Hits & Misses: How'd Darabont Do?

[Ghoulman]

Overall, I think the show was a tremendous success and looking back, I can point out some things Frank Darabont, IN MY OPINION, did really well and some things he totally missed the mark on. First up,

The Hits:
-Days Gone Bye. Beautiful, amazing and powerful!!
-Daryl Dixon. This new-to-the-series character steals the show as he efficiently dispatches walkers with his crossbow!
-The Shane, Lori, Rick Triangle.
-Extending Shane's role.
-The CDC arc. Although not in the comic, was welcome to give some closure had the series NOT been picked up for a second season.
-The use of a thermobaric weapon.
-Capturing the essence of the comic.

Misses:
-Merle Dixon loose end. (Unless he returns in a major way in Season 2 this character imo was pointless)
-Ed. Wasted character development on yet another stereotypical white trash douchebag who wasn't even in the source material.
-Jim. Darabont could have made this character far more sympathetic and far less creepy had he only followed the source material on this one.
-Not enough background ghouls in urban settings.
-The poor thermobaric weapon FX and effects on those nearby.

What's your hits and misses with the show?

[Legion2213]

Regarding the effects, they probably could be better, but they eat a lot of budget, especially when you are probably using a fair chunk of that on exceptional zombie effects.

The show isn't perfect, no show us, but for every negative or gripe I see, I get a dozen things that make up for it.

I have no real complaints. Not read the comics so I am coming at this from the perspective of a fresh viewer with no pre-conceptions or comic-based expectations.


Stand out characters for me...


Rick: Straight up guy, good morals, trying to retain his humanity and do the decent thing while protecting his family.

Dale: Same as Rick for me, a genuinely decent man who I have become fond of over the series...he and Rick are the only two characters I would really trust with my life.

Daryl: Great "loose canon", loads of ability when it comes to killing...two legged or four legged, it's all the same to him, would'nt trust him too much though. Looking forward to how they handle him in season 2.

Shane: Good "dark horse", some very questionable behaviour, yet he did try to save Rick at the hospital...then again, when they were doing a sweep, he was seriously considering murdering him. Mixed up guy...looking forward to seeing how he develops also.

Beat up wife woman who's name escapes me: She is just played really well, the actress playing her makes me really want to see her make it through all this with her little girl. I think she will become stronger now that her shit-head husband is gone.

All the other characters need more development for me.


Oh, like everybody, would like to see more walkers on screen, but only when needed. I think this show respects us as veiwers...they dont' need to show us zombies and OTT zombie kills every three seconds to remind us of what we are watching or keep us interested. Darabont and Co are treating us like thinking adults and providing good drama as well as action...I really appreciate that.

Roll on Season 2!

[ProfessorChaos]

PRO'S:
pilot episode - i thought the whole pilot was amazing. really did a great job of hinting at what kind of show this was going to be.

FX - KNB is doing a stellar job. some of the best-looking zombies ever on screen, for sure.

casting - being a follower of the comics, i'm blown away by how well all these actors are bring these characters to life. i wasn't a big fan of the choice for carol, but even she has proven to be a great representation of what i'd imagine her character would be like.

amy's birthday - best zombification scene ever, hands down....that scene with amy and andrea was intense, mesmerizing, and left a very lasting impression

daryl - didn't really like him at first, but he's really came through the last few episodes as a great team member (a bit of a wild card, but tough and dependable, and damn amusing)

CONS:

zombie-distribution: some scenes (like outside the CDC) are noticeably short a few zombies short of a happy meal. other times, there's hundreds....i'm not familiar with ATL, but surely there'd be more outside of the CDC building

merle - was really hoping they'd resolve this issue. i really hope everyone's wrong about him being the governor. the guv is such a scandalous bastard, they've gotta do his character justice. i seriously doubt merle will end up becoming him, but either way, they should've advanced that story a bit more, at least.

stereotyping - a bit heavy on the stereotyping. redneck racist, gangbanger mexicans, t-dog (although his actions don't really "stereotype" him, but his silly fucking name), the white-trash wife-beater. at least glenn isn't going on about missing his sushi or anything, i guess...

i could go on for a while about this. there's way more hit than misses, in my opinion. these are the ones that stood out the most for me, however.

[Ghoulman]

I really envy you Legion2213, and others who get to view this show as a fresh, brand new concept and character well. Try as I may, it's still incredibly difficult for me to separate what I've read from what I am watching. As stated above, there are several characters and events that have strayed from the comics and I have genuinely liked, appreciated and enjoyed most of them.

I also have to agree with ProfessorChaos about the zombies being the best ghouls we've ever seen as well as the superb casting. I haven't had a single complaint about the casting but rather development of a couple characters that I felt was either too much or too little.

Oh, another hit: The cinematography. It's hands down badass!

[DjfunkmasterG]

Hit:
Every episode except VATOS

Miss
Episode titled VATOS

Character HITS:
Morgan Jones - The man whose son finds Rick and he helps nurse him back to health. His emotional dram with trying to take care of his family... WOW, great stuff and his delivery about the walkers and how they will get ya... Great great stuff
Daryl - maybe it is the Boondock Saints fan in me, but Norman Reedus has been great on the show... here is hoping Sean Patrick Flannery makes an appearance just for us BDS fans.
Dr. Edwin Jenner - Seeing a man in his mental state and condition... just broken and in his mind left with no further options was great stuff

Character Miss:
The Vatos

[Ghoulman]

I agree DJ, Vato's was the weak link. Not bad mind you, just weak. Like the overdone stereotyping, I felt Darabont's personal ideology shone brightly through on that episode. It had a pure "heart" though and that was what saved the episode for me. Well, that and "The crazy vato who shot me in the ass!" Any Daryl is good Daryl, and I absolutely loved the bit with the hand!!

[MoonSylver]

I agree DJ, Vato's was the weak link. Not bad mind you, just weak. Like the overdone stereotyping

http://www.bestweekever.tv/bwe/images/2010/11/Walking-Dead-Gang.jpg


Any Daryl is good Daryl, and I absolutely loved the bit with the hand!!

http://media.fakeposters.com/results/2010/12/07/77s179vxxg.jpg

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g374/moonsylver/hand.jpg

[bassman]

Why is it that Darbont gets the praise and blame for everything involved with this show? He helped usher it along, but he wasn't the only creative force behind it, folks.

Anyway....more hits than misses, imo. Best zombie-themed outting since Day of the Dead.

[DEAD BEAT]

Overall, I think the show was a tremendous success and looking back, I can point out some things Frank Darabont, IN MY OPINION, did really well and some things he totally missed the mark on. First up,

The Hits:
-Days Gone Bye. Beautiful, amazing and powerful!!
-Daryl Dixon. This new-to-the-series character steals the show as he efficiently dispatches walkers with his crossbow!
-The Shane, Lori, Rick Triangle.
-Extending Shane's role.
-The CDC arc. Although not in the comic, was welcome to give some closure had the series NOT been picked up for a second season.
-The use of a thermobaric weapon.
-Capturing the essence of the comic.

Misses:
-Merle Dixon loose end. (Unless he returns in a major way in Season 2 this character imo was pointless)
-Ed. Wasted character development on yet another stereotypical white trash douchebag who wasn't even in the source material.
-Jim. Darabont could have made this character far more sympathetic and far less creepy had he only followed the source material on this one.
-Not enough background ghouls in urban settings.
-The poor thermobaric weapon FX and effects on those nearby.

What's your hits and misses with the show?

lol dude Merle is gonna bleed 2 death by season 2! lmao

But i agree with ya, for sure needed more zombies bumbling around in the back ground they didn't even have to be part of the scene just freakin have them in the background! ;)

[DjfunkmasterG]

Why is it that Darbont gets the praise and blame for everything involved with this show? He helped usher it along, but he wasn't the only creative force behind it, folks.

Anyway....more hits than misses, imo. Best zombie-themed outting since Day of the Dead.

Well, Darabont is the executive producer and developer of the show for AMC, and I am quite shocked he let the VATOS episode go through as is... From what I have read... although he only directed Episode #1, he did extreme oversight on the remaining episodes. I am just shocked he let the writer from the comic (name escaping me atm) use that shitty script for VATOS... I also blame the director of that episode for it being so weak. I mean that was just piss poor stuff, and while I have eased on it a bit since first viewing, it still sits at the bottom of the pile.

I would love to see Darabont helm the entire second season from start to finish just to see how it would go under his entire direction. However, I must give Ernest Dickerson props for Episode #5... he did a great job with it, and since Ernie worked with Romero on Day at least he took away some great lessons from that experience and put them to use in Episode #5.

I know Episode #1 is my favorite, Episode #5 I think is becoming my second favorite... To me those were both quality episodes from start to finish. Episode #6 is great stuff too and I think I would tie it with Episode #5.

[DEAD BEAT]

Well, Darabont is the executive producer and developer of the show for AMC, and I am quite shocked he let the VATOS episode go through as is... From what I have read... although he only directed Episode #1, he did extreme oversight on the remaining episodes. I am just shocked he let the writer from the comic (name escaping me atm) use that shitty script for VATOS... I also blame the director of that episode for it being so weak. I mean that was just piss poor stuff, and while I have eased on it a bit since first viewing, it still sits at the bottom of the pile.

I would love to see Darabont helm the entire second season from start to finish just to see how it would go under his entire direction. However, I must give Ernest Dickerson props for Episode #5... he did a great job with it, and since Ernie worked with Romero on Day at least he took away some great lessons from that experience and put them to use in Episode #5.

I know Episode #1 is my favorite, Episode #5 I think is becoming my second favorite... To me those were both quality episodes from start to finish. Episode #6 is great stuff too and I think I would tie it with Episode #5.

Dude, VATOS really talk like that...so that being the case that shitty acting was on the money! ;)

I might ad that episode was probably filled with the most action outta all 6!

[Tricky]

I'm not worried about the Merle thing, I think its a bit impatient to expect it resolved within season one, I reckon they're playing the long game with that character. I'm predicting a showdown between him & his brother at some point though, inevitably Daryl will soften more towards the current bunch of survivors, while Merle will likely end up the insane leader of a group of arseholes hell bent on revenge, thats the usual storyline for such scenarios, but I could be wrong!

[Ghoulman]

Why is it that Darbont gets the praise and blame for everything involved with this show? He helped usher it along, but he wasn't the only creative force behind it, folks.Bass: This thread wasn’t intended to be about credit or praise but simply constructive criticism. The same constructive criticism anyone creating any work of art would and should expect to receive. No malice was intended. If people choose to go there, it’s an open forum. With everybody entiteled to their own opinion, I assumed it would spark some good back and forth about things felt were well done and things that were poorly done. Again, all a matters of opinion.

Moon, you fuckin' kill me! :)

[DEAD BEAT]

I'm not worried about the Merle thing, I think its a bit impatient to expect it resolved within season one, I reckon they're playing the long game with that character. I'm predicting a showdown between him & his brother at some point though, inevitably Daryl will soften more towards the current bunch of survivors, while Merle will likely end up the insane leader of a group of arseholes hell bent on revenge, thats the usual storyline for such scenarios, but I could be wrong!

whaaa? what if the series wasn't picked up for season 2?

I rekon Merle's character would have been pointless as stated earlier..."like a fart in the wind!" ;)

---------- Post added at 02:44 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:41 PM ----------


http://www.bestweekever.tv/bwe/images/2010/11/Walking-Dead-Gang.jpg



http://media.fakeposters.com/results/2010/12/07/77s179vxxg.jpg

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g374/moonsylver/hand.jpg

"or it'll come in handy if all the women are dead!" ;)

[MoonSylver]

Moon, you fuckin' kill me! :)

:thumbsup:

I'm a legend in my own mind. :)

[bassman]

Bass: This thread wasn’t intended to be about credit or praise but simply constructive criticism. The same constructive criticism anyone creating any work of art would and should expect to receive.

No...right, I get that. Just pointing out that Darbont isn't the only person behind this show.

It's kinda like that "fired" writers thing from a week ago. A few writers leave the show and somehow it's automatically Darabont's fault? :p

[Ghoulman]

I just ran into a friend, whom I did not know was an avid viewer of The Walking Dead, and she said she distinctly did not like the vato or the CDC arcs and ultimately asked me if they were in the source material. I love hearing what my friends have to say about this show as none of them are fans of the genre or have ever read the comics but love this series. I'm not sure where to file this little tidbit but I did find it interesting nonetheless. Perhaps a "miss" as a very definite anti "Vato's" consensus seems to be forming around the net.

[Gryphon]

Well, Darabont is the executive producer and developer of the show for AMC, and I am quite shocked he let the VATOS episode go through as is... From what I have read... although he only directed Episode #1, he did extreme oversight on the remaining episodes. I am just shocked he let the writer from the comic (name escaping me atm) use that shitty script for VATOS... I also blame the director of that episode for it being so weak. I mean that was just piss poor stuff, and while I have eased on it a bit since first viewing, it still sits at the bottom of the pile.

I honestly think, from what I read, that Kirkman was only really interested in the zombie attack and killing Amy, which explains the rest of the episode :p

[JonOfTheShred]

I'm predicting a showdown between him & his brother at some point though, inevitably Daryl will soften more towards the current bunch of survivors, while Merle will likely end up the insane leader of a group of arseholes hell bent on revenge, thats the usual storyline for such scenarios, but I could be wrong!

I actually had this exact thought a few days ago.



Edit: And I don't think I'm as terribly anti-Kirkmans episode either. The entire time it was showing the group discovering how Merle managed to escape the building was pretty good stuff. The kidnapping was good, although the hispanic kid they managed to kidnap was a TERRIBLE actor. Just horrible.

The Vatos were the anti-Governor. They appeared evil at first, but their true colors were revealed after the old lady stumbled into their conversation with Rick. Which was fucking stupid, I agree with the rest of you. Total buzz-kill.

[DEAD BEAT]

I actually had this exact thought a few days ago.



Edit: And I don't think I'm as terribly anti-Kirkmans episode either. The entire time it was showing the group discovering how Merle managed to escape the building was pretty good stuff. The kidnapping was good, although the hispanic kid they managed to kidnap was a TERRIBLE actor. Just horrible.

The Vatos were the anti-Governor. They appeared evil at first, but their true colors were revealed after the old lady stumbled into their conversation with Rick. Which was fucking stupid, I agree with the rest of you. Total buzz-kill.

Trust me when i say this is how at least in latino family's, put a vatos grandmother in front of him he is tuff no more!
Of course until you give him no choice but he will at first try to avoid confrontation...but with threats like "ill find you later!"

So that to me was as true as true can be! ;)

[krisvds]

Darabont and co did really well. Zombies are shambling into the mainstream and if that means we'll see more ghouls in cinema's I'll be one happy deadhead-fan.

However; it wasn't perfect and doesn't come close to the original trilogy IMO.
1. Cheesy dialogue. Some 'laugh out loud' moments, like the opening dialogue between Shane and Rick.
2. Several lame moments: Vatos, the sci-fi feel of the CDC, covering your body with entrails was stupid in the comic and here as well.
3. The soap series idiom: when focussing on the characters becomes an excuse to turn the zombie apocalypse into a soap. The extra focus the 'Shane has slept with his best friends wife' is getting here as opposed to the comic (which focussed more on how insane this apocalypse can make even the best of men) has me a bit worried for the 2nd season.
4. Not enough dread, several episodes were running low on walkers.

But overall: damn fine series. It's just VERY different from Romero and I still can't understand why people keep comparing them. Romero's undead films (even the more recent ones) have always been outside of the mainstream. To the point of being subversive even. TWD is at times too 'cosy'...

[bassman]

It's just VERY different from Romero and I still can't understand why people keep comparing them. Romero's undead films (even the more recent ones) have always been outside of the mainstream.

TWD isn't getting any sort of special treatment. EVERY zombie effort is compared with Romero. It's part of the "godfather of the genre" title.

And he's outside of the main stream? Just about everyone on the face of this planet has seen Night, and Romero's trilogy is generally regarded as THE zombie series. Not quite outside of the mainstream. More like invented the zombie mainstream....

[krisvds]

TWD isn't getting any sort of special treatment. EVERY zombie effort is compared with Romero. It's part of the "godfather of the genre" title.

Sure, ok. I get it. Romero basically invented the shambler as we know it.
Still pointless though.

And he's outside of the main stream? Just about everyone on the face of this planet has seen Night, and Romero's trilogy is generally regarded as THE zombie series. Not quite outside of the mainstream. More like invented the zombie mainstream....

Wasn't every ...of the dead outing, except 'Land', an independent production? Wasn't night shown mainly in matinees? Sure it gathered lts of acclaim years later. But at the time of release? A smalltime, indie release.
Everyone has seen it? I wish

[Thorn]

Hits:
-Casting
-Overall story telling
-Two very solid offerings, and the rest were not far behind.
-FX
-Growth of the Lori/Rick/Shane love triangle
-The camp attack, and subsequent transformation scene were very well done. Best I have seen in a long time.

Misses
-The whole CDC thing did not work for me at all.
-Vatos in general was a pile.
-Some of the dialogue was weak, needs to be worked on.
-Merle. Liked his acting, hated his character. Do not mind the cliff hanger. I thought he would become the Mayor as well, that could work but would not be my first choice.
-Need more zombies, even if they are just shown to keep the sense of dread and the theme of the show rolling, subtle reminders. Maybe in the last episode someone watching a monitor with them milling about outside. Or just a scene stat starts outside showing them and then pans down into the facility.

[bassman]

Wasn't every ...of the dead outing, except 'Land', an independent production? Wasn't night shown mainly in matinees? Sure it gathered lts of acclaim years later. But at the time of release? A smalltime, indie release.
Everyone has seen it? I wish

What does the time of release have to do with it? That was forty years ago. I'm talking about now.

And you can think it's pointless all you want, I'm just letting you know that around here....every zombie film is in some way compared to Romero's. It's just how it goes. It's like watching a shark movie. At some point or another, there is going to be a comparison discussion about Jaws...

[EvilNed]

Good points?

The first part of the show, or rather first half, was rather interesting and kept introducing new things. Characters, situations, dilemmas etc. etc. My favourite being the absolute terror you'd have to feel if you would be stuck in Merle's situation, handcuffed to that bar. Stuff like that was great. The show was pretty uncompromising, just like any zombie fiction should be.

Bad points?

But one thing that dragged the show down was the fact that it was never really that epic. The zombies were dumb, lame and hilariously inept. The second weakest zombies I've ever seen. They were few, easy to dispatch and easily distracted. Scare factor? 0. Believability factor (Could these have caused the end of times)? 0. Sorry.

It also didn't help that the cinematography was incredibly bland. There was probably not one interesting shot in the entire series, apart from maybe the tank shot in Episode 1. It was all shot pretty straight forward, with a somewhat shaky camera (but not too shaky). Apart from the pilot, we never got any wide shots of... Anything. At all. Orienting yourself around the camp itself got pretty confusing even after a few episodes there. I still can't tell you how the layout of it was, and it seemed to be a pretty small camp. What was the point of that? Probably nothing, but that is unfortunately something that has become somewhat of a mark of the series.

[krisvds]

What does the time of release have to do with it? That was forty years ago. I'm talking about now.

Time of release has got everything to do with it actually. This was the end of the sixties. Same time Rosemary's baby was released. A brilliant film but also a big budget production. Totally different from what GAR was doing. Night was under the radar at the time. That's exactly my point. By operating outside of Hollywood he and his crew had more liberties to do the crazy shit they did. That amount of (again, for the time) gore and dread would have been unthinkable within Hollywood. TWD is a bloody good time and quite graphic for cable television but still. It feels kinda safe and cosy at times.


And you can think it's pointless all you want, I'm just letting you know that around here....every zombie film is in some way compared to Romero's. It's just how it goes. It's like watching a shark movie. At some point or another, there is going to be a comparison discussion about Jaws...
Point taken. True enough.

[AcesandEights]

TWD is a bloody good time and quite graphic for cable television but still. It feels kinda safe and cosy at times.

I've noticed this with the television version of TWD, as well. I think the serialized nature of the project coupled with the tv medium is naturally going to lead to some difficulties the characters might encounter to be taken for granted and glossed over, but I do hope they ratchet up the grittiness and lethality of the world for the protags a bit more in season 2.

[MoonSylver]

But overall: damn fine series. It's just VERY different from Romero and I still can't understand why people keep comparing them.


And you can think it's pointless all you want, I'm just letting you know that around here....every zombie film is in some way compared to Romero's. It's just how it goes. It's like watching a shark movie. At some point or another, there is going to be a comparison discussion about Jaws...

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g374/moonsylver/zvss.jpg

[bassman]

:lol:

Damn moon. You're keeping an eye out for subjects to put into an image, arent ya?

[MoonSylver]

:lol:

Damn moon. You're keeping an eye out for subjects to put into an image, arent ya?

Actually I'd read that one, went on to other things, & then all of a sudden it started tickling the back of my mind. Didn't really want to invest the time on one that was so thread specific, but hey, anything for a laugh. :lol:

[krisvds]

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g374/moonsylver/zvss.jpg

LOL.
That's from Fulci's Zombi2 right? Been ages since I saw that one. In fact I'm popping in the DVD now.
THX!

[MoonSylver]

LOL.
That's from Fulci's Zombi2 right? Been ages since I saw that one. In fact I'm popping in the DVD now.
THX!

Aye, it is. One of my favorites. :thumbsup:

[DEAD BEAT]

Aye, it is. One of my favorites. :thumbsup:

I must say outside of GAR's world, this one was pretty good! ;)

[Zombie Snack]

Wasn't every ...of the dead outing, except 'Land', an independent production? Wasn't night shown mainly in matinees? Sure it gathered lts of acclaim years later. But at the time of release? A smalltime, indie release.
Everyone has seen it? I wish

Im 44, My mom and dad said in 1968 when I was 2 yrs old they took me with them to see Night of the living dead at the drive in...sadly I dont have any memory of that....but I do remember 1975 and going to see jaws and scared to take a bath cause a shark might get me

[Sammich]

I would have liked the show to have followed more of Morgan and Dwayne.

[Ghoulman]

I would have liked the show to have followed more of Morgan and Dwayne.Be careful what you wish for.:) I really love like Lennie James! He absolutely nailed the dubut episode and I would have loved to see more of him but, I'm a hardcore believer in the 'always leave them wanting more' school of thought. We see Morgan much later in the comics timeline and he is crazy, hairy and dirty and feeding looter body parts to his zombie son Duane.