  Carl doesn’t want to talk to Rick and is kind of proving that kids not only need to be kids but need a home and some stability.  Stupid zombie apocalypse.  Michonne understands Rick and his struggles as to whether or not he was going to hand her over to the Governor.  In fact she seems really cool about it but probably because he chose to not sacrifice her.  They kind of have a moment together, a total understanding of each other, and it’s kind of nice. 

In Woodbury, the Governor is giving his best St. Crispin’s Day speech to get the townsfolk ready to do some killin’ but Tyrese and Sasha aren’t biting.  They’re all for killing walkers but refuse to kill the living.  Instead they offer to stay behind and protect the women, children, and old folk.  The Governor isn’t thrilled but doesn’t waste time arguing.  They arrive at the prison, shoot up the place and find an empty cell block.  They hear some noises down a hall, go to investigate and wander right into a trap full of shooting and walkers.  The Woodbury folk flee and one kid presumably gets left behind and wanders up to a hiding-in-the-woods Carl, Hershel and Beth.  He’s about to surrender his large gun but Carl just shoots him anyway.  Whoa.  Hershel and Beth are rightly horrified as am I.  Hershel tells Rick who can’t and won’t understand why Carl would do such a thing but he knows Hershel wouldn’t exaggerate such things.

Back in Woodbury, Milty is slowing dying while Andrea is slowly trying to free herself by getting a pair of pliers off the ground with her feet.  She finally gets them but Milty is now undead. 

On the way back to Woodbury, the Governor stops the caravan and starts yelling at people to go back and finish the job.  They start bitching and moaning so she just slaughters all of them.  Allen is included even though he was all for avenging his son. 

Rick tries to talk to Carl and help him understand what surrender looks like but Carl is too busy thinking Rick isn’t killing enough people.  If he was a bit more lethal folks like Lori, Merle and a few others might still be alive.  Ouch.  So Rick, Michonne, and Daryl head off to kill the Governor once and for all and find the slaughtered Woodbury folk.  They also find the one woman the Governor missed.  She goes back to Woodbury with them, helps convince Tyrese and Sasha about their intentions and how the Governor has snapped.  Well she came in handy.  Rick then figures that Andrea might still be in Woodbury somewhere and miraculously guesses she would be where they had kept Glenn and Maggie.  She’s there and still barely alive after a tussle with Milty.  Oh happy day!  Nope, wait, Milty bit her.  Damn.  And it’s in the neck so there’s no cutting off of an appendage to save her.  Double damn.  Michonne cries.  Rick comforts. And Andrea does the valiant thing by ending her troubles on her own terms.  At least she left this crappy life knowing she really tried to keep everyone alive.  Rick leaves her in the room with Michonne and a revolver.  He, Tyrese and Daryl stand there waiting and we hear a single shot and I swear I heard a little gasp from Michonne.

It’s the next morning and a different caravan pulls up to the prison.  Rick’s brought back lots of supplies and a bus full of people who were too young or too old to be soldiers in the Governor’s little army.  Rick, thanks to Andrea, knows you can’t go through this life alone so he’s decided to try and give his son a community.  Maybe Carl will have a chance to do some kid-type things for once.  Rick looks up to find his Lori hallucination but she’s gone.  I’m guessing he thinks he’s doing the right thing for once and doesn’t need her anymore. 

Also, the Governor lives.  Damn.

The Walking Dead - Oy with the recaps already!

"This Sorrowful Life"

Now that was a good episode.  About 45 minutes in to the show I wrote this in my notes: "I still can't figure out where (most of) this episode is going."  I mean, the Glenn and Maggie stuff was self-explanatory and just as it should have been, but the rest of it was kind of head-scratching.  AND I LOVED THAT.  I hate figuring out where shows are going.

We open back with the folks at the prison and Rick is filling Daryl in on the offer and the plan to give up Michonne to save the rest of them.  Daryl thinks it's a bad idea and not that it matters, but I agree with him.  Merle is busy shredding a mattress in search for some stashed weed and I realize how totally smart he is sometimes.  Rick tells him the plan but doesn't get much back from Merle.  Rick makes some comment on Merle not knowing who he is and Merle retorts with, "I'm a damn mystery to me."  I love that line and plan on using it in the future.  However Merle's got Rick's number and is the only one who could have made Rick re-think his plan to turn Michonne over to the incredibly vengeful Governor.

Merle chats with Carol a bit about how she's changed, etc.  Carol gets to the heart of his allegiance, and surprising to no one, it's to his little brother.  Speaking of the tasty Dixon brother, he's trying to get Glenn to forgive Merle for all that went down in Woodbury.  It's probably not going to happen though, because Glenn wants someone to be responsible for what happened to Maggie.  Daryl then finds Merle in a maintenance-type room.  Merle proceeds to give Daryl a hard time about following Rick's orders.

Hershel is reading to Maggie and Beth from the Bible and as he does, we see Rick searching for some wire with which to tie up Michonne.  He gets a glimpse of a pregnant Lori and is able to talk himself out of it.  Dude is really struggling and my heart goes out to him.  He just wants a peaceful existence and that's just not going to happen.  Merle takes it upon himself to knock out and tie up Michonne because he correctly believes that Rick could never pull that trigger.  Rick and Daryl figure out what he's done and Daryl, expert tracker, goes after Merle.

Glenn and Hershel have a very nice moment, which culminates with Glenn asking for Maggie's hand.  AWWWW!  (this means one of them is sure to die, right?)  Hershel gives Glenn his blessing and then we get a rare but honest smile on Hershel's face.  Glenn cuts a walker's finger off and then uses said walker's ring to propose to Maggie.  Well he doesn't actually say anything out loud about getting married but just handing her the ring seems to be enough.  Just ignore all the moaning walkers in the background and you've got a totally sweet and romantic moment.

Merle and Michonne find a car, he jump starts it and sets off an alarm.  Meanwhile, a tied-up Michonne gets to fight off two walkers while bound to a post.  Damn this girl is good.  Merle cuts her loose and they drive off.  During this mini-road trip, they talk and get to know each other a bit more.  Merle discloses that he's killed 16 men since this whole thing started.  Michonne picks up on the fact that he's actually kept count, meaning he's not a complete loss.  Merle cuts her loose and sends her back to the prison alone because he's got something to do.  Daryl finds Michonne and continues on after his brother.  Merle has found a bar, some booze and some tunes.  He's got a hoard surrounding his car and he slowly leads them Peter Piper style to the meeting place with the Woodbury folks.  I swear we all underestimate Merle on a regular basis.

The walkers keep the attention of the Woodbury folk off of Merle who is now inside a building and is successfully taking out some of those Woodbury jerks, including young Ben of the Tyrese crew.  Ooops.  That won't win any favour from Allen.  They finally realize what's going on and get the jump on Merle.  He and the Governor struggle and the Gov actually bites off two of his remaining fingers.  Wow.  Then the Governor shoots him.

While all this is going on, Rick gathers the prison folks, gives up his Ricktatorship and changes it into more of a Rickocracy.  He wants everyone to have a vote on their future of either hitting the road or staying to defend the prison.  Daryl isn't there to hear this moving and needed speech though.  He's come upon the carnage at that abandoned warehouse.  He spots a zombified Merle and has to fight off his dead brother.  Wow.  It's such a good scene for Norman Reedus.  Daryl finishes off his brother, cries a bit and it's very moving.  I'm sad that he'll never really know what Merle did for his little brother and his new family.

The Walking Dead - getting recappy with it

“Prey”

We open with a flashback to quieter times.  Andrea, Michonne and Michonne’s “pets” camped out around a fire.  Andrea inquires about the origin story of the “pets” and Michonne tells her the whole story, going way, way back.  The level of detail she shares about these guys is astounding.  Ha!  Only kidding.  Michonne doesn’t want to talk about it except to say that they weren’t good guys pre-zombification. 

In present day Woodbury (where the bulk of the episode takes place), the Governor’s henchmen are loading up the big guns into trucks while he plays with his amateur torture kit.  Milty the science guy tries to talk some sense into him about the whole ‘killing Rick’s group and torturing the crap out of Michonne’ thing but the Governor is long gone.  Instead Milty decides to let Andrea in on the whole plan and shows her the Governor’s torture chamber including the dentist’s chair of pain.  They’re up above looking in from some type of observation room (with blinds) and he isn’t aware they’re up there.  Andrea has a chance to shoot him but Milty stops her.  UGH!!! Milty, you are such a buzz-kill.  Andrea heads off to warn the folks at the prison that the fit is gonna hit the shan and has to get past Tyrese and Sasha in order to do so.  They half-heartedly try to stop her but let her go and blab to the Governor and Martinez about her leaving.  You’re killing me, Tyrese! 

Martinez takes Tyrese, Sasha, and their two red-shirt buddies, Allen and Ben off to see the pit of spare biters they’ve been collecting.  Tyrese correctly guesses that they’ll be used against the prison folk and wants nothing to do with it.  He and red-shirt Allen fight and Tyrese is definitely the stronger of the two in both strength and character.  Later someone (we don’t see their face) sets fire to the pit of biters and I think we’re supposed to assume it was Tyrese. 

 Meanwhile, Andrea is on the run from a pick-up that’s hot on her trail.  She evades capture from some walkers and ends up outrunning the truck but both wind up at an abandoned warehouse.  Is it necessary to say “abandoned” because aren’t most things in their world abandoned?  Anywhoodle, it’s the Governor driving said truck and this incredibly scary cat and mouse thing goes down inside the warehouse.  He comes close to finding her a few times but she’s able to get the upper hand and lets loose a stairwell full of biters on him and runs out of the building.  It’s at this point where I would have found a way to take his truck from him but then that would be too easy.  Andrea finally reaches the prison, raises her hand in a wave to Rick who is on lookout and then is quickly tackled by the damn Governor.  Rick thinks he saw something and then quickly disregards it as one of his hallucinations.  Fantastic.

The Governor returns to Woodbury claiming to have not found Andrea.  He confronts Tyrese about the pit but after chatting with Milty realizes who the real culprit was.  Then the camera takes a journey down a creepy hallway ending in the Governor’s torture chamber.  We see Andrea is strapped in to the dentist’s chair of utter and total pain and my heart breaks for her.

Dude, I almost forgot to mention the creepy whistling thing the Governor does when he's in a good/torturey mood.  It's the worst tell EVER.  He did it while playing with his torture tools and again while he was chasing Andrea through the warehouse.  I know they want his character to last at least through the rest of this season but he needs to be taken care of already.  He's AWFUL!
 

The Walking Dead

(this will be my shortest review ever!)

Um, so last night's episode was really a far cry from the week before.  It was slow and boring and had lots of talk but sometimes you need those episodes to set up the end of the season. 

Rick and the Governor met at some abandoned (natch) mill full of silos and empty buildings.  They hashed out their mutual hatred and distrust for one another and sorta kinda came to a possible deal. 

It started with the Governor putting his hands up in a show of peace even though we know there's a piece taped to the table at which he and Rick are parlaying.  Andrea enters and tries to broker peace but they kick her out in a very, 'let the men do the talking' sort of way.  The guys chat a bit, the Governor shares about his wife's death before the whole zombie apocalypse thing happened, blah, blah, blah.  I think he says his last name but I missed it, rewound it, and couldn't quite make it out.  The Governor's offer is for them to turn over Michonne and he promises to leave them alone.  He gives Rick two days to think this over.

Outside Daryl and the Governor's lieutenant dude threaten each other, kill some walkers, and then each have a cigarette.  Milty and Hershel get to know each other and Milty actually asks to see Hershel's stump!  For scientific purposes of course.  The nerve.  Hershel hilariously declines with a "you haven't even bought me a drink yet" type of retort.  Then Hershel comforts a distraught Andrea who know has a pretty good idea of what a complete creep the Governor actually is.  I kind of feel badly for her.

Back at the prison, Merle is antsy thinking his brother could be in harm's way and wants to go to the meeting place to take out the Governor once and for all.  Glenn refuses, they tussle, Maggie gets in on it and they stop when Beth fires a gun in the air.  Merle tries to get Michonne to go with him, she refuses but they don't tussle.  Glenn and Maggie make up, hug, kiss and get it on.  Throughout this whole scene with them I keep waiting for Maggie to get shot in the head because I know she's a guest on Talking Dead later. 

Everybody is back home.  The Governor gives orders to shoot everyone but Michonne, which Milty hears and reminds the Governor that this is against his promise.  Um, duh.  Rick lies to the group about the Governor's deal and informs them they're at war.  Wow, I'm proud of Rick for being so perceptive.  Outside he tells Hershel the truth and begs him to talk Rick out of the whole going to war thing just to protect Michonne. 

A Walking Dead twofer

Last Week:

“I Ain’t a Judas”

 -Hershel yelled at Rick to get his shit straight.

-Wyatt Twerp (aka Carl) told Rick to take a much needed sabbatical from the Ricktatorship

-The Governor lied to Andrea about the situation with the prison gang and got himself an eye patch.

-Andrea wanted to orchestrate some peace so she made herself a pet (curbed him and everything) to escort her to the prison where she received a chilly reception.

-Hershel and Merle got to know each other; even quoted the Bible a bit.

-Carol and Daryl caught up but still no hanky panky (will those two crazy kids ever get together?)

-Tyrese & co. headed to Woodbury with Milty the science guy and even offered to help the Governor with his Rick problem.

-Beth sang.

-Rick held his baby,

-And finally, Andrea got nekkid with the Governor, pulled a knife on him while he slept, but couldn’t bring herself to kill him.

Last Night:

(This, IMHO, was an outstanding episode.  If you haven’t watched it, don’t read this recap.  You need to experience it.)

“Clear”

Rick, Michonne and Wyatt Twerp are on a road trip to Rick’s old town to find weapons and ammo.  They totally ignore a hitchhiker…twice.  Karma gets ‘em though and the Hyundai gets stuck in some mud.  They’re quickly surrounded by walkers but take care of them and the car in a matter of seconds.

The town is, well, weird.  There are messages spray-painted all over the walls of buildings and the ground.  It’s oddly fortified and has its very own sharpshooter on the roof of a building.  Wyatt Twerp shoots the guy who has come down off his perch but he was wearing body armor so he's not dead.  Rick takes off the dude’s helmet and HOLY CRAP, it’s the dude (Morgan) from the first episode!!!  They drag Morgan into his heavily booby-trapped residence and proceed to marvel at all the guns and ammo he’s acquired.  Rick wants to wait until he wakes up before they take all his weaponry.  That’s…thoughtful.

Wyatt Twerp heads off to find a crib for Lil’ Asskicker and Michonne offers to escort him to help carry it.  As it turns out, he really wants a framed picture of his parents and him from a while ago so Lil’ Asskicker can see what her mom looked like.  Awwwwww!  Michonne is a huge help in the process and grabs an ugly cat sculpture thingy that automatically gives her some personality points.

Morgan comes to, struggles with Rick, stabs him, and doesn’t seem to recognize him at all.  Rick holds up the walkie talkie he’d left with Morgan a year ago and it finally clicks.  This whole scene of them talking is absolutely incredible.  Lennie James (“Morgan”) is brilliant and heartbreaking.  Morgan tells him that he did as Rick instructed every day, which was to get on the walkie talkie at dawn and listen for Rick.  He did it every day.  Rick was never there.  We know Rick’s been through some stuff but the heartbreak in Morgan’s eyes is more than anyone could handle.  He’s lost his wife, his son, and now (kind of) his mind as evidenced by all the literal writing on the walls.  Rick tries desperately to get him to come with them to safety but an astute Morgan says they wouldn’t need all the weapons they’re about to steal from him if they were actually that safe.

Wyatt Twerp tells Rick that Michonne is OK with him because she’s really one of them and this surprises Rick.  Michonne tells Rick it’s OK that he’s been seeing things because she did too at one point.  Morgan stays behind in Morgantown and goes about his business of rounding up and burning the walkers caught in his traps.  And that hitchhiker from earlier?  Well he got torn up by some walkers but Carl got his backpack so there’s that.