The Walking Dead -- TV Series Thread

[cody8200]

Soon, when it is inevitably made legal nationwide, it won't be an issue anymore and we can tax it properly.

[stevew]

Spoiler

Cool pic that's way too big

[Edward64]

Read the latest Walking Dead version, they killed off 1 major (on the list above) and 1 somewhat major character. Major disappointment and no guarantee the TV series will follow the comic.

[stevew]

If you're speaking about "Lucille" I strongly doubt that happens as well.

[stevew]

Glen Mazarra(sp) out as show runner really has me concerned.

[PackerFanatic]

Originally Posted by stevew

Glen Mazarra(sp) out as show runner really has me concerned.

Agreed. Hope it doesn't have as big of an effect as I am thinking, but it is worrisome.

[cadmus2166]

Yeah, it is a bit worrisome, given AMC's difficulty keeping and working with it's shows behind-the scenes talent, but I'm willing to give the show the benefit of the doubt until they prove they are incapable of making The Walking Dead a good show.

[Desnudo]

Originally Posted by stevew

Maybe I'm the only one who does the "What Ifs" on becoming a drug kingpin? I never actually would, but I get bored a lot. I've always found BB to be entertaining drama fantasy. And funny as hell at times.

Sounds better than it is

http://www.freakonomics.com/books/fr...pts/chapter-3/

[spleen1015]

Recorded the marathon of Season 3 and finished it tonight.

Can't wait for February 10th.

[spleen1015]

Question for those who are into the comics as well...

Are they an on going series or has it ended and I can get the whole thing in a trade paperback?

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by spleen1015

Question for those who are into the comics as well...

Are they an on going series or has it ended and I can get the whole thing in a trade paperback?

It's still an on-going series.

You can collect in two ways:

1. Trade paperbacks. The 17th trade paperback just came out in early December.

2. The Massive compendiums. I think there may only be 2 of them so far. Probably a cheaper route to go (though I haven't compared costs), but the downside is that you really do have to wait a pretty long time between each publication.

I guess you could buy the first two big compendiums and then start picking up the trade paperbacks from where the 2nd one ended. That could work.

They are incredibly fast reads. There isn't a ton of dialogue and there are many panels that are just zombies and/or desolation.

[DanGarion]

Only a couple weeks away!

[cadmus2166]

Originally Posted by DanGarion

Only a couple weeks away!

I can't wait!!

[Honolulu_Blue]

I believe the timing will work out nicely...

Just as season 3 of "Downton Abbey" is over, my Sunday night viewing will switch back to "The Walking Dead" which will then smoothly transfer over to "Game Of Thrones".

Hopefully the gap between the end of "Game of Thrones" and the last few episodes of "Breaking Bad" won't be too long.

I guess there will be some "True Blood" in there as well, though I don't consider that show to be appointment viewing. I record it and catch it when I can. It's on a lower tier.

[stevew]

New episodes start on Sunday-

According to Feinberg/Sepinwall this season opener is a bit of a "talky" type episode. [bill burr]Oh Jesus[/bill burr]

Anyways, also the Glen Mazzara firing thing is still bizarre, and I gotta wonder what exactly these "creative differences" that lead to the split were. Like if he was attempting to divert from the source material or something.

The first half of this season was really strong. Let's hope that we don't get 8 hours of Andrea being dumb, Merle being Merle and the Governor talking and talking and talking with his dumb fake accent.

[Swaggs]

Not bad -- I thought the end (the vision that Rick saw) was pretty chilling.

[JonInMiddleGA]

That ending earned a "creepiest moment ever" from my son. I won't go quite that far (little girl in pilot still gets that from me) but it's way the hell up there.

I'm seeing some disgruntled chatter online at the moment but honestly, I don't know if I thought this episode could have gone much better. If anything, I was surprised at the intensity in the first half of the episode.

It's a fine line between the worst of the farm & turning it into a non-stop combat festival. I thought they walked that line exceptionally well with the possible exception of a couple of scenes (a Woodbury scene that felt a little forced and the Carol bit, which I think might be some disturbing foreshadowing & was therefore necessary).

[stevew]

More motherfucking Lori. Just great.

[stevew]

Dola-

I'm guessing that the Merle and Daryl Walking Dead game that comes out will feature this time when they are away from the rest of the group maybe?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by stevew

Dola-

I'm guessing that the Merle and Daryl Walking Dead game that comes out will feature this time when they are away from the rest of the group maybe?

My impression from the few screenies I'd seen was that the game was prequel, but you could well be right too.

[Radii]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

It's a fine line between the worst of the farm & turning it into a non-stop combat festival. I thought they walked that line exceptionally well

+1, really solid episode.

[cadmus2166]

Definitely a solid episode. Rick's meltdown at the end of the episode was well done. Things are setting up nicely for a larger confrontation between Rick's group and the Governor.

[Honolulu_Blue]

I liked it well enough.

I think there needed to be an episode that slowed things down a bit and allowed the characters to react to all of the various traumatic experiences that were suffered over the last few episodes.

I liked the fact, for example, that when Rick, Maggie and Glenn were arguing about what happened and trying to push the pick-up off the road that you always saw zombies shuffling in the background. You also have zombies constantly around the prison. It's a far, far cry from the nearly zombie-free farm house of the second season. The issues that they are dealing with are also much more raw, urgent and grim.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

I liked the fact, for example, that when Rick, Maggie and Glenn were arguing about what happened and trying to push the pick-up off the road that you always saw zombies shuffling in the background.

My son picked up on that same thing & praised it immediately. I didn't notice until he mentioned it (and then when they turned the shot 90 degrees & you couldn't miss the one just down the gravel road)

[cadmus2166]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

I liked it well enough.


I liked the fact, for example, that when Rick, Maggie and Glenn were arguing about what happened and trying to push the pick-up off the road that you always saw zombies shuffling in the background. You also have zombies constantly around the prison. It's a far, far cry from the nearly zombie-free farm house of the second season. The issues that they are dealing with are also much more raw, urgent and grim.

I agree, a much more realistic touch to this scene than usual.

[JediKooter]

I'm not sure I'm liking Rick's mental state arc. I'm just not sold on it adding much to the story yet. I will be very disappointed if there's no other payoff than:

Spoiler

"He's just gone mad"

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by JediKooter

I'm not sure I'm liking Rick's mental state arc. I'm just not sold on it adding much to the story yet. I will be very disappointed if there's no other payoff than:

Spoiler

"He's just gone mad"

I'll tell you what I'm expecting after last night

Spoiler

The end of the madness arc will be Rick smashing the head of ZombieLori, breaking the spell & restoring his (relative) sanity full time

[DanGarion]

Sunday night’s midseason return of the AMC zombie drama delivered 12.3 million viewers and a 6.1 adults 18-49 rating — its biggest yet in both measurements. Against the Grammys... wow.

[stevew]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

I'll tell you what I'm expecting after last night

Spoiler

The end of the madness arc will be Rick smashing the head of ZombieLori, breaking the spell & restoring his (relative) sanity full time

Spoiler

Admittedly I really hate Sarah Wayne Callies because of how badly she mangled this role her role on Prison Break. I think that would be really cool if Rick did bash her head in, and I was thinking I wonder if they would dare to have her eat the baby. I think going forward there's no way the baby can survive. I guess I'm buying that the walker ate her in the prison though, although if that was just intestines, sure.

Talking Dead works much better on an hour format. The other format felt like Hardwick spent half the show coming in and out of commercial break. Since the show is not currently filming, they should have cast members on it nearly every week this year. In the fall, nobody was really available, except when they were killed off like T-Dog

[Honolulu_Blue]

One thing I kept thinking when they were showing the scary silhouette of Ghost Lori was, "Wow. Ghost Lori is nowhere near as bone thin as living Lori. The afterlife must agree with her."

So far we've had Rick's psychotic episode with the telephone, him "seeing" Shane during the gunfight and now this. Stable, he is not.

[stevew]

How much is an ad spot on this show vs a normal network one? Anyways it would be nice if they spent some extra money next year and expanded our landscapes vs getting another season on the barn/prison/static landscape. I rewatched "save the last one" the other day and I love that stand alone type setting.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by stevew

How much is an ad spot on this show vs a normal network one? Anyways it would be nice if they spent some extra money next year and expanded our landscapes vs getting another season on the barn/prison/static landscape. I rewatched "save the last one" the other day and I love that stand alone type setting.

From an Adweek article earlier this week

Marketers who snapped up time on The Walking Dead during the 2012-13 upfront bazaar paid an average unit cost of $245,000 per spot. Last fall, scatter pricing soared to as much as $400,000 per :30

Same article says

Such is The Walking Dead's stranglehold on young viewers—the median age of the Season 3 premiere was a dewy 31 years—that the show absolutely eclipses its broadcast competition in the 9-10 p.m. slot. Buyers estimate that ABC’s Revenge fetches as much as $160,000 per :30, while CBS’ The Good Wife takes in around $115,000 a pop. Fox’s similarly youth-targeted Family Guy ($275,000) and The Simpsons ($290,000) are the only Sunday night scripted series that give The Walking Dead a run for its money; that said, when Sunday Night Football is in season, it boasts a going rate of around $540,000 per :30.

The Walking Dead Scares Up 12.3 Million Viewers and a 6.1 in the Dollar Demo | Adweek

[stevew]

I'm guessing they sold these episodes at the fall 3rd season rate? I wonder if they will sell the next season at 4-450/30 secs? There's like 30 some spots in an hour right?

[stevew]

Dola-I know selection bias and all that but it sure seems like everyone I encounter watches this show and I can't really recall feeling that before with another show.

[chadritt]

Not that much of a bias, 12 million is HUGE nowadays.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by stevew

I'm guessing they sold these episodes at the fall 3rd season rate? I wonder if they will sell the next season at 4-450/30 secs? There's like 30 some spots in an hour right?

Hmm ... lemme think. 46 mins of content give/take, so about 14 mins or 28 :30s per hour. Minus a couple of spots that go back to the local cable systems, and maybe 1-2 that AMC keeps for themselves to promo with.

I suspect they'll get around $350k for the upfront, be in the mid/high 400s for scatter (if the ratings hold). Problem is - for smart buyers anyway - is that pricing is based on the series avg rating but the real bangs for that kind of bucks are the premieres & the finales. You're probably overpaying for the rest of the season to get into those.

edit to add: As for the money, I imagine there'll be some profit-taking for the network & some money put aside for the inevitable cast salary bumps that lie ahead. I'd be surprised if any significant amount of it went toward actually increasing the production budget.

[JediKooter]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

I'll tell you what I'm expecting after last night

Spoiler

The end of the madness arc will be Rick smashing the head of ZombieLori, breaking the spell & restoring his (relative) sanity full time

Ok weird I missed your post.


So then I must have not been paying attention with a couple of episodes before the break. That means:

Spoiler

Carl didn't put a cap in his moms head and that the fat zombie didn't eat her? Now I need to go rewatch those episodes.

Correct if I'm wrong on that though.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by JediKooter

Correct if I'm wrong on that though.

Sure, but I'll have to spoiler it. I'm pretty sure the confusion lies in how I phrased something without expanding on it properly.

Spoiler

When I refer to ZombieLori, I mean the hallucination inside Rick's head, not an actual walker. I believe the creepy vision of her in shadow on Sunday night will finally manifest - strictly in Rick's head - as a zombified version of Lori & him "killing" it will be what frees him from the visions/hallucinations/etc.

It gives fans something a lot of them asked for - ZombieLori - while maintaining the intended life-changing affect on Carl of having to put a round through his mom's head ... which IIRC was confirmed to have happened on an episode of Talking Dead in the first half of the season

[Radii]

Originally Posted by JediKooter

So then I must have not been paying attention with a couple of episodes before the break. That means:

Spoiler

Carl didn't put a cap in his moms head and that the fat zombie didn't eat her? Now I need to go rewatch those episodes.

Part one of your spoiler... it happened off screen and we just heard the noise so some people wonder if he didn't actually do it.

[Swaggs]

Originally Posted by JediKooter

Ok weird I missed your post.


So then I must have not been paying attention with a couple of episodes before the break. That means:

Spoiler

Carl didn't put a cap in his moms head and that the fat zombie didn't eat her? Now I need to go rewatch those episodes.

Correct if I'm wrong on that though.

I think it was left intentionally ambiguous.

Carl fired a shot, but we didn't see where it landed (and Maggie, I believe, was waiting outside for him, so it may have been for her benefit).

When Rick returned, the body was gone.

She was either eaten by fat zombie after Carl shot her or got up on her own (after Carl didn't shoot her)...

I tend to believe Carl shot her, but at this point the TV show has almost completely diverged from the graphic novel, so we will have to see.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Radii

Part one of your spoiler... it happened off screen and we just heard the noise so some people wonder if he didn't actually do it.

I was among those people ... except for Kirkman's confirmation of her death

IIRC, there's actually a more forceful statement somewhere about that, to the effect that they were surprised that anyone doubted the death because it never really crossed their minds to do anything other than kill her.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by Swaggs

I tend to believe Carl shot her, but at this point the TV show has almost completely diverged from the graphic novel, so we will have to see.

I tend to believe Carl shot her too. Based on how he's behaved since then, I think it's true. It would actually be a huge diservice to the character if he ended up not doing it.

I am not sure if we've ever witnesses a more improved character in television history from Season 2 Carl to Season 3 Carl. He went from an annoying little scamp who did stupid stuff for plot devices and whose presence on screen was rarely a good thing to, well, a really compelling character. That little kid's been fantastic.

[JediKooter]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Sure, but I'll have to spoiler it. I'm pretty sure the confusion lies in how I phrased something without expanding on it properly.

Spoiler

When I refer to ZombieLori, I mean the hallucination inside Rick's head, not an actual walker. I believe the creepy vision of her in shadow on Sunday night will finally manifest - strictly in Rick's head - as a zombified version of Lori & him "killing" it will be what frees him from the visions/hallucinations/etc.

It gives fans something a lot of them asked for - ZombieLori - while maintaining the intended life-changing affect on Carl of having to put a round through his mom's head ... which IIRC was confirmed to have happened on an episode of Talking Dead in the first half of the season

I really don't know if I should spoiler tag this or not, but, I'll err on the side of caution.

Spoiler

For Carl, I'm in the camp that he really did do it (off screen) and I didn't even think twice that he didn't do it. That's cool it is confirmed that that was really the case, so that clears that part up for me.

As for Lori...Rick not seeing the body when he went to go see and then seeing the fat zombie, I just put two and two together and assumed that Fat Zombie ate her. If I remember, I think there was a shot of Rick getting ready to cut him open? However, there was a big blood smear on the floor leading from where Lori was originally up close to Fat Zombie. So is there some kind of subterfuge going on by the producers? Maybe Carl shot Fat Zombie and got out of there before Lori Zombie could get him?

At any rate, I hope Rick gets back to a somewhat normal state as I like his character much much better without the hallucinations.

Originally Posted by Swaggs

I think it was left intentionally ambiguous.

Carl fired a shot, but we didn't see where it landed (and Maggie, I believe, was waiting outside for him, so it may have been for her benefit).

When Rick returned, the body was gone.

She was either eaten by fat zombie after Carl shot her or got up on her own (after Carl didn't shoot her)...

I tend to believe Carl shot her, but at this point the TV show has almost completely diverged from the graphic novel, so we will have to see.

I had always thought that Carl did shoot her even though it was off screen. It made me think after reading some posts in here that maybe he didn't shoot her. However in this last episode,

Spoiler

it was quite clear that Rick was hallucinating. So that was pretty easy to follow, haha!

Originally Posted by Radii

Part one of your spoiler... it happened off screen and we just heard the noise so some people wonder if he didn't actually do it.

That's what got me thinking after reading some of this thread, since it was off screen, that maybe he really didn't do it. But, I'm firmly back on the side now that he did actually do it.

[DanGarion]

Originally Posted by Swaggs

I tend to believe Carl shot her, but at this point the TV show has almost completely diverged from the graphic novel, so we will have to see.

I agree with you that I think he shot her, and the TV show has diverged, but the one thing I have noticed with the TV show is the writers don't treat us like we are dumb and fuck with our minds that something we expect happened didn't happen.

[Thomkal]

Apparently in Montana, the zombie apocalypse has begun:

KRTV's Emergency Alert System Hacked To Warn Of Fake Zombie Apocalypse (VIDEO)

[JonInMiddleGA]

Heavy.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Followed by damn.

[Chief Rum]

Okay, so I must have missed it. Who drove that van in and what happened to him/her?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

Okay, so I must have missed it. Who drove that van in and what happened to him/her?

My son said he/she ran out of the gate, I didn't see them either.

My money is on Andrea tbh. They worked too hard to hide the identity, so it's either Andrea or the geek guy.

[JonInMiddleGA]

That finish is probably in the top 3 adrenaline scenes of the show I think. I'm not sure my heart rate ever climbed any higher during a scene.