Most people think that girls hate gore in movies and television and may get creeped out by the slightest flash of blood. Me? Never. Growing up in a family of medical professionals, there was never a shortage of gross things to be discussed and explained.
I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing, but my love for the creepy and grossness has translated into the types of television I watch. I've always had an appreciation for special effects make-up as well, so when I heard about "The Walking Dead" on AMC, I knew it was something I had to watch.
Imagine my surprise when this show presented some of the best special effects makeup I have ever seen done in a television show. "The Walking Dead" presents a post-apocalyptic world, focusing on Atlanta and surrounding areas.
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Based on the comic book series by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard, "The Walking Dead" is a story about a group of people trying to find solace in a world overrun by zombies.
In this world, Rick Grimes, played by Andrew Lincoln, wakes up in a hospital after being shot, only to find out the world has been eaten by zombies. Simple enough, but I knew this show was going to be good when Grimes walked out of his hospital room and there was a set of double doors that said, "Don't open, dead inside," and a rotting hand reached out at him.
To me, a defining moment of what type of character Grimes is, was a scene after he gets out of the hospital and meets up with two other survivors, a father and son. Through the father, Grimes learns about what has happened. You could tell a switch turned in Grimes' head about his feelings on the "walkers," as the zombies are called. In this particular scene, Grimes walks through green grass, with the sun shining. He comes upon a women walker who is only dragging herself by her arms because the bottom half of her torso is gone. You can see a bit of empathy in his eyes, but he, ultimately, shoots her. That sets the tone for Grimes - he will do anything to find his family and keep them safe.
You can't help but feel bad for Grimes, who is desperate to find his wife and child. He learns that the city he lived in and most people he knew are either gone, or walkers.
The biggest thing about this show that I like the most is that these are the most gruesome zombies I've seen and I have about 20 panic attacks per episode thinking that the survivors are going to get caught. But, as always, I'm a glutton for punishment and can't wait for what each episode holds. When a "horde" of walkers is coming upon a character, you are petrified for them. I kept thinking, "Oh, there is NO way he is going to make it," and almost immediately the character narrowly survives.
The show isn't just full of gore and guts, though. Grimes eventually meets up with other survivors, including his family. They are struggling to keep any type of normalcy in their lives intact. You can tell with each character, the mindless killing of the "walkers" gets to them, as they realize these once were people. The group also struggles with the concept that this might be it; the world might be over. Grimes and his wife struggle with the fact that their child is growing up in a world like this and many others contemplate suicide rather than meeting the horrible death that they've seen so many others go through.
"The Walking Dead" brings up elements of racism, infidelity, hopelessness and no clear picture of the future for the survivors. And that's fascinating to audiences, including me.
In the end of season one, the group journeys to the Center For Disease Control and Prevention as one of their last hopes. They arrive to find all of the doctors and scientists who they had so much hope in have either killed themselves or died. There is one doctor left, Dr. Jenner, and he has become jaded to the fact that there is any hope left. Living underground has kept him from being exposed to the walkers, but with the death of his wife from being infected, he truly believes he has no life left. The CDC had the entire place set up for complete destruction if the researchers were not successful, and some of the group escape with seconds to spare.
The disparity of hope and distruction is constant and makes you think, "Oh, my gosh, what if this could really happen?" You start to wonder what you would do if something as catastrophic as a zombie apocalypse actually happened. What if your loved ones were taken over by this disease and there was absolutely nothing you could do about it? It seems with every corner, this group cannot catch a break.
As much as this show keeps me on the edge of my seat, the show is much more than kicking zombie ass and taking names and I'm so excited for the next season.
Season three of "The Walking Dead" starts at 9 p.m. Oct. 14 on AMC.
