Fear the Walking Dead (1 Viewer)

[Adam Lenhardt]

The shit's really hitting the fan now. In a lot of ways, I find the horror on this show a lot more unnerving than the horror of the mothership, because if you subtract the zombies, the horror of this show can and has happened before. None of us realistically have to worry about a zombie apocalypse, but the things we're seeing in this, and the things people are doing to survive, are all situations we could conceivably find ourselves in if the worst ever happened.


The second episode badly overused slow motion, but otherwise it was a brilliant, visceral experience. Maddie saving Tobias by bludgeoning the principal's skull with a fire extinguisher, the happy family across the street who didn't "get it" being terrorized and bitten by the neighbor who'd zombified after succumbing to his illness -- gripping stuff. So far this series has been a strong endorsement for "less is more". The core four of Travis, Maddie, Nick and Alicia continue to be excellent.


Nice to see Rubén Blades show up as the barber. Can't wait to see what he brings to the table in future episodes. I loved Mercedes Mason as the deputy U.S. Marshall on Fox's shortlived series "The Finder." She's playing a completely different character here.

 

[Sean Bryan]

Yes, I thought it was a pretty tense and unnerving episode.

Lots of examples here of the type of behavior that would result in a huge part of the population getting bitten by loved ones and acquaintances. Maddie lucked out, because she should have been one of them. Alicia should have been one of them by attempting to go back to her boyfriend.

Things are starting to fall apart quickly, and it's interesting as a viewer knowing it's never going to settle down but only get much worse while the characters have no idea that they're living through the end of the world.

 

[Walter Kittel]

I generally find myself in agreement with Adam and I think the comment regarding how the initial days in this series are more disturbing due to their realism is spot on. Seeing riots and interrupted services and a general lack of preparedness strikes a lot closer to home vs. a full on zombie apocalypse.


Not understanding the vectors for the disease and how to deal with the dead and reanimated dead is going to cause the zombie ranks to spool up very rapidly. In Steven King's The Stand there were a number of casualties due to the lack of infrastructure - first responders, medical assistance, lack of pharmaceuticals, power, communication, etc. This will only have the effect of swelling the ranks of the zombies; assuming that the dormant form of the virus has spread to the general population. Will this series provide more background on the contagion that plants the seeds for the apocalypse? I hope so, but I have no idea whether or not that will transpire.


I was happy to read that Mercedes Mason was a cast member and I'm curious to see how her character fits into the series. I've been following her career since The Finder as well.


- Walter.

 

[Sean Bryan]

When a character sees a zombie doing its thing in an abandoned town while that character is hiding for safety in a strange environment, that's one thing.

But when the characters are under the illusion of being in the safety of their own house, where they live, and they witness someone being attacked outside their window across the street it does seem somehow more unsettling.

 

[Sean Bryan]

So, who do you think will be the first to go?

Assuming that they manage to form a group consisting of the families of Travis and Maddie and possibly the barber's family, which of them do you think'll go first?

I'd be surprised if they went the whole season without someone from these two families being lost. If they stay with the barber's family I'd expect one of them to go since they haven't been established much yet. But considering the nature of The Walking Dead, I'd expect at least one main character to be lost. Maybe Travis?

 

[Walter Kittel]

I believe that Travis, Madison, and Nick are likely to be three of the core members of the group and will survive deep into the series, unless the real world interjects itself into the series (illness, better employment opportunities, contract disputes, etc.)


My guess for first to go is the wife of the barber, Griselda. The kids are probably a little quicker on their feet, have better reflexes, etc. and aren't as likely to be swarmed as someone who is in their early sixties (the actress who portrays Griselda is 62 in real life.)


- Walter.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

It's also worth noting that Rick's family stayed intact until Lori's death in Season 3. Given that the first season is only six episodes long, I would guess that all four of our main characters will make it to the end. I'm a bit more worried about Travis's ex-wife and son.

 

[joshEH]

This has certainly captured my attention so far. Curtis and Dickens are both aces, the atmosphere is terrific (that protest over the shooting was genuinely tense), and I even like what they're doing with Nick. Dillane is giving a spot-on performance if you actually know somebody like that, and it's very interesting to see the beginnings of the zombie apocalypse from the perspective of a drug-addict.


(Having said that, the transition from on-location shooting in Los Angeles to Vancouver is distractingly obvious in some spots.)


Still enjoying the show on a basic L.A. zombie-disaster level. I like the way it's shot, and even though the characters do questionable things sometimes, the tension is definitely there. Ruben Blades is always a welcome addition to any cast. Also, I love that every time Cliff Curtis hits standstill L.A. traffic, he immediately starts honking his horn like a fucking madman.

 

[John Lee_275604]

The junkie kid creeps me out. Beyond the cliches of the character, his physicality is all over the place. It starts with the ridiculous use of his junkie GF's blouse/shawl in the opening scenes. Then his hairline and ambling gait, coupled with the old man clothes he scotched from the hospital, appears to be going for a living 'walker.' But it reminds me of nothing more than Johnny Knoxville in Bad Grandpa.

 

[TravisR]

Others have pointed it out but I love the feeling of creeping dread that is in this show. Seeing society collapse is much scarier than zombies.

 

[ScottH]

The zombies are my least favorite part of 'The Walking Dead', so I'm really enjoying this so far.

 

[Sean Bryan]

Damn! I was looking forward to new episode last night. I hate when programs don't show a new episode because of a holiday. Most people watch these things on DVR's anyway.

 

[Hollywoodaholic]

So much better than the original series at this point. Dread beats gore for gore's sake every time.

 

[Sam Posten]

The junkie kid creeps me out. Beyond the cliches of the character, his physicality is all over the place. It starts with the ridiculous use of his junkie GF's blouse/shawl in the opening scenes. Then his hairline and ambling gait, coupled with the old man clothes he scotched from the hospital, appears to be going for a living 'walker.' But it reminds me of nothing more than Johnny Knoxville in Bad Grandpa.

Yeah, I am not sold on Nick yet either. Kim Dickens is the best thing on television as far as I'm concerned but I didn't necessarily buy into her relationship with either of her kids. All of them seem to be ok as a stand alone and I buy her relationship with the new hubby, but if the intention is to have a big ole brady bunch of these two families surviving the apocalypse together they are going to have to ramp up the family dynamics pronto.

The cold opener with nick as a maybe walker, maybe a street walker was clever if you think about it in those terms. Is he supposed to be a male prostitute? They never say but the half shirt sure insinuates it. Could be an interesting development down the road.

Two more thoughts: Nick looks like a cross between Art Carney and the guy from Benny and Joon with those ridiculous stolen clothes on.

Also, was that the same restaurant from Pulp Fiction?

 

[TravisR]

Also, was that the same restaurant from Pulp Fiction?

I thought the same thing so we've both apparently seen Pulp Fiction too much. It sure looked the same but I suppose if it's a small chain of some kind, all of them could all look the same or very similar.

 

[Sam Posten]

According to Reddit, no. But it might be the same one from Nightcrawler.
https://www.reddit.com/r/FearTheWalkingDead/comments/3jol08/is_that_spoiler_i_guess/

 

[Quentin]

Also, was that the same restaurant from Pulp Fiction?

No. But, it IS the same restaurant from HEAT (not the DeNiro/Pacino scene...that's Kate Mantilini's in BH) - formerly Johnie's Broiler, now a Bob's Big Boy Broiler.


Pulp Fiction was shot at the Hawthorne Grill...which is now gone.

 

[Nigel P]

Damn! I was looking forward to new episode last night. I hate when programs don't show a new episode because of a holiday. Most people watch these things on DVR's anyway.

I agree, although that does mean we will only be a day behind rather than a week behind over here. I think it is off to a good start without really grabbing me just yet. It is interesting knowing just how bad things are going to get when the characters have no idea.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

One of the questions that's continually arisen for the original show is how things could have gotten so out of hand, that the dead so vastly outnumber the living. As things escalate dramatically on this show from week to week, we're getting an answer: things only had to get bad enough to shake the foundations of civilization. Once that had happened, the human response did the virus's work for it. First, the citizenry riots, destroying infrastructure and shattering civil order. Second, the government responds, and it adopts the tactics necessary to reestablish civil order. Unfortunately the tactics necessary to restore civil order and the tactics necessary to disrupt an epidemic and contrary to each other. Preventing the spread of the epidemic is all about isolating populations, keeping as much distance between people as possible. Putting down civil unrest is about restricting mobility, locking down neighborhoods, asserting control. The more the National Guard keeps urban (and suburban) populations bottled up, the worse it's going to be when the bottom finally drops out.


It struck me watching this episode how different the characters are from the mothership: I never find myself thinking, oh so-and-so is "Fear's" version of Dale or that character is "Fear's" version of Daryl. These characters are culturally rooted in a different place than the rural Southeast, but the mix of character traits is different, too. The older characters on the mothership were wise and noble people, rooted in the values of their lives before. Daniel Salazar is an inversion of that; right now he's living in that better softer world, but his life before was brutal and hard. Based on the reference to family in El Salvador, my guess is that Daniel and his wife fled to the United States during the Salvadoran Civil War that lasted from 1979 to 1992 -- before Ofelia was born, or when she was very little. When all was said and done, that war left as many as 90,000 dead and over half a million displaced, equivalent to to roughly 1 in 10 people in the country at the time. Death squads terrorized the civilian populations, children were conscripted as soldiers at gun point. In other words, he is better prepared than any of the other series regulars we've met so far to face what is coming.


The National Guard marking the dead with spray paint on the house eerily echoed the aftermath of Katrina.

 

[Walter Kittel]

I've been going with the show so far, but tonight's episode just annoyed the crap out of me. Particularly the responses to Peter and Susan. If Travis and Madison had not seen the drug dealer's death (at the aqueduct) then I might be a little bit more understanding. But they've seen that this isn't an ordinary situation and they are responding poorly. Lets try to reason with Peter who is covered in blood and munching on a dog. Great idea. Hey it is anarchy outside, so let's play Monopoly.


My initial reaction to the show was that viewers having more knowledge than the characters would make for an interesting viewing experience, but I was very frustrated with all of the stupidity on display this evening.


- Walter.