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Fear the Walking Dead - Season One - Sundays on AMC

I found the son character a bit annoying, but other than that I dug it. I love watching the slow build up to the world going to shit.
 

NolbertoS

Member
I'm liking this show so far and how its building up. I honestly would've preferred how the virus was created though or more backstory to that then seeing the beginning of walkers. Still a pleasant turn. Hopefully rhey show more world footage on the show on how this virus spread globally.
 
I was super hyped for the show, but this first episode deflated that quickly. It suffers from the same problem The Strain had in keeping my attention; stupid characters. To be more specific, writing dumb characters in service to the plot. The reactions to the situations seems unbelievable. As people pointed out, the reaction to the blood spattered drug house, or the muted reaction to the reanimated dead.

I'll keep up with it for probably another two episodes. If the writing continues this way, I'm going to drop it.

It's funny because IGN has an article about the creators trying to avoid "idiot" characters.
 

Tiktaalik

Member
I liked this a lot. Very promising. I hope they show runners are able to restrain themselves and they don't crank up the zombie outbreak too fast.
 

AwShucks

Member
This was so great. I've been so bored of The Walking Dead and its forests and isolated communities. The drug addled son was fantastic. The dealer part was great. Everything else was ok or good but put together it felt so refreshing compared to standard TWD.
 

jond76

Banned
I have no idea what a "Story Sync" is or why it should be relevant to me - or, apparently, explaining away inconsistencies that exist with in the show itself.

Even during that scene where the old man died, the medical staff clearly were following a new protocol for someone dying and were near panic trying to get him out of the room.

Sometimes you have to pay attention when you watch a show.
 

RatskyWatsky

Hunky Nostradamus
It suffers from the same problem The Strain had in keeping my attention; stupid characters. To be more specific, writing dumb characters in service to the plot. The reactions to the situations seems unbelievable. As people pointed out, the reaction to the blood spattered drug house, or the muted reaction to the reanimated dead.

I was under the impression that Travis didn't call the cops after seeing the blood in the church because he thought he was protecting Nick somehow. Like, maybe Nick was involved so he wanted to hold off until he had more information.

As for their reactions to the zombies, I thought the actors did a good job of conveying the stunned confusion of their situation.
 

RatskyWatsky

Hunky Nostradamus
Even during that scene where the old man died, the medical staff clearly were following a new protocol for someone dying and were near panic trying to get him out of the room.

I think one of the doctors even mentioned the whole 60 seconds thing.
 

Dalek

Member
Oh man this really wasn't that good. I get that it's going to be a slower pace because of the prequel nature-but do we have to spend all that time with this boring and annoying family?

I also acknowledge that the Walking Dead isn't exactly known for its stellar writing, but the dialogue here was just bad.
 

Bandit1

Member
I really liked the pilot overall. There was a good sense of tension all the way through, and I'm really pulling for Nick to adapt to the world, clean himself up and become an asset to his family. (And to get a haircut)

As for Calvin "teleporting" behind the truck, I think it's possible that he reanimated and wandered up through the tunnel to the road, or got to the road another way, and then followed the sound of the truck down the tunnel. Anyway, it didn't bother me too much. Interesting that they chose to display that you come back even if you're not bitten this early on in the show, though it may take a while for that to sink in with the characters.

The only thing I found disappointing was how oblivious everyone seemed to what is about to go down. You had the kid with the knife talking about a sickness confirmed in five states, and we go at least twenty-four hours before the video hits, meanwhile the girl Nick was looking for at the beginning, along with the other two she bit, are all on the loose somewhere, because they weren't in the church later. In this day, video and eyewitness reports would have spread nationwide after the vey first few incidents and it would get solid 24 hour news coverage. We're going on three or four days at least since the first walker and most people still don't know that the dead are rising.


Edit:

I was under the impression that Travis didn't call the cops after seeing the blood in the church because he thought he was protecting Nick somehow. Like, maybe Nick was involved so he wanted to hold off until he had more information.

Exactly. I was going to mention this as well. Madison clearly didn't want the cops around at the hospital and I figured Travis didn't want to bring any more heat down on the situation until he had found out as much as he could.
 

Dalek

Member
Probably should have said something good happened here.

It reminded me of Eddie Murphys routine on white people in a horror movie. You go into the Ammityvillle Horror house and you hear a voice "GET OUT!!!!!l"

White person: "How peculiar."
 
How was the first episode? The Walking Dead lost me halfway through season 4...then Rick found his ballsack in Season 5 and has been doing his best Shane impersonation ever since.
 

Goreomedy

Console Market Analyst
Few thoughts...

If you're going to lift two horror set pieces, 28 days later (church) and World War Z (traffic chaos), then you'd better make damn sure those scenes go somewhere. No tension at all here, and everything looked so cheap. Invest some money into your spinoff!

This pilot was stillborn, and AMC knew it. I like how the commercial during Talking Dead builds up to that traffic stop, and they cheat by throwing in a zombie mob/mass screaming noise to suggest that moment was bigger than it was.

I'm all for a slow burn, and can be compelled by an intimate family drama, but everything here is paint by numbers.

Oh, and the actor playing the addict son is shit.
 
So I know they're not going to address anything about how the virus started but I wish they would at least address how it spreads without the help of zombie bites. Is it airborne somehow? Is it in the water? Is it some replicating nanomachine bullshit that's in the air all the time, like on that canceled show Revolution? Did Calvin come in direct contact with someone who was bitten and get infected in some flu like manner? Unless he was just straight up bitten and I didn't notice.

I feel like they sort of got away with that in The Walking Dead because by the time it starts everyone is already dripping in sweaty body fluids and in contact with the zombies and other people, but it just feels really weird here. Although the whole scene with Calvin makes the first two seasons of Walking Dead and the long wait for the "everyone's infected" revelation seem like hot bullshit. I forget that throw away line about how everyone gets together in the first season, but you're telling me that no one in the first Georgia group saw somebody die from an accident or get murdered by somebody else and come right back to life?
 

alife

Member
So I know they're not going to address anything about how the virus started but I wish they would at least address how it spreads without the help of zombie bites. Is it airborne somehow? Is it in the water? Is it some replicating nanomachine bullshit that's in the air all the time, like on that canceled show Revolution? Did Calvin come in direct contact with someone who was bitten and get infected in some flu like manner? Unless he was just straight up bitten and I didn't notice.

I feel like they sort of got away with that in The Walking Dead because by the time it starts everyone is already dripping in sweaty body fluids and in contact with the zombies and other people, but it just feels really weird here. Although the whole scene with Calvin makes the first two seasons of Walking Dead and the long wait for the "everyone's infected" revelation seem like hot bullshit. I forget that throw away line about how everyone gets together in the first season, but you're telling me that no one in the first Georgia group saw somebody die from an accident or get murdered by somebody else and come right back to life?

He died and came back as a walker. Same way
Shane came back as a walker after Rick dropped his bitch ass.

Good pilot though. Interesting to see what happened to Tom Riddle after he dropped out of Hogwarts and before he became Voldemort. Hehe.
 

Gnome

Member
It was so incredibly frustrating to watch for some reason, because as the viewer, I obviously know more than the characters on the screen. I know that's typical, but we're talking 5 seasons of a t.v show more. It is probably realistic to how people would react though.
 

Kard8p3

Member
Did Calvin come in direct contact with someone who was bitten and get infected in some flu like manner? Unless he was just straight up bitten and I didn't notice.

Regarding the infection/turning

Everyone's infected. Being bitten doesn't turn you, it just gives you an incredibly awful infection due to how disgusting zombies' mouths are, you die, then come back
 

big_z

Member
I thought the pilot was alright. I don't really see the point of the show existing other than milking a franchise. I suppose they could get away with this being a mini season one off or maybe another small run next year if they want to bring johnny depp jr. and friends into the main show but beyond that I don't see why this exists.
 

Sanctuary

Member
Exactly what i came to post. dude looks like he could be depp's son

Edit: That was really great!!!

At certain angles, he looked more like James Franco to me, and he also kind of acted like him too. As for the first episode itself, it was kind of boring. I didn't expect it to be that reliant on family drama, but I suppose it's understandable since it's right before all hell broke loose. Can't say that I actually care about any of the cast yet. None of them particularly bother me, but aside from Johnny Depp-Franco, they didn't really develop anyone at all.

And I'm guessing the mother
is an ex-addict by the way she was talking about genes (thought maybe the dad at first) and then longingly stared at the needle?

I thought the pilot was alright. I don't really see the point of the show existing other than milking a franchise. I suppose they could get away with this being a mini season one off or maybe another small run next year if they want to bring johnny depp jr. and friends into the main show but beyond that I don't see why this exists.

Seemed to me like they thought they could pull off another Better Call Saul. I'm not sure who thought that show would actually turn out as great as it did, but from the first episode at least, it was way better than this.
 
I wonder how all this started?

Everybody alive must be already infected so when people die, and people die all the time from lots of different things, they turn.
 

Sanctuary

Member
I wonder how all this started?

Everybody alive must be already infected so when people die, and people die all the time from lots of different things, they turn.

They kind of already said that
in the main show. They just haven't explained the genesis of it. Well, they did actually end up showing how some specific research was causing the reanimation effect, but they never explain how the entire planet had that administered.
 

Gnome

Member
They kind of already said that
in the main show.
They just haven't explained the genesis of it.

I think what he's getting at is what is the cause and can a patient zero be pinpointed? AMC already said they won't explore this point though.
 

someday

Banned
I wonder how all this started?

Everybody alive must be already infected so when people die, and people die all the time from lots of different things, they turn.
Yes, this is exactly what happens. No matter how anyone dies, they come back as a walker/zombie.
 

Jobbs

Banned
Watched it. I read an article the other day about middling reviews, which including excerpts of critics kind of bashing it.

Not sure what those reviewers were expecting. I thought it was great and could have so easily and in so many ways been so much worse. I got a touch bored at times, waiting for something to happen -- But, hey, that's TWD for ya. Ultimately I enjoyed it and look forward to more. I just hope they don't ever, ever, EVER have a love triangle. Avoid that and we're good.

Also -- Lexa from The 100! That was a nice surprise. What a gorgeous girl, jeez.
 

someday

Banned
Yeah just wondering what caused that to start.

This series will show the initial outbreak but it would be cool to show how it was created.
I agree. It was probably the reason I really enjoyed the Zombie Survival Guide so much; he created a cool, plausible explanation for zombies and described every step of the infection.
 

Montresor

Member

*SCREAMS INTERNALLY*

Robert Kirkman on the best episode of the whole series: "That's not what the series is about. I would've changed that episode entirely".

Good for people who like what the show is about, but these statements from Robert Kirkman illustrate why I just can't get into this show anymore. He treats lore building like it's a disease. That's fine because not every zombie fiction has to get into global implications of the epidemic, or origin stories, etc... But that's something that I love, and that's why I stopped watching after 3.5 seasons.
 

DrBo42

Member
Think this spinoff actually has some large potential. A competent cast at least. Not a fan of the son or how they handled the dealer at the end reanimating and having almost no reaction to running him over repeatedly. A little silly for sure.
 

Sadist

Member
Wait, the CDC episode is considered to be the best by some?

Now that's something I have trouble understanding; I thought it was one of the most pointless episodes in the Walking Dead. Yes, even more pointless than anything season 2 gave us. I read the comic, but seeing that episode was so weird and definitely NOT Kirkman. He always said "hey guys, here are dead people being all hungry. Why? I dunno. I just want to see humankind burn and lose their collective shit. Also survivors being all sad and trying to live their lives post-apocalypse." I don't care about the virus/super natural causes/whatever what caused the dead to re-animate. In most cases (except for 28 Days Later, that was cool) the reveal is quite lame.
 

Baron Aloha

A Shining Example
I liked it. Girlfriend did not. She mentioned she thought the drug addict son looked like a young Johnny Depp. I didn't realize it but after she said that I can definitely see the resemblance.

My only criticism would be that I think it might be taking a little too long for the news about the outbreak to get out. I mean think about it, we know that everyone has it and that everyone that dies for whatever reason (save head trauma) will be brought back. From the time when the cops shoot that guy until the next day... imagine how many people would have died. I have to imagine that if something like that were to happen there would be emergency broadcasts all over the place within hours.
 

antonz

Member
I liked it. Girlfriend did not. She mentioned she thought the drug addict son looked like a young Johnny Depp. I didn't realize it but after she said that I can definitely see the resemblance.

My only criticism would be that I think it might be taking a little too long for the news about the outbreak to get out. I mean think about it, we know that everyone has it and that everyone that dies for whatever reason (save head trauma) will be brought back. From the time when the cops shoot that guy until the next day... imagine how many people would have died. I have to imagine that if something like that were to happen there would be emergency broadcasts all over the place within hours.

The Government and medical facilities knows whats going on but its at Conspiracy theorist level as far as the population goes. The Kid mentions its already on the net about incidents across 5 states. Governments blacking out the media
 

Koyuga

Member
*SCREAMS INTERNALLY*

Robert Kirkman on the best episode of the whole series: "That's not what the series is about. I would've changed that episode entirely".

Good for people who like what the show is about, but these statements from Robert Kirkman illustrate why I just can't get into this show anymore. He treats lore building like it's a disease. That's fine because not every zombie fiction has to get into global implications of the epidemic, or origin stories, etc... But that's something that I love, and that's why I stopped watching after 3.5 seasons.

I don't know, that episode felt extremely out of place for me. I like the idea of exploring what the CDC is up to, but it was executed very poorly.
 
I don't know, that episode felt extremely out of place for me. I like the idea of exploring what the CDC is up to, but it was executed very poorly.

I liked the episode (or should I say I liked that they tried to show actually story progress in stopping the virus ) but its only because I think too much. Really it's one of the reasons I can't enjoy the walking dead because I know they will never go into the reasons of the infection or the government so you can already conclude there will never be a cure and everybody is going to die and within 10 years or so all the walkers will be gone along with humanity.

I did have hope earlier that humanity will recover and just remember to smash the head of everybody who dies but that unlikely especially since Rick Grimes unintentional is essentially the angel of death for humanity destroying any settlement he comes upon.
 
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