The Walking Dead Midseason Premiere Non-Spoiler Review: The Madonna Of TV Shows
After an action-packed Midseason Finale that provided a satisfying conclusion to a [...]
After an action-packed Midseason Finale that provided a satisfying conclusion to a season-and-a-half long storyline, the big question on many fans' minds is where The Walking Dead will go next. Having seen an advance screening of Sunday night's episode, I can't give away any spoilers, but I can write a little bit about the tone of the episode. The Walking Dead is like the Madonna of TV shows. Why do I make that comparison? Well, when a show is popular in the ratings, there is a tendency not to change anything. Network executives usually become scared if they make changes, then they will risk losing the big audience that they have. It often creates a situation where the show's writers become complacent, and viewers gradually become bored with the same old thing, causing the show to lose the big audience that network executives were trying to protect in the first place. The same thing could be said about the music industry, where most artists fade away after a couple years in the spotlight, because fans get bored and move on to new interests. However, occasionally, an artist stays in the limelight for decades. One example would be Madonna, who has kept things fresh by constantly re-inventing herself. The Walking Dead TV show is one of those rare shows that seems to follow the Madonna philosophy. The writers aren't afraid to kill off characters, change up storylines, or even completely overhaul the tone of the show. The Walking Dead Midseason Premiere has a very different tone and structure than the Midseason Finale. Part of the tone difference is due to the fact that Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman wrote the episode. Likely due to his background writing comic books, Kirkman knows how to construct a very intricate plot. Just like with the "Isolation" episode that Kirkman wrote, the "After" episode is a very clever script, which feels like it tells a complete story, even though it's part of an ongoing odyssey. The pace is not as intense as in the Midseason Finale, but it shouldn't be. The Midseason finale was the culmination of a very long storyline, and the Midseason Premiere is more of a step toward the next progression of the story. It is very character focused, very intricate, sad at times, while hopeful at others. It will take viewers through a wide-range of emotions. As is obvious from the sneak previews that have been released, Chandler Riggs' character Carl Grimes is at the center of the episode. He's not the only character featured in the episode, but "After" is as much his episode as the "Internment" episode was Scott Wilson's episode. Andrew Lincoln probably described Riggs' performance best in this episode, when we talked to him back in October of last year. "Just wait, all I will say is just wait for what this kid [Chandler Riggs] is going to do this season," said Lincoln. "He I think has done one of the best episodes certainly this season, and he kind of carries it. It's beautiful what he's done." Besides a strong script from Kirkman and a great performance from Chandler Riggs, the other thing that stands out about this episode is that the show adapts a little bit of the LOST format in this episode. Viewers get to learn a little bit more about the background of one of the characters through a series of flashbacks. From what's been indicated in various cast interview, viewers can likely expect more flashback sequences during the remainder of Season 4. The first half of Season 4 was all about the group living together, surviving together, and building a life together. The second half of Season 4 looks to be much more character focused, as the characters face struggles either individually or in small groups. The "After" episode tells a complete story, but it doesn't provide all the answers that viewers are likely seeking. The episode does reveal the fate of some characters, but it doesn't address the fate of many other characters. There are plenty of mysteries left to be solved in the remainder of the season.
