Daryl & Beth Should Not Get Together; Don’t Like New Format

I was probably one of the few people who actually put the Oscars on hold last night to watch The Walking Dead and Talking Dead. (It was a late night with that, the Oscars broadcast, plus Jimmy Kimmel’s After the Oscars show.) And one of the points they brought up in Talking Dead after the Daryl and Beth exclusive episode was whether the two will get together at some point, in an intimate way.

I almost yelled at the TV “noooo.” And it’s not because of some odd viewer crush on Daryl. (I don’t find him as terribly attractive as others do, but I do love his character.) It’s because the relationship between the two has seemed more like a brother/sister thing than anything else. The girl is supposed to be 18 or 19 after all. Not that that’s illegal, but she also has an air of innocence about her. She’s the true farmer’s daughter. Never had a drink. Never did anything bad in her life. And Daryl seems like her protector, her big bro. Not someone who’s going to get intimate with her in any way beyond that.

I would actually far rather see Daryl get together with Carol. Or even Michione. His chemistry with them seemed far different. Though maybe with Carol, it was more a connection after the loss of her daughter. And with Michione, it might be a mutual respect as lone-type leaders. Either way, though, I’d rather see that happen. And see Beth pair up with Carl once he’s a bit older. If they last that long, that is.

As for the new format of these episodes, which seems to follow one group for an entire episode versus showing you where each group is throughout, isn’t sitting well with me. It might have been OK if i  was binge watching like I did with the first 3.5 seasons. But now I have to wait another week to see what’s going on with Maggie and the crew (though I got a taste in the preview of next week’s  episode.) And Rick and Carl and Michone. Where is Glenn and that new group of folks attempting to save the world? And I feel likeI haven’t seen Tyrese, Carol, and the kids for weeks. (In fact, I haven’t!) There’s a reason shows flip back and forth from scene to scene, so you know what’s going on with all of the characters. This is a great way to get to know characters better, granted. But that Daryl breakdown could have been easily shown in two scenes: the golf club, and the moonshine home. Edit them down, and use the rest of the episode to tell me where everyone else is!

That said, the writing and actor is incredible, and the fact that two actors were able to carry the entire show (save for a stream of zombies, of course) and keep me on the edge of my seat, is fabulous. I was so worried that Daryl would drink himself into a stupor, slip up, and get killed. In fact, he almost did until Beth put a knife in the head of the target practice zombie. Clearly the booze was just meant to soften him up to actually finally let go.

I can’t wait until next week! 

Squealing for the Premiere of The Walking Dead

SPOILER ALERTS! Don’t read if you haven’t watched up to the fourth season of the show.

The holidays are a busy time for most, which is why most shows take a welcome break in December, resuming in the New Year. Of course when you already have a routine that includes TV watching in the evening, you can easily feel that void without them.

For I, I decided to open up my Netflix account and watch one of those shows that I’ve been meaning to watch for ages, but never got around to. I discussed with my husband, and we decided on The Walking Dead. Boy, am I glad we did!

From start to finish, I was literally on the edge of my seat. I am not the type of person that would be into zombie shows or movies. In fact, I’m terrified of horror movies, avoid them at all costs, and when I do watch them, I typically have trouble sleeping for the next few nights. That being said, for the 2-week period that we binged-watched Walking Dead, those bumps in the night were extra scary as I kept one eye open on zombie watch.

But the reason I like this show so much is that it’s not really about the zombies. Yes, the premise of the show is that some unknown disease has taken over the world and turned people into zombies. And you follow along with a group of survivors trying to navigate the world, and either find a cure, or wait it out. But the zombies are just a small part of the show, easily replaceable with any unknown predator. The show is about the characters and, most importantly, how they manage to make it through each day, each hour, heck, each minute. And the critical decisions they have to make. Taking us back to primitive times, there’s a group leader, sometimes friction among the leader and those who think they should lead. There are the hunters, the gatherers. There are relationships, fights, and really, really, really hard decisions. For example, do you stay in a small boarded up house because it’s safe…for now. Or do you move the whole group in attempt to get to the CDC where there’s reportedly a safe house? If a lone survivor approaches your group, pleading with you to let him join, do you welcome him in? Or turn him back to the walkers/biters/whateveryoucallthem? If one survivor gets pregnant, does she keep the baby? How does having your pre-teen son with you impact all of the decisions you make? And at what point do you decide to give up completely, or do you just keep sticking it out until there are no options left? The decisions are so very much about life and death, and so incredibly difficult, I can’t imagine ever having to make them. 

But then you also watch the submissive characters, and how being exposed to such an awful environment can completely change them. Watch an abused wife eventually let out all her anger, lose everyone she loves, and become completely heartless. Watch a timid farmer’s daughter become an expert shooter who knifes the walkers in the head, one by one, like nobody’s business.

To say I am excited for tonight’s premiere would be an understatement. I went through years or watching friends write posts on Facebook about the show, but just didn’t have the time to watch. I’m glad I’ve caught up and can join the fun. Though I’m not looking forward to having to wait an entire week in between episodes. Thanks to this blog, I’ll be able to let off some steam in between. Stay tuned for my thoughts on the premiere episode of this season.