I briefly mentioned how much of a zombie apocalypse fan I am, and nowhere does it get more epic than the only zombie apocalypse TV show to hit our screens. I am, of course, talking about The Walking Dead, created by Frank Darabont.
First brought out in 2010 (in America…I first saw it 2011) this TV show really captures the trials and tribulations of what it means to be a survivor in a dead world. Though very character driven it’s a brilliant zombie epic that will have you on the edge of your seat. Trust me, I’ve been there.
Told from the perspective of Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) the first series, though only 6 episodes long, gives us a real taste of the world that he is thrown into…leaving you wanting more and more. And because he starts the apocalypse off in a coma we experience this terrifying new world along with and through the eyes of our main character. We want him to find his family, we want the group he ends up joining forces with to survive and above all find a cure against the monstrous zombie plague.
This show is not just about gore and action…it’s full of drama and raw emotion and really gives us a perspective into the human mind. It’s a soap opera with zombies!
It’s actually based on the comic by Robert Kirkman, but an adaption that you can enjoy seperately from the original comics. There are aspects and the general framework of Kirkman’s work throughout, but it does its own thing to keep people in suspense and to keep people guessing. And that really works…even fans of the comics will say this. It is its own story in itself.
The episodes in this series are:
- Days Gone Bye
- Guts
- Tell it to the Frogs
- Vatos
- Wildfire
- TS-19
My favourite episodes out of the six are above are easily ‘Days Gone Bye’ and ‘Vatos’ due to the raw emotion portrayed throught these episodes. Truly moving…in a morbid way.
My favourite quotes from the series are:
- ‘Yeah, whatever. Yee-haa. You’re still a dumbass.’ – Glenn (Steven Yeun) to Rick- Guts
- ‘Well, screw you twice.’ – Merle (Michael Rooker) – Guts
- ‘Pull your head out of your ass, maybe your headache’ll go away.’ – T-Dog (Irone Singleton) to Merle – Guts
- ‘We’ll feed these folks Cajun-style Kermit legs.’ – Shane (Jon Bernthal) ‘I would rather eat Miss Piggy. Yes, that came out wrong.’ – Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies) – Tell it to the Frogs
- ‘Look at it, all gnawed on by this filthy, disease-bearing, motherless poxy bastard!’ – Daryl (Norman Reedus) – Tell it to the Frogs
- ‘Toughest asshole I ever met, my brother. Feed him a hammer, he’d crap out nails.’ – Daryl – Vatos
- ‘”I give it to you, not that you may remember time, but that you may forget it, for a moment now and then, and not spend all of your breath trying to conquer it.”‘ – Dale (Jeffrey DeMunn) – Vatos
- ‘Keep drinking little man. I wanna see how red your face can get.’ – Daryl to Glenn – TS-19
- ‘You don’t make sense, ever?’ – Daryl to Jenner (Noah Emmerich) – TS-19
- ‘Those doors are designed to withstand a rocket launcher.’ – Jenner *Brandishing an axe at him* ‘Well your head ain’t!’ – Daryl – TS-19
Sorry that’s a lot of Daryl quotes there. Can you tell he’s my favourite character out of the show yet?
Overall, this show has it all…an amazing story, absolutely breath-taking acting and extremely immense special effects and make-up that really look real and very gory. Honestly, there are parts that you think ‘wow did they really get away with putting this on TV?’ It’s a truly riveting show and has now become my number one favourite, beating Doctor Who (but only just). If you’re not blown away by this show then you don’t know good writing and acting when you see it. Neither can you say that you are a zombie fan! That’s how strongly I feel about this show!
A great start to a brilliant TV series, so a huge 9.3 out of 10 from me!
Like this review? Got advice? Or got a suggestion on what I should review next? Leave a comment below!
Reviewer's Digest 