Veteran TV Check in — The Walking Dead


"If we start tomorrow right now, everything we've beaten, everything we've endured, everything we've risen above, everything we've become ...if we start tomorrow right now, no matter what comes next, we've won ...we've already won!" — Rick, "The Walking Dead."

"The Walking Dead" returned for its eighth season on October 22. Eighth! It seems almost hard to believe that this show has run for so long, but it's also not that hard to see that the show was starting to show its age last season.

Ratings for this eighth season premier were the lowest they've been since season two. And I don't see them bouncing back a lot higher. But they might level off if the show does a better job with the narrative in this eighth season. That, to me, could be a big IF.

The seventh season was a lot of treading water. It started with a brutal reveal of a cliff hanger that kept people talking about the show all summer. But it was what followed that sort of lost people. The show felt like it was biding time — for 16 episodes — as it set up the inevitable war between factions. That war kicked off in the seventh season finale and picked up in the premier.

And it's hard to say it was worth the wait. We got a lot of great speeches — like the one above — that were meant to set the stage for the season. (And, actually, I can't help but wonder if that speech was the writers trying to psych up the audience for this season, too.) There could be some good stuff here, but the premier felt a bit like more of the same.

Sure, there was some action. And also some weird future projections — that may or may not have been real. Hard to tell really, and probably just meant to give folks something to talk about since it was the 100th episode. And I applaud the show on making it this far, but if it wants to make it much further, it needs to start going somewhere, and in a hurry.

The episode set more of the war in motion, they shot some windows and took out some centuries, but that was about it. More importantly, what always drew me to the show was the look at how you maintain hope and morality in a world where conventional society has crumbled. But now, it seems like the show has devolved into a series of skirmishes for control of the broken world. That's less interesting, and the ratings reflect that.

This is a pivotal season for "The Walking Dead." It's time to show what kind of show it is going to be and whether that's going to be worth it for audiences.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Burial a courtroom drama with heart

Image
Willie Gary (Jamie Foxx) is a brash trial lawyer who is good at rallying a jury to his cause. Jeremiah O’Keefe (Tommy Lee Jones) is a quiet grandfather who is trying to ensure the business his family built remains viable after he’s gone. These two don’t appear to have much in common on the surface. But when they’re brought together by young lawyer Hal Dockins (Mamoudou Athie) brings them together, a connection is formed over their shared background of working hard to become self-made men. And it turned out that Willie was just who Jerry needed in his corner to win the fight of his life. The new Prime Video film The Burial, which opened in theaters October 6 and started streaming October 13, captures that trial against the Loewen Group that changed the course of their lives. The film is based on the true story and covers the trial, but more importantly captures the relationship between the men. The film plays out like a traditional courtroom drama. Foxx is solid as Willie Gary, while Ju...
Read more

Broncos Draft Targets

Image
  The NFL Draft is just a few days away. On April 25, the Denver Broncos will head into the draft in the midst of something of a rebuild. In the draft, the Broncos have the No. 12 pick in Round 1, then have a Third Round Pick, Fourth Round Pick, three Fifth Round Picks, a Sixth Round Pick, and a Seventh Round Pick. So, what might they be targeting? Let's dive in and look at possible positions. Quarterback : The team clearly needs a long-term quarterback. Jarrett Stidham and Ben DiNucci are there but the team could certainly use someone else. Could they move up for Drake Maye or J.J. McCarthy? Yes, they could. Will the take Bo Nix at 12? It's possible. Or will the Broncos wait until next off-season to make a move? Anything is in play for the Broncos in 2024, but quarterback is surely a need. Tight End: The team brought back Adam Trautman and still has Greg Dulcich, but it's still a need. Dulcich hasn't been able to get on the field and Trautman hasn't been great. Co...
Read more

Favorite Westerns, No. 43

Image
  Do you like a good Western? It's a classic genre in film and this year I've decided to look at some of my favorite Westerns. So, join me each Friday as I count down my favorite Westerns from No. 50 to No. 1. Rooster Cogburn : [ watching Mattie ford the river hanging on the back of her horse] By God. She reminds me of me. True Grit (1969) Starring : John Wayne, Kim Darby, Glen Campbell, Robert Duvall, and Dennis Hopper Director : Henry Hathaway About: This is the third straight week with a film from Wayne. As you might guess, we're not done. As I've mentioned, he sets a standard for the genre. Here, we seen him bring to life an iconic character. This one is based on a novel, and it has endured. He's great as Rooster Cogburn, so good that he got a sequel in the same character. But this is a later film in his career. This is a different, more grizzled Wayne. He's still quite good and this is a film that really has stood the test of time. It's not the only ve...
Read more