The Artisan
Member
yeah that's probably where it started.
not only was that a bullshit cliffhanger, that was like the cameraman breaking the fourth wall and playing a game to trick the viewer. not good for telling a story on television.
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The Walking Dead Season 7, Part 2 Sundays on AMC
- Thread starter SamuraiX-
- Start date
not only was that a bullshit cliffhanger, that was like the cameraman breaking the fourth wall and playing a game to trick the viewer. not good for telling a story on television.
near
Gold Member
I think character focused backstories would've served the story well, something even akin to the way Lost uses 'before and after' character narrative. Negan's history will probably unfold itself at some point, but it's been almost a season and we know little of him other than the fact he's a rehash of Rick with a baseball bat and a larger following.
Host Samurai
Member
Yeah, FTWD really dropped the ball with not going all in with the beginnings of the outbreak. I want to see how society collapsed. Where are the world leaders? Is the president dead? or living in a bunker?
would be amazing if Neegan was just some cuckold house-husband who snapped and is now just living out every deranged fantasy he ever had.
This looks to be like the kind of series that will exist for as long as it's pulling off any kind of acceptable ratings, to the point where it is barely trucking along, and in the end it will be unceremoniously cancelled without a real conclusion.
HP_Wuvcraft
Banned
Kirkman has actually said that he wants to end the comic with the zombie threat finally over.
Samurai G0SU
Member
if it gets to some type of arc where a newborn is somehow immune to the 'infection' and a group is on a mission to keep them away from other groups.... id bow my head and cry in sadness. lol
BizzyBum
Member
I know we occasionally see a lot of walkers (most recently the highway scene) but it does also feel like there are less walkers as a whole and they aren't really a threat anymore as opposed to earlier seasons, it's pretty much all human threats now. Walkers seem like an afterthought at this point of the storyline.
My wife isnt a horror/zombie fan at all, so I end up watching the show when shes not around.
Mentioned this to her, the walkers appear every now and then just to remind you the name of the show is walking dead. The shows moved on to the human element of an outbreak instead of fighting the undead.
Lightningboalt
Neo Member
Oh good, other people noticed the camera nonsense.
Seriously that scene is horribly bad. Glen and Nicholas face each other while standing on opposite sides of the dumpster, Nicholas shoots himself... and he magically rotates 270 degrees to fall backwards off the long side of the dumpster to his left, and somehow Glen has magically teleported behind him. And then Glen saving himself is even stupider, as he falls backwards too... he lands on his back, and then as zombies swarm him while he has an adult male corpse on him, he's somehow able to flip onto his stomach and crawl forwards underneath the dumpster that would've then been behind him.
There has always been problems with this show but the dumpster scene and resolution was when they stopped pretending to care about internal consistency within scenes and focused more on attempts to shock the viewer. I still do watch the show but now it's just a thing to do with friends and family, if I watched this show alone that would've been my exit point.
But seriously that scene really did change things. Now they just do things with no establishment or leadup, they used to always at least build to things. This season has really thrown me with stuff like that boat coming completely out of nowhere and never being mentioned prior, or the highway with the explosives. Nearly every episode lately feels like it's missing a scene or two that would tell you what's going on or why characters are in a situation. It's annoying because the issues the show has aren't difficult to fix and wouldn't even take much effort, but they just don't care and it can make a bad episode even more of a slog to get through.
When's the last time someone actually got bit by a walker on the show? I remember some red-shirts last season, right before Glenn/Dumpster-gate, but when else? It's really unfortunate that a show about zombies has mostly taken them out of the threat equation. The human threat bores the shit out of me.
BizzyBum
Member
My main issue with the Glenn/Nicholas scene was the fakeout. At first many people thought he was actually dead and for once the show had the balls to kill off a main character during the middle of a season in a random episode. It showed that anyone could die at any time and you could never relax.
Once the fakeout was complete, it really cheapened it for lots of viewers. They need to get away from "everything happening" in premiers and finales and stop with the damn cliffhangers every time.
Once the fakeout was complete, it really cheapened it for lots of viewers. They need to get away from "everything happening" in premiers and finales and stop with the damn cliffhangers every time.
Yeah, this. I thought Glenn was dead for real. The way that framed it was masterful. It even freaked out comic readers because it stopped the infamous issue 100. They need to do that more instead of just having the bookends be where everything happens.
hey_monkey
Banned
I've never understood why character development is called "filler." It's not; it's essential to move the stories and put character into place. If anything, the calls for less will make things more ridiculous, because you get characters making decisions that don't make sense. In this last ep, S&R had the beginnings of a solid enough plan. Hole up and wait for a shot. They're pretending they're reasonable. But they aren't; they both want revenge. So instead of holing up, they try once and then say fuck it, let's move in. Seems dumb, right? Totally against what they were planning? But the whole point of all that brief understanding of one another and solidarity was to demonstrate how centered they are on this. In some ways, Negan has ruined both of their lives. They start and stop at revenge.
We've seen Sasha on these cycles before. She gets consumed. But the show has failed by not giving us any real development of Rosita. We don't understand enough about her. Probably because it would be called "filler" and people would grouse. I wish we'd had more of that, and more on why Sasha gets so driven. I want more character development. Certainly not less.
I mean, complain away about the show being ham-fisted and forcing stuff... but it's more a symptom of not having enough character development.
We've seen Sasha on these cycles before. She gets consumed. But the show has failed by not giving us any real development of Rosita. We don't understand enough about her. Probably because it would be called "filler" and people would grouse. I wish we'd had more of that, and more on why Sasha gets so driven. I want more character development. Certainly not less.
I mean, complain away about the show being ham-fisted and forcing stuff... but it's more a symptom of not having enough character development.
VenomousCoffee
Member
Have to strongly disagree. I would say that these things don't count as character development because they aren't done on screen in interesting ways through well-crafted dialogue, choices, and acting. You're taking isolated incidents out of context and developing explanations for them that the show didn't do any work to earn.
SDCowboy
Member
I always thought it would be funny if it was just one region of the US effected to this level, and suddenly they cross some state line, and the rest of the country ended up being totally fine this whole time.
Like, Rick and the gang push through some thick forest, and stumble out the other side to suburbia and people grilling and having a pool party. lol
The Artisan
Member
yep, everybody with a sense of being invested and immersed in the show noticed how dumb that shit was.
if they had ended the scene with just Glenn falling into the horde with the corpse and not shown anything after that, maybe it would've been okay. but for them to show him falling into the pit, and then purposely make it look like he was being eaten and then ambiguously talk about his fate on talking dead, only to reveal it was all a big joke-fake out, was fucking stupid to say the least.
and to make matters worse, it was stupid to do a 90 minute Morgan episode right after that, the following week and then another episode after that not showing closure. fuck this show.
I used to watch this show religiously, never missing the Sunday night premier. Now I watch it as an afterthought and probably wouldn't care if I missed the next episode anyway.
AngmarsKing701
Member
Host Samurai
Member
That can't work because there has been no sign of airplane travel and we know the outbreak has reached the west coast based off FTD, but I wouldn't rule out Asia.
RatskyWatsky
Hunky Nostradamus
The penultimate episode is tonight!
Tonight's episode was written by ? and was directed by ?.
Tonight's Talking Dead will air one hour later than usual, due to the second episode of Into the Badlands season two.
The guest stars on tonight's Talking Dead are:
Alanna Masterson (Tara)
Lauren Cohan (Maggie)
Brendan Orban-Griggs and Jill Robi (winners of the Ultimate Fan Contest)
Tonight's episode was written by ? and was directed by ?.
Tonight's Talking Dead will air one hour later than usual, due to the second episode of Into the Badlands season two.
The guest stars on tonight's Talking Dead are:
Alanna Masterson (Tara)
Lauren Cohan (Maggie)
Brendan Orban-Griggs and Jill Robi (winners of the Ultimate Fan Contest)
The show has a reputation for that kind of bullshit:
I love this.
The Artisan
Member
i can deal with that kind of bullshitThe show has a reputation for that kind of bullshit:
this type of bullshit, while it's unbelievable, doesn't really interfere with the storytelling. it's just suspense belief on television. i remember a scene in daredevil season 2 when he kicked the punisher off of a water tank and his back should've been broken after that.
the actual writing and script and sometimes even pacing of the show these days is what actually is awful.
Lightningboalt
Neo Member
The show has incredibly bad pacing, that is definitely its biggest problem. Other shows with large casts of characters can do an excellent job of balancing plot arcs and making mostly everyone feel important. I have my issues with Game of Thrones and admittedly it has an extra 15 minutes of episodic runtime, but in that show they're able to balance numerous plot arcs and make them all feel important and full of interesting characters. Sometimes there are duds but nowhere near as frequently as Walking Dead.
A big reason for the pacing issue is that it has a huge cast but doesn't know how to manage it. I love character development, but it usually IS filler on this show. Characters basically only get developed if they are about to die pointlessly without leaving an impact. In fairness to the current season, a number of deaths have had an actual impact on character development - Glen, Abraham, Richard. However this isn't the typical trend. Remember Beth dying? What impact did that actually have upon anyone? Her own sister hardly ever responded to it. She was so meaningless in this regard that the very next episode was a fakeout of them holding a funeral for her - psyche, it's Tyrese's funeral instead! But that's the problem, character development shouldn't be filler but on this show it often is because it tends to not lead anywhere. A good example here from another show to illustrate my point; Breaking Bad, Marie's kleptomania pretty much did absolutely nothing for the show and feels like a pointless diversion - some of the scenes revolving around it were entertaining but ultimately her getting that development does virtually nothing to the show. Would the show change significantly if you removed that element? If the answer is no, you probably created filler.
If a character gains depth and dies pointlessly and is never mentioned again, was there a reason to develop them? You don't get brownie points for fleshing out a character only to discard them immediately afterwards. A death of a developed character should feel like a loss, not "oh he's talking, guess he's done tonight... who even was he?". That's bad writing, character development is cheapened if it does nothing in relation to other characters (it's fine for core characters because they drive the story, bit players have to have a reason to develop).
This show can still be entertaining (I critiqued the C4 scene but hey, in a vacuum that was one of the best set pieces they've ever had), hell I often find the bad stuff entertaining too for its trainwreck qualities. But goddamn Walking Dead, learn how to have multiple characters already, you've had 7 seasons and you just get worse and worse at having a large cast. I'm fine with sticking with this show as a sort of pulpy guilty pleasure that I watch with friends or family, but I'd appreciate even some minor efforts at making it flow.
A big reason for the pacing issue is that it has a huge cast but doesn't know how to manage it. I love character development, but it usually IS filler on this show. Characters basically only get developed if they are about to die pointlessly without leaving an impact. In fairness to the current season, a number of deaths have had an actual impact on character development - Glen, Abraham, Richard. However this isn't the typical trend. Remember Beth dying? What impact did that actually have upon anyone? Her own sister hardly ever responded to it. She was so meaningless in this regard that the very next episode was a fakeout of them holding a funeral for her - psyche, it's Tyrese's funeral instead! But that's the problem, character development shouldn't be filler but on this show it often is because it tends to not lead anywhere. A good example here from another show to illustrate my point; Breaking Bad, Marie's kleptomania pretty much did absolutely nothing for the show and feels like a pointless diversion - some of the scenes revolving around it were entertaining but ultimately her getting that development does virtually nothing to the show. Would the show change significantly if you removed that element? If the answer is no, you probably created filler.
If a character gains depth and dies pointlessly and is never mentioned again, was there a reason to develop them? You don't get brownie points for fleshing out a character only to discard them immediately afterwards. A death of a developed character should feel like a loss, not "oh he's talking, guess he's done tonight... who even was he?". That's bad writing, character development is cheapened if it does nothing in relation to other characters (it's fine for core characters because they drive the story, bit players have to have a reason to develop).
This show can still be entertaining (I critiqued the C4 scene but hey, in a vacuum that was one of the best set pieces they've ever had), hell I often find the bad stuff entertaining too for its trainwreck qualities. But goddamn Walking Dead, learn how to have multiple characters already, you've had 7 seasons and you just get worse and worse at having a large cast. I'm fine with sticking with this show as a sort of pulpy guilty pleasure that I watch with friends or family, but I'd appreciate even some minor efforts at making it flow.
-Pyromaniac-
Member
30 more mins. Final 2 should be good times. This show knows how to go out for a season.
BlackGhost
Banned
the things they usually do good are the finales and premieres. they're usually pretty hype
RPGCrazied
Member
Usually that is when shit gets real and people die. End of seasons.
-Pyromaniac-
Member
I'm also so ready for Rick to roll up into oceanside and just be like "im taking your guns :/".
DangerMouse
Member
Yup, time for a comeback after last week.
Nah he is going to get them to see the light and they will give them willingly. I just hope trash people have very little screen time. They are so out of place.
-Pyromaniac-
Member
the fact that they have so little screen time makes me agree with those who say they will betray rick's group. They're saving that for a last minute swerve. Though I think they'll get owned fairly quickly. They don't know who they're fucking with.
I'm thinking they are just going to be fodder for th saviors but you could be right.
BFIB
Member
He Negan now.
VenomousCoffee
Member
I'm watching the rerun from last week, with all the synthesizer music at the end, and I'm realizing how much I want TWD to be a one season run, directed by John Carpenter.
-Pyromaniac-
Member
If Sasha doesn't die this episode she's dying the next one. Bbbboboboook it. Though I guess it's pretty obvious. She's going to be like Negan's version of Hershel where the governor rolled up with him to the gate and kilt him.
DangerMouse
Member
Here we go!
BFIB
Member
I don't think we get any word on Glenn, I mean Sasha.
She's gonna take some fools out but you're right she's in too deep to get out alive
-Pyromaniac-
Member
lol Rick doesn't give a F.
Dunedain_Ranger
Member
Finally get to watch live with my fellow walkers tonight
The new adventures of mermaid man and barnacle boy!!