Story by Selena Legaspy
Staff Writer
It’s the decline of the human race as you know it, with no life, but no death either, because the new population is the undead.
The Walking Dead, a new AMC series on Sundays is about a coma-woken police officer, Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) who passes rows of dead bodies outside a hospital, and is determined to uncover what has happened to his wife and son.
While struggling to reach his house, he meets two survivors, a father and son, Morgan (Lennie James) and Duane (Adrian Kali Turner) who are distraught by Morgan’s wife becoming one of the undead wandering around the city. Grimes is shaken by the world he wakes up to and Morgan acts as his guide back into reality.
There are more survivors, and they somehow must work together and fight those who are undead but the trial is that they will not always work together. With few living and diminutive amount of action for a zombie, the show leads to great character development.
Like the walking dead themselves, the episode creeps from scene to scene. Although there are not thrilling zombie chases, this show is definitely not boring. Once you reach the final scene it is a rush of shivers and goose bumps.
The horror genre is often scrutinized for its jumbled plots, small production value and lack of character development. “The Walking Dead” aspires to demolish these stereotypes with a mixture of captivating suspense, skilled direction and incredible acting.
Suspense is a key component to “The Walking Dead.” The intensity of wondering what will happen next whether it be an attack or a death will have you clenching on to your remote and peeking from underneath the blankets with shivers and goose bumps starting to arise.
Frank Darabont (“The Shawshank Redemption” and “The Mist”) uses his talent to capture the unruly apocalyptic life of the undead. He spends a number of scenes simply focusing on the forsaken cars, abandoned building and bodies lined rows by the dozen. Darabont’s ability to show despair is a foundation for how the show will carry itself in the remainder of the season.
“The Walking Dead” is everything that zombie horror could and should be.
Though this show is commonly thought to be all about the zombies, those who watch soon realize that its main focus is on the characters. All the actors, starting with Lincoln, perform remarkably. The struggle that the characters encounter is holding on to humanity, while trying to survive in a world that is no longer humane. The comic book set up high expectations for the characters, and they did not fail.
And as a voice crackles over the radio in the last scene, he realizes he is not unaccompanied. And I realize I am along for this cliff-hanging adventure.
