"The Walking Dead" Season 2 premiere breaks records

[YoshiKart64]

TWICTAE = The world is coming to an end. If this show can get those kind of ratings on cable, then the audience is officially tipped into the mundane. Now, there is no incentive to raise the bar to get good entertainment. Just open the box, add in cliched characters and spin the premise and VOIILA, Instant soapscidramafi. I think that they want to make a single type of show that can satisfy all genres. You lose a lot trying to make it generic.

With shows like Spartacus, Game of Thrones and Justified on the air I'm still optimistic about American cable TV. Not to mention some of the great BBC (and sometimes ITV) offerings in the UK. Comedies are also really strong right now although I guess that's a separate issue (Community = fantastic).

I actually enjoyed some of the new shows on mainstream networks as well; both Touch and Awake were really cool. Hope is not yet lost.

 

[Atlantis]

EXACTLY. He is literally "the token". We know absolutely nothing about him, and I never see him going on any missions or being given any real responsibility. I say let him be food. Get another black guy more like a Shane type character. Bad ass, streetwise, and ballsy. They should have taken a page...no, SEVERAL pages from The Night of the Living Dead for character profiles. The Zombie Mom with a son to raise in a world infested with Zombies is already a dry well. The show could lose them both and it would actually improve it. We could use Rick's anger at the loss to turn him into a gun popping badguy.

Been wondering myself the same thing, there is no central plot around the side characters at all anymore they seem to focus more on the Lori and Rick. I can't stand Carol she's the worst of the bunch always moaning.

Not liking the soapy elements in this one, its a zombie show not a soap opera crap

 

[mzzz]

Seems like I will be rooting for the zombies from now on.

 

[Overmind One]

Seems like I will be rooting for the zombies from now on.

LOL...me too. Its good to see you back here.

 

[Bluce Ree]

Maybe I'm not really paying attention but why are they keeping that poor kid tied up in the trunk with a knit cap over his head?

 

[Bluce Ree]

Just started watching tonight's episode. So far, I'm in "wtf?" mode. When did the writers decide to morph Rick into a cold-blooded killer? A few episodes ago he wouldn't kill the walkers in the barn. Now he wants to off this kid they found stuck on a fence for no reason other than "oh, he was with that gang"? This whole storyline with the kid shoved into the trunk forced to wear a knit cap and listen to rock music seems so contrived.

 

[Joelist]

Another symptom of soap - characters change with no reason and don't behave consistently.

 

[Bluce Ree]

Looks like Token is getting some lines next episode. I saw him say something in the preview and he did some stuff, like close the trunk of the pickup.

 

[Overmind One]

Looks like Token is getting some lines next episode. I saw him say something in the preview and he did some stuff, like close the trunk of the pickup.

At least Greer's nickname was Token Angry, and this blah black dude is just "Token". . If I met him in person, I would say to him "Hey bro! I know you, you are that Token dude on The Walking Dead aren't you?". He would probably high five me and laugh.

 

[Joelist]

Run the personality test I suggested on these characters. The results are ...er...amusing.

The test is to describe a character on a show without mentioning any of the following:

1) What they look like

2) What their physical appearance/gender is

3) What their job/role is in the show

Basically it comes down to describing a character so that other will recognize them by their personality traits. If you cannot do it then the character has no depth.

By the way, I can't take total credit for this test. Part of it is adapted from the test Mike Stoklasa of Red Letter Media used to show the characters in The Phantom Menace have no depth and part is adapted by me from a workplace personality profile test (DiSC Profile).

 

[shavedape]

Just started watching tonight's episode. So far, I'm in "wtf?" mode. When did the writers decide to morph Rick into a cold-blooded killer? A few episodes ago he wouldn't kill the walkers in the barn. Now he wants to off this kid they found stuck on a fence for no reason other than "oh, he was with that gang"? This whole storyline with the kid shoved into the trunk forced to wear a knit cap and listen to rock music seems so contrived.

Contrived yes, in fact the proper term would be "poorly contrived". Even if you breakdown just that one episode with the kid in the trunk it makes no sense. Why would you have to make him wear headphones with loud music? What's he going to do, figure out his location in a silent world by listening to...um...nothing? Talk about bad writing.

And now they've wasted two whole episodes on hand wringing over this thug kid. I don't want to give away any spoilers but think it's safe to vaguely point out how lame this show has gotten; the last two episodes being a good example of that. I mean. why the bleep haven't they secured the farm? Why the bleep are they allowing the bratty child to just stroll around wherever he wants to go in a zombie infested world? More importantly, why the bleep are they beating us over the head with After School Special moralizing tales of actions and consequences??? No good can come from taunting a zombie, everyone knows this.

I can't help wondering what the actor who plays "Token" must be thinking every time he opens a script and sees he has to play a table lamp in the background of a scene between Rick and Lori. Good work if you can get it in this economy I guess.

 

[YJ02]

last nights show hit me like a very bad attempt to remake LOST. I can't put an exact reason on it though. You know how some people said SGU went wrong (in one way) by trying to imitate the "feel" of BattleStar (dark gloomy)? I get the feeling that someone is trying to rip off LOST with a zombie spin. Speaking of LOST, remember how there was an ep of the tail section people? When they encountered each other things went ok (well mostly). If they did that here, I suppose Rick and gang would shoot everyone in another group without talking. It seems as if the writers have made them into a xenophobic group. Wasn't their original purpose to find other people? more people =more safety?

 

[Bluce Ree]

Contrived yes, in fact the proper term would be "poorly contrived". Even if you breakdown just that one episode with the kid in the trunk it makes no sense. Why would you have to make him wear headphones with loud music? What's he going to do, figure out his location in a silent world by listening to...um...nothing? Talk about bad writing.

And now they've wasted two whole episodes on hand wringing over this thug kid. I don't want to give away any spoilers but think it's safe to vaguely point out how lame this show has gotten; the last two episodes being a good example of that. I mean. why the bleep haven't they secured the farm? Why the bleep are they allowing the bratty child to just stroll around wherever he wants to go in a zombie infested world? More importantly, why the bleep are they beating us over the head with After School Special moralizing tales of actions and consequences??? No good can come from taunting a zombie, everyone knows this.

I can't help wondering what the actor who plays "Token" must be thinking every time he opens a script and sees he has to play a table lamp in the background of a scene between Rick and Lori. Good work if you can get it in this economy I guess.

Ok, so we're all agreed. His name is now officially "Token" and he plays background furniture.

 

[shavedape]

last nights show hit me like a very bad attempt to remake LOST. I can't put an exact reason on it though. You know how some people said SGU went wrong (in one way) by trying to imitate the "feel" of BattleStar (dark gloomy)? I get the feeling that someone is trying to rip off LOST with a zombie spin. Speaking of LOST, remember how there was an ep of the tail section people? When they encountered each other things went ok (well mostly). If they did that here, I suppose Rick and gang would shoot everyone in another group without talking. It seems as if the writers have made them into a xenophobic group. Wasn't their original purpose to find other people? more people =more safety?

The writers are intentionally writing the show to have extreme human/human melodrama (the zombies are just props -- literally). They're trying (ineptly) to write scenes where there are these HUGE morality conflicts that the characters have to wrestle with but it just comes off heavy handed and boring. Yes, in a zombie apocalypse humans would probably have to make a few choices counter to their beliefs but using that as an endless, overly dramatic plot device becomes tedious quickly.

To be honest at this point I view the show as a comedy. It's fun to watch for a laugh but that's about it.

 

[Overmind One]

Contrived yes, in fact the proper term would be "poorly contrived". Even if you breakdown just that one episode with the kid in the trunk it makes no sense. Why would you have to make him wear headphones with loud music? What's he going to do, figure out his location in a silent world by listening to...um...nothing? Talk about bad writing.

And now they've wasted two whole episodes on hand wringing over this thug kid. I don't want to give away any spoilers but think it's safe to vaguely point out how lame this show has gotten; the last two episodes being a good example of that. I mean. why the bleep haven't they secured the farm? Why the bleep are they allowing the bratty child to just stroll around wherever he wants to go in a zombie infested world? More importantly, why the bleep are they beating us over the head with After School Special moralizing tales of actions and consequences??? No good can come from taunting a zombie, everyone knows this.

I can't help wondering what the actor who plays "Token" must be thinking every time he opens a script and sees he has to play a table lamp in the background of a scene between Rick and Lori. Good work if you can get it in this economy I guess.

I would clown him about it if I could meet him in person. I would have him recall his favorite parts , and then I would ask him how he tackles the challenge every week playing his part. :icon_e_wink:. All the while, I would be wearing one of my trademark smirks. But at least he is on the show, I am not sure they could really build any importance into him at this point. I have not seen the last two episodes. I have no desire to watch them after what I read here and elsewhere about them, but I may catch up on them. To me, Lori is gross. The actress has been allowed to get TOO skinny, and she is totally unappealing with all the whiney and zombie mom and morality and . They could make up for a lot of this by having one episode where ALL of the episode is killing hordes of zombies. They all invade the farm en masse, from all angles, and the survivors have to climb up on roofs and use pitchforks and stuff.

 

[Overmind One]

Ok, so we're all agreed. His name is now officially "Token" and he plays background furniture.

 

[Atlantis]

I liked the last couple of episodes of the walking dead season final looks epic. The way that

Spoiler

Rick killed Shane was shocking

Oh I found this as well.

Spoiler

http://www.themarysue.com/walking-dead-michonne/

 

[Joelist]

Dunno. I still find myself rooting for the walkers. I also expect at some point we'll get a "friendly" walker character and maybe some human-walker shipping...

 

[YJ02]

YUP--the walkers will become "self-aware" then find a way to use the now idle internets () to transport--star trek style--all living ppl to a remote and unchartered island in the pacific

since shane is dead, i don't believe i can force myselk to watch anymore--he seemed to be the only character with a realistic plan. and i am sure he would have found a role for token prop man:icon_eek:

 

[Joelist]

Just ask yourself this: would you rather watch this or a TV series version of Tank Girl...?