The Walking Dead Season 2 (AMC)

The trailers looked great last time too.  Add some good characters and kill the dead weight.

The pilot was something fierce. Contemplative, well-paced, excellent performances. Everything that followed was shit. OK, maybe not everything. There were some nice moments, some good character beats and acting work. But I don't know if I'll ever be able to take the show seriously after those five following episodes. Arriving at the CDC a day before it explodes? Abuser McMeanGuy unzipping his tent all nonchalant when there's groaning and shuffling outside (this is a zombie apocalypse right?). Cholos with a heart of Gold. I mean, seriously? How did that get put to celluloid? 

Anyway, I'd be lying if I said that trailer wasn't badass. But still, I don't know. We'll see, I guess. No high hopes. 

All the silliness included, I loved Season 1, and I really can't see Season 2 being anything less than an improvement.  Bring it.

Its too bad they're not sticking closer to the comic.  The pilot episode was a fantastic adaptation.  Its only when they started doing all the new stuff and straying from the comic that things got pretty hinky.  But the change ups in the writing room on the show might be a good thing.  If they can focus on the survival aspect instead of melodrama, the show could be good again.

The trailer is pretty bad ass though.  I'm wondering if they're gonna end the season the same way they ended the second act of the comics.

Looks great!

If I'm not mistaken, it looked like they go back to the rest home with the faux-gangers at some point and find it zombified. Could just be a similar-looking location, though. It would be a nice payoff to the stupidity of that storyline.

Looks like that's Scott Wilson as Hershel at the end there.  She looks so familiar, but I couldn't figure who plays Maggie.

The trailer looks great, but I'm not getting my hopes up.  With the exception of the pilot, which I loved, I thought the rest of the first season was pretty terrible.  Still hopeful, though.

EDIT:  Darabont said he was still looing for his Michonne, Tyrese, and the Governor.  Robert Kirkman joked that Ed O'neill would play all three roles.  But I actually thinkn O'neill as the goernor would be really interesting casting.  

Danny Trejo as The Governor.  lol.  I mean, c'mon, the guy even uses a machete.  :-)

I'd say Gina Torres makes a good choice as Michonne, but she's already on another show so that's not gonna happen.

Tyrese - Michael Clarke Duncan.  Gotta be.  Darabont has the relationship to get the man in there.

Scott Wilson!

I don't think Michonne will show up until season 3.

Well, I guess its possible for them to bring her in earlier than they did in the comics.  They don't seem to be sticking too closely to them anyway.

Darabont :  “I can officially tell you Michonne is coming in the third season… When she appears, she’s going to rock your world.”

I fucking hope so:

BTW:  Tracie Thoms as Michonne.  That's my vote.

Hank, for an OP that requested comic info be left out of this thread you sure are encouraging a lot of spoilery shit.

Darabont is out as showrunner?  Got a link?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Simon West will kill Again 

Darabont is out as showrunner?  Got a link?

Check deadline.com. They have a story up.

Yeah, this bodes well for improving on Season 1.

Or, you know...

Well, considering the blunders that were made in the first season, maybe its for the best.  He's a good writer and director, so perhaps this is a way for him to step back and focus on the overall story without getting distracted by other logistical issues?

All the scripts have been written and polished months ago so I doubt it'll have any effect whatsoever on S2

It uses more anonymous sources than I'd like, but it's definitely the most substantial look we've gotten so far at the situation. It sounds like AMC pulled the same taintpunching shit they tried on Matthew Weiner and Vince Gilligan, but Frank didn't have a production studio in his corner the way they did.

Maybe I'm reading between the lines too much, but I think it's pretty obvious that AMC's current problems are due to spending so much on Mad Men. While I love Mad Men, it seems pretty stupid to give MM everything, and then try to compensate for that by slashing the budgets (Darabont's paycheck, and attempting to cut Breaking Bad by one-third or one-half means a huge savings for AMC) on all their other shows.

Kurt Sutter agrees.

EDIT: Also, let's not forget that AMC recently went public. Shareholder demands tend to fuck up art.

Well, I for one am glad Mad Men got what they asked for. Weiner getting 10 million a season seems a tad ridiculous but he got it so good on him. And it doesn't look like Breaking Bad will be affected, I think they will end up giving Gilligan what he wants. They can't be that stupid. Gilligan and Weiner are both auteurs with massive critical credibility. I think they look at the Walking Dead as a zombie show. A massively successful zombie show, but it's not brain surgery, it's zombies, and the template for the story is already laid out. So when Darabont balked and had no production studio to back him up, they canned him. He bluffed and they called it. It sucks because Darabont had the potential to become a Gilligan or a Weiner (snicker) if he saw his vision through but it looks like they're going to have their cake and eat it too. We'll see how the second season is. I maintain that the single best way to cut cost would be to fire T-Dawg immediately and get his ass off the show. 

it is funny how AMC is throwing all their showrunners under the bus, yet they went to bat for Vena Suud and the Killing.  Strange, no?

The flip side is that AMC gets all of the profits from Walking Dead, whereas it receives none from Mad Men -- and roughly double the number of viewers per episode. The Walking Dead is also at the beginning of its run, whereas Mad Man is a couple seasons away from the end of its run. If they had to circle the wagons around one show, it should have been The Walking Dead. Losing Mad Men would have cost them prestige, but its loss wouldn't hurt them financially like losing The Walking Dead would.

Nerdist podcast just released a comic con panel they did with The Walking Dead guys including Darabont. Really bizarre to hear now.

If Walking Dead makes it to a 3rd season I will be pleasantly surprised.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Headless Fett 

 

If Walking Dead makes it to a 3rd season I will be pleasantly surprised.

Ehh I wouldn't say that. I mean yeah the last season wasn't great and this season looks like it may not be either. However quality of show doesn't equal ratings. If it did American Idol would have died years ago but nope people watch. As long as the show has a loose strung together with fucked up gore once in a while I think enough people will watch to keep it going. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Waaaaaaaalt 

Ehh I wouldn't say that. I mean yeah the last season wasn't great and this season looks like it may not be either. However quality of show doesn't equal ratings. If it did American Idol would have died years ago but nope people watch. As long as the show has a loose strung together with fucked up gore once in a while I think enough people will watch to keep it going. 

In your opinion. It's also received widespread critical acclaim, fan acclaim, and won a shitload of awards. Maybe we should be asking "what the fuck do YOU know", not "what the fuck does the audience know".

Just playing Devil's advocate.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Murder 

In your opinion. It's also received widespread critical acclaim, fan acclaim, and won a shitload of awards. Maybe we should be asking "what the fuck do YOU know", not "what the fuck does the audience know".

 

Just playing Devil's advocate.

Wait what are we arguing about? What im saying is whether or not it is actually good enough people will watch it to keep it on the air. So you can love it to death, hate it or like me wade into the weird ehh "I'll accept that" territory but it's alot more than film nerds like us watching the show. There are only so many of us and the mainstream has accepted it. Because of that it will stay on regardless of quality. For me the thing started to sink right after a fucking amazing pilot. I will still watch it of course to see if it gets better. Also read through the season one thread there were PLENTY of people who felt exactly the same way as the season progressed. However if that is what the show was like with Darabont's involvement I am terrified to see what it will look like without it. 

I guess we are getting some Webisodes starting today at 2pm EST.  Something about the bike crawler zombie, and how she ended up like that?  Should be neat, I suppose.  

I know many people love Darabont, and I'm one of them.... but I don't think he was "right" for the show.  I think he influenced a lot of what people didn't like.  Some of the "corny" lines, like Rick telling the everyone in Episode 2, that he will tell his family about the guy they are ripping apart, and using his entrails as a scarf.   Or the elderly loving Hispanic gang.  

You know, if the new guys in charge of the show are pasionate about their craft, they could always pull a "Island of Dr Moreau" (i know, its probably a urban legend) and just have Darabont on set in zombie makeup as an "extra".

what is an Island of Dr Moreau?  

Quote:

Originally Posted by NickP 

what is an Island of Dr Moreau?  

If im remembering this right, during filming of the Kilmer/Brando  version of "Island of Dr Moreau", director Richard Stanley (who was fired as part of the fucked up production of that film) sneaked back to the filming sets by wearing an animal hybrid costume....he didnt exactly help/participate in filming (Frankenhaimer had taken over), but thats how the legend goes.

http://www.amctv.com/the-walking-dead/videos/the-walking-dead-webisodes-1-a-new-day

I like them... 

minus the "get away from MY family" line... and, the "everything dies, baby boy" line at the end.  That was probably the WORST line I have every heard, EVER.  WTF is that?  

This show frustrates me SOOOO much, and the web series is a perfect example.  60% AWESOME, 25% "eh" but I can look past it, and 15% WTF is that, really guys?!  

Looking forward to Sunday, but I hope there's a really good reason they get under the cars instead of climbing on top of the RV.  Just sayin'

um, prolly because there are what, 10 people.  The RV isn't that big, and doubt the roof of that old style RV can support roughly 1800 pounds.  Also, the key word your missing "hiding".  I don't think standing on top a 10 foot RV is the best spot to hide.  Might as well ring the dinner bell.  

Just watched the webisodes.

That?  Seriously?  That is how you backstory the most poignant part of the Pilot?  Fucking hell, ball dropped.

eh, it's a webisode.... take it for what it is.  I doubt it will even be included in the DVD release.  The lines, specially at the end, we George Lucas bad.

I just hope for season 2, they stop "over thinking" themselves, and just give us what we want.  We all love the drama, we all love the zombie action.... but enough with the "twists" and trying to bring some sappy "Shawshank Redemption" crap into it.  

Quote:

Originally Posted by NickP 

um, prolly because there are what, 10 people.  The RV isn't that big, and doubt the roof of that old style RV can support roughly 1800 pounds.  Also, the key word your missing "hiding".  I don't think standing on top a 10 foot RV is the best spot to hide.  Might as well ring the dinner bell.  

But Rick already knew hiding under the cars was a bad idea - he learned that last season!  And they already know the zombies smell live flesh because they rubbed guts all over themselves for camouflage last season, too.  Rick: 'They smell dead. We don't.'  During the trailer I actually said out loud 'They can SMELL YOU!?! NO!!!'  Hahaha!!

This is basic survival stuff the characters should think about in a tight situation.  They should have a plan of escape/hiding though out for every situation.  I know it's a TV show, maybe I'm thinking about it too hard.

How about IN the RV then?  Or in the cars with the windows rolled up (for the scent).  From what I can tell they see the zombies from a distance - do they have no time!?!  Something to think about this Sunday.  Thanks for the reply NickP!

But when he hid under the car in the pilot, the zombies were already coming at him.  It looks like, in the scene we know little about, the zombies have no idea they are there.

Prolly goes back to the saying "stay downwind" in regard to the "smell".  I think going in the RV would be like going in a sardine can.  Is there a chance the zombies might not notice, sure, but if they do they are fucked big time.  Same goes for going on top the RV, they would be easily spotted and once that happens they are done.  

Going under the cars, where it looks like a traffic jam took place is probably the only smart move to make, imo.  The tightly packed cars makes it impossible for the zombies to see them from a distance, and staying low may mask their "smell".  Worst thing to do with zombies is limit your escape route.   

I think this "car" scene is going to do the show a favor, and that is reduce the cast.  I don't think everyone is getting out of that situation, and I have a feeling one of them might be the child and maybe her mom (the one with short hair), I also think T-Dawg? is done as well.  I think reducing the characters to Rick, his son, his wife, Shane, the RV guy, the redneck and the blond woman (forgot their names) would be a smart move.