Calling all Walking Dead fans
Nov. 8th, 2011 05:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
justalurkrOkay, it only took half a dozen surprisingly entertaining novels of the zombie apocalypse before I finally wondered if I might like The Walking Dead TV series.
I have just watched ten episodes as back-to-back as sleeping and working for a living allow, so I'm going to go out on a limb and say...I like the show. :D
Question: is it just me, or is The Walking Dead basically the zombie apocalypse version of Camelot? Because I have to say that even before I discovered slash fiction and the joys of triosmut, I always wondered what the problem was in Camelot. Arthur and Lancelot: best friends, in love with the same woman. Guinevere: in love with a pair of best friends. Srsly, what's the dysfunction? (Oh, right. There's not multiple seasons worth of basic cable angst and drama in "and they all boinked happily ever after and their brilliant, beautiful babies saved teh world." WhatEVER. But OMG what pretty babies would come from that threesome.)
And another thing: I find myself strangely reluctant to engage in a new fandom; not just for the time sink, but because I don't want to read what must be a metric f#ckton of crap about my emerging favorite character: that Platonic Ideal of a redneck, Daryl Dixon. If you've ever wondered why the urban South hasn't just quietly smothered all the rednecks in their sleep, it's because we know they're good for situations exactly like the one in The Walking Dead, or any other time there's a societal breakdown. The key to effective redneck relations is to get them on your side, and you don't even have to be a redneck to do it. Yes, I am still facepalming nearly every time he interacts with two specific members of the cast, but the character of Daryl Dixon is one of the best illustrations for why it can be useful to tolerate the intolerant.
1. Three good ol' boys got drunk off their asses in the CDC during the last two episodes of Season 1, but only one good ol' boy failed to show his ass in some way including one attempted rape, and he did not wear a Sheriff's Department uniform.
2. As of the fourth episode of Season 2, I don't think anyone else in the group has saved T-Dog's life more often (certainly not in such creative ways) and probably same for Glen, all while managing to keep up the redneck standard of racism. (facepalm)
3. While Daryl is the most brutally, um, objective about the practicalities of dealing with the walkers and certainly the most hair triggered of the bunch, he has only pointed a weapon at another character for one of two reasons: interference with the recovery of his brother or another group member and suspicion that he or she has been infected and needs putting down quickly. Almost everyone else who has picked up a firearm in the show has done so at least once for a deeply selfish reason.
Yes, the fact that there are plenty of sunburnt necks in my ancestry detracts from my objectivity on the subject of rednecks. No, I am in no way proud of the racism (nor the near glorification of ignorance) that still clings like a limpet to the subculture. I'm still very pleased with the AMC portrayal of the post-apocalyptic redneck, and don't plan to change my mind (unless they change theirs) because I think there is a vast fund of pragmatism we can all learn from our redneck kin.
edited to add:
Oh, and for prime slashbait in season 2, start here and just scroll through the second season, second episode screencaps for a couple of pages. If you haven't seen, and plan to see, the episode, stop when they turn to go in the house.
edited FOR THE LAST TIME I SWEAR to add:
Yet another series of prime slashbait screencaps from the same episode.
One shot gratuitous pretty screencap: Did John Sheppard run a School for Sexy Leaning before setting off for Atlantis?
I have just watched ten episodes as back-to-back as sleeping and working for a living allow, so I'm going to go out on a limb and say...I like the show. :D
Question: is it just me, or is The Walking Dead basically the zombie apocalypse version of Camelot? Because I have to say that even before I discovered slash fiction and the joys of triosmut, I always wondered what the problem was in Camelot. Arthur and Lancelot: best friends, in love with the same woman. Guinevere: in love with a pair of best friends. Srsly, what's the dysfunction? (Oh, right. There's not multiple seasons worth of basic cable angst and drama in "and they all boinked happily ever after and their brilliant, beautiful babies saved teh world." WhatEVER. But OMG what pretty babies would come from that threesome.)
And another thing: I find myself strangely reluctant to engage in a new fandom; not just for the time sink, but because I don't want to read what must be a metric f#ckton of crap about my emerging favorite character: that Platonic Ideal of a redneck, Daryl Dixon. If you've ever wondered why the urban South hasn't just quietly smothered all the rednecks in their sleep, it's because we know they're good for situations exactly like the one in The Walking Dead, or any other time there's a societal breakdown. The key to effective redneck relations is to get them on your side, and you don't even have to be a redneck to do it. Yes, I am still facepalming nearly every time he interacts with two specific members of the cast, but the character of Daryl Dixon is one of the best illustrations for why it can be useful to tolerate the intolerant.
1. Three good ol' boys got drunk off their asses in the CDC during the last two episodes of Season 1, but only one good ol' boy failed to show his ass in some way including one attempted rape, and he did not wear a Sheriff's Department uniform.
2. As of the fourth episode of Season 2, I don't think anyone else in the group has saved T-Dog's life more often (certainly not in such creative ways) and probably same for Glen, all while managing to keep up the redneck standard of racism. (facepalm)
3. While Daryl is the most brutally, um, objective about the practicalities of dealing with the walkers and certainly the most hair triggered of the bunch, he has only pointed a weapon at another character for one of two reasons: interference with the recovery of his brother or another group member and suspicion that he or she has been infected and needs putting down quickly. Almost everyone else who has picked up a firearm in the show has done so at least once for a deeply selfish reason.
Yes, the fact that there are plenty of sunburnt necks in my ancestry detracts from my objectivity on the subject of rednecks. No, I am in no way proud of the racism (nor the near glorification of ignorance) that still clings like a limpet to the subculture. I'm still very pleased with the AMC portrayal of the post-apocalyptic redneck, and don't plan to change my mind (unless they change theirs) because I think there is a vast fund of pragmatism we can all learn from our redneck kin.
edited to add:
Oh, and for prime slashbait in season 2, start here and just scroll through the second season, second episode screencaps for a couple of pages. If you haven't seen, and plan to see, the episode, stop when they turn to go in the house.
edited FOR THE LAST TIME I SWEAR to add:
Yet another series of prime slashbait screencaps from the same episode.
One shot gratuitous pretty screencap: Did John Sheppard run a School for Sexy Leaning before setting off for Atlantis?
no subject
Date: 2011-11-09 03:24 am (UTC)Since this was based on a comics series, I read the big omnibus edition that collects issues #1-48, as well as a couple of the trade issues that go on further, but the comics are still being published, so there's no end in sight.
There are a lot of "signature moments" from the comics that were essentially storyboards for the show. And then things diverged. In some ways, just a little, but there were a couple of major differences too. It's been very interesting to see how even minor things have changed the results. There are a couple of things I knew from the comics that have influenced my viewing of the show, but I don't even know if they apply.
TPTB have talked about exploring some of the darker storylines from the comics (yes, it gets darker), but some bits I'm not sure how they'll do it (a) due to previous storyline changes, and (b) it's really, really, really disturbing, yet I don't want them to diminish the impact by toning it down too much.
Haven't done fannish for the show, mostly because I'm not watching "live" (there's a pun there, isn't there?). Since it's a short series, I'd rather watch it in one run.
no subject
Date: 2011-11-09 03:53 am (UTC)Having read up on the graphic novel (pun intended so hard,) I am now boggled at some of the divergence. As in, OMG that was in print? No word of a lie, it gets darker!
I think it was a good idea to divert from the book plot somewhat; makes it a little more interesting when someone dies (or doesn't) "out of canon." In a completely unrelated matter, I am all about the preservation of Superior Eye Candy. :D
IMDB and Wikipedia have been my friends vis a vis the cast. The "other show alumni" (coffSTARGATEcoff) game is not quite as rampant as a show made in Vancouver (coffHIGHLANDERcoffET ALcoff) so the "Where I have I seen him/her before?" was a little more challenging. Still not sure how I forgot Marita Covarrubias, though!
no subject
Date: 2011-11-09 05:13 am (UTC)The only thing about the death that didn't happen was I thought it answered an important question about the disease transmission. So now I'm clueless about whether that's still the case or not. I have a theory that may have been what the CDC guy was telling Rick before going kerblooie, but I'm not sure. Secondary theory from the comics might come into play too, but with the death that didn't happen, the dynamics are totally different.
Also makes me wonder how they'll deal with another major character death, though I don't think they're getting to that point in the story yet. Though one scene in the first episode of the series was reminiscent of a scene that took place during that time period, so they may be mixing and matching, or just hinting of things (maybe) to come.
They've already said we're not yet to meet my favorite badass female character. Not only female, but of color too. Seriously badass and not a girl in a tight outfit doing pretty fighting, and I hope whenever they select that actress, they do a damn good job of it. That really, really dark and disturbing bit involves her heavily, and they need an awesome actress to have any hope of carrying it off. I picture Gina Torres being able to do it, possibly because I have a total girl crush.
Also, one thing I kept thinking about during the first season is why it didn't seem like someone was smart enough to try a flamethrower. You have to do a headshot to kill them, but a flamethrower should damn well slow 'em down and be quieter than guns as well as buy some distance from target so you didn't become their target. You'd think the rednecks would have rigged one up with a tank of fuel from a BBQ grill and something involving chewing gum and baling wire.
no subject
Date: 2011-11-09 05:22 am (UTC)Also, production costs. They're already spending a mint on makeup, prosthetic stuff and destroying some really nice clothes. Setting everything in sight on fire might blow anyone's budget.
Having just obsessively re-watched the entire run of Firefly, I have renewed my girl crush on Gina Torres and redeemed Jewel Staite by expunging That Later Role from my memory. (Damn, there it is back again. Will need to watch more FF.) Which brings me around to this question: is Gina Torres still up to a kick-ass, highly physical role? I have "No, really, Sam Carter is a 20, er 30-something, oh, shut up and watch the enhanced tits" fears at the thought of my favorite actresses attempting things they were good at nearly a decade ago.
no subject
Date: 2011-11-12 11:11 pm (UTC)Maybe it wasn't effective in the long run, because you burn one group down and you're also clearing the path for the next group to get you. Also, walking dead people who are also on fire would spread the fire, so only people in things like bunkers, basements, tanks, etc. would have any protection.
I've seen Gina guest star in a few things post-Firefly, and I think she could handle it. But then that could just be my girlcrush talking.
INRE: slashbait & spoilers
Date: 2011-11-09 04:00 am (UTC)There's an Inside The Walking Dead on 2x02 "Bloodletting," but it's not quite as full-on spoiler-y as your average DW Confidential, but it comes close, as in the entire cast is discussing how the Major Plot Points affect their characters. Otherwise, I'd link and let you watch the extensive application of TLC in motion, which is ever so much more fun that screen captures.