TV Series Review: AMC's "The Walking Dead"

Last Sunday, AMC aired the last episode of season one of their new hit show "The Walking Dead". Based off the comic book series by Robert Kirkman, the show follows a group of survivors in a zombie apocalypse. From entering infested cities to establishing camps, the show follows the group through all of the emotions, heartbreak, and tension of trying to survive in a ruined world. With fantastic make-up and special effects, AMC's zombie apocalypse feels real as it gets, and it lends a whole new take on the classic zombie movie.

For those who may think that "The Walking Dead" is just another gratuitous mess of brains and guts, think again; the show takes a fresh take on the apocalypse, focusing more on the hard emotions, situations, and tensions within the group of survivors than ever before. There are realistic issues occurring within the humans themselves, which is exactly what would happen with a group of people from mixed origins relying on each other to stay alive. When zombies are killed, it is sometimes rewarding but sometimes very emotional, seeing that it is still the embodiment of a person. The epitome of this is when main character Rick Grimes travels back a mile to mercy-kill a zombie with no legs. This is a side of the story never truly seen in zombie movies.


In terms of filmmaking and acting, "The Walking Dead" is far above average compared to other shows, and very close to the production quality of a motion picture. This may be attributed to show director by Frank Darabont, who directed Shawshank Redemption. The blood in the show feels very real, as well as the acting performances, which together create a gripping zombie-infested world. Every episode got better and better until the season let off, and the 8 million fans that watched the show are anxiously awaiting season two.