Apr 21, 2016 02:52 PM
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'He woke up from a long sleep. He was very weak. It was a hospital but there was none. No docs, no other patients, no nurse. He came out of the hospital and to his utter surprise he discovered that suddenly he was very lonely in the city.just surrounded by some wreckage, ruins, dead bodies and.some living dead' - this was the starting of the journey for Rick.
The name itself suggests this is a show which must involve zombies. Yes it is. But it involves many human beings too and they are the main attraction of this serial, not the dead.
I was actually not even interested to watch any episode earlier. I don’t watch serials in the television…I download them and watch in my tab in my leisure. Believe me when I say that I was amazed after what I saw in Episode 01 in Season 01. Season 01 contains 6 episodes as far I remember. At present Season 06 is running. All other seasons except the first have 16 episodes each.
Walking Dead is a story after a zombie apocalypse. It is of Survival Horror genre. The concerned locality is Atlanta(Georgia) and its adjacent places(as I understand). The show involves many characters over the time but there are of course a few main characters like Rick Grimes(Andrew Lincoln), Daryl(Norman Reedus), Glenn(Steven Yeun), Carl(Chandler Riggs), Michone(Danai Gurira) and some others. In each season some new people are added and some who were there become dead or abandoned in course of survival.
Story: As I said, the story is somewhat linear. It is post-apocalyptic period…so survival is the key thing. Dead are everywhere and you become infected if they bite you. Even if you die…you don’t die actually, you become one of them. Thankfully the living dead can be originally killed again with the help of arrow, bullets, spear etc. The show starts with Rick-the sheriff and gradually he meets with more people(including his wife and son) and form a group. They roam from one place to other to survive. When they find a temporary shelter, they try to settle but thanks to the dead, no place is safe….eventually the zombies attack the settlement and the group escape from there and find another place. As food, water etc. become scare, humans seem to be dangerous too along with the dead and nobody can be trusted blindly.
The Acting part: Trust me, every character is brilliant. However small the part may be, each one of the actors and actresses was very good. I particularly love the character of Glenn(the Korean boy)…he is simple, straightforward and downright brave. The most popular character is Daryl though(for Norman Reedus of course). And in the central role of Rick, Andrew Lincoln is excellent. He is the group leader and can go to extreme to protect his group members. He has a clear vision/idea of the surroundings, he is cautious but at the same time emotional. There are also some rogue people. The Governor particularly was very ruthless and just for him, Season 3 and 4 were the most intense according to me. Please don’t take me wrong, every season is enjoyable.
The most uncommon thing which I noticed is that, unlike other serials where the most important sequence occurs at the end to keep viewers waiting for the next episode, here each episode’s starting is a blast….something terrific happens at the very beginning of that particular episode, then the story continues. It is mind blowing and helps you to be glued for rest of the time.
Technicality and visuals: Locations are not particularly great because as u can guess, after this kind of outbreak throughout the area, all you can find are debris and ruins. Streets are devoid of people. Rotten human bodies are everywhere. Mankind ceases to exist. So u can not fancy about nice natural beauties.
Camera works are great in all the zombie slaughtering scenes. The technicians of this series have done excellent jobs concerning make ups. Zombies look horrific and real. There are some action sequences when u cant believe your own eyes….such realistic are the close up shots. And please don’t expect breathtaking visuals like Game of Thrones, Vikings etc.
Downside: This series involves immense blood and gore. A few scenes are very violent and gruesome. Walking Dead is not for the faint-hearted. Many intense situations are there to pump your BP level. Even some daylight scenes are horrifying. This show is not particularly suitable for teens as far as my understanding goes.
The second thing - it is a bit slow paced. It is not like the famous series 24(remember Jack Bauer, the CTU agent?) where u cant blink as the series was very fast. Actually I don’t think it is a real con as the story many times focuses on some particular characters, shows their past events(before or after the outbreak).
My conclusion: Walking Dead is not just about zombies or survival…it is something more. You will certainly love some characters and hate some, if u actually watch it. U will be completely involved with this series if u have a little bit of patience. It shows how we react in time of crisis, how we stick to each other to survive. Many relations are there in this series like father-son, husband-wife, brother-sister, lovers etc. This show also teaches no matter what, we cant give up. It tells us in course of struggle, we have to make some choices be it good or bitter or even fatal.
Kudos to the director, the suspense continues. I know that this kind of zombie series is not the cup of tea for all, but it suited me very well. The show is intense and interesting. I love to watch it and trust me if Mr. Frank Darabont(Series developer) and AMC Studios offer me a role, I am ready to be a dead(LOL!).
