The 2014 TWD season popularity poll

[AcesandEights]

Sound off on your favorite season thus far...

and please no mention without SPOILER tags of future story arcs from the comics or leaked production details that may come up before this poll closes prior to Season 5.

[JonOfTheShred]

A few days before the finale I re-started the show. Just finished Season 2, I'll wait until I've finished the rest before making this call.

I assume my ranking will be

Season 4
Season 3
Season 1
Season 2

Season 1 would be 1st or 2nd, but it was too damn short. I've noticed S1 is much more cinematic, and Season 2 more soap-opera esque for lack of a better term. Season 2 had really strong points but bogged down quite a bit. I enjoyed 3 a lot the first run through, and assume I'll still enjoy it now...I never got the gripes everyone had with that Season. And 4 all around was solid, so I again assume it will be overall my favorite.

[MinionZombie]

ha, I voted for Season 4 as my favourite so far - suck on that, Aces, you cheeky chappy. :elol:

Season 4 has been the most consistent season out of them all/since season 1. The quality has been excellent, bar a couple of very minor wobbles, and the episode "Still" just not having enough content in it ... Season 4 has been superb.

Ranking them, I'd go:

Season 4
Season 1
Season 2 tied with Season 3

4 and 1 were both very consistent, but 4 pips it just a little bit as the show is far more established now.

2 and 3 I thoroughly enjoyed, but the first half of season 2 was too slow-paced, and the second half of season 3 did crumble in places (the episode where The Governor chases Andrea around the old factory is the weakest episode of TWD ever produced IMO). That said, I don't think there's ever been a 'weak' season of TWD ... even with their issues, 2 and 3 were bloody good stuff, but they were inconsistent.

It's great that with season 4, and Scott M. Gimple as showrunner, they've been able to not only find the right balance between comic book and TV show, but they've been able to write the most consistent season thus far. :)

[AcesandEights]

ha, I voted for Season 4 as my favourite so far - suck on that, Aces, you cheeky chappy. :elol:

:p

I went season 4, as well actually, as probably my favorite season thus far. There were standout episodes in other seasons and more powerful one-offs, but this season was an exercise in consistency with arguably only one down episode in the bunch. They even managed to deliver a solid rendition of the prison assault and gave a grisly, but cool end to a great character in the process (Hershel). As messed up as it was to lose Hershel, it did seem like he went out in peace and even, in an odd way, on his own terms, spiritually speaking.

Other than the prison assault & fallout, we got straight out good pacing, a flipped look at the Governor's mindset, which helped to somewhat reclaim a seminal character somewhat damaged by the shenanigans of season 3 and a split up of the group that was expertly handled from a writing and directorial perspective. Also, most characters who have been around for a bit got moments for their character's personality to shine. Carl did a 180 as a character this season, I feel, and Bob was a pleasant surprise. And great setpieces by the way (airborne zombies, prison assault, the medicine run with the huge herds of zeds etc. etc.).

Oh, and not to mention all the post apocalyptic 'on the road' exploration and travel.

And, and...the drama usually felt genuine and not tacked on or overly soap operaesque compared to previous seasons.



Jeez, the more I sit here and think about it, the more I edit to add more cool stuff that went down this season.

[Legion2213]

S4 has set the benchmark...we know what the producers, directors, writers and actors are capable of now...they need to sustain this high standard of Zombie TV output!

This poll is going to be a massacre... :D

[bassman]

Season Four has been fantastic, particularly the back half, but I still have to give the edge to Season One. Partially because it was so tight and precise with it's limited run of episodes, but mostly because Darabont's Days Gone Bye is a masterpiece as far as I'm concerned.

[Legion2213]

Season Four has been fantastic, particularly the back half, but I still have to give the edge to Season One. Partially because it was so tight and precise with it's limited run of episodes, but mostly because Darabont's Days Gone Bye is a masterpiece as far as I'm concerned.

S1was a good intro mini-season...and it certainly did it's job in making sure that the series proper was renewed for several seasons.

S2 was probably the worst, the farm went on for too long with limited action and just a bit too much soapy content throughout the season.

I really need to do a marathon, straight through the lot and refresh my memory of all the good and all the bad that comes with this great show.

[kidgloves]

I've grown to really like season 2 but 4 has been more consistent and interesting.
The run of episodes from mid season 2 to mid season 3 where outstanding. I love the season 3 opener. One of my favs of all time.

[ProfessorChaos]

voted season one as well. the pilot episode is still the high-water mark, if ya ask me. season one also had lots of ass-kicking by shane, the beautiful scene with amy's reawakening and andrea putting her out of her misery, the rv and an on-the-road vibe, merle at his worst, and chihuahuas.

EDIT: and like kidgloves, i think the best "string" of episodes, if you will, was from "pretty much dead already" (2x07) through "made to suffer" (3x08). the emergence of crazy shane, the attempted betrayal and the resulting rick vs shane incident, the fall of the farm, the discovery and securing of the prison, the mayhem that led to the deaths of lori and t-dog.....good stuff.

[facestabber]

Season 1 episode 1 is still my favorite piece of zombie film/tv. That alone, for me, keeps season 1 as my favorite.

Season 2 comes next for me. Though slow paced at times I still love 2. So many great characters introduced and the contributions from Shane and Dale. Sophia coming out of the barn was a great mid season break. I absolutely love that scene and the reaction of the group. And then the finale of Season 2 was dynamite. Well minus Hershel's infinite ammo shotgun

Season 4 is next. I wasnt thrilled with the intro episode at first but after reviewing it, it was necessary groundwork in that episode which set the stage. Great acting and moments in season 4. Really top notch stuff but I am just more fond of 1 and 2.

Season 3 is last. Though the Gov arc was absolutely required, something just didnt seem right. I cant really explain it. Though this season did have one of the best acted scenes by Callais, Cohan and Lincoln with Lori's death. That was one of the top acted scenes in the entire series.

[bassman]

This may seem silly, but I just want to take a moment to point out the fact that we're voting and debating which is the best season of a zombie television show. Multiple seasons of a zombie TV show. If we would've heard ten years ago that this would be happening, we all would've laughed and said "yeah, right". We used to beg for not only a new Romero movie, but ANY zombie movie. It still seems strange to me that TWD has taken off like it has....

[clanglee]

Season one for me just because it was shiny and new. Nothing can give me the same feeling as when the show first started. But Season 4 would be my second favorite. . mostly because it was the most like season 1. . Back on the road. . .cool stuff happening. But since the concept of the show is familiar now. . .I just don't get the same thrill as I did with season 1.

[facestabber]

This may seem silly, but I just want to take a moment to point out the fact that we're voting and debating which is the best season of a zombie television show. Multiple seasons of a zombie TV show. If we would've heard ten years ago that this would be happening, we all would've laughed and said "yeah, right". We used to beg for not only a new Romero movie, but ANY zombie movie. It still seems strange to me that TWD has taken off like it has....

AMEN to that

[JonOfTheShred]

I've gotten all the way up to Clear. Some observations....

Season 1 is awesome, if short. The zombies are a bit too fast, and this is often. Borderline running at some points. Other than that, solid. Loved every minute of it. I even liked the CDC episode, which got a lot of flak if I remember correctly. I thought it was a clever season finale, in that it very well could have been the series finale. And as a series finale it would have worked - they explained enough about zombies to give closure, but not at the expense of the mystique. I particularly liked the depiction of a living brain, the reanimation process, and the creepy, dimly light "zombie brain," barely a sign of life. Even the aura of the synapses got dark and eerie.

Season 2 is inconsistent. The budget cuts really show, especially since the episode order was doubled. The soapy points got a bit much, particularly Dales last episode. Way too melodramatic, it's the only episode that I was literally dozing off during throughout this whole rewatch. Despite the weak points, the strong points are really strong - the first 3 episodes with Carl's life on the line, and Shane / Otis teaming up is some great stuff. The first human vs human fights were awesome, tense television. Randall debates...not so much. 18 Miles Out was solid, but they dragged it out too much. The kid was clearly a little sociopath and shithead, should have been no debate whatsoever. It finally picks up in the last two episodes, the season finale being particularly awesome.

Season 3 has been an epic watch. I can understand the shit it got when we all had to wait week to week and deal with 20 minutes of commercials, but hot damn binge-watching Season 3 makes you realize how solid it really was. The story is moving a mile a minute, the only filler being a bit too much Woodbury. Watching chunks of the season really makes more sense, as most of the events in two or three full episodes transpire over a night in narrative time. Can't wait to make it to Season 4 and see how much of an improvement it was on 2 and 3. Hard to compare them all to 1, which was much shorter.

[Legion2213]

This may seem silly, but I just want to take a moment to point out the fact that we're voting and debating which is the best season of a zombie television show. Multiple seasons of a zombie TV show. If we would've heard ten years ago that this would be happening, we all would've laughed and said "yeah, right". We used to beg for not only a new Romero movie, but ANY zombie movie. It still seems strange to me that TWD has taken off like it has....

Bass, I've said this so many times when people have been nit picking about this show...we actually have a genuine zombie apocalypse TV series at long last...a series with everything we always wanted...the PA landscape, shamblers, desperate groups, little snippets of how the world fell, brilliant zombie effects, travel around this PA landscape etc, etc etc.

I will forgive every little flaw in this series so long as it continues to entertain me and continues to be excellent viewing.

[MinionZombie]

Bass, I've said this so many times when people have been nit picking about this show...we actually have a genuine zombie apocalypse TV series at long last...a series with everything we always wanted...the PA landscape, shamblers, desperate groups, little snippets of how the world fell, brilliant zombie effects, travel around this PA landscape etc, etc etc.

I will forgive every little flaw in this series so long as it continues to entertain me and continues to be excellent viewing.

Yup. :cool:

[Andy]

For my favourite season, its tied between 2 and 4.

For my least favourite its 3. Season 3 was awful, too focused on andrea and the whole season felt like it was building to a climax that never came.

[Morto Vivente]

I'd say season 4 has been the strongest, and 3 the weakest.

The former had everything I hope to see in a ZA drama, and in the right measure. Not only from the undead threat, but also from within your own ranks and from without, as survivors fail or succeed in dealing effectively with the apocalypse. IMO it's resulted in the most balanced and consistent season of TWD yet. Season 4 also had some great memorable set pieces, such as the supermarket run, Hershel's execution, bus of walkers etc, plus they finally left the prison (hurray!!).

I agree with Andy, I think season 3 suffered from tunnel vision. As far as I recall the arcs of many characters were essentially driven by The Governor. For me, the season isn't loathsome, but it's definitely the won I've watched least.

Seasons one and two I like equally as I seem to return to them both with similar frequency. Although season 2 does benefit from viewing the episodes back to back.
It also has "Nebraska", definitely one of my favourite episodes.

Though as Legion said, I'm also just enjoying the fact that there's a well above average TV SHOW depicting the ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE, which "delivers the goods" more often than not! Perfection's a myth. Season 5....YES!!! :hyper:

[Geordie9]

I'm just happy to have a zombie series on tv, i have to say i cant choose a favourite

[Andy]

I really enjoyed season 2, the whole search for sophia did start getting a little tedious but it really paid off in the mid season finale, same with the shane-lori-rick love triangle, i thought it was a great storyline that paid off really well and fleshed out something that is only really touched on in the comics.

Season 3, as Morto Vivente said, is too drive by the governor and andrea and feels like its building to a payoff that never comes.

Season 1 was good overall but it was still finding its feet, it was too short and a couple of the episodes seriously miss the mark for me.

Season 4 i honestly cant fault, ive really enjoyed every single episode.

[JonOfTheShred]

I just finished a chunk of Season 4, the episode with Hershel hobbling around the quarantine cell block, while Rick and Carl gun down dozens of zombies breaking through the fence. One of the best episodes in the series, such a good watch. I'm already quite confident Season 4 is going to be my favorite overall.

And as far as Season 3 being too much Governor, while I do agree that there was a little too much Woodbury, it wasn't nearly as much as I remembered after just re-watching the entire thing in a two day period. Andrea bogged things down more than the Governor, if they cut her screen time in half it would have been a huge improvement. ((I really enjoyed the 'slasher' style episode, with the Governor tracking Andrea down, that episode is intense and a great blend of two horror genres.)) And I get that they were trying to contrast between the harsh realities of the honest protagonists in the prison vs. the cushy faux-paradise of the sociopath-driven antagonists of Woodbury, and to an extent it worked.

Something I noticed, and it is rather ironic; Season 3's finale has Glenn and Maggie intentionally missing shots to scare away the Woodbury intruders, whereas the Season 4 finale has the hipster cannibals of Terminus corralling Rick and company using the same method, with opposite intentions in mind.

[facestabber]

Though I don't prefer season 4 over 1 the fact that the majority of minds on here does is a great sign for the future. I need to give season 3 a rewatch as a marathon. I think I would appreciate it more. Always loved the fight between Michonne and the Gov. Certified her as a badass and at the end of the day she found a way to win unlike Rick.

It doesn't fit here but there were many discussions about Rick's failure to deliver a fatal shot to the Gov, after he katana'd ole Hershel. I didn't realize until now that Rick fired that shot with his left hand. So that explains the poor shot placement.

[ProfessorChaos]

I really enjoyed season 2, the whole search for sophia did start getting a little tedious but it really paid off in the mid season finale, same with the shane-lori-rick love triangle, i thought it was a great storyline that paid off really well and fleshed out something that is only really touched on in the comics.

agreed 100%. season 2 gets a lot of crap, and while i can see some of the criticism, it really did deliver in the end with the boiled-over tension between rick and shane, as well as the fall of the farm. aside from the silly bit about the same horde from atlanta somehow stumbling onto hershell's land and the inifinite ammo shotgun, the season 2 finale was amazing.

season 3 started off so strong for me, but ended up being a train-wreck by the time it wrapped up.....so it's my least favorite, easily.

[Tricky]

I've enjoyed the whole ride, I felt season 2 could have condensed the whole searching for Sophia thing down a bit, but it was still enjoyable and whatever minor faults the show has had along the way such as A-Team style shootouts on occasion and a few "red shirts" among the survivors, it remains solid, very well written and has an ability to tug on the old heart strings and is the best thing that has ever happened to the living dead genre in my opinion.
And those burnt zombies really creeped me out on the recent episode "the grove"!!

[krisvds]

Four. Close call though: the opening episodes were brilliant but overall season one was a few episodes too short and that Vatos thing and the CDC were a bit silly.

[Doc]

Season Four and Season One by far. The Pilot is still the greatest episode this show ever made. And Season Four significantly improved the show churning out some of the best episodes since the first season.

Seasons Two and Three were filled with the melodrama and filler that still plague this show even now.

[Legion2213]

"we're gonna need a bigger poll" ;)

[zombie04]

Bass, I've said this so many times when people have been nit picking about this show...we actually have a genuine zombie apocalypse TV series at long last...a series with everything we always wanted...the PA landscape, shamblers, desperate groups, little snippets of how the world fell, brilliant zombie effects, travel around this PA landscape etc, etc etc.

I will forgive every little flaw in this series so long as it continues to entertain me and continues to be excellent viewing.

Couldn't agree more. Sure not every episode is a 10 out of 10, but for an ongoing zombie series it has more than met my expectations. With season 4 you could really sense that everybody involved, especially the writers, were in their groove. And with season 5 I love how they have managed to keep everybody in motion and not allowed any plot elements to slow them down. I can't wait to see where the second half of 5 goes and I'm looking forward to 6 and beyond.

[MinionZombie]

Couldn't agree more. Sure not every episode is a 10 out of 10, but for an ongoing zombie series it has more than met my expectations. With season 4 you could really sense that everybody involved, especially the writers, were in their groove. And with season 5 I love how they have managed to keep everybody in motion and not allowed any plot elements to slow them down. I can't wait to see where the second half of 5 goes and I'm looking forward to 6 and beyond.

Here here. :cool::thumbsup::)