Anyone fancy watching some new Walking Dead episodes next month?

[thxleo]

Unlike most of you guys I was not a fan of season 4, especially show-runner Scott Gimple. The whole season had this goofy esoteric style that I didn't care for at all and was very dull, IMO. But having said that I watched the season premiere today, episode 501 "No Sanctuary", and I was really impressed. Unlike nearly episode from last season this episode is nearly non-stop with action and it flies by. Greg directed it and he did an excellent job of keeping it fast paced and the opening scene is pretty brutal and graphic. Good start to the season.

[Moon Knight]

"You're cold as ice, Officer friendly." Man, Rooker killed it as Merle. Going back and watching it from the start till now makes you look back and miss awesome characters like Merle and especially Shane.

[Neil]

"You're cold as ice, Officer friendly." Man, Rooker killed it as Merle. Going back and watching it from the start till now makes you look back and miss awesome characters like Merle and especially Shane. Turned on the TV last night and there was Days Of Thunder on!

[facestabber]

"You're cold as ice, Officer friendly." Man, Rooker killed it as Merle. Going back and watching it from the start till now makes you look back and miss awesome characters like Merle and especially Shane. Agreed. We have lost some damn good characters. Hershel goes without saying. But I too miss Shane. Would have been an interesting dynamic to see his evolution through the prison arc and The Gov. That filthy slut Lori had to screw these men up....hahaha.

[Morto Vivente]

I miss Lori the most...only joking, although it does "take two to tango". I'd say the death and loss of Merle has had the most impact on me. Who do you think should die next?   Personally I feel either Glen or Maggie should go, preferably Maggie (it would put a spin on the comic book). It would also IMO deliver a "dramatic punch" relative to the reuniting of Glen and Maggie in the back half of season 4. Finally reunited, only to be separated permanently.

[Trin]

I am looking forward to watching Season 4! Yes, I haven't watched Season 4 yet. Which is also why I haven't been posting or reading here.

[ProfessorChaos]

Unlike most of you guys I was not a fan of season 4, especially show-runner Scott Gimple. The whole season had this goofy esoteric style that I didn't care for at all and was very dull, IMO. But having said that I watched the season premiere today, episode 501 "No Sanctuary", and I was really impressed. Unlike nearly episode from last season this episode is nearly non-stop with action and it flies by. Greg directed it and he did an excellent job of keeping it fast paced and the opening scene is pretty brutal and graphic. Good start to the season. i agree with you that season 4 didn't really hit the right notes for me....too many episodes that felt like pure filler. i am optimistic that season 5 will be an improvement, and hope they kill off at least one of the "untouchables" sometime early on to show how dangerous the new world of the dead really would be.

[thxleo]

i agree with you that season 4 didn't really hit the right notes for me....too many episodes that felt like pure filler. i am optimistic that season 5 will be an improvement, and hope they kill off at least one of the "untouchables" sometime early on to show how dangerous the new world of the dead really would be. Great way to put it: pure filler. That's all it was to me too, Professor. Lots of boring episodes of people walking through the woods having dull, uninteresting conversations. Not a fan of Gimple at all. But I was pleasantly surprised by this season opener. It's not perfect: there's a scene where one of the characters does something EXTREMELY out of character. But it's an emotional scene and some fans might like that. I found it unrealistic, but that's a minor complaint because the episode flies by with lots of action. Greg's on his game with this one!

[Neil]

Great way to put it: pure filler. That's all it was to me too, Professor. Lots of boring episodes of people walking through the woods having dull, uninteresting conversations. Not a fan of Gimple at all. But I was pleasantly surprised by this season opener. It's not perfect: there's a scene where one of the characters does something EXTREMELY out of character. But it's an emotional scene and some fans might like that. I found it unrealistic, but that's a minor complaint because the episode flies by with lots of action. Greg's on his game with this one! You've already seen S05E01? Lucky ****er

[MoonSylver]

I'll be the voice of dissent, but I kinda liked how they bounced around from group to group after the prison, giving each character some face & character development time.

[Moon Knight]

I'll be the voice of dissent, but I kinda liked how they bounced around from group to group after the prison, giving each character some face & character development time. Me too. Big fan of Gimple and how he doesn't have anyone just stand in the background like Mazzara did. T-Dogg and Carol for example.

[zomtom]

Within the last month, I've done a marathon of the entire series. I am so hyped for October 12th. I'm such a fanboy, I even enjoy the "not so good" episodes. Just recently turned my cousin onto the show. He's in the middle of season three and loving it. I wish I received royalties for turning people onto this show because I've done my share. I just hope the viewership continues to grow and the show goes on for many more seasons.

[shootemindehead]

I watched the season premiere today, episode 501 "No Sanctuary" How are you getting hold of that Lee?

[Neil]

How are you getting hold of that Lee? I suspect from a certain friend of his, who has a small involvement in the series?

[MinionZombie]

I'll be the voice of dissent, but I kinda liked how they bounced around from group to group after the prison, giving each character some face & character development time. Aye. Personally I thought season 4 was the most consistent run of good/great episodes since season 1. Only "Still" (4x12, IIRC) was a bit of a dud. It felt much more balanced overall, too, so we got big action spectacles like 4x01's Big Spot raid or 4x08's fall of the prison, but we also got deep character studies like 4x14's The Grove (one of the best episodes of TWD in general IMO). I feel that Gimple 'gets' the source material more than Mazzara did, the latter of whom, I feel, let the balance tip too much towards the show, rather than Gimple's method of striking a balance between both the show as it's own thing and as an adaptation of the comics, which is the ideal in my view. The fractured group dynamics of the back half of season four was interesting and gave us a lot of time with a variety of characters and nobody felt left out, unlike in previous seasons where certain characters got a bit sidelined. The balance was much better this time around giving everyone some good moments to call their own. Season four also felt much more thought out than season three, which had many great episodes, but undeniably weakened somewhat in the back half (where we could get all time greats like 3x12 and 3x15, but also all time duds like 3x14) - in season four there were arcs for each half, but also season-wide arcs that all paid off, and the moments of foreshadowing really worked for me. To each their own though, I'm not looking to gang up on opinions to the contrary.