The Walking Dead: Discussion Thread

[Ann_SS]

Well, Kirkman does say that Andrea knows that Phillip is a bad guy so that gives her some credit in my eyes.

[London]

I don't even take RK at face value anymore when it comes to Andrea, he says one thing and they do the exact opposite.

[Ann_SS]

Good point. I think that Kirkman uses characters, mostly women, to create drama which out much thought to how the viewers might react to them. He did it with Lori who just did incomprehensible things to help build the Rick/Shane tension. The same is happening now with Andrea. She is doing nonsensical things to add to the tension between Rick and Phillip. I am looking forward to Rick and Phillip finally meeting. Rick has already decided that he is a dead man. I fervently hope that Phillip gets a long painful death, but a hatchet in the head will do just as well.

Edited February 26, 2013 by Ann_SS

[Ann_SS]

Wow, The Walking Dead is a monster, holding its own against the Oscars. The 18 to 49 demo was slightly up from last week, 5.7, making it the highest scripted tv show last week, beating The Big Bang Theory. Overall, it had 11.01 million viewers.

http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/02/26/sunday-cable-ratings-walking-dead-wins-night-live-from-the-red-carpet-ax-men-bar-rescue-shameless-more/170856/#comments

Edited February 26, 2013 by Ann_SS

[ChitHappens]

HELL YEAH!

Told you guys it could hold its own, but you already knew that! So glad I'm on this team!

I think the finale will have us all in a vegetative state once its over. I think we are gearing for epic!

[London]

Very good numbers. I am happy some people aren't scared to go up against special tv events like this. All my premium shows were new Sunday too.

[Vee]

I thought the Merle/Herschel scene was actually really excellent, and fleshed him out a lot. He seemed to clearly respect and defer to the older man. He didn't even go all caricature on Michonne. It was some of the most restrained work I've ever seen from Michael Rooker, who is a fantastic talent but has been going big with performances all the way back to Cliffhanger. And he looked right working with the group. If they continue taking him down an unexpected redemption road, I think he could do very well.

I've said this before, but I don't mind Andrea. I think she's a realistic character, a conflicted, neurotic, contradictory human being like so many of us are. We all talk about what we would do in a zombie apocalypse and it comes down to cliches we saw characters do in movies. I think the real day to day process of living would be more like what Andrea faces - constantly having to reexamine her feelings, choices, morality, needs, expectations. I think Laurie Holden does an amazing job. That's why the nerd rage for characters like her has always been so white-hot, IMO; because she doesn't fit into the preordained avatar of what people think they'd become in the face of true catastrophe.

Michonne and Andrea's scene was great, and needed. "I knew it would hurt you." I also wouldn't mind seeing Milton/Dallas Roberts become a prison defectee. I think he's got a future if they so choose.

The ending was beautiful, with the great song and Rick with his two consiglieri. You could see how proud Herschel was of Rick. The group seems to be mending. I just hope Tyreese and Sasha can fit into it. I'm sure they'll get more development over time, but hopefully Sasha won't die too soon.

[DRW50]

I agree about Andrea, although I think part of it is telling us rather than showing us some key aspects of her stories (telling us she was close to Michonne, telling us she was close to Dale, too much time spent on her flirting with the Governor instead of showing her reacting a little more to Woodbury). I think in the last few episodes they've gotten her material right, and I can understand why she's conflicted, because she was never close to any of the people left in the group. Even Carol, who went out of her way to be nice this time around, was never all that close to her before.

[Vee]

I don't think she's conflicted about the prison gang - she knows they're good people - so much as she wants to believe she can fix this for both camps. Andrea was a civil rights lawyer, she still has ideals and a worldview and that's why she's doing this IMO. However naive that may be.

Edited February 27, 2013 by Vee

[ChitHappens]

Laurie Holden will be on Ellen for anyone who's interested...

Speaking of Blondie, everything that Holden and Kirkman says does not tie to what is happening onscreen. Blondie has not played a woman desparate for shelter once! Look at Tyreese, this is a person desperate for shelter!!!!! We've seen Blondie do nothing but lust after Phillip and the life he leads. She all but admitted the zombie fighting turned her on, and she watched first hand while this man pit brother against brother in a fight to the death. Michonne nursed this clown back to health, yet Andrea draws a weapon on her. Michonne picked up on Blondie's adoration for Phillip on day one, and it had nothing to do with hot water, food or shelter. It was all about Phillip! She asked about Shane twice (her other demented lover) but barely inquired about Lori or her death. Rick is cold? She's staying at WB for the people? Who bought that? The people of WB were fine before she got there and will be ok once she's gone. Blondie has come off as nothing but a disloyal sex machine. I don't ever want her with the group again!

Lori and Andrea have come off as the two most unlikable characters on this show, and what is the common denominator here? Sex! That just looks really bad!

[Ann_SS]

I love Hershel as the group patriarch. I like him much better than Dale. Hershel manages to tell everyone hard truths in a compassionate loving way.

Regarding Andrea, as I said before, at its core I think she like Lori are basically plot devices to ratchet up the tension between two dangerous men who are in the process of squaring off. However, just like I never blamed Lori for Shane's craziness, I don't blame Andrea for Phillip's craziness. I still think that Andrea could be smarter, but I understand her wanting safety and trying to save the Woodburians from a horrible fate.

Edited February 27, 2013 by Ann_SS

[London]

It's Officially Official... I guess. Scott Gimple named new showrunner (I swear I thought this was made "official" after Glen M left) and S4 production starts May 6

http://tvline.com/2013/02/27/the-walking-dead-season-4-scott-m-gimple-replaces-glen-mazzara/

[Vee]

I did.

[Ann_SS]

I just saw the article below about AMC and The Walking Dead. Basically, AMC is getting tons of ad revenues, but its greed and tendency for getting into legal disputes with cable providers has hurt its overall profits. It makes me think that no budget increases are ahead for The Walking Dead.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323884304578328013837954522.html

[DRW50]

Why does that not surprise me?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTHUs4SoMso