Lather, Rinse, Repeat: Some Thoughts on AMC’s The Walking Dead

Right up front, let me make clear the differences between the incarnations of The Walking Dead graphic novels and the television series. They’re different. Ok, now that I've cleared that up, let me be the first to admit that I was one of those pretentious windbags who, after watching a TWD episode, would exclaim, “Yeah, but they did it SO much better in the comics!” Sure, the television series wimped out on unleashing the utter maliciousness and depravity of The Governor, turning him somewhat into a misguided anti-hero, and as a result we still have a Rick Grimes with all of his extremities intact. However, I’ve come to terms with allowing the television series to find its own stride, its own rhythm. Unfortunately, after five and a half seasons there is no stride or rhythm to speak of. In some sense, the scene toward the conclusion of last night’s mid-season opener where the truck containing our heroes was spinning its wheels in the mud is a glaring metaphor for what the show has become: Stuck. Repetitive. Predictable. Boring.

   
A few things to consider:

   
- The zombies of TWD are rarely a threat, which begs the question of how civilization has not rebuilt by now. Characters are regularly standing out in open fields conducting a funeral while facing absolutely no risk from the zombie hordes, or walking through towns with only the occasional zombie attack to worry about. Rather than the zombie menace being a relentless manifestation of ambulatory horror, a persistent fight against the omnipresent force of the undead, “walkers” are nothing more than a convenient plot device to create some action when the script dictates. Action that is sorely needed because…

   
- For the love of god, shut up already!! Characters on TWD simply will not stop waxing rhapsodic or poetic or cynical or blah blah blah. I get it, the living are actually the real walking dead; What does surviving matter if you lose your humanity; The new world is not designed for the kind or the meek. The long monologues might not be such an issue if the writing were sharper, or even simply less repetitive. But we just get the same diatribes week after week, and this is supposed to pass for character development.

   
- Unless you are going to reveal that the undead have some form of consciousness, TWD needs to quit cheating with the zombie attacks. I describe the phenomenon as ninja zombies, the miracle of ordinarily loud and shuffling creatures being able to sneak up on unsuspecting victims, even in the dry leaves of the forest, up to and including entire hordes of the creatures. Tyreese was a victim of a ninja zombie last night, but he was not the first, nor will he be the last. Combined with characters that are collectively and individually dumb as a box of rocks, and it should come as no surprise that civilization has not been rebuilt yet.

   
- Finally, have some fun with the series. Granted, the occasional wink of an Easter egg can be spotted on the show, paying homage to the graphic novels, other horror films, etc. However, these are for the hardcore fans, and ultimately have no effect on the flow and energy of the show. And by no means does TWD need to go entirely in the direction of the irreverent, though somewhat campy, Z Nation, but ramping up the energy of the show with more bottle episodes where characters have to fight out of tight situations (with no time for incessant yapping about the human condition) would go a long way toward revivifying what is rapidly becoming a desiccated corpse of a television series.

Postscript: Last night’s episode was notable for one impressive reason: Of the five main characters, all were minorities except for Andrew Lincoln. Of course, TWD followed the disturbing pattern of killing off a black cast member after introducing a new one, but to have this type of diverse representation on what will probably be the largest viewing audience of the year for cable television thus far is commendable and exciting to see!