Warning: Talking Back and Forth is a weekly feature where Chris, Don, and Jeff discuss the latest episode of The Walking Dead in detail. So if you haven’t seen the episode yet, you should probably hold off on reading any further.
Chris: Well, it is back, AMC’s zombie horror drama, The Walking Dead. After the events of the season three finale, a lot was left in flux and we finally get a chance to see what has happened. Seems farming is the big thing to do.
Don: The opening minutes had me a little confused. Rick digs up a gun and dismantles it. Call me dumb, but what do I not remember about him and guns? That aside, I do like how things are settled down, as a contrast to the general flow of the show as it usually is.
Chris: He doesn’t trust himself around them.
Jeff: Yeah, that intro segment… sucked. Like the rest of the episode…
Chris: I didn’t think it sucked. It was slow, sure. But there was a lot to introduce. There is a whole new community. There is a leadership council. Rick isn’t fully in charge anymore. And well, the ending was pretty awesome.
Don: I agree with Chris, it was just slow. But a lot of season premieres are slow. I love Breaking Bad, but it seemed every season opened really slow. Even Sons of Anarchy this season. But back to Walking Dead.
Jeff: Let’s go back to the intro scene. Rick digs up a gun. How does that compare with some of the fantastic season openings on this very show, such as the highway scene at the beginning of season two? It was WEAK. This show is going nowhere and taking forever to get there.
Chris: Where do you want it to go, though? It is based on a comic series that the creator has said he has no definitive end point for. It isn’t about trying to tell a story, it’s about exploring the lives of the living in this world, the walking dead.
Jeff: As for exploring the lives of the characters, we got the same boring story arc regarding Rick that we’ve been getting since day one. Should he trust outsiders? Etc.
Chris: I totally disagree. Rick does have insecurity issues about outsiders but he is now dealing with his lack of confidence in being able to lead even his own family. He spent half of last season contemplating suicide after Lori died. He’s not the same character that we met in season one, he is a broken man with no confidence now.
Jeff: There were two plotlines in this episode. Neither were interesting, nor did they advance any sort of story. A supply run. And Rick and the crazy chick, whom we knew was crazy the whole time. The only interesting bits revolved around a sick pig, and some sick dude whom we didn’t know or care about.
Chris: I think you are selling it a bit short. The main story thread was the new order that had been set up. The supply run was to give the requisite action moment and I agree, it fell flat. But I enjoyed the crazy woman bit with Rick and as for the kid, it sets up a walker in the confines of the prison at night while everyone is asleep, that could be quite fun next episode.
Jeff: Next episode could be quite fun. But then, that fits in with this show’s track record. Good episode. Boring episode. Boring episode. Boring episode. Great episode. Wash, rinse, repeat. Sorry that I’m coming off as hostile toward the show, but it aggravates me to no end. I’m at the point where I watch just because it’s something to watch, and I know what’s going on.
Don: I think calling it a bad episode is a little harsh. It had a solid ending, and like Chris said, it introduced the new way things worked. I did like seeing everything more…civilized. They have a farm around the prison now, livestock, and a new order amongst themselves. A few people died, which always bumps the episode up a few points, though like you said Jeff, the kid that died at the end was not an important character and nor was the one who died before that. Either way, it was a decent episode, with a great ending.
Chris: Compared to other season premieres of the show, it is the weakest but I still ended up enjoying it. After the end of season three, we knew things were going to be reset a bit. Woodbury is no more, but a lot of them have joined up with Rick’s group.
Don: Isn’t the Governor still alive?
Chris: He’s at large, we know that but he has no power anymore so I’m not sure how much of a threat he will be, at least at first.
Jeff: Yeah, he’s still alive because season three refused to commit to its promise of a showdown between the Governor and Rick’s group. I think I’m still mad at the show for last season’s finale.
Chris: What, where we finally got rid of that whiny bitch Andrea? I’ll take the lack of a showdown to eliminate her from the cast. In fact, I’ll take the whole first season watching Rick plant corn if it means we never have to see her mug again.
Jeff: Ha ha. Really? I didn’t mind her. I thought she was kind of sexy. I even popped a semi-chub when she banged Shane in the car.
Don: HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Chris: God, she was almost as bad as Lori. I’m happy they are both gone. And as for eye candy, well you know who is still around.
Jeff: My wife! Maggie!
Don: So……I’m not the only one who felt the crazy lady was a waste of time? Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the episode overall, but feel that whole bit was simply filler.
Chris: I think it was Rick looking in the mirror and we’ll get a more sane Rick going forward. He’ll never be the same but I think his mental issues cease a bit now. And maybe I am at an awkward advantage of knowing how the character advances in the comics, although that scene doesn’t exist there.
Don: But he seemed quite a bit better than last season right from the get-go. He was joking around with his son, and even smiled at him after that joke just before that outing.
Chris: Are we forgetting that he was still wandering outside the gate without his gun and that Herschel had to talk to him to tell him that he needed to be safe?
Don: Ok, true, but in general, he already seemed like a different person. At least to me he did.
Chris: He has less pressure on him because of the council which may have given the appearance of him being better. But that talk, where it seems he spends most of his time farming and not doing any sort of risk taking, has me thinking he is/was still messed up a bit. I could be wrong, but I have a feeling things are going to get torn up a bit in the coming episodes, and Rick will once again need to be in charge, whether he wants to or not.
Jeff: Safe prediction for future The Walking Dead episodes: Rick struggles with leadership. Carl becomes more badass.
Don: Maggie remains hot. That’s mine.
Chris: Mine is that Daryl remains the best character on the show and it is because he doesn’t exist in the comic.
Don: Daryl is an excellent character, and is still probably one of my favorites going into this season. Licking his fingers clean before shaking that guys hand, I chuckled.
Jeff: That was the best moment in the episode. Also, are Daryl and Carol dating now? Seemed like it to me.
Don: I think they have had a relationship of some sort for awhile now, but it does seem like it is a little more official?
Chris: Maybe he likes older chicks? Who knows? What we do know is that someone is going to get eaten next week. I hope it is Carl, it won’t be but I can wish.
Don: That ending made Jeff’s prior statements about this show (he watched it before me) null. I thought it was a great kickstart, though I was worried they were going to leave it more open. By not showing him turned into a zombie, I mean. I’m glad they did, and it makes me want to tune in next week more than I really wanted to watch the premiere.
Chris: Well, the show has never been very subtle so I’m not surprised they showed the turn. Anyway, next week more brains and Jeff will be here even if he hates it because it’s something to watch.
Jeff: Shit.
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