Posted on 04/12/2016 3:13:48 AM PDT by raybbr
One of the things about writing a book about zombies is that it becomes kind of necessary to keep up on the genre. In the five years since “Theories of International Politics and Zombies” came out, this wasn’t too much of a burden: Read the occasional prestige zombie novel, watch the occasional bastardized film version of a zombie novel and watch “The Walking Dead” on AMC.
As that show’s ratings have exploded, however, there has been the inevitable proliferation of spin-offs and homages, including AMC’s “Fear the Walking Dead” and the CW’s “iZombie.” And, well, it’s getting a little more taxing to keep up on it all.
Fortunately, I think I’ve discovered a significant zombie life hack to cope with these rising demands: Stop watching the “Walking Dead” franchise.
The problem is not that either “The Walking Dead” (TWD) or “Fear the Walking Dead” (FtWD) is entirely without merit. The former has produced some interesting characters, particularly Melissa McBride’s Carol. The latter also has some talented actors, particularly Kim Dickens, Ruben Blades and Colman Domingo.
The problem with these shows is that they seem unable to escape a single, unrelenting theme: The post-apocalyptic world is a Hobbesian nightmare that forces surviving humans to evolve into nihilistic killing machines.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Because all of the zombies should have had their brains eaten out by maggots by the second week.
If I don’t ever see another “My god! What have we become!” episode of TWD, I’ll be fine.
You’ve become what is necessary to survive. You didn’t make the rules. You didn’t waylay people on the road and rob them of their supplies. You don’t shamble around the countryside trying to eat folks. So why the unending angst over doing what you have to do?
Shut up, kill the creatures who are trying to kill you, and spare us the banal moralizing and shameful tears. They’re useless.
By the way, so is Morgan. Take him out in the woods and put a bullet in him.
I read the first “compendium” of TWD. Good, until the ending: too depressing and portending endless more to come. A good setup, but no hint of any movement toward a conclusion (lest the series actually, you know, end).
There’s been more ink expended on this show in the past six or seven years than on anything else in recent television history.
Hey, it’s just for fun.
If it ‘works’ on any level, it’s as metaphor.
We’re all surrounded by zombies all the time.
If you doubt it, pick up a newspaper.
So, basically, you are taking notes and planning on doing almost everything the opposite of how the people on TWD do it? At its core, it is a soap opera, with violence, automatic weapons and zombies as a back drop. Not complaining; I enjoy watching the show, just saying that it isn't anything less, or more.
And its still one of the best shows on TV today. Tells you much about whats on now. While I wait for next season, I’ll watch some Game of Thrones. Can’t wait to read the articles on how bad that one is </sarc>.
I give this guy zero credibility when it comes to zombies. If I remember correctly he argued, on a radio interview, that a left leaning government would be the best government to prevent a zombie apocalypse.
Yes, I recall how well the CDC dealt with the Ebola situation here in the US. The head of the CDC was saying “you can’t catch it through a cough or sneeze”.
He later had to retract that lie on National TV along with misstatements about their dissemination of protection procedures for medical personnel.
“.. stop watching the Walking Dead franchise..”
Go ahead... more Darryl for me. :)
I like the show, but it’s going to hit a saturation point soon (or already has), and the “genre” will go away. It’s like westerns. You don’t see a whole lot of them anymore, especially in movies.
I gave up on TWD after season two. You either buy into the premise and go with it or you don’t. I didn’t.
There are other shows I can watch multiple times such as "House of Cards", "Breaking Bad" and "Boardwalk Empire." But not this one for some reason.
I first discovered the show when they ran a repeat marathon of the first season. I watched a few more after that then lost interest.
One of the things that made me lose interest was wondering how they keep their clothes in such good shape. You’d think they’d be falling off in a month or so. And there are all kinds of stores around. Get some new clothes.
Second, where are they getting their haircuts? With the exception of Darryl everyone’s hair looks perfect. Darryl’s is the only one that looks like he cuts his own hair with a hunting knife.
Then I finally realized it’s not a documentary so I stopped watching it.
‘”Shut up, kill the creatures who are trying to kill you, and spare us the banal moralizing and shameful tears. They’re useless”
That’s what is called “humanity” and a conscience. It’s what makes Ricks group better than the Survivors, Wolves etc. It’s also what makes Rick “better” than Neegan.
Heck, the cannibals at Terminus were just trying to survive. Right?
I kind of always thought morality was a good thing.
Zombie movies have been around a couple of decades or more, so it is not really anything new. AMC just managed to have a show that developed into a hit. Partly, that was because none of the other networks bothered to develop any good Sunday night programs. Although, PBS did manage some competition when it picked up the British Downton Abbey.
Look at other shows: The werewolves and vampires have been in the movies for nearly a century. Current theme-related TV shows are numerous and new ones spring up each new year. Fad TV.
And the ‘comics’ TV series with heroes and anti-heroes and dysfunctional-heroes are now ‘the thing’ as they show up on nearly every network.
At least they are preferrable to the non-scripted, but highly directed and staged ‘reality’ TV shows.
Now, it seems the medics and doctors are ‘in’ again as the proliferation of medical examiners and CSI detectives wane. How many different ways can they show a mangled corpse?
That’s exactly why I stopped watching Walking Dead - it’s just nihilistic, empty of any real meaning, and absolutely hopeless.
....And I cut the cable cord.
I’ve enjoyed the series immensely but they keep raising the bar on the violence. First it was the Governor who I thought was pure evil, then it was the cannibals in Terminus and now the final scene with Negan and that bat. That REALLY shook me up...
TWD and FTWD are indeed soap operas, but it is refreshing to see a drama that isn’t based on (a) police, (b) a courtroom, (c) a hospital or (d) a shadowy gummint agency. Seems that modern screenwriters can’t find drama anywhere else. I enjoy the good acting and characters, plus the blessed lack of car chases.
The “realpolitik” dynamics in Walking Dead are interesting. The Framers knew that people invariably turn corrupt and try to dominate one another when given the chance and TWD/FTWD give us a glimpse into what evil men can do when nobody is around to stop them.
I’ve been thinking for some time now that “preppers” are a solitary lot, with little consideration given to organizing into larger communities. And I’ve never seen a community take the lead in organizing for disaster. Should the zombies ever start to roam (or whatever), I would feel a lot more secure in an “Alexandria” than I would in a tent in the woods somewhere.
Oh, please. If you’re attacked, would you defend yourself? If someone was trying to kill you, would you kill them first? Even pre-emptively? If not, you would not survive. And you would not deserve to.
Oh great now I have to figure out if my freaking annoying neighbor would be a tyrant, cannibal or pedophile. LOL. Thanks for that DNME. Is food for thought though.
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