Is it that time again?

[childofgilead]

Are we supposed to start the usual hyping and conjecture threads now or are we past givin' a hump?

In case we ARE caring, I guess I'll throw a few out there.

The show runners really need to start placing value in maintaining a consistent chronology in the show. Sure, it's easy to say that Otis put Sophia in the barn, or make snide offhand comments at Comic Con, but if I, as a fan, am confronted by something that completely pulls me out of the experience, you bet I'm going to remember that more than "OMG, ZOMBEEZ, LULZ!"

If you're going to wax pretentious about this show being character driven drama, you better get some damn writers to take a look at the thing. The human relationships in this are getting messy and I don't mean just straying from the comic source material. I don't have on iota of sympathy for Lori, an expectant mother in a world gone to shit. And frankly, I don't think it's my fault. Can we PLEASE have an intelligent episode where she DOESN'T come off as a piggy selfish middle school belle in distress? Or Andrea..the best character from the comics, reduced to a tried and typical Underworld/Resident Evil badass gunslingin' badass in the space of an EPISODE?

I was really looking forward to a half season of her realizing she COULD in fact adjust to this world and see that Dale did in fact do her a favor by recognizing that strength in her and refusing to let her give up until she'd seen it herself.

Instead, she just screws Shane in his Hyundai and there we go..instant character arc.

But we're supposed to be on the edge of our seats over worry for Sophia? Sorry guys..not buying that this wasn't done as a cop out as per the comic con video..and that's just a piece of shit thing to do. That's not suspense, that's cowardice.

I'm genuinely hoping this show gives me some entertainment after this hiatus..I've not gone back and watched a single episode of this season past the opener. It's just been too uneven..I DO plan on doing so however, but if this season doesn't give me something to sink my teeth into, I'm going to turn the channel, something I thought I'd never do.

[rongravy]

Dang, you definitely seem to not like the show much. I agree it has some flaws. I've never read the comics so I can't compare it on that level. Admittedly, it can, and has, dragged on a few times, but watching them as they air I find them enjoyable. Not as much maybe in rewatching, but I dunno, not all that bad.
As for Lori, not always sympathetic to her, but not hating her as much as Shane. That guy just rubs me wrong in general. Even the real guy, gives me the impression of a horny dachshund.
Sophie?
Dragged out, but a sweeet payout in the end for me.
In the end, I like the show.
If it'd aired when I was a kid in the 80's I'd jizz all over myself. Not saying I'm easy, but the gore and FX, when it's there, is top notch.

[childofgilead]

That's the problem, I WANT to like the show. I've got every trade paperback that's been issued, I kept up with the production since I first heard about the series..hell, I even gushed about it on here..I guess after stewing over the break thinking about how Darabont was just EVERYWHERE promoting this thing and for him to be summarily nudged out this way leaves a hell of a sour taste in my mouth. And for Kirkman to not have the decency to stand up for not only his show, but the guy who made it happen sickens me. He seems more and more like the guy in the class who had to say something all the time, whether it was funny or not, because he needs the attention.

I think The Walking Dead is the best thing to happen to our hobby in a long time. Clearly Romero isn't interested in making good product anymore, who better to carry on into the new millenium than Frank Darabont? He brought a sense of legitimacy to the genre and to have him booted out flat out hamstrung the show.

Continuing, I said I'm going to give the show a chance to win me back the rest of this season. But the way the Sophia situation was mishandled and the way AMC and seemingly those involved treat the show, I don't see a sense in investing any more of myself in the show than they have. If they're happy with a zombie-family drama instead of a real zombie-survival show, that's fine. But that's not what the book was. Yes, there were zombies and there were quiet moments with discussion. But there was always a sense of doom, of living on the very edge, of not having enough. This season, on the farm that zombies forgot, we had nothing but fizzled plotlines and sweaty arguments. Arguments that didn't resolve ANYTHING.

I've seen better discussions on what's going on with the characters on this board. For this shows writers to have to toe such a blatant line of disinterest in real drama must take serious effort. More than half of the stories on here are better.

Too many nitpicks for me to simply tune in, turn off and enjoy. They really need to get a better continuity director on this thing.

[Thorn]

I guess I just don't see all of that as show stoppers, or as issues that are as big as you see them. I think I have stated that before, and hate to go over the same ground but I guess I will just say I understand that some have the opinion that things are not moving along well, or quickly, or with good continuity... but from my couch the show is going fine. Minor issues here and there, and that means minor fixes not throwing out the baby with the bath water.

Sorry you are not digging it, I guess not every show or movie or song... or work of art is for everyone and a zombie tv show is no different.

[childofgilead]

I appreciate your understanding Thorn..you and I have agreed on some things and disagreed on others and that's fine..I guess I just have alot of other stuff going on in life and while I was sitting in bed today watching the first season and reading some forums and stuff, it just came to a head..*had an operation, workers comp not standing up and doing what they're supposed to, constant pain and the worry of a total wrist fusion*

I shouldn't let that bleed over, I know..it just..*sigh*..I'll shut it.

[Thorn]

No worries at all, and that's a rough deal right there I am sure we can all relate or at least understand I know I can. I do hope it all works out for you, and I hope the change the show enough to get you on board as a fan without changing too much as I do think there is value there worth saving... but like we both have said everyone has their own opinions on these things.

[childofgilead]

That's the kicker..I LOVED the first season..you all know that!

hahaha

[Thorn]

Oh yeah for sure, well hope it gets back there for you to that first season magic. I think there is a lot of potential and love that we finally have a TV show about zombies and with great original source material to build off... I do worry it will become too comic bookish. Which I know is horrible sounding since I worked in the industry and it is based off the comic. I just thought at times in the comic it was way too over the top. That is my biggest fear beyond the points you raised.

[krisvds]

http://splashpage.mtv.com/2012/01/25/walking-dead-creator/

Quote: "There is the audience that loves watching zombies get their heads split open and there is an audience that just loves watching people kiss and deal with this horrific world they’re living in," Kirkman said. "It’s a fun game to watch them bounce back and forth between being really happy and unhappy."

Two groups in your audience Mister Kirkman? One of the more idiotic things I read.. My god; what respect we have for our audience? Pffff. The more this guy appears in public the more I wish he would just shut up and do what he does better; make really good comics.

I would like to add a third group of people; the group that care about both and want better writing and characterisation than what we have now. Childofgilead pretty much said it right there in that first post.
As to why Kirkman didn't stand up for the man who made all of this possible in the first place when AMC sacked him? That we will never know, perhaps he did fight for Darabont behind the scenes.
He hasn't said a thing on the subject. That does leave room for conjecture and gossip. Sad really.

[Wyldwraith]

Biggest problems I've had with Season 2:
1) The entire Herschel's Perspective Vs. Rick's Perspective (aka: The Middle Ground), Vs. Shane's Kill Em All and Let God Sort Em Out Perspective just ended up irritating more than it entertained me. Were their good points to it? Absolutely. Maggie and Herschel's talk after Herschel shuts Rick down about the group staying, and Maggie hits Herschel with some New Testament tidbits to spotlight his hypocrisy and bring him around. That was gold, short as it was. There are other moments, but most of the content related to Herschel trying to push them out and blaring his delusional, Survival of the Dead-type Muldoonish perspective just kept swamping the good parts of said dramatic element with a wash of eye-rolling and irritation...at least for me.

2) Rick. Even when I didn't like the direction the Rick character was going in, I thought it was a great character, portrayed extremely well by Lincoln for all of Season 1.
Then we come to Herschel trying to push the group into moving on, and Rick went from this very moral, willing to step up for anyone and everyone in his group exemplar of courage and decency to this apologist, appeasement-oriented pile of Bleh for all that plot arc. Not even TRYING to get Herschel to see reason after a certain point, and just becoming willing to adopt/humor Herschel's delusions about the nature of Walkers and go along with Herschel's way of handling them just stank to high heaven of moral cowardice, AT BEST...at least for me. Rick's been the leader of a group of people who have suffered TERRIBLY because of the Walkers, and it seems he just forgets how insane and offensive the idea of treating them like sick people would be for the others like, say, Andrea....the Walkers being the things that murdered Amy. It just seemed like the script during this entire element of the S2-plot was set up to have Rick utterly ignore the FACT he was NEVER going to sell Shane, Andrea, Daryl and maybe not even Glenn on adopting a lifestyle that involved upholding Herschel's delusions about the Walkers. The fact that this very conflict-driven, philosophically-oriented portion of the first half of S2 just had Rick sidestep all that and thus leave it up to SHANE of all people to serve as the "Voice of Reason" felt very contrived to me. It just didn't seem at all consistent with Rick's own experience up until then. This is the man who, by the NARROWEST of margins escaped needing to put a bullet in his brain before the Walkers could start eating him...the man who made what began as that disgusting gore-covered walk and ended as a desperate sprint for his and Glenn's lives to get an escape vehicle during the episode "Guts" back in Season 1....

The scriptwriters fell FAR short..VERY FAR short of showing me how Rick went from those experiences in Season 1 to the compliant go-along-to-get-along diplomat of Season 2. Yes, I understand that Carl's near-death after being shot, and news of Lori's pregnancy was supposed to explain Rick's motivations...but Rick NEVER, at any point after "There are Walkers in the Barn" responded as a man wanting to ensure his wife and son's safety from things he knows constitute a mortal threat to said wife and son. I *Understand* why they had Rick acting as he did from that point forward, it just wasn't sold to me effectively.

3) The setup to bring about Shane's open "Villainy." Again, I see what they intended to be the guiding lights leading to this result...but the way the actors portrayed events I ended up feeling more like Shane was the realistic champion of the group's safety for all his failings. Not what the writers intended AT ALL, but there it is...at least for me.

Moving forward into the second half of the 2nd Season I truly hope the writing and the consistency of character portrayals tightens up.

[childofgilead]

I definitely worry about the characterization of an upcoming character..comic readers know who I mean..if they loved making Andrea into a female Rambo, they're going to crap themselves over you know who..

As for the characterization, agreed wholeheartedly. It's been very uneven.