If you are a fan (like me) of The Walking Dead, you have been mulling over what happened in the latest episode this past Sunday *NO Spoilers Here*. During my ritual that my husband (aka Handsome) started off watching this show, I had that question – Why do you like watching this show? If you know me well, you know I’m not a fan of horror or gore. I’m such a scaredy-cat. Guess what, I like this show!
There are a few reasons that I like this show, the world of the zombie apocalypse is a strong character that moves the various stories forward, and there is no easy way out of it, only to survive and live. It struggles to define right, wrong and somewhere in the middle. Humanity lost and found. The pressures of character evolution and how they are affected by the world and those around them. It’s the basis of sociology that lead to some interesting discussions around my peeps who watch it too. The best is with Talking Dead, hosted by Chris Hardwick right after the new episodes. The struggle of characters, plot and comparison of the comics adds to all discussions on the show such as: Are people ultimately good? Does humanity crave society? What is the difference between consciousness and sentience?
Some argue that the stories are not well written, I disagree. There is a lack of constant verbal communication, but the actors portray their characters and evolution so well, I know what they are thinking and going through. I don’t need a continuous narrative and remember, the world is a character that must be seen, heard and felt. It’s similar to books I enjoy, give me the nuggets and let me make my conclusions and assumptions. Let me drive that entertainment – you pave the road. The ambiguity of plot doesn’t concern me (Lost, Alais, How to Get Away with Murder – anyone?).
The actors are great, and the characters are well developed among the primary group. I have enjoyed past seasons getting the glimpse of backgrounds that drive the character arcs. Personally I’ve learned a lot about storytelling for my personal writing. I certainly turn away from the gore of the show; dang the special effects too real! However, the character of the ‘world’ would lose something if that gore wasn’t there. It provides the realism and the authenticity of that character. As a woman, I am glad to have strong female characters on the show and my two favorites; Michonne and Carol.


Also, characters are not safe in this world, even the fan favorites. I think that is brave of a television network, to be honest, drive the story as it was meant to be and envisioned, not by the almighty market machine. The fans will have an uproar, but we’ll get it as long as it wasn’t completely superficial. This world is a royal bitch, and she doesn’t discriminate. Not all stories have the Disney happy ending, and this one is a rich story if you dig in and watch/absorb.
This is why I like The Walking Dead, my small testimony for those who question how it’s possible that I would. Thanks to Handsome for pushing to watch this every Sunday. I’m still a scaredy-cat but, I’m wiser on story development and have an appreciation for this genre (and Depends underwear). Also, should in the unlikely event the zombie apocalypse does happen, I have TV knowledge and life skills all prepped and ready :).