TWD 6x01 "First Time Again" episode discussion... **SPOILERS WITHIN*

[MinionZombie]

Please keep all talk of episode 6x01 "First Time Again" specifically inside this thread. If you have a theory for a following episode, please use the "spoiler tags" (visit the HPOTD FAQ to find out how to use them if you don't already know). Similarly, if you're going to discuss plot points from the comic book, please use "spoiler tags" - not everyone is up-to-date on them, and some people don't read them at all. Enjoy! Directed by: Greg Nicotero Written by: Scott M. Gimple & Matthew Negrete

[AcesandEights]

Pretty strong start! Surprised no one else has posted yet

[Harleydude666]

Please keep all talk of episode 6x01 "First Time Again" specifically inside this thread. If you have a theory for a following episode, please use the "spoiler tags" (visit the HPOTD FAQ to find out how to use them if you don't already know). Similarly, if you're going to discuss plot points from the comic book, please use "spoiler tags" - not everyone is up-to-date on them, and some people don't read them at all. Enjoy! Directed by: Greg Nicotero Written by: Scott M. Gimple & Matthew Negrete "Strong" is saying it mildly. It had a bit of everything. Sorry to see Carter so quick. A little surprised at Morgan's reaction to Rick putting Carter out of his misery. Morgan knows what needs to be done. Next week looks even better, a more tension filled episode.

[Moon Knight]

Great episode and a tremendous way to start the season with what seems is the start of a very amazing and ambiguous storyline from the books. I'll have more to say later but right now I just have to ask, where the f*ck is Holly? lol

[zomtom]

It was a solid episode. I'm going to re-watch it in a little bit. It was a big episode (if anything for the number of walkers) but I still felt just a little let down. I guess I fell for all the hype. Don't get me wrong; it was a good episode but nothing like Season 5's first episode. There just weren't any "sit on the edge of my seat" moments. That being said, they definitely have set up for next week. I think that one is going to be an ass kicker!

[Neil]

Pretty strong start! Surprised no one else has posted yet It's not aired in the UK until late Monday evening, so I don't get to see it until Tue/Wed evening... So I generally do not even come into these threads until Tue/Wed incase of a spoiler! So to coin a phrase... I'll be back!

[MinionZombie]

I'll echo the "strong start" sentiments. One of the small things I liked about this episode were the moments of humour in the dialogue ("respect the hair game" etc). It's something I try to incorporate into my own writing - even in bleak times, people still find a way to lace a bit of humour into their day. I do agree that there weren't really any 'edge of the seat' moments. It was more of an epic, but one or two nailbiter moments would have been nice - although I imagine we'll have plenty of that in the next couple of episodes. I seem to remember cast/crew saying that the first three episodes are pretty crazy. Loved the vast scenes of them guiding the walker herd and setting up their plan - cutting back and forth between staging it and then doing it - it was a zombie fan's dream come true to see something like this, so I'm very pleased with this premiere. This one did require the additional running time, whereas I think the Season 5 finale didn't quite have enough content - or maybe just shock moments - to really fill out every minute of that extended Season 5 finale. Although, to be fair, I've only seen it once - so I'll re-assess when I get the S5 boxset on Blu-Ray. Likewise surprised to see Carter (Ethan Embry) go so quick, but at least he had a good arc over the episode. I loved the bit where Eugene bumbled into their conspiracy meeting - that "Hello" cracked me up (another nicely observed and balanced bit of humour). My favourite walker of the episode wasn't the one tangled up in a tree (which looked amazing in the promo pics, but didn't quite get enough detailed coverage to really show it off in the episode), but was in fact the first one to squeeze its way through the two truck trailers - when it's flesh all splits/peels away I was decidedly happy. Yet again KNB continue to rock it and find new ways to give we gore fiends something to really grin about. Speaking of, the quarry of walkers kicked arse! Those grand shots boasted an awesome scale that reminded me all over again how lucky we are as zombie fans to have this show. Thinking back to the dark days of the 1990s when it was all rather thin on the ground zombie wise, my head would have exploded at the sight of something like the walker quarry! Some interesting bits of character business throughout. Uneasy alliances (Glenn and Nicholas), some proper sour moments (Rick being, rightfully, proper effed off at Gabriel), and Abraham's curious mental slide ... all that talk about Pompeii brains and such ... I think we'll see some of the darkness that's been bubbling under the surface erupt. Looking forward to it. Plenty of other business dotted around to, particularly with Morgan (loved the call back to Michonne pinching one of his protein bars). So all-in-all I'm very happy ... and who's honking that massive horn?! Shit is about to go down big style, methinks! ... TWD 6x01 Memes: http://deadshed.blogspot.co.uk/2015/...emes.html#more

[Ed]

I'm thinking it's Gabriel honking that horn.

[kidgloves]

Not sure about anyone else but I had a zombie boner all through this.

[slayerized]

One tactical nuke at the bottom of that quarry - problem solved!

[Moon Knight]

I must say, Corey Hawkins as Heath is a dead ringer for his comic counterpart.

[shootemindehead]

Yeh, He's spot on. This was a decent opener, although I kind of felt the time/colour shift a bit jarring at times, I have to say. When the episode started, I was like "wait, WTF is going in? Did I miss an episode?" No complaints in the zombie department though and a great "oh shit" ending.

[Buzzbomb]

I found the non-linear jumps and B&W footage irksome to say the least. Also last season, when Nicholas & Aiden were taking Glen & Tara on a dummy run in the woods - didn't Aiden say that they they scouted out in a circle and had gone as far as 53 miles from Alexandria? You'd think they'd have gone past it more than once and would have known about the build up of zombies in the quarry. If not Nick & Aiden then wouldn't Aaron or Daryl or one of the kids on walkabout have stumbled over the quarry or at least heard the walker noise that was attracting the DC walkers like flies? Maybe it'll improve on 2nd viewing.

[MinionZombie]

I'm thinking it's Gabriel honking that horn. I'm not so sure ... but if it is, then that bastard needs to die ... however, I'm thinking maybe - somehow - it's The Wolves. Perhaps we won't know who blasted the horn for a while yet. With a herd like that coming at Alexandria it's gonna be all hands on deck with no time to sniff out a culprit and apportion blame. Not sure about anyone else but I had a zombie boner all through this. Yeah me too. One tactical nuke at the bottom of that quarry - problem solved! Had it not been for the walkers sneaking through (and then the ruddy truck crumbling off the cliff) then yeah, some kind of huge fire or something could have been an option. Then again, the walkers might not be the most flammable ... but if they'd had time they could have somehow masterminded a giant zombie bonfire and melted all the sods together into one giant mass, muahahahaaaaa. Mind you, that'd create a massive smoke cloud and potentially attract more walkers or nefarious sorts. I must say, Corey Hawkins as Heath is a dead ringer for his comic counterpart. Yep, thought the same. Very cool. I kind of felt the time/colour shift a bit jarring at times, I have to say. Personally, I liked it. It made the distinction clear - and it also had a vibe of the comic books about it. I think there needed to be a distinction (they'd considered desaturating the past and over-saturating the present, but the latter wouldn't have made sense for the long-established style of the show). It also made the most sense to cut back and forth between planning their moves and then enacting them. If it was laid out in a linear fashion it'd be very stilted (and you wouldn't be able to juxtapose scenes like Rick and Morgan discussing the inevitability of Carter's death - and then seeing Carter's death). You need to keep the momentum - the steps of their plan are revealed as they happen - and the pace of the episode is allowed to go up and down, rather than what would have likely been a very slow build and then a very full-on climax that would perhaps be a bit too rushed. So all-in-all I thought it was an interesting choice that made sense. Wouldn't want to see it become a thing that they do, and despite it being slightly jarring, it was ultimately better than being confused about what was happening when at certain points. That initial reveal of Rick & Co at the walker quarry at the start of the episode was epic!

[DayoftheZ]

Another one here who didn't like the time hop / colour change thing. I can see why they did it, but I sent the first ten minutes trying to work out if my TV was broken/Fox had a fault/or if I had missed an episode. I found the whole thing so distracting I missed some of the early action. I also think they are skirting a fine line with Rick and he is coming across as a bad guy (almost like the governor) and Morgan and Michonne see the potential problem with him. The whole taking Pete out with the trash thing isn't what I would expect of Rick Grimes, he was afterall a husband and father and a funeral should be for the family not the dead. The Walker scenes were top drawer as was said above a real Living Dead fans wet dream. I also liked how they dealt with Sasha / Abe and Glenn and Nicholas. Heath looks like he is going to be a great character but with the new characters I hope we don't lose the likes of Maggie, Aaron, Tara and Rosita into the crowd. Even Carl was conspicuous by his absence. Overall a great season opener and I cant wait until next week.