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Positioning itself in a believable world where the apocalypse is brought about by soulless zombies, AMC’s The Walking Dead took cable television by storm last year. The show juggled itself between moments of hard-hitting violence and touching situations as humans dealt with the loss of their loved ones. Every week brought something new for its audience to devour – even if the gas was running a bit low in the zombie vehicle toward the final two episodes (note: though it’s being clarified now, the entire writing staff was fired as a result). Even still, the series remained cinematic and true to its Season One arc of humans vs. zombies.
Waking up confused and wounded in an abandoned hospital, Police Officer Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) stumbles outside only to discover the world is not what it once was. Mostly alive. It’s a sunny day, but don’t let the daylight fool you. Once outside the hospital doors, Grimes discovers half-eaten bodies – still functioning zombies mind you – scattered everywhere and that’s only part of his problem. His wife Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies) and son are missing. He must find them. Certainly, he has to.
Teaming up briefly with a downtrodden father (Lennie James) and his son, Grimes is filled in on the desperate situation that has engulfed the United States. However, Grimes refuses to succumb to the hopelessness surrounding him. He has to put faith in the fact that his family is out there. Somewhere – even if that faith will be tested by the survivors he encounters – they are hiding, just waiting to be reunited.
Don’t let the zombie-themed show fool you. While the violence is certainly R-rated caliber, there’s more to it then solely some good ol’ blood and guts. This show is more about human entanglements and life-and-death matters other than being anything about the flesh-eating crazed that lurk about. That’s the appeal of the show; we get some pretty good character-driven episodes that have true heart, but still have sense enough to creep us out.
For example, the resulting consequences of the audience discovering the truth behind what Grimes’ best friend, Shane Walsh (Jon Bernthal), has done while protecting Grimes’ family is certainly one of the best parts of the series. Sure, there are zombies galore, but the true horror comes from the situations these characters get themselves into. Co-starring Laurie Holden, Jeffrey DeMunn, Steven Yeun, Chandler Riggs, Noah Emmerich, Norman Reedus, and Michael Rooker, The Walking Dead is populated with not only zombies, but a strong cast as well.
The Walking Dead is consistently engaging – even if the latter part wavers a bit – and its drama will keep you glued to all six episodes of the first season. Produced by Frank Darabont and Gale Anne Hurd, there’s a level of gritty professionalism that marks this series as something unique, energetic, and worth investing another season in. Scoop up your copy on Blu-ray today.
MPAA Rating: This title not rated by the MPAA
