Fear The Walking Dead: I’m afraid to say . . .
Upon watching the pilot of Fear The Walking Dead, I’m afraid to say that I just may become addicted to the new companion series. (I know, that was a bit of a Ryan Seacrest move there, but I couldn’t resist!)
Yes, affirmative, I enjoyed the show. I already re-watched portions for a closer look. I’m interested in these characters and already have some burning questions. And, yes, I am anxious for the next episode!
I was pleased to see what I considered to be a few shoutouts to the original series. Did anyone else notice that Gloria’s victim had that crooked flesh eaten smile like Summer (“Little Girl”) from The Walking Dead opening scene?
And of course, the repeated buzz of helicopter blades reminded me of Rick’s entry into Atlanta. Then you have Nick wobbling out of the hospital with a gait similar to Rick’s hospital exit. But that’s enough comparison to the original. There may be more, but this is a NEW series that deserves its own analysis.
The characters seemed genuine to me and I appreciated that. I particularly enjoyed Travis as a man struggling to establish a relationship with Nick while also trying to salvage one with his own son, Chris. Travis appears to be a genuinely nice guy with protective instincts. I find all the characters thus far to be quite relatable.
The area where the show is filmed suits the story well. All the graffiti and street art adds to the chaotic storyline and creates a visual for the confusion the characters must be experiencing. The setting is by no means privileged — these are hardworking people already trying to survive day to day, much less having to face the impending zombie apocalypse.
And indeed, the story does illicit fear. We get to watch vicariously as the population first encounters the undead in complete horror. I’m pretty sure you can call me a sucker because I did watch the principal with trepidation as he turned towards us while doing his “evaluations”. His crouched, distorted posture had me thinking he may have turned. That’s the thing — it’s going to be harder to recognize the infected at this stage in the game. We can no longer simply shout “walker!” at first glance.
While we viewers may know how to take down a walker, we don’t know much about their origins. It does not appear that every death currently results in a reanimated creature. Otherwise, I think we would have seen a larger, more obvious epidemic from the start. So why would some dead turn and not others at this point?
Finally, I am already invested in our new characters with many questions unanswered. How did Nick spiral into his drug habit? Why did the marriage of Liza and Travis unravel? Why is Chris so bitter towards his father? Is it more than the separation of his parents? Why does Alicia so desperately want to leave her current world behind? I am eager to learn these answers and more. And we still have new characters to meet as well!
I would definitely give the pilot a thumbs up but reserve my complete devotion until the entire season has aired.
Next: Season 5:All Named Character Deaths
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