I know I’m late in the game by about six years, but thanks to Netflix I just got hooked on The Walking Dead. I don’t know why I’ve put it off for so many years, to tell the truth. I like zombies, I adore suspense… maybe because I have yet to watch a major drama series that’s held my attention for more than a few seasons… I still haven’t finished Lost.
But, crap, I’m a couple of episodes into season 2 of TWD, and I am severely impressed, and officially hooked. The tension is thick enough for me to have to swim if I need to get up for a potty break. The character development is spot on, the pacing is never too slow or too fast.
But what makes the show great isn’t the gore or the horrific monsters wandering the earth. In fact, that’s probably why I’ve put the show off for so long, because I’m easily turned off by gore and blood and guts. And this show has tons of it, mind you. But I realized that it’s never there just for show. It’s there to serve a purpose for the greater story, and it serves it well. The way a war movie has plenty of guts and intestines in order to highlight the gravity of the war’s hell.
But what makes TWD captivating and a well-baited fish hook, is the show’s vast dynamics of characters. Each person from a different walk of life, contributing to a different demographic, representing different beliefs about God and the world as they know it.
No one is completely good or completely bad.
They’re all human. And they’re all just trying to survive this plague.
Sarabeth and I were just discussing the other night, what’s more important in a story? The plot or the characters?
I believe it’s the plot that reels us in. It’s the characters that keep us there. So they are both equally important.
As with The Walking Dead, I want to see how these characters will cope with the travesties heaped on them and how their relationships with one another will either strengthen or break them apart.
Are there any other Walking fans? Am I in for a continual good time to the end? And as you watch or read your favorite stories, ask yourself, “What is keeping me hooked?” Is it the story or is the characters?
Read the first installment of the exciting new serial blog: The Underneath
Oh ho. I LOVE this show and yeah you are in for a great time
LikeLike
Yay!! Yeah, it’s super amazing and I’m kind of glad I’m just now discovering it for the first time.
LikeLike
I got through three or four seasons. “The Governor” story arc lost me as a viewer. But I agree, the first few seasons were excellent.
LikeLike
Oh, no! I hope it doesn’t lose me too. I know when a plot gets to muddled and loses its original simplicity, it can lose my attention. Fingers crossed!
LikeLike
Welcome to the game. I’ve been hooked since the first episode.
LikeLike
I cannot possibly imagine your pain at the end of each episode. The suspense!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is pretty intense. I’m a pretty animated watcher. 😀
LikeLike
Nice! I can’t be too animated since my wife is asleep when it’s on.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I actually really seriously need to carry on with this series!! My dad raves about it a lot and I absolutely adored the first two seasons and then I had no time to watch it and I have fallen severely behind! I just need to catch up!!
LikeLike
I’ll be right behind you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Keep watching, man. It only gets better. Welcome to the world of #twd.
LikeLike
Thanks! I’m sure I’ll enjoy my stay!
LikeLike
Love The Walking Dead. I came late to it, then binge-watched it with my boyfriend to catch up. Rest assured, it keeps getting better. I completely agree with your evaluation of the characters and the plot; they definitely enhance the show more than the gore. And I think they operate together; the plot is largely driven by character actions and decisions. In that sense, they’re one and the same.
LikeLike
You’re in for a mostly good time! Except for the immediate aftermath of when they fire the show-runner. Then things tend to go downhill for a while before it picks up again …
LikeLike
I started watching about 3 months ago, thankfully my fiancé had up to season 5 and I literally would stay awake til 1 am just coz I couldn’t go to sleep without knowing what the end of each episode was about. I’m now in season 6 and I can’t stop. I think the bonds that the characters form are amazing, and it really does show humans ability to adapt and survive. I just hope that if there’s a real zombie apocalypse I can find a Daryl Dixon for my group haha
LikeLike
Daryl is totally the greatest sidekick on the planet.
LikeLiked by 1 person