Why I Jumped Back Into 'The Walking Dead'

Image from IGN

By Darian Scalamoni

               When AMC’s post-apocalyptic, zombie ridden horror show The Walking Dead first aired in 2010, it was the hottest program on TV. Based on the mega popular comic book series by Robert Kirkman, he teamed with an absolute master, Frank Darabont (best known for The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile) for a show unlike anything that audiences had seen to that point. The show was visceral, terrifying, unique and led to a meteoric rise of becoming arguably the biggest show in cable television history. But then things started to go South rather quickly.

While the shows first three seasons remain the best in terms of quality and many fans’ favorite, the show became bloated as the seasons went on. I hung in for a long time, longer than many others as I watched consistently up until the end of the first half of Season 7. Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Negan was still appealing but the show became more like a glorified soap opera that sometimes-featured zombies rather than the show everyone tuned into seven years prior. While I understand that with popularity comes growth and the opportunity to build your series, it seemed that the show quickly became bloated.

With more characters came more deaths to characters that we didn’t have enough time to build to. It went from just The Governor having a group to the more recent series with tons of territories like The Hilltop, The Kingdom and Alexandria having hordes of people. Not only that, but then in 2015, AMC premiered the first spin-off series, Fear the Walking Dead adding more characters to the ever-growing family.

               As the show has gone on, even critically the show has taken a hit. While Rotten Tomatoes listed the first three seasons at 90%, 81% and 88% respectively; the sixth and seventh seasons received 62% and 67% by the review site. But the newest season of the most viewed cable drama ever has a special feeling around it.

               Season 9 of The Walking Dead premiered last night and though it wasn’t the greatest episode of the series by any means, it was a pleasant premiere that got many old fans of the show like me back on board. One small detail that has been plaguing fans for years was answered in the premiere’s opening minutes as The Huffington Post detailed that almost all vehicles in this post-apocalyptic world seemed to be filled with gas. While some allude to “suspension of disbelief,” it’s a massive implication in their world. We find out in the episode that the Saviors’ crops at the sanctuary are dying and so the characters are turning the dead corn into ethanol.

               And yes, this is a small, subtle detail but it’s a plot hole and Angela Kang, a Producer of the show and new Showrunner for Season 9 fixed it. This season is a very important one as two of the cast’s mainstays Rick, the anchor of the series since its inception played by Andrew Lincoln and Maggie, the female heroine who we first saw back on the farm in Season 2, will say their goodbyes.

               The show still has plenty of work to do to get it back to how it once was, if it ever will, but last night was a step in the right direction. With the group working together heading to the Museum of Natural History to steal some artifacts to use for their respective neighborhoods, it showed comradery while also building towards the rift happening between Rick and Maggie as they try to run their communities.

               The zombies were great, the speeches weren’t overly dramatic and there is a lot to look forward to, so at least for now, I’m back on board with The Walking Dead.