Back to Chapel Town (Day 124)

You know, I've never been the biggest fan of zombies. There's been rabid fascination with zombies in the past few years. Everyone seems to salivate for any movie, video game, or TV series that has anything to do with undead creatures rising to feast on the brains of the living. For me, I feel like it's a really tired trope. Zombies are disposable villains that viewers seldom feel uncomfortable about when they are slaughtered en masse. They're perfect fodder, just like aliens or robots in science fiction settings.

Despite this, I decided to give The Walking Dead a try. The show has been inundated with hype by a lot of people I know but I couldn't tell you what kind of critical reception it's received. I'll be investigating that after I finish the series--because as loathe as I am to admit it, I've been enjoying it. It's not Shakespeare, and it's certainly worlds away from AMC's other hit series Breaking Bad, but it is enjoyable. What makes it stick out to me is that it's not really about the zombies.

Sure, there's plenty of stylized zombie violence on this show. A warrior woman with a katana slices heads off in one smooth motion. A grizzled redneck fires crossbow bolts directly through eye sockets--only to retrieve the precious missiles because ammunition is so hard to come by. Guns are employed frequently despite the danger of their use (the noise attracts other zombies--walkers as the show's mythology calls them). A lot of time is invested in showing off some admittedly slick zombie action.

Despite all that, it's not just a show for zombie fanatics. Like I said, I'm not a fan of the genre. Aside from Shaun of the Dead, I've never watched a single zombie flick. I find the concept vaguely interesting from a theoretical standpoint but horror's never been my genre. The Walking Dead has it's scary moments and plenty of intense, action-packed ones. Beyond all that, however, is a show about characters. It reminds me of Lost in that it's about a ragtag group of mostly normal people banding together in an attempt to survive.

I've only watched the first two seasons so far and although there are notable flaws in the presentation, I've truly enjoyed it. One of the most interesting aspects for me is just how spot on a few of the characters' southern mannerisms are. I live in rural Kentucky, so I can certainly spot authenticity when I see it. Shane and Daryl in particular are pretty much amalgams of a lot of different people I've known over the years. It's possible both have southern backgrounds to assist with their portrayals but if not then its doubly impressive. The portrayal of Rick is impressive mostly because I've heard Andrew Lincoln is British. Learning an authentic American accent is difficult enough, but affecting a certain dialect is all the more challenging.