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Forum namePass The Popcorn
Topic subjectFear The Walking Dead
Topic URLhttp://board.okayplayer.com/okp.php?az=show_topic&forum=6&topic_id=702058
702058, Fear The Walking Dead
Posted by thegodcam, Sun Aug-23-15 09:24 PM
Thoughts? I feel like a Trekkie... I follow the original serie plus I'm up to date with the graphic novel

Iono how I feel about the characters yet.... I've been spoiled by Rick, MIchonne and Darryl

Btw, we already got 2 black characters dying in this episode.... And judging from the preview, blk principal is out next episode too...
702059, all I know is that kid is annoying to me
Posted by rdhull, Sun Aug-23-15 10:03 PM
but it is interestng seeing it all happen
702060, All three of the teens are annoying
Posted by nipsey, Sun Aug-23-15 11:18 PM
Having emo, angsty teens that hate their parents is so cliched. It's a tired trope that movies and television shows really need to retire.
702061, the druggie kid looks more like Johnny Depp than Johnny Depp
Posted by J_Stew, Sun Aug-23-15 11:35 PM
looks like Johnny Depp
702065, Kept thinking Edward Scissorhands the entire time
Posted by Paps_Smear, Mon Aug-24-15 06:42 AM
702072, cut a couple inches off the mop and he'd look just like depp in Blow
Posted by southphillyman, Mon Aug-24-15 09:17 AM
702097, Skeet Ulrich is somewhere crying in a corner n/m
Posted by wallysmith, Mon Aug-24-15 02:19 PM
702103, RE: the druggie kid looks more like Johnny Depp than Johnny Depp
Posted by noahbird, Mon Aug-24-15 04:43 PM
I was thinking 2/3 Johnny Depp and 1/3 James Franco myself
702104, That's Lord Stannis Baratheon's son.
Posted by mrhood75, Mon Aug-24-15 06:06 PM
Not showing the acting chops of his father tho.
702121, oh shit, wow, didn't even make that connection
Posted by wallysmith, Tue Aug-25-15 11:28 AM
702113, yeah it's uncanny, I see a lil Taylor Kitsch at times, too
Posted by Grand_Royal, Tue Aug-25-15 10:22 AM
702062, I'm bored to tears watching this
Posted by Cold Truth, Mon Aug-24-15 01:19 AM
Oh look, another kid and dad who don't quite get along. That's a totally refreshing, intriguing story to follow during the beginning of the zombie outbreak.

The angsty kid is also a drug addict, you say?

oh boy, what a bonus

Now I reeeeeeally can't fucking wait to watch this cliched bullsht play out.

I like the previews for the coming season but the pilot was boring as hell
702071, Possibel spoiler
Posted by Nick Has a Problem...Seriously, Mon Aug-24-15 09:06 AM
I'm sure the daughter's boyfriend will be shown on the beach as a walker at some point.
702073, loved it
Posted by southphillyman, Mon Aug-24-15 09:23 AM
only thing that was kind of fugazi to me was the way cliff curtis and the mom handled the drug dealer murder. the realization that the "flu" was a zombie apocalypse could have been more dramatic imo
rest of the episode was good to me
702079, I dug it.
Posted by wallysmith, Mon Aug-24-15 10:58 AM
Always thought it was a bit of a bummer that we didn't see the panic when people realized what this shit was in the two weeks that Rick was in a coma.

Also in the middle of reading World War Z by Max Brooks for the first time, so it's neat to see some of those themes on television.

Overall pretty high hopes for the season; it definitely looks like the production budget is bigger than TWD's first season, and it's set in LA to boot.
702084, World War Z was such a great book
Posted by Paps_Smear, Mon Aug-24-15 12:04 PM
Too bad the movie stunk, but yeah its great to see some of that slow breakdown happen. We were thrust into Ricks world because he woke up and it was already a thing.

I'm looking forward to seeing how a heavily populated area deals with whats about to go down. The confusion about not knowing what it is and why these people are coming back to life. No one is prepared.

World War Z's book did an amazing job of describing everything due to it being written like the main character was interviewing people. A lot of those stories still stick to me to this day.
702096, Really impressed by the depth/breadth of the stories...
Posted by wallysmith, Mon Aug-24-15 02:18 PM
Brooks' creativity in these scenarios really makes it feel like this zombie apocalypse shit *could* happen. And I love how the format makes for such breezy reading, yet you can still connect with so many of the characters.

One thing that's especially neat about Fear is that social media is a thing. Back when the TWD books released there was no such thing as a smartphone, and we're still largely watching that world with the show. Heck, even when the show came out in 2010 social media was nowhere near the force it is today (for reference, Instagram released about 3 weeks prior to TWD's pilot episode).

I loved how they sorta retconned the universe to explore the social media element of the impending zombie apocalype. Telling that paranoid kid to "stay off the internet" and Alicia watching that video were great nuances to the episode. I would love to read a modernized "World War Z Redux" that would explore the world if the rate of information dissemination was exponentially expanded. (On a sidenote, I wonder if this means they can slowly incorporate some of these social media elements into the main show? Obviously satellites and shit are down, but maybe the characters can reminisce about the "good ol' days" of Facebook stalking and taking an Uber to go out drinking).

702105, Agreed
Posted by lfresh, Mon Aug-24-15 08:00 PM
>
>One thing that's especially neat about Fear is that social
>media is a thing. Back when the TWD books released there was
>no such thing as a smartphone, and we're still largely
>watching that world with the show. Heck, even when the show
>came out in 2010 social media was nowhere near the force it is
>today (for reference, Instagram released about 3 weeks prior
>to TWD's pilot episode).
>
>I loved how they sorta retconned the universe to explore the
>social media element of the impending zombie apocalype.
>Telling that paranoid kid to "stay off the internet" and
>Alicia watching that video were great nuances to the episode.
>I would love to read a modernized "World War Z Redux" that
>would explore the world if the rate of information
>dissemination was exponentially expanded. (On a sidenote, I
>wonder if this means they can slowly incorporate some of these
>social media elements into the main show? Obviously
>satellites and shit are down, but maybe the characters can
>reminisce about the "good ol' days" of Facebook stalking and
>taking an Uber to go out drinking).
>
>

Hope they do and find more reasons for why folks are ignored
Just the way they dismissed that kid
Getting a rep as conspiracy freak
And having social media make fun of and dismiss folks as crazy would show that social media may not work they way we think or we might not pay attention

Just imagine if FB algorithm decides this isn't important
Folks decide they are experts in Instagram filters and Photoshop and dismiss video and images as a SyFy Faceoff promo

I remember when the NY blackout happened just a year after 911 realizing we haven't learned our lesson as a society and still look for guidance and direction during emergencies
Folks really do worry about the most mundane things
Then there was the FedEx work during 911 going about his job

I agree a updated version of that would be great
~~~~
When you are born, you cry, and the world rejoices. Live so that when you die, you rejoice, and the world cries.
~~~~
You cannot hate people for their own good.
702148, the first smartphones were made in 1999
Posted by justin_scott, Wed Aug-26-15 03:52 PM
Back when the TWD books released there was
>no such thing as a smartphone



Do you mean, no smartphone in the comic world?
702152, Did you read "smartphone" and think "cellphone"?
Posted by wallysmith, Wed Aug-26-15 06:28 PM
Because back in 99 Snake was the height of phone technology for regular Joe Schmo.

I'm talking about phones that can Facebook, Tweet and take and share videos in the span of seconds.
702109, went to my local library and snagged a copy based off these comments
Posted by southphillyman, Mon Aug-24-15 10:42 PM

>World War Z's book did an amazing job of describing everything
>due to it being written like the main character was
>interviewing people. A lot of those stories still stick to me
>to this day.

so far so good
saw the movie and remember when the book came out (coworkers were copping it)
but never had any interest in reading until now after hearing this
703221, You made a great decision
Posted by 13Rose, Tue Oct-06-15 03:21 PM
Such a great read man.
702080, Haven't seen any of the 'The Walking Dead' episodes.
Posted by obsidianchrysalis, Mon Aug-24-15 11:09 AM
but this was pretty good. I agree with Cold Truth and some of the other posters that the teenagers were underwritten except for Randy from The Wire.

Whoever said that the panic or buildup to the outbreak needed to be brought up more is right. That angle alone could have been stretched out over a couple of episodes. Did the original series talk about the hype and the panic enough that showing the reaction of society would be unnecessary?

This might be must see tv now. Looking forward to next week.
702086, Wasn't bad, little slow.
Posted by phenompyrus, Mon Aug-24-15 01:03 PM
Kim Dickens would get it though.
702093, Malik from Suburgatory got tall.
Posted by spades, Mon Aug-24-15 01:58 PM
I miss Suburgatory.
702223, No. That is Randy Wagstaff.
Posted by Hitokiri, Fri Aug-28-15 10:27 AM
Nothing else is acceptable.
702240, one of the GOAT H. Jon Benjamin guest stars
Posted by GriftyMcgrift, Fri Aug-28-15 02:30 PM
702106, I might be in
Posted by lfresh, Mon Aug-24-15 08:03 PM
The family dynamic is kinda trite
But I love cliff Curtis
~~~~
When you are born, you cry, and the world rejoices. Live so that when you die, you rejoice, and the world cries.
~~~~
You cannot hate people for their own good.
702107, It really is.
Posted by wallysmith, Mon Aug-24-15 09:45 PM
>The family dynamic is kinda trite

It's basically just there to add tension since we're not in a world where we can jump right into the "OH NOES!!! Z0MBIEZ R COMING" drama yet.

I get where they're coming from in that sense, but yeah the whole TGIF Step by Step thing isn't particularly compelling.
703212, it...continued to annoy me
Posted by lfresh, Tue Oct-06-15 02:22 PM
but i kept watching


i have to say at the very end that final
you never liked me
okay it paid off
~~~~
When you are born, you cry, and the world rejoices. Live so that when you die, you rejoice, and the world cries.
~~~~
You cannot hate people for their own good.
702108, Surprised to see that Kirkman is involved with this
Posted by Numba_33, Mon Aug-24-15 10:21 PM
because the family from what I saw in the first episode stinks and his writing in the comics has been pretty good from what I remember.
702217, $$$$$$$$$$$$$
Posted by gumz, Fri Aug-28-15 09:12 AM
702235, That's a good motivation.
Posted by Numba_33, Fri Aug-28-15 01:19 PM
But I was thinking he only got money from AMC for pretty much lending his name to both series. Listening to his episode of Marc Maron's podcast, he's actually involved in the writing room for both shows, which surprises me like I said before because the comics is about ten times better than the show both in terms of the storylines and the dialog. Perhaps its a problem similar to that with True Detective; when a singular voice is used, the quality is better compared to when there are too many cooks in the kitchen. Then again, Breaking Bad and The Wire used multiple writers, so I suppose that shoots that theory down.

And I was also under the impression that writing multiple comic books would be enough responsibility for Kirkman. I guess it's somewhat impressive that he can also handle being involved with both shows, despite the fact both shows have glaring flaws.

Since you mention money, I wonder if AMC is giving him more money than what he's making strictly with the comics at this point.
702315, yeah i agree...its weird that his writing is so bad in the show
Posted by gumz, Mon Aug-31-15 08:50 AM
my guess is, he doesn't actually write on it...he probably does more yay or nay and gets credited as a writer because they're referencing his stuff. either that or he is easily influenced by the bosses.
702114, I had no expectations going in, but I really liked it
Posted by Grand_Royal, Tue Aug-25-15 10:27 AM
The kids didn't bother me as much as the mom. I just think it's her face lol She really bothered me in "Gone Girl", but it was really her cynicism and she did redeem herself.

I really like seeing how the "virus" starts, that's more interesting to me.
702161, every bit as bad as the title
Posted by theprofessional, Thu Aug-27-15 01:24 AM
spinning off a show that's still on the air? (has that ever worked?) strike one.

awful title? strike two.

bloated, unfocused, unnecessary pilot? strike three.

i'll probably still watch it anyway since it's only a six-episode season, but there's just no reason for this to exist. to give you an idea of how bad it was, i had to watch the strain to wash the taste of FTWD out of my mouth. the strain, guys.
702318, RE: every bit as bad as the title
Posted by Numba_33, Mon Aug-31-15 09:08 AM
>spinning off a show that's still on the air? (has that ever
>worked?) strike one.

Law and Order and the various CSI spinoffs would like to have a word with you.

>awful title? strike two.
>
>bloated, unfocused, unnecessary pilot? strike three.
>
>i'll probably still watch it anyway since it's only a
>six-episode season, but there's just no reason for this to
>exist. to give you an idea of how bad it was, i had to watch
>the strain to wash the taste of FTWD out of my mouth. the
>strain, guys.

I do agree that the show is rancid trash. I tapped out after the first episode. Judging from the responses in this thread, it appears the second episode is just as bad. I think I'll give Narcos the slow burn and watch that on a weekly basis in its place.
702443, law&order/csi are paint-by-numbers procedurals
Posted by theprofessional, Thu Sep-03-15 01:50 AM
of course those spin off easily. just make the same show in a different city, different cast. a serial drama like walking dead doesn't work like that at all.
702314, RE: Fear The Walking Dead
Posted by southphillyman, Mon Aug-31-15 08:47 AM
ok i thought ppl were being bitchy complaining about the teen trope in episode 1....
i admit the daughter and the mexican son legit annoyed me in episode two
702409, And I think we're 0-3 for brothers on the show...
Posted by Vertigo, Tue Sep-01-15 07:38 PM
ok technically one is hanging on by a thread....and not to mention there aren't any sisters at all....

but otherwise, the teen angst (and adult angst with the ex wife stuff) is wearing thin...I'll give it one more ep to get interesting or I'm out. Oct is coming soon after all.
702419, RE: Fear The Walking Dead
Posted by Scrapluv, Wed Sep-02-15 11:48 AM
>ok i thought ppl were being bitchy complaining about the teen
>trope in episode 1....
>i admit the daughter and the mexican son legit annoyed me in
>episode two

they're annoying as shit, but I remember rooting for the walkers the first few seasons of TWD. I hated almost everyone at first(especially Lori).
702328, last night's ep was markedly better to me.
Posted by PROMO, Mon Aug-31-15 10:53 AM
i enjoyed it a lot.
702411, Why cant the mom say what's happening?
Posted by rdhull, Tue Sep-01-15 09:49 PM
I think the writer/director likes to troll
702420, RE: Why cant the mom say what's happening?
Posted by Scrapluv, Wed Sep-02-15 11:49 AM
>I think the writer/director likes to troll

I think she's still in denial... or has no clue wtf is going on
702423, That was pissing me off.
Posted by wallysmith, Wed Sep-02-15 12:34 PM
It's not like her kids are five years old, fucking just tell them already.

Weird how there's a super self-aware character (of the zombie apocalypse) but then they tease out not telling other characters, like dude's ex-wife or the girl's kids.

With that said, I've really enjoyed the first two episodes so far. The angst shit is played, but until we go deeper into the zombie tension, it makes sense they need to manufacture some other sort of tension to take its place for now. If the show takes off (and early ratings look like it will), then there's plenty of room to let the zombies drive the drama, and less need for the interpersonal conflict. I mean, look at how the first show started, we've got all the standard archetypes: the wife beater, the love triangle, the bad ass chick, the wise old man, etc. If you want to knock Fear for tired archetypes you need to acknowledge TWD for leaning on them early on too.

And I really dig the social unrest angle they've adopted for the first two episodes. It's topical and it feels like it could be something straight out of World War Z (basically the zombie bible). And I honestly have no issues if they "borrowed" liberally from that book; Fear can fill in the gaps that TWD and the terrible World War Z movie never could.
702426, I'm guessing she thinks this will pass
Posted by spades, Wed Sep-02-15 02:09 PM
She's not trying to do unnecessary harm to her daughter. She hasn't accepted that this is the end of the world.
702428, she just killed her zombie teacher coillague..and saw her sons
Posted by rdhull, Wed Sep-02-15 02:49 PM
zombie buddie get runnded over..3 times

I understand being overwhelmed but why not speak on these two incidents and what the heck is going on lately

they werent exactly leaving in Plesantville flick

now watch her dumb ass get a neighborhood zombie knockin on the house door next time cause of this shit



>She's not trying to do unnecessary harm to her daughter. She
>hasn't accepted that this is the end of the world.
702544, dude her daughter is grown!
Posted by gumz, Tue Sep-08-15 10:40 AM
they need to fill her in and get her involved in the problem solving instead of playing dumb with her.
702546, I think her reasons are multi-faceted.
Posted by PROMO, Tue Sep-08-15 11:00 AM
1. I don't think anyone still understands what's going on. There's still enough "normalcy" in the world (tv/cell phones/traffic/etc) that this could be some temporary thing so she doesn't want to unnecessarily worry her family.

2. Yes, she killed her boss and saw her son's friend get killed, but if #1 is true and this passes then what kind of repercussion would there be for her having a hand in killing two people (yes I know she saw they weren't really dead..i'm using "killed" loosely).

3. You don't want to sound crazy - if she starts raving about the undead (if she even understands that they are the undead) when there's still some normalcy to life, people are gonna start side-eyeing the shit outta her...even her family might.
703213, yes
Posted by lfresh, Tue Oct-06-15 02:25 PM
>1. I don't think anyone still understands what's going on.
>There's still enough "normalcy" in the world (tv/cell
>phones/traffic/etc) that this could be some temporary thing so
>she doesn't want to unnecessarily worry her family.
>
>2. Yes, she killed her boss and saw her son's friend get
>killed, but if #1 is true and this passes then what kind of
>repercussion would there be for her having a hand in killing
>two people (yes I know she saw they weren't really dead..i'm
>using "killed" loosely).
>
>3. You don't want to sound crazy - if she starts raving about
>the undead (if she even understands that they are the undead)
>when there's still some normalcy to life, people are gonna
>start side-eyeing the shit outta her...even her family
>might.

mainly panic and being dismissed like she dismissed the student
something i don't know
you have to see for yourself
its like telling people not to look
its the rare person that doesn't

if you don't have that trust
and we are dealing with teens
teens never ever ever EVER listen
they just will not believe will not listen and do the exact opposite of what you said
so it was a form of manipulation
~~~~
When you are born, you cry, and the world rejoices. Live so that when you die, you rejoice, and the world cries.
~~~~
You cannot hate people for their own good.
702535, finally watched the first two episodes
Posted by RobOne4, Tue Sep-08-15 01:07 AM
I enjoyed it. I have a few complaints. Mostly the stupid teenagers and their stupid decisions. Also the parents not telling them exactly what is happening.

The one son that lives with his mom cant act for shit. I hope he gets eaten soon. Just based off his horrible acting. Cant stand his stiff face. But also the daughter trying to leave when mom told her to not go anywhere. Fucking stupid ass kids. But at the same time why havent the dad or mom said anything to anyone? You saw some shit. You have kids who make stupid decisions let them know hey motherfuckers are eating each other out there keep your ass inside. Especially after mom killed her friend at the school. You come home and dont say shit. Then your daughter wants to go out and help the lady across the street deal with a walker? Her husband is with the other family waiting out a riot but not giving them the info he has. Othere than all that I am enjoying the show so far.
702746, ep 3 picked it up...
Posted by Vertigo, Wed Sep-16-15 11:54 PM
It got a lot better in the third ep--largely because of the salvadorian dad--who is clearly the alpha male in the group--the other dad--the beta male--isn't ready to accept what's happening. It reminds me the original series when Hershal and dem on the farm were keeping tons of walkers in the barn.

That said, the drug kid still annoys me--I keep waiting for him to get bit.
702749, It's getting better and better...
Posted by wallysmith, Thu Sep-17-15 09:09 AM
Some moments of real tension in that last episode, and I would venture that the first half of this season is better than the first half of TWD's first season so far (TWD's pilot was amazing, but there were a lot of subpar episodes in that first season).

And it feels like that El Salvadorean dad knows something. Like he's seen this before. He knew exactly where to shoot zombie neighbor, he's ultra-composed and it seems like he's already got a plan.

I keep referring back to World War Z, but I wouldn't be surprised if they take another page from that book regarding the early stages of the virus. It often initially emerges in rural areas where it's dealt with locally, long before it hits the public awareness. I wonder if part of the reason he left El Salvador is because of the virus itself.
702798, they are playing the stereotypical machismo angle with him
Posted by southphillyman, Sun Sep-20-15 10:21 AM

>salvadorian dad--who is clearly the alpha male in the
>group--the other dad

it worked to his advantage when he stepped up and blasted the zombie with no hesitation
but it failed him when he initially decided to stay behind with his hurt wife and daughter
but yea i agree that ep 3 was probably the best one so far
702808, I want Nick to die so bad
Posted by Paps_Smear, Mon Sep-21-15 07:27 AM
The drug kid, can't stand him. He's more annoying to me than Carl ever was. Using the old dying mans meds to get high? Really, my dude?

He almost looks like a walker at this point anyway, lets just have him get bit and maybe have his mother put him down for good measure.
702809, Yeah, complete heel turn this episode.
Posted by wallysmith, Mon Sep-21-15 09:03 AM
Before this it was like, ok, maybe we can start rooting for him to get better. But stealing the old man's morphine drip was selfish as shit though.


All in all, really liking the show so far. Loved the continuity at the opening credits when Chris discovers the survivors in the DMZ to when Travis sees them getting killed at the end. Hopefully now he'll drop his happy-go-lucky act and realize just what kind of shit they're all in. Madison is the only relatable character to me so far.

That said, I love these sorts of episodes that explore the breakdown of civilization. The establishment of safe zones, the lack of telephones, the need for doctors, the extreme prejudice towards any semblance of sickness (regardless of origin)... really intriguing stuff and we didn't even see a single zombie.
703206, Damn, this one faded into nothingness, didn't it?
Posted by phenompyrus, Tue Oct-06-15 12:55 PM
I mean, it did pick up the final 3 episodes, but still wasn't all that.
703214, I still dug the season.
Posted by wallysmith, Tue Oct-06-15 02:27 PM
I still feel it's better than the first season of TWD.

703215, kinda
Posted by lfresh, Tue Oct-06-15 02:27 PM
it did turn into standard family squabble fare for the most part

brilliant turn was ruben blades character and his background and how it was used
they dropped the ball on cliff curtis' character a bit
the way he broke
was wow but something was missed
~~~~
When you are born, you cry, and the world rejoices. Live so that when you die, you rejoice, and the world cries.
~~~~
You cannot hate people for their own good.
703227, Until Episode 5, Ruben Blades was the ONLY character
Posted by nipsey, Tue Oct-06-15 06:28 PM
of any interest. Then Colman Domingo's character showed up. Those two are pretty much the only ones I care about at this point. And Ruben's daughter too. Everyone else can be Walker-Meat for all I care.

That said, it's still a zombie show. I don't think a zombie show will ever be so bad (unintentionally) that I wouldn't want to watch. So I'm in for Season 2.
703256, i enjoyed it actually.
Posted by PROMO, Wed Oct-07-15 10:41 AM
looking forward to season 2, and this flight 462 thing...i think that's a pretty cool thing to play up and then adding someone from that to the show is smart.
703462, i enjoyed it...it's got potential
Posted by gumz, Wed Oct-14-15 10:18 AM
it does the regular people interactions better than TWD but it has less zombie fare (so far) so it all depends on what you watch them for.

the characters are far more interesting than the TWD characters were at the start.
703466, Agreed.
Posted by wallysmith, Wed Oct-14-15 12:07 PM
> it does the regular people interactions better than TWD but it has less zombie fare

While the books are fantastic, there are certain elements of TWD that translate better in book form than in TV form, and vice versa. Since FTWD started from a completely blank slate, it lets the writing leverage the TV medium better. For example, I loved the arc they took with druggie son, tying it all together with his line at the end about how "the rest of the world is now catching up to him". There were a lot of nuances in his behavior that may not have translated well in a comic, like skulking around the neighbor's house, or the moments of real tenderness with his family.

And I actually dig how the drama isn't centered around the zombies... yet. Considering the ratings on this and the main show, we've got plenty more seasons to explore that. Some of the most fascinating chapters in World War Z is seeing how civilization itself disintegrates, regardless of cause. I hope future seasons explore this concept further, where people futilely attempt to cling to whatever vestiges of domestication they have left. No need for time jumps when there's so much untapped potential in the world that exists in Fear.

When we first arrived to the camp at Atlanta, everyone had already mostly settled in to their fate that is the zombie apocalypse. But with the group in LA, only Nick seems like he's ready for it.
703413, finally finished it and I enjoyed it more than season 1 of TWD
Posted by RobOne4, Tue Oct-13-15 03:26 AM
definitely more consistant. Still have gripes with the acting in places. Mainly the one son and at the end of the finale. Also the Mexican daughter who is played by a non Mexican. Shit they could have gotten a Latin girl but nope they got a dark haired white girl. But good season interested to see where it goes.