The Walking Dead (Season 1)

I wanted to do a video review of the first season of this show. However, things are already taking up space so I decided to do a written review instead. I decided to check out this show when I saw all the positive reviews of the Pilot Episode. I am not a zombie fanatic so that didn't play any part of whether or not I liked this show.

Show: The Walking Dead

Season: 1

Episodes: 6

Developed By: Frank Darabont

Released: 2010

Rating: 5/5

Basic Plot: Rick wakes up from a coma and finds himself in the middle of a Zombie Apocalypse. He ends up leading a group of survivors (including his wife and son) through horrors made from both zombies and humans.

The Short Season
Six episodes? Really, six? Pretty Little Liars (another show) I watched had ten episodes and that was only midseason and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles had around ten episodes its first season (and the show wasn't doing that good, though I would suggest checking it out). I felt, personally, that this was too short of a season for a show.

The Zombies
These zombies do not look pretty at all. Kudos to the person that worked on the makeup. That person did a VERY good job. Do these zombies have super speed? No. They move a little slower than a human, smell horrible, and can be attracted by loud noises. Throughout this season using a gun is seen as a last resort because no one wants zombies on their doorsteps.

The Comic
I haven't read the comic so I can't compare the two. I do want to check out the comics but, as of this review, I haven't read any of them yet.

What Caused the Zombie Apocalypse?
This is left as a mystery for the first season. At one point Rick and gang go to see a scientist. While the episode begins hopeful it turns out that the scientist doesn't know what caused it. However, it is shown that (once bitten) a person ends up dying and their brain only turns on the parts that are essential to living (aka no higher processes).

Rick, Shane, and Lori
When the Zombie Apocalypse begins (and Rick is in a coma), Shane takes Lori and her son to safety. Afterwards, Shane and Lori form a relationship that is sexual. When Rick comes back Lori doesn't even have doubts about loving Rick, she is angry that Shane said that Rick was dead. The most disturbing scene that comes out of this (so far) is when Shane tries to rape Lori. I am very interested to seeing how this will continue to season two as Shane did think about killing Rick at one point (even going so far as to aim a gun at his head).

Seeing a Zombie That Was a Loved One
This is an issue that is dealt with multiple times in this season. A husband sees his zombie wife and a sister has to deal with her own sister becoming a zombie. Kudos to this show for dealing with it in a realistic way. While I was screaming at the husband and sister to both kill their respective zombies, I could understand the hardships they were dealing with. And when one of the zombies was killed, the person didn't seem happy but was still sad (even suicidal).

Favorite Character
Merle Dixon was, in my opinion, the best character of the Season. Was he a nice, caring, and compassionate character? No. But he was fun to watch move around. I have heard that he wasn't in the comic, though. His brother, Daryl Dixon, comes in at a close second.

Final Thoughts
I am very excited for a Season 2 of this show. This is one of the few shows I watch and I think it is a good one. I'm not a big zombie fan but, from this show, I can see how someone can like those creatures. However, I feel that there is more focus on the human element in this show.