AMC: Fear The Walking Dead

[Vee]

Awesome to see Colman Domingo as Strand, the smooth-talking devil in the holding facility. He was incredible on Broadway in Passing Strange (which was filmed live for DVD by Spike Lee - everyone should watch it!).

[Vee]

Finally finished this; that was probably the best episode yet. Rubén Blades was mesmerizing - together he and Kim Dickens are a great match, both very hard and even beneath a seemingly placid surface. She's always had that steel in other roles but it's coming to the forefront for Madison now. Incredible work from both of them, with Blades as kind of the polarized negative mirror image of Hershel from TWD.

 

Lorenzo James Henrie was heartbreaking in that first scene with Cliff Curtis, and I like watching the two families and those divided loyalties bang up against each other for Travis and Madison. I also liked the scene where Christopher and Alicia just trash the rich people's house, wearing their clothes, drinking their champagne. There's a heady nihilism to this show that is different from the core show, lacking in its immediate morality; the kids and the adults are more open to shifting or doing bad things from the start, in an impossible situation. There's a sense that these showrunners are freer to take more potential risks with each of these characters' natures, as they're not from the comics. Hence, the big reveal about Daniel and his life in El Salvador. Griselda's dying, delusional monologue about him - and their life back there - was bone-chilling.

 

As I said, I love Colman Domingo and I hope he sticks around a while.

 

[DRW50]

I'm still about two weeks behind, and while I can see why the show has been getting a critical battering in some places (I read a very critical Forbes piece yesterday), I'm enjoying the show more than I thought I would. I get what people say about characters and stupidity, or slowness in the pacing, but I sort of like seeing the everyday horror, the slow creep of decay, and I feel they established that in the episode where the military occupied their suburb. I think the younger son exemplifies this trait of the show. I guess it helps that I'm kind of disenchanted with TWD at the moment, and can see this as a substitute, but overall I like it. I hope they won't retool it too heavily in a second season. I saw someone say kill off the entire main family for Ruben Blades and his family - I actually do hope they keep that group around, but I think the main family works well enough too.

[Vee]

I doubt they'll retool it. The critics really turned around in the last two episodes, and granted, a lot of that had to do with Rubén Blades and his family's storyline, but they have to use him as a contrast to Cliff Curtis. They're clearly building him up in a big way, and Kim Dickens along with him. I'll be curious to see your reactions to those.

 

Dave Erickson on the most recent episode.

 

The airplane spinoff minisodes begin this coming weekend, will be loaded onto the AMC website, and will continue to run through the return of TWD, apparently during the commercial breaks. It's hard to be clear what happens where, read the link. A character from the minisodes will return in Season 2 of FTWD.

[Juliajms]

At this point doesn't Rubin Blades family consist of himself and his daughter? Doesn't seem like much of a building block.  Anyway, I think the cast is pretty good as things stand.

 

I liked the twist of having Daniel be a torturer. Also, that Madison really didn't care what he did as long as he got the info.

[Vee]

The Flight 462 webisodes begin, with a GH guest I really did not expect. One of these characters will recur in Season 2.

 

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[Vee]

I thought that was a very solid finale, albeit heartbreaking to lose Elizabeth Rodriguez, who I've loved for years. The niche they seem to be carving out for Madison and Daniel as potential "Governor" types is intriguing, but with what Travis has had to do it's anyone's game. I understood why he wanted to let Shawn Hatosy go, but I wouldn't have let him walk until they were there, and I would've put distance between him and my group.

Colman Domingo is still great and I'm glad Strand is continuing with the show. I had a feeling I knew what "Abigail" was and it's a good idea, one the Telltale TWD game explores as well. His rapport with Frank Dillane is also very interesting.

 

I kind of wondered what had happened back in the parking lot with Alicia and Christopher - I almost wondered if the soldiers were going to rape her. I guess not. Everything's moved very fast in a handful of days and it's almost hard to recall what the show was like in the first two episodes, but I guess that's how it would or could happen. Nick's little monologue at the end about the world catching up to him was also really affecting.

 

Nice work as well by Sandrine Holt as the detached doctor. Oh, and also: I knew Daniel was going to let the infected out last week. I just knew it.

 

Here is EW talking to Dave Erickson.

[Juliajms]

I wish there had been just a couple of more episodes in the season to get the show established, but this was a really good finale. The scene where Nick and Strand where trapped, while Liza was trying to get the key card to work was exciting. I'm also sorry that Liza was killed off so quickly. Maybe it was due to availability or maybe they felt they needed to kill off one of the established characters, but I felt there was more for her to do.

 

I'll be interested to see what Strand's agenda is, other than survival. An interesting moment when Madison said "Who the hell are you?" She instinctively had his number and I won't be surprised if he has hers too, even though he looked disconcerted in that moment.

 

I'm also happy to see KG playing a stewardess in the web series. I just adore her.  Strange to hear her speaking with an American accent.

[DRW50]

This is a few weeks old, but as I just finished episode 5/Cobalt a bit ago, it's timely enough for me. It's a fascinating read. 

 

http://www.npr.org/sections/monkeysee/2015/10/04/445315419/how-a-show-about-zombies-looks-at-legacies-of-real-violence

 

As for Cobalt, I thought it was a mish-mash, with the repeated reminders of Travis' pacifism making me zone out. The torture scenes and Madison's reaction and passive acceptance of said torture was more compelling, although mostly for Ruben Blades' work. Kim Dickens was also quite good, and didn't overact or try to make it all about her character, as some other TWD actors have done in similar types of scenes. 

 

I think it was Vee who mentioned liking the scenes where Chris and Alicia tearing the house apart. I did too, especially the part at the end where he was jumping up and down and plopped down on the couch he'd destroyed (probably the closest he's been to being a child in all the time we've seen him). I hope they aren't going to pair them up though. 

 

The woman who played Griselda was absolutely mesmerizing in her death scene. I'm glad they gave her that monologue, as it was a harrowing reminder that not everyone lived an idyllic life before they faced the ZA. And the woman who played Liza was as strong as ever. I guess I will enjoy her while I can...

 

Strand had what Vee would probably call Kirkman-esque dialogue. I liked the actor, but his scenes were so overwritten it was difficult to invest in them.

 

I'm not trying to be contrary, but I've seen a lot of fan comments on how "unlikeable" the characters are - I don't really think they're all that unlikeable. I mean, Madison and her children aren't the warmest around, and Travis is more of a symbol than a character, but I wouldn't say I really dislike any of them. They all have potential for more, and some moments of caring. I prefer some of the supporting cast, but I wouldn't say anyone is unlikeable. I do laugh when I see some fans talk about how brilliantly written TWD's first seasons were in terms of likeable characters compared to this group, because the exact same comments were made about the characters in TWD's first two seasons, to the point where it felt like an eternity before people stopped saying the only good thing about the show was Daryl.

[Juliajms]

The original cast of characters was incredibly unlikable. I'm not sure it matters. Do we have to like these people to be interested in them? So many shows these days have very unlikable people in interesting situations and it seems to get people's attention. Look at Breaking Bad, not one character in that show is truly likable. Well, maybe Jessie.

[DRW50]

I'm not sure they were intended to be (I think the guy who did Breaking Bad mentioned being somewhat unhappy at the fans who saw Walter White as a hero or a good man), but people like Walter and Jessie did become likeable to many.

 

I don't think you have to like someone to be interested in them, but there needs to be a balance of people you like and people you may not like but are invested in. Some fans insist that isn't the case on this show and no one is likeable except for Daniel/Ruben Blades. I don't think that's entirely true - I think there were a fair few likeable, or at least interesting, people. Not on the level of the best of TWD, but probably more than the worst.

[quartermainefan]

Yeah, I need to like the characters to be interested in them.   The daughter on Fear The Walking Dead?   She comes off as your typical TV pouty teen.  I FF as soon as I see her because if I had wanted to watch this stock character type all these years I would have been tuning in to The WB and CW or wherever it is these kids lurked.  

 

On the regular show, again,  if I don't find you interesting I don't like you, and if I don;t like you I don't tend to find you interresting.   The big red headed guy, Eugene, Rosita, Sasha, the priest....I barely tolerate Sasha and I can't stomach the priest.   The rest are in the middle somewhere.    The original cast I liked everyone except for Dale I think and his constant words of wisdom.  I was happy he got it.   GoT has a ton of unlikable characters in theory, but I like them all for the most part.  Even if you are a villain, just be a juicy villain and I will like you. 

[Juliajms]

I was watching old episodes and I picked up one interesting little tidbit. Shane tells Rick that he went to the hospital to see him two weeks after the infections started and he says something like "There were soldiers and they were shooting people in the halls. People, not walkers". So at least we know this wasn't just made up out of the blue for this new show.

 

[DRW50]

Yeah I think they had a flashback of that too, in season 2. 

[Vee]

FTWD returns April 10th.