Overall, I wasn't blown away by the pilot. Considering the nature of the spin-off, I expected more setup than punch, but still. Not that it was bad, but they could've done more. The extra time was wasted by an apparent unwillingness to edit. And sure it's still early, but we didn't learn anything about the start of it.
And really, what we did learn stretches the limits of believability. Other than a veiled reference to the "authorities" trying to keep people in the dark, are we really to believe that every morgue wouldn't be yelling WTF to the world. Or is one line drug dealer and a couple junkies just the first to have the latent infection?
I'm sure it Will hey going, but...
Fear the Walking Dead
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[Syl]
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Fear the Walking Dead
"It is not the literal past that rules us, save, possibly, in a biological sense. It is images of the past. Each new historical era mirrors itself in the picture and active mythology of its past or of a past borrowed from other cultures. It tests its sense of identity, of regress or new achievement against that past.”
-George Steiner
-George Steiner
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[Syl]
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How so? Not that I disagree, but I imagine my reasons might be different than yours.
For me, I think it's promising because the characters are pretty much blank slates, about one step up from stock characters (and focusing on that for about an hour straight is mostly what made the episode somewhat boring). There's a lot of room to see how they respond and adapt to the crumbling society, especially as a family. Sure, there was some of that with Carl and Lori, but it took entire seasons to see that dynamic—which had some serious flaws in it from the get go—take any serious hits. Throw in some parental guilt when dude's other family is wiped out (only for the son to make an appearance next season, I assume), and it starts becoming more interesting than just seeing zombies eating some faces of people who, even if we knew them, aren't really that important to us.
But then, the problem I have with that is the junkie kid. Damn but I hate that cliche. Good kid led astray by drugs (bonus message: don't let your kids hang out with black kids. At best, they'll skip class to make out. At worst, they'll get hooked on smack and killed if you find out). I've met quite a few junkies in my day (only one on heroin, and I had no idea until I'd found out he'd moved to go to rehab), and none of them came from solid, middle-class families. Maybe real dad was abusive? I don't think we needed to see him wake up in a church to guess he'll find redemption along the way, but it'd be nice to just once see drug abuse as the symptom rather than the cause of a defective personality.
On the plus side, the use of setting and background noise to continuously ratchet up the tension was great. Not sure we needed both fake-outs, but hey.
For me, I think it's promising because the characters are pretty much blank slates, about one step up from stock characters (and focusing on that for about an hour straight is mostly what made the episode somewhat boring). There's a lot of room to see how they respond and adapt to the crumbling society, especially as a family. Sure, there was some of that with Carl and Lori, but it took entire seasons to see that dynamic—which had some serious flaws in it from the get go—take any serious hits. Throw in some parental guilt when dude's other family is wiped out (only for the son to make an appearance next season, I assume), and it starts becoming more interesting than just seeing zombies eating some faces of people who, even if we knew them, aren't really that important to us.
But then, the problem I have with that is the junkie kid. Damn but I hate that cliche. Good kid led astray by drugs (bonus message: don't let your kids hang out with black kids. At best, they'll skip class to make out. At worst, they'll get hooked on smack and killed if you find out). I've met quite a few junkies in my day (only one on heroin, and I had no idea until I'd found out he'd moved to go to rehab), and none of them came from solid, middle-class families. Maybe real dad was abusive? I don't think we needed to see him wake up in a church to guess he'll find redemption along the way, but it'd be nice to just once see drug abuse as the symptom rather than the cause of a defective personality.
On the plus side, the use of setting and background noise to continuously ratchet up the tension was great. Not sure we needed both fake-outs, but hey.
"It is not the literal past that rules us, save, possibly, in a biological sense. It is images of the past. Each new historical era mirrors itself in the picture and active mythology of its past or of a past borrowed from other cultures. It tests its sense of identity, of regress or new achievement against that past.”
-George Steiner
-George Steiner
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Zarathustra
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I thought it was interesting, showed promise. I get the criticism about the stock characters. Even the acting was a little subpar. I guess the main thing it has going for it is the looming sense of doom. The scene on the exit ramp, shown from multiple perspectives, was pretty cool. I like only hearing it in the first instance, and then zooming in on it in repeated views. That frustration of not being able to see, not sure if you want to see, and then seeing your worst fears. Very much like driving up on a recent wreck.
The drug addict thing has been done to death, but I think it makes a decent starting point for such a crazy concept. Doubting one's sanity, trying to make others believe, etc. And drug users might very well be the first ones to start spreading such a "disease."
After the 3rd time seeing the interior of that church, I thought that there was a serious problem with the editing. Ditto for the sister who is mopey about her brother in every freakin scene we saw her.
I did not get the racial connotations at all. Such a criticism reminds me of the recent black "journalist" murderer who complained (for instance) that his colleagues at the TV station were making a racist comment when they spoke of, "going out in the field" to do some reporting. His response: "You mean the cotton fields?" Black people do sell drugs. White people do take them. Black people go to college. The girl was skipping class already. Joy is in the ears that hear ...
The drug addict thing has been done to death, but I think it makes a decent starting point for such a crazy concept. Doubting one's sanity, trying to make others believe, etc. And drug users might very well be the first ones to start spreading such a "disease."
After the 3rd time seeing the interior of that church, I thought that there was a serious problem with the editing. Ditto for the sister who is mopey about her brother in every freakin scene we saw her.
I did not get the racial connotations at all. Such a criticism reminds me of the recent black "journalist" murderer who complained (for instance) that his colleagues at the TV station were making a racist comment when they spoke of, "going out in the field" to do some reporting. His response: "You mean the cotton fields?" Black people do sell drugs. White people do take them. Black people go to college. The girl was skipping class already. Joy is in the ears that hear ...
Success will be my revenge -- DJT
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Wosbald
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+JMJ+
I wasn't bored enough to notice problems on the first run-through. Though finding quibbles on subsequent viewings may be normal, if I'm finding them on the first watch, then I know the show ain't makin' it for me.[Syl] wrote:How so? Not that I disagree, but I imagine my reasons might be different than yours.
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[Syl]
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I was joking about the racial bit, Z, for pretty much the reasons you mentioned.
Pilots can be hit or miss for me. For instance, I recently binge watched Maron. The first episode really didn't do anything for me. Not even a chuckle.
Pilots can be hit or miss for me. For instance, I recently binge watched Maron. The first episode really didn't do anything for me. Not even a chuckle.
"It is not the literal past that rules us, save, possibly, in a biological sense. It is images of the past. Each new historical era mirrors itself in the picture and active mythology of its past or of a past borrowed from other cultures. It tests its sense of identity, of regress or new achievement against that past.”
-George Steiner
-George Steiner
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Zarathustra
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I'll stick with it, but it didn't do much for me at all.
"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." - PJ O'Rourke
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"Men and women range themselves into three classes or orders of intelligence; you can tell the lowest class by their habit of always talking about persons; the next by the fact that their habit is always to converse about things; the highest by their preference for the discussion of ideas." - Charles Stewart
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"I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations." - James Madison
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"Men and women range themselves into three classes or orders of intelligence; you can tell the lowest class by their habit of always talking about persons; the next by the fact that their habit is always to converse about things; the highest by their preference for the discussion of ideas." - Charles Stewart
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"I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations." - James Madison
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Wosbald
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+JMJ+
Hot damn! Has this show gotten a makeover or what?
Not that I didn't appreciate it before, of course. Even at the very least, I was always enthusiastically rooting for it. But it had never seemed to have quite found its sea-legs. Perhaps it only demonstrated that, as promising as it may sound to contextualize a TV drama in the chaotic meltdown of the nascent Zompocalypse, kinesis and frenzy need to turn to stable desolation before any deeply compelling narrative and character arcs can be firmly established. That is, at least, on TV. Films seem to be quite another matter.
My
.
Hot damn! Has this show gotten a makeover or what?
Not that I didn't appreciate it before, of course. Even at the very least, I was always enthusiastically rooting for it. But it had never seemed to have quite found its sea-legs. Perhaps it only demonstrated that, as promising as it may sound to contextualize a TV drama in the chaotic meltdown of the nascent Zompocalypse, kinesis and frenzy need to turn to stable desolation before any deeply compelling narrative and character arcs can be firmly established. That is, at least, on TV. Films seem to be quite another matter.
My
.
