Thought it was a pretty solid finale as well. The show is certainly not on the level of a 28 Days Later. It has it's flaws but it's still pretty engrossing. Seems though like the Zombie part of every episode comes at the end. It's becoming a little too formulaic, so hopefully they start to break out of that mold.
I don't get the criticism. Shows not perfect but its very entertaining. For the most part I like the characters too. Its not a zombie gore fest but thats fine. That would get very old VERY quickly. I don't try to over analyze it, I just take it for what it is. Finale was good I thought, and the ending was intense, though it needed something more to set-up for next season I think. Like, it'd have been better if the next season wasn't so far away, but it is, so I wanted something a little more. Also that review posted earlier lost all credibility when it dissed the Shawshank Redemption. I just stopped there.
I was entertained, but I must say, this was a pretty worthless episode. Too much time was devoted to "Open that door!", "We gotta get outta here, NOW!", "Whats gonna happen when it reaches ZERO?", "Seriously, imma kill you if ya don't open that door!" I have trouble believing a place like the CDC didn't have solar panels or some renewable source somewhere replenishing its power reserves. "The world runs on fossil fuels." was pretty hilarious. Old guy had that great pep talk for Andrea only? She gave up just like the Doc and the Black chick. How come the Old guy didn't want to save the black lady? Was her will to die stronger than Andrea's? They were hitting the lobby windows with axes and T-Dog says get out of the way to wail on the impregnable glass with a lawn chair? *chuckle* I've never read the comics, but I've heard how awesome they are. What was the point going away from the comics if the writers had nothing to bring to the table? I'm glad these writers left "to pursue other options" this first season started off strong and ended with a whimper. I am happy that a couple black people made it to season 2. Black people just don't have a long self life in sci-fi shows. For those who read the comics, how long until we get to this character!? Spoiler
Where were all the zombies that were closing in from the previous episode? There looked like there was 5 out there. Oh yeah, impending doom alright. And I have one question for those who've read the comics, and I wouldn't ask this if the next season wasn't another freaking 10+ months away. Seems this series will be all about waiting. Spoiler what did Jenner whisper to Rick before they left?
I was kinda disappointed that they had to resort to the "warm shower" ploy again, presumably to fill some time. They already did it just a few episodes back. I also thought it was remarkably convenient that the group arrived right before the moment when he ran out of fuel for the generators. That seemed a bit contrived and a cheap use of a MacGuffin. They could have probably chopped 20 minutes of fat from the episode without loosing anything. Otherwise it was pretty enjoyable. I will be watching when it comes back on (like a year from now), but I'm a post-apocalypse junkie. I watch Night of the Comet when it comes on TV. Hopefully next season there are more than 6 episodes.
Spoiler Although she is intro'ed much later in the comics there are already interviews about what Darabont wants to do in season 2 and Michonne is almost a guarantee to show up next season as he loves the character. Tyresse has been discussed as well. The Governor should be in the mix to show up as well.
I thought it was a good season ender. Love the suspense and buildup. there are always things to knitpick things but overall the show has been great for its genre.
I agree, character development has been week, writing has been week. never been into a show of this element so maybe expectations too high. the show went down hill. nothing like mad men or breaking bad. also, can we have some comedic one liners?
Thoughts: Spoiler Overall, I'm not happy with the show compared to the comic. They ranged way too far out of the scope of the original story, which what made it so popular in the first place. I think I can see some network exec meddling, asking for more action and BANG! The gang sequence, the CDC sequence with the huge explosion at the end, none of that was in the comic. It all seemed contrived. Good zombie stories are cerebral and the show is on AMC....you don't need high action to convey a good story. The prevailing theory on what the doc whispered is: Spoiler Your wife is pregnant . The chick with the sword and the two zombies above is Spoiler Michonne. She's an absolute badass and becomes a big part of the show. Based on the timeline in the comic, we probably won't see her until the third season. But who knows. If they water her down, I will quit watching. As for black folks in comic, they make a consistently strong showing and are a big part of the group and plot. The lady who stayed behind wasn't even in the comic, so I figured she was short-term. The only character who isn't in the comic that I hope they keep is Daryl. I really like what he brings to the group. A lot of the time it seems like he is the only person who is thinking straight. They've already announced 13 episodes for season 2. I just hope they right the ship.
The comic book nerds will always argue the source material is better, but as a normal fan who just started watching the show because zombies are ****ing awesome, I think the show has gotten better since the first couple of episodes. There are a lot less cheesy lines now. I actually am really starting to get interested in the story line between Rick, his wife, and the other dude. One character I hate is the redneck guy(Daryl? I think). A good drinking game would be to take a shot every time he tries to come at someone with an axe, points a crossbow at someone, points a gun at someone, etc. You'd be drunk 10 minutes into his first episode. It just gets kind of old. Those back and forths between Daryl and Rick follow a formula: X says something Daryl doesn't like. Daryl grabs a Y and points/raises/aims it at X. Rick gets between X and Y and talks Daryl down by saying Z which is something like: "We don't kill the living", "We're in this together", etc. Daryl calms down. X+Y+Z=tired and played out. Anything ever published before it comes out on tv or film will have people wishing it was exactly like their beloved piece of literature, even though most of them probably went and rushed out to buy it after the first episode so they could be snobby and look down on us regular viewers who aren't informed. I don't know why they would want to ruin their viewing experience like that. Not to offend you all that have been nerding out to zombie comics for years, you truly are nerd kings. I turn my brain off and enjoy. Sucks I got to wait 11 months though.
I'm just flabbergasted when I see people praising Daryl for his approach. If people let him do the thinking on last night's episode they would have burned up in the CDC, because last time I checked axe-murdered doctors don't share the passcode to the door lock.
I'm not over-nerding the series. The subject material is extremely good and doesn't need such vast deviation. In fact, it's the only comic I read any more. lol...there's always that.
Spoiler and since he did blood tests on everyone he would know exactly who the father is, or more importantly, isnt.
I don't think you're over-nerding the series, I think you've already over-nerded your life. The source material probably is really good, but you are ruining the show for yourself by comparing everything to it and hoping it comes out the same. Or maybe your expectations are too high because of your zombiebating all over this comic. My point is you would probably like this show a lot more if you had never read the comic.
Now that you mention that was expecting Spoiler Shane to bite the dust at some point. Dies really in early in the comic and Spoiler is killed by someone who is in the family. Also, Dale actually died in issue 3. Though, Im glad they are changing things around a little a bit. I really hope they don't have Glenn Spoiler crushing on Carol . But, her character looks little bit younger and less boyish in the comic. I don't think Carl is going to be as important or prominent as he is in comics for some reason. I wasn't expecting Michonne or Tyresse to show up until Season 2 or 3. Tyreese is like an ex-NFL lineman who has alot of brute strength, but shoots like a character from G.I. Joe.
I don't think that's possible. <object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1mRG2oAQhso?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1mRG2oAQhso?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object> I can't argue that I would probably like the show more if I hadn't read the comic.
