• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Fear the Walking Dead - Season One - Sundays on AMC

Ledsen

Member
This show is a real mess. Bad pacing, bad actors, bad dialogue, and that parody James Bond guy was just the icing on the cake. Yeah I'll stick to TWD (although I'll probably watch this anyway since I'm a masochist). Also they left the only character I really liked behind, the doctor lady. But yeah, this show is so bad on so many levels. Really goes to show what an achievement TWD is in comparison. Guess that's what happens if you have good actors, a compelling story and writers who can actually write.
 

Wellington

BAAAALLLINNN'
I watched the Finale on Sunday morning, man I have zero emotion for any of the characters, zero interest in any of the settings and zero care for whatever happens to them.

What I wanted them to do was to make this more RNG style from season to season and kill off the entire cast to show how hard it was to survive in this world then move on to another cast for the following season.

Ep3 now... Jesus these people are stupid. They go around waving flashlights and making noise and no one even thinks to bring a kitchen knife when they leave the house... Or tell the daughter anything about the things she might have to defend herself against. "No it's better if they surprise her"

"Also lets try to talk to them, that will probably help despite the fact that we've seen that it won't"

It's the beginning of the pandemic, no one knows what is going on for sure.
 
No kidding... She's REALLY bad.
yeah she is. and what baffles me is that she's been nominated for acting awards in the past. i feel like she may be the reason i don't like her character - on the surface it's her acting but if she were portrayed by someone else i wonder if the character would've come off as more likable.

the only time i liked her was when she was
hitting nick
.
 
So I just caught up with this show after only watching the pilot just after it aired,some of the decisions the characters make are down right baffling.

Cos it seems to me that in the 6th episode the protagonists straight up mass murdered a whole bunch of civilians and army personnel by leading those walkers too them. So the moral equivalence here is you take my son as he is actually showing symptoms (feverish) and an old woman who the army try to help - and in return you kill them?

Torturing personnel who had nothing to do with anything

Oh yeah lets cut the wire we put up to keep the walkers out and go outside and see dead bodies for no apparent reason?

I mean usually you feel empathy for the main cast but I am struggling in this case.
 
So I just caught up with this show after only watching the pilot just after it aired,some of the decisions the characters make are down right baffling.

Cos it seems to me that in the 6th episode the protagonists straight up mass murdered a whole bunch of civilians and army personnel by leading those walkers too them. So the moral equivalence here is you take my son as he is actually showing symptoms (feverish) and an old woman who the army try to help - and in return you kill them?

The family were still under the impression that the military were planning to bomb their neighborhood (and the city) by mid-morning. Likewise, it was shown that most (if not all) of the military were corrupt and subjecting the civilians they had to inhumane treatment. The Clarks also freed the civilians trapped in the cages, so they gave them a fair shot at escaping.

It was also implied that they took anyone who showed signs of symptoms and/or died (Doug Thompson, Griselda) and terminated them before burning their corpses. It was also shown that they were going around executing people who weren't infected outside the safe zone, including a group of survivors who had holed up and were attempting to communicate with the Clark family.

It amazes me how many people don't bother to pick up on these things before complaining. I'm not saying it completely justifies their actions, but those military personnel were not shown in a good light at all.

Torturing personnel who had nothing to do with anything

Done to show that Daniel is not a nice person, and he is an "ends justify the means" kind of guy. They found out about the Cobalt protocol from Adams.
 

Mega

Banned
I agree with crazyrabbits. This is probably the only show I have seen that shows the US military in an overall poor light instead of being ideal heroes to the public. It was an interesting take.

Nothing that the protagonists did against the military was baffling. Daniel leading the walkers and starting a massacre in order to save his family is perfectly in line with his personality and background. He became a torture specialist to keep his family safe in the past. His knowledge of guns and ammunition may also indicate that he was quite used to executing prisoners or assassinating targets for the government.

Wait, the second season is going to be 15 episodes?! Part of the appeal of this show for me was the limited run. Disappointing news for me.

The first season of TWD was also six episodes. It was obviously a trial run to test the waters before ordering a new full season. I don't think anyone expected the show to continue with 6-episode mini seasons in light of high viewership.
 

PaulBizkit

Member
Ok i watched the first 2 episodes, got bored and now i watched the other four between yesterday and today.

This was fucking boring and pointless, we didn't even get to see how it all started. It was like a random zombie story with TWD name slapped onto it (i mean, in the way that it just doesn't connect a lot to the main series' universe; they don't even mention other cities or something like "let's head west... i know some people in Atlanta" THAT would've saved the whole season).
Besides, we still don't know how the virus was created or when or how. The big origin story ended up being a group of junkies in an abandoned church that became zombies for some reason. Then the drug-addict son escaped the place and left the door open.

The good:
+ The final episode, it had lots of action and the douchebag soldiers got what they deserved for being a bunch of bullies.
+ Daniel Salazar, Strand and Young Johnny Depp were great characters.
+ Great to see the zombies being a threat again.

The bad:
- The pacing, episodes 1, 4 and 5 were fucking slow.
- Almost all of the characters are forgettable, Travis had potential.
- No true origin or explanation to how the virus went from LA to the other cities.


It was a disappointment overall since it didn't provide anything new to the TWD universe. However, if they want to make another spin-off, I'll give it a chance.
 
Besides, we still don't know how the virus was created or when or how. The big origin story ended up being a group of junkies in an abandoned church that became zombies for some reason. Then the drug-addict son escaped the place and left the door open.

They were never going to answer that. Robert Kirkman has always maintained that we'll never see the origin of the virus in the show or comics. The best we got was a reference to some kind of airborne cough/flu associated with it.

Likewise, the origin of the virus wasn't in the church. Tobias tells Madison the morning after Nick fled the church that he heard reports about the virus in five states. You probably read the clickbait "Gloria is Patient Zero" article and assumed it to be true.

As for my overall impression of the season, I thought it was just okay. Ruben Blades and Frank Dillane basically carried the season on their backs, because Cliff Curtis' acting was crap, Alicia Carey only seemed to be there as fanservice and the rest of the supporting characters (save for Strand) weren't really memorable.

Liked:

- the whole "false utopia" aspect, with the characters believing that things would get back to normal
- the slow breakdown of society over the first three episodes
- some of the setpieces (Tobias and Madison vs. Art, the riot, driving past the hospital and seeing the power grid go down, the horde attack in the finale)
- a look at the military response to the outbreak
- the cinematography
- Strand, who's an absolute badass
- all the foreshadowing over the first couple episodes paying off later on

Disliked:

- the time skip
- how one-dimensional the military characters were
- how useless half the cast was
- some pointless padding (everything in the "safe zone")
- how limited the budget felt

The episodes felt really rushed in general, like they had a start and end point but didn't really know how to fill it and just wanted to get to the finale as quick as possible. It feels like they chopped out a lot of scenes and rushed through storylines. Stuff like Ofelia's "romance" with Adams, where one minute she's introducing herself to him and the next minute he's trying to pull her shirt off and they've had some kind of prior conversation where she asked him to find medicine for her mother. Or Doug Thompson somehow getting outside the safezone with a vehicle before getting captured, sent to the holding cells at the base and then dragged off (maybe to be executed?) after going insane. Or the whole thing where L.A. has become a ghost town in 9 days and there's literally no one on the streets when we see the flyover at the beginning of the finale.
 
I finally finished the season last night, by watching the final two episodes which I'd had PVRed. Overall, I found it to be decent, but not great or as immersive/memorable as TWD.

It has potential to get quite good, but needs to become more interesting. I don't particularly like the one father either.

The finale had its moments, but I liked the earlier episodes better than what I watched last night.
 

Loakum

Banned
The father and former war torture dude, is the one character on this show I actually has an vested interest in....which should tell alot on how I feel about the characters of this show. The zombies can feast on these losers, and I wouldn't shed an tear.
 

RatskyWatsky

Hunky Nostradamus
Fear the Walking Dead season 2 will start the week after The Walking Dead S6 ends - April 10 at 9/8c. Talking Dead will air after. Season is split into 7/8 episode halves. The second half of the season will air sometime later in 2016 (probably 8 weeks prior to S7 of TWD - so around August 21st-ish.).

mwtwdgo.png
 

vityaz

Member
Can't wait. Still feel like FTWD is better than TWD. Perhaps it's just a matter of time and more episodes coming out will decrease the quality overall (like with TWD).
 

tbd

Member
Man, this first season was terrible. And I love TWD. No likeable characters or actors that are actually able to carry an episode at all. Basically no zombies.
 
Can't wait. Still feel like FTWD is better than TWD. Perhaps it's just a matter of time and more episodes coming out will decrease the quality overall (like with TWD).

Man, this first season was terrible. And I love TWD. No likeable characters or actors that are actually able to carry an episode at all. Basically no zombies.

Yep, it's a Walking Dead show. Divisive opinions every other post!
 
Fear the Walking Dead season 2 will start the week after The Walking Dead S6 ends - April 10 at 9/8c. Talking Dead will air after. Season is split into 7/8 episode halves. The second half of the season will air sometime later in 2016 (probably 8 weeks prior to S7 of TWD - so around August 21st-ish.).

mwtwdgo.png
Mexico, Hawaii, or Washington? Where should they go?
 
Just finished season one on Hulu. I liked it overall. Better than season 2 of TWD.

It's nice seeing how society crumbles from this kind of scenario. I usually see the start of a zombie apocalypse in a movie where time is limited.

I especially enjoyed the first few episodes were they think whatever problem they have in their mundane life is a priority, even tho we viewers, especially the TWD fans know none of it will matter soon.

The last shot of the last episode as cheesy as heck tho.
 

Goldrush

Member
Just binge through the series and disappointed by how quickly the "fall" came. The buildup was the most interesting part. Stuff like the viral video, the hints of government cover-up, and the public misunderstanding were interesting ideas that couldn't be done in the main series. Sadden that within a span of six hours (in the show timeline), people went from rioting in the street to complete infrastructure failure and the establishment of the safe zone. Show pretty much reached TWD S1 by episode 4. I wouldn't mind two seasons of everyone bumbling around in denial trying to figure what's going on.
 

Kevin

Member
I was always a HUGE zombie fan and I for the most part enjoy The Walking Dead though it becomes quite boring quite often, I still watch but Fear the Walking Dead was just terrible. I could barely even sit through the six episodes. Everything about it was just mediocre. Acting, budget, writing, etc. Not sure if I will bother with season 2. I just feel like AMC doesn't want to actually put any real money or effort into this show (for that matter The Walking Dead as well). A real shame.

Anyways it's just my personal opinion so I don't want to offend those who are enjoying the show. I may watch season two sometime but I'm not looking forward to it at all. I still haven't watched any of season six of Walking Dead because of how turned off I was from Fear the Walking Dead. It made me not even want to bother with the main series though I do plan on catching up eventually.
 
Flight 462 is some straight garbage. 75% of it has been filler, and the characters are all a pack of morons. I wish they'd kill everyone off and have the cast find the wreckage of their plane in season two.

Just binge through the series and disappointed by how quickly the "fall" came. The buildup was the most interesting part. Stuff like the viral video, the hints of government cover-up, and the public misunderstanding were interesting ideas that couldn't be done in the main series. Sadden that within a span of six hours (in the show timeline), people went from rioting in the street to complete infrastructure failure and the establishment of the safe zone. Show pretty much reached TWD S1 by episode 4. I wouldn't mind two seasons of everyone bumbling around in denial trying to figure what's going on.

I have a feeling that the show (despite its success and assured preemptive pickup for a second season) is still dealing with significant budgetary demands due to AMC's influence. I don't think having them show the prolonged downfall of the downtown core was ever on the table at all. They moved out to Vancouver after production of the pilot episode (to get all those sweet Canadian filming tax credits), and now it seems like the second season is being filmed near Mexico.
 

RatskyWatsky

Hunky Nostradamus
They moved out to Vancouver after production of the pilot episode (to get all those sweet Canadian filming tax credits), and now it seems like the second season is being filmed near Mexico.

They still filmed in LA throughout the season. Production was kind of split between LA and Vancouver.
 

RatskyWatsky

Hunky Nostradamus
nMgstqW.jpg


'Fear the Walking Dead' Boss Dave Erickson Talks Season 2, Swimming Zombies

The boat also opens up a ton of possibilities. Strand said in Season 1 that it’s full of supplies. He’s planned for this, but no matter how much he’s packed on there, there obviously could come a point where they run out of supplies. On the other hand, if they keep the yacht in working order, there’s always the possibility they can go look for supplies or other survivor groups, or that they can float around and get more info about how widespread this is. Is that something that’s going to be a storyline continuing throughout the season?

Yeah, that’s one of the great things about the Abigail, that she is equipped. It opens doors to us in terms of what our final destination might be, because it is a vessel that can go great distances. That’ll be one of the fundamental questions for the season: Do we go north? Do we go south? Do we go further west? I’m sure Cliff Curtis would love us to go to New Zealand, but I don’t think we’re going to make it that far. The vessel also, it’s an item of value. It is something to potentially be coveted. The thing we’re going to realize fairly quickly is we weren’t the only people with the bright idea to go to sea. We’ve got thousands of miles of coastline and a lot of boats and a lot of people. Part of the interesting dynamic is what happens on the water, and always maintaining that balance of the danger from people versus infected; [danger from people] is sometimes greater, if not at the very least equal.

Much more at the link.
 

raindoc

Member
The thing we’re going to realize fairly quickly is we weren’t the only people with the bright idea to go to sea. We’ve got thousands of miles of coastline and a lot of boats and a lot of people. Part of the interesting dynamic is what happens on the water, and always maintaining that balance of the danger from people versus infected; [danger from people] is sometimes greater, if not at the very least equal.

FTWD Season 2 - Pirates of the Zombie Apocalypse

I'm on board.
 

RangerX

Banned
Really looking forward to this. I loved the first season. I thought Cliff Curtis was great in the main role. The junkie kid was cool too.
 
My dad and I were talking about S1 recently, and one of the things that annoyed both of us was how quickly these people's mindsets changed. Like within a day, the wife crushed the head of her former colleague with a fire extinguisher and was ready to bash the neighbor's head in with a hammer. The other neighbor gets his face blasted off with a shotgun in the living room, the only person to wretch in disgust or have an modicum of shock is the son/

In a world where zombie fiction doesn't exist, seeing this kind of stuff would be absolutely terrifying and the fact that they barely react and the wife can (re)kill their acquaintances with such ease, seems totally at odds with the whole "see how people would react at the start of the outbreak" scenario
 

Funky Papa

FUNK-Y-PPA-4
As someone who absolutely hated S1 with all of my heart - this looks like it could be good.

For all its issues (and they were many) I feel like FTWD's S1 was a huge improvement over the utter mediocrity that was TWD's S1, which was laughable from Ep3 onwards.
 

Surfinn

Member
My dad and I were talking about S1 recently, and one of the things that annoyed both of us was how quickly these people's mindsets changed. Like within a day, the wife crushed the head of her former colleague with a fire extinguisher and was ready to bash the neighbor's head in with a hammer. The other neighbor gets his face blasted off with a shotgun in the living room, the only person to wretch in disgust or have an modicum of shock is the son/

In a world where zombie fiction doesn't exist, seeing this kind of stuff would be absolutely terrifying and the fact that they barely react and the wife can (re)kill their acquaintances with such ease, seems totally at odds with the whole "see how people would react at the start of the outbreak" scenario

My biggest thing is how stupid the characters are.. the decisions they made were often nonsensical, even with zero experience in the zombie apocalypse.

But I agree, they did turn into killers pretty quickly and with ease (little remorse). The most serious offending scene was the "what's happening" response to someone being run over multiple times in front of their eyes.
 

someday

Banned
My dad and I were talking about S1 recently, and one of the things that annoyed both of us was how quickly these people's mindsets changed. Like within a day, the wife crushed the head of her former colleague with a fire extinguisher and was ready to bash the neighbor's head in with a hammer. The other neighbor gets his face blasted off with a shotgun in the living room, the only person to wretch in disgust or have an modicum of shock is the son/

In a world where zombie fiction doesn't exist, seeing this kind of stuff would be absolutely terrifying and the fact that they barely react and the wife can (re)kill their acquaintances with such ease, seems totally at odds with the whole "see how people would react at the start of the outbreak" scenario
It would have made more sense if this group had been forced to deal with the "missing 9 days" without being protected by the military. Apparently they would have been just fine.

I'm going to watch this show but I really really don't want another zombie show where the walkers aren't scary at all. If I wanted to see human on human violence, I'd watch basically anything else. I want some actual fear. That's the only thing that separates this show from TWD. Well, that and less likable characters.
 
I'm excited for this to come back, I really enjoyed the first season. But I'm annoyed that they're going head to head with GoT. Definitely not going to skip that to watch this.
 
Top Bottom