Walking Dead: Eight Reasons They May Be Missing the Mark

The Walking Dead is back and, like church, it will become a ritual for people on Sundays. That is if it can sustain the audience for one more season. The season premiere was a let down to a lot of people and the critics aren’t being kind either. I enjoyed it, but I also saw it as the proverbial rock and a hard spot for the show’s creators. They want to take it one place, but feel forced to stick to the roots that bound them.

So, I compiled a list of Mark Misses or Potential Jump the Sharks.

***WARNING SPOILERS***

If it Ain’t Broke:  Understandable some things from the comics had to be changed, but they started to stray off course. They had solid foundation in which to follow. They weren’t going to lose the diehard graphic novels fans if they stayed true to the books. But they stand a chance of losing those who haven’t read, because they miss storyline marks.

Show me, Don’t Tell me: I can only hope the dialogue gets better. They want to establish what all has been going on, that’s great. But forced dialogue is the worst. Daryl and Carol, for example and Carol explaining how the walkers have been gathering. We see that, why we were subject to forced dialogue. The gathering of Walkers could have been explained when Karen was clearing the fence, in frustration, she simply could have said, “What the hell. It wasn’t like this last week.”. Instead we had to hear, “Daryl, It’s been good for a while, but they’ve been gathering blah blah blah.” Uh, duh, I’m sure Daryl knows this. It was like that through the whole show. No to mention, Beth’s boyfriend, reiterating Daryl’s traits. Forced to remind us how cool he is? Please, we know.

Great Characters so Use Them:  They live in an apocalypse, there is so much potential for character driven storylines. Take advantage of what the PA world has to offer or lacks in offering.

Scenes That Have No Bearing:  Yes, we get it, there are zombies. For some reason the writers believe if we aren’t subject to tons of Walkers we’ll stop watching. The Big Spots scene. Really? Nearly two years walkers are on the roof and it took that exact moment to collapse. Not to mention, nearly a year they’ve been in the area and Daryl, the tracker just found the huge Big Spots. And …. What was the point of that scene, they left with nothing. Just to have a cool Walker scene. Hmm.

Suspension of Disbelief: In order to enjoy any fiction, especially horror, the viewer has to suspend their disbelief. I feel that the writers are relying more on cognitive estrangement, which is relying on viewers’ lack of knowledge to suspend disbelief. The very first Walker that Rick sees in the series is decomposed. If the walkers have taken over and survivors are nil, why are there still so many Walkers? We are organic and will break down.  A Walker baking on a hot Georgia roof for two years, if … if still standing, will not burst like a red water balloon of blood. It will break, yeah, but no blood.

They Need A Science Teacher to Advice:  Yes, the special effects are really cool. But let’s force the suspension of disbelief again. I research, every writer I know researches, so why can’t the FX team.  Every time I see a horribly decomposed Walker get killed and see blood splash out, I get irritated. If a person dies if a bite, the body will empty of blood. If not, the blood will pool because of gravity. To the feet. There will be no blood in the upper torso. If there is, it won’t be red. Dead means no heart, no pumping, no breathing. The blood thing just gets to me. Make it thick like tar or gooey all the time.

Predictability: Ever notice that Walking Dead focuses on a character early in the show if they are going to die. This season’s predictably will be killing off all the new characters. Show them so you know them and kill them. IE: Beth’s Boyfriend and Phineas. “hi here we are”. Whoops we’re walker bait.

Long Walks in the Park: Walking Dead has this habit of taking an entire episode to walk across the street. Rick took this really boring walk with this woman and I barely paid attention to her because I was trying to determine if she is a Talking Walking Dead. A new type of Zombie. She looked it and didn’t eat the sandwich. She said she was starving and hadn’t eaten in two days, so why didn’t she eat the sandwich. Surely she would have chowed into it.  And while we’re on it, why did Rick pack a lunch?

But on a Positive …

Phineas and Ferb: Poor Phineas (the guy who does the voice) bit the dust without warning, just after Violet the pig bit it. After long drawn out looks at the water, combined with the pig. Are they trying to steer us to Swine Flu? The bleeding eyes isn’t symptomatic of H1N1. So don’t be fooled. Bleeding eyes are consistent with Hemorrhagic Fever.  I’m thinking they are going in a new, virus makes a smarter zombie, storyline. Hence the crazy woman.

But if by some chance the new virus is caused by a leak in a Bio Lab, Flu 2 covered that.

Okay, so I griped, I’ll still watch.  Even if only for it to be my favorite show to complain about. However, if American Horror Story is anything like its Premiere, that may be next. 

Sneak Peek - The Forgotten

My newest 'Undead' book, a little different. Available this month on Amazon.

Synopsis

As promised … the dead have risen.

As promised … there are chosen.

Hell on earth is an understatement.

Del Lincoln only wants to be a rock star. His ambitions go only as far as his next gig, until the day the earth changes. Millions vanish and a plague sweeps viciously across the globe, killing everyone infected. Three days later … they rise from the dead.

Now Del and six others are all that remain. They travel city to city, looking for a safe haven while trying to rid the land of the undead. They believe they are spared for a reason, but actually they are simply forgotten. However, within their group is one individual who was not meant to be forgotten. He must be delivered to sanctuary before the undead completely consume the earth.  The Special One is the key to humanity.

It will take dedication and sacrifice to complete the mission. Del and the others may be forgotten, but if they succeed, the human race will never forget them.

Mankind is promised life after death, it is just never explained what the ‘Resurrection’ really entails.

SNEAK PEEK

CHAPTER ONE

Alone. More alone than any human being could imagine.

The silence of the dead city rang out in a buzz.

Quiet.

It was so quiet that the only sound was Del’s steps. His black boots barely made a noise against the pavement, yet they echoed. How could they not? No one was around. Not a motor sound, airplane or even a bird. Wearing a long black trench coat, dark hair in need of a haircut, and a book bag, Del walked down the deserted street.

Cars spewed about the road. Some had open doors. None contained any passengers.

For the most part, the storefronts were still intact as if waiting on the daily shoppers. No patrons would come this day. Nothing really was disturbed. It was if the world just stopped.

It just stopped.

Del Lincoln moved at a steady pace. That was, of course, until he crossed the street and arrived at the old movie theater. Classic theater. He imagined decades before, it was the place to go in the small town. People bustled in and out, paying a quarter for a show, a nickel for popcorn. Days gone by. It appeared to be renovated to be one of those ‘artsy’ theaters. Showing independent films along with classics.

The marquee had missing letters from the currently playing titles. Posters in the displays faded. The older theater, located right there on the main street had a ticket booth. An old style ticket booth.

The glass was braised with a dirty film, giving it a fog appearance, the curtains inside drawn as if to say, ‘sold out… forever.’

A silver money counter encircled the booth and Del caught glimpse of the white sticker. A sticker that read, ‘God Saves’.

He chuckled. ‘There is no God’ was written over the words. Someone actually took time to do that?

‘Man,’ Del thought, ‘What I wouldn’t have given to have one of these in my town.’ He walked to the booth and stopped. Of course, no one was in the ticket booth but Del dared to dream, to pretend he was going to purchase a ticket to one of those low budget films or classics from the past. After all, who was around?

“Whoa, Soylent Green is playing,” he spoke to the ticket booth. “Probably be better if it was Omega Man, don’t you think?” he laughed then cleared his throat. “Sorry. Hear that one before? How much?” He paused. “You’re kidding, right? Highway robbery. But … I’m in the mood.” He reached into his pocket and as he lifted head he caught it. A reflection in the glass of the booth. A figure. Obviously a man. Del cocked a half smile, reached under his coat and turned around.

The man, face pasty white, eyes black, opened his mouth in a gaping manner, gasping out a hungry moan. Sores graced his chin and lips. He smelled.

Quickly, without hesitation, Del pulled out his weapon.

It wasn’t an ordinary weapon. Homemade. It looked like a pipe with a trigger.

He raised it, aimed and shot.

Out of the end ejected a thin spear. It seared directly into the forehead of the man, and retracted back into the weapon just as fast.

No blood. Just a single, hole and the man dropped.

“You just took all the fun out of my movie fantasy. “ Del spoke to the body, sighed and returned the weapon under his coat to his belt.

He moved on, as if nothing had occurred, continuing in his walk down the empty deserted street.