1.) “The Walking Dead” is post-apocalyptic fiction in every sense of the phrase.
Most zombie fiction, from George Romero’s classic “Night of the Living Dead” to “Zombieland”, is entertaining because it puts the audience right in the middle of the action. It’s the apocalypse AS it is happening. Like every story should, zombie fiction would traditionally give you a short glimpse of what is normal i.e. a world without zombies. Once that is established, it’s rising action and survival of the fittest until the credits roll. Whether the survivors are trapped in a mall, a house in the middle of a cemetery, or the protagonist wants to save his girlfriend and chill at the local pub until the infestation boils over, zombie fiction is all about the action. And this is why the poseur geek loves zombie flicks. It’s a trend that is easy to ride and converse about.
“The Walking Dead” is more cerebral in nature. Like every story should, it starts off showing the protagonist, Rick Grimes, in a normal state. An unfortunate event happens and Rick Grimes finds himself waking up from a coma on a hospital bed. Once he exits the door, it is slowly revealed to him that the apocalypse happened and he has survived. All that he wants to do now is to find his family and protect them from everything year 1 AH (After Humanity) has to offer.
So for 89 issues (or 6 episodes depending on which medium you’re following),
we see Rick just trying to survive with his family, and a pocket of survivors. It never seeks to explain why the apocalypse happened. I still feel irate that the show had to take a different direction on this aspect. But what both mediums have in common was the focus on the human element of a post-apocalyptic world. As they travel from camp to camp they realize…
2.) The rules of survival have redefined humanity
It has already been established in teasers, trailers, and news that we will definitely be seeing Hershel’s farm in season 2. This place is the first of many locations that Rick’s group comes across in their search for a safe, permanent home. What makes each location and group of survivors so engaging is that they are so unpredictable. Whether they become allies, enemies, or just fillers at a “pitstop”, their actions are justifiable. They act they do because they need to survive. Religion, morality, ethics, politics, social structures, all those elements come into play in varying levels in each of Rick’s encounters with other survivors. The game is so fun to speculate now because the rules have not been defined at all.
Season 1 left us with a group of survivors with a shaky foundation already. How will their dynamic change once they meet Hershel and his family? Using the comic as a basis, Hershel’s principles are as equally immovable as Rick’s and Shane’s. So it would be interesting to see how that plays out. In the comic, Hershel's principles made him decide on a precaution that other survivors would not do.
Like I said…
3.) It’s all about the drama!
Fine, I didn’t say it verbatim. As the characters grow together and become attached to each other, they become hardened. Their internal conflicts are all you think about. There is much pathos to be found in "The Walking Dead" and the TV show is no different. At the end of the day, I would still put my Walking Dead DVD under the “soap opera” section of my DVD collection. Not that I have any. I really don’t. Seriously. My DVD is beside my Walking Dead comic books. By the way…
4.) The story is different.
While the title is the same, the story is entirely different from what Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore (for the first 6 issues) initially created. Six episodes didn’t bring us too deep into canon. It could have. But it didn’t. Mainly because they introduced new subplots, characters and events that make me want to watch. This action has piqued my curiosity. While none of the new characters made sense to me at all, their existence threw a monkey wrench into my well-oiled machinery of “The Walking Dead” facts. Isolating the TV storyline, I would still have to say that it will be entertaining for sure. AMC has already given us great drama with “Mad Men”. I would have to say that the show is in good hands. Just please let Robert Kirkman write more than just one episode this season!
That being said, the final reason would of course have to be…
5.) THE ZOMBIES. Good lord, the walkers are amongst us!
And that’s just how Robert Kirkman crafts the stories of The Walking Dead. Amidst all the turmoil and human drama happening in each of Rick’s destinations, the zombies always have a way of surprising the cast and complicating the situation. They’ve never been the star of the story. At times, the zombies are an afterthought. But when their presence is announced, it’s announced with a bang! They come into each subplot biting! As with any story, there will be characters that you will come to know and love. Take my advice and do not get attached to any of them. The zombies are still a force to be reckoned with and they do not give a damn about any bond you have with the survivors. They are hungry and they need to feed.
It is that nature that keeps you at the edge of your seat once you get absorbed into the world that Kirkman has created. It’s full of surprises, twists, and drama and it’s definitely something you shouldn’t miss out on.
The apocalypse is over. Pockets of humanity just want to survive. Everything you know about humanity and tired-out genre clichés are over. The wait is over as well. Catch “The Walking Dead” season 2 and let me know what you think.
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