Change Your Image
ao66
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Reviews
The Walking Dead: What Happened and What's Going On (2015)
A solid episode with squandered potential. Could have been one of the best
I completely disagree that this one of the best episodes, as I would say it was the most inconsistent episode of the series, and squandered the potential to do something truly great (I might get a bit long winded here, but it's because the show can be better than this). I'll start with the good: for a show beginning to seem too safe for important characters, the sudden nature of Tyreese's death may very well help the show recover the feeling that no one is safe (which it hasn't had in quite some time). Also, showing the funeral and the burial at the beginning of the episode, and having it turn out to be for Tyreese, was very effective. It also seems like they won't waste too much time getting to DC, and there was some very good foreshadowing. Lastly, Chad Coleman was great. In my opinion, these things combined to make this an enjoyable episode for the most part However, that's where the good in this episode ends. The amount of expository and self-reflective dialogue was inauthentic, lazy, and just downright laughable. Every character had to verbally express their thoughts and feelings. It's a basic rule: show, don't tell. For example, Noah sprints through the estate and finds his home, saying "that's my house". Oh man, really? I thought you would risk your life for a random house you've never been to. Thanks for explaining. The most egregious example of this dialogue was Tyreese talking to all of the dead people, as all of those sequences were downright pathetic. I can't believe that Scott Gimple wrote this episode: I've never seen him write dialogue this bad. We don't need these characters to remind Tyreese (and the viewer) of everything he has ever done and all of the "what ifs". Let US think on our own! Let US put the pieces together and think about what could have been, or about everything he has done. The guy from Terminus literally goes "remember when..." and then we see the shot of what happened later in the episode. We were reminded TWICE of something that happened in the SAME SEASON. Which brings me to another point: the repeated and meaningless "artsy" shots. Do we really need to see the same shot of the prison from the season 3 title sequence multiple times in an episode? Its only purpose was to add padding to the running time, which was already reduced by commercials. They were completely meaningless and totally took me out of the moment every time. This episode, to me, was a perfect reminder of the state of this show. The potential to be among the best of the best is right there for the taking, but horrendous pacing, terribly inconsistent writing, and excessive expository dialogue get in the way right when it seems that the show will reach its full potential. A 7 might be generous here, but then again, this should have been a 9 or better.
The Walking Dead: Still (2014)
While it did feature a few nice moments, "Still" was bland, boring, poorly written, horribly paced, and uneventful.
Before the start of Season 4, Scott Gimple said that he wanted a complete season of fantastic episodes. While there were some that were just "fairly good", that promise has been fulfilled and then some. This was the week when that was broken. While it did have its moments, "Still" was just plain boring (what a fitting name for the episode). Before anyone starts on the "you don't appreciate character development" shpeel, look at my previous reviews to see the fact that I absolutely love a well-written character drama, action or no action. Episodes like "Clear" and "After" are some of my all-time favorite episodes of The Walking Dead despite being very "slow". Despite having some great character moments for Daryl, "Still" was a dull, uninteresting, and meandering episode with mediocre writing and horrifyingly bad pacing.
FULL IN-DEPTH REVIEW AT http://www.ign.com/blogs/ao66 Overall Score: 6 out of 10 (might even be a little generous)
The Walking Dead: Inmates (2014)
While not without its problems, "Inmates" was packed with solid material, important reveals, and gripping moments.
After only seeing Rick, Carl, and Michonne last episode, the expectation was that they would show the rest of the groups this week. That held true, and we were treated to a solid episode with some intriguing character development, tense sequences, and a reveal at the episode so awesome I nearly soiled myself. While it wasn't as riveting of a character study as last week's episode, and it wasn't without a few notable issues, The Walking Dead delivered another good episode this week as it continues to inch towards its goal of a complete season of excellence, and gave us a clear indication of where they are going next.......
Out of all the groups this week, Tyreese's was my favorite. However, I had one problem with what was done. It may be a little too early to judge this, and it sounds bad, but I wish Judith had died. Her death would have had a huge effect on the group, particularly Rick and Carl. Traumatic events like that are perfect for producing phenomenal character development, just look at Game of Thrones, or even Hershel's death in "Too Far Gone". Leaving her alive takes quite a bit of the punch away from the mid-season finale. I was convinced that she was dead, and the emotional damage that caused was one of the biggest reasons for giving the episode a "10". It feels like they didn't have the guts to fully kill her off, so they are attempting to get the character effects by leaving her fate in question. However, it just doesn't have the same impact. However, keeping her alive did contribute to the most intense moment of the episode, though that turned out to be a missed opportunity to make the death of Judith even more shocking. I was shaking in my seat as the show cut back and forth between Tyreese's walker killing and Lizzie suffocating Judith as walkers approached. It was one of the most gripping moments of the season, and it was masterfully done. That sequence was strong enough on its own to make this a good episode. Still though, imagine how shocking it would have been for Lizzie to kill Judith! I still think that could happen, and I hope it does when they reunite with Carl. I would love to see what that does to his mental state. One thing that this episode did do was convince me almost 100% that Lizzie was the killer, and that Carol covered for her. That would be a huge twist! A lot of people have not been talking about it (which is unfortunate), but what the writers have done with Lizzie has been absolutely spectacular. Every time I see her, I get creeped out: she's a freakin' psychopath! I haven't seen many post-apocalyptic stories create a kid who is basically a serial killer in the making (if she isn't already). Scott Gimple and the gang are really exploring the messed up things that young children might believe are acceptable in a world like the one in Walking Dead. Even more unexpected that the character arc of Lizzie is Brighton Sharbino, the actress who plays her. I am one of those guys that often finds child actors annoying, but she has been stupendous. How many ADULTS can play a crazy person this well, let alone child actors. I really think that she is going places. On the opposite end of the spectrum from Lizzie was her sister Mika, who was afraid of just about everything. Trying to keep these two nut-jobs in line was Tyreese, and Chad Coleman gave a top-notch performance once again.....
"Inmates" is a tough episode to score. While not without its problems, "Inmates" was packed with solid material, important reveals, and gripping moments. However, a few of those issues really bugged me, and some will impact the show moving forward. Still, they don't even come close to spoiling the reveal of Abraham, Eugene, Rosetta, and "The Sanctuary". Scott Gimple has a clear vision for the show, and that vision includes a lot of comic material with a unique spin. The Walking Dead's best and darkest content appears to be on its way, and I can't wait! FULL REVIEW AT http://www.ign.com/blogs/ao66 OVERALL SCORE: 8.2 out of 10
The Walking Dead: After (2014)
As far as slow and character-driven episodes go, this is one of the best that Walking Dead has done
It is really hard to top "Too Far Gone", perhaps no Walking Dead episode ever will. However, instead of trying to do so with a big action scene or tons of intensity, the show took the route of a character-focused episode. They really put Carl (formerly a "problem character") and Michonne under the microscope. Their move paid off thanks to some superb writing, solid acting, and fantastic symbolism. It was also really good being back on the road again: there's just a certain vibe that comes with it. I might get a bit of backlash for loving the episode as much as I did, but I don't care all that much: this episode was phenomenal. As far as slow and character-driven episodes go, this is one of the best that Walking Dead has done....
In the early scenes between Carl and Rick, a few things became apparent. First and most obviously, Rick could barely move. We've seen him in rough shape before, but nothing like this. What I appreciated most about their first scene together, however, was when Rick is about to say "it's going to be OK". He can't bring himself to say that last word though, because he knows it isn't true. To use the line from Pulp Fiction, things are pretty far from "OK". This was a superbly written and very subtle moment. This helped lead to one of the themes of the episode: thing can't be the way the used to be. While it was explicitly stated at the end of the episode by Rick, this fact was shown in a few different ways throughout. My favorite was when Carl went into the bedroom with the video games. he begins "geeking out" so to speak, looking at all of the cool games and assorted items. However, he snaps back into "apocalypse mode" and uses the TV chord to secure the door. Symbolism like this was EVERYWHERE in this episode, which is what made it really special. While the video games were one of the most notable and noticeable, here's one you may not have caught: when Carl kills the walkers that he drew away along with the extra one that ambushed him, he falls down. He shoots the walkers that fall on top of him almost EXACTLY how Rick did in the episode "18 Miles Out" (one of my personal favorites). I was giddy like a little child when I saw that because it was simply incredible that they put it in there. Scott Gimple, who wrote "18 Miles Out", used to be the only one that did stuff like this, but now that he is showrunner we see it quite often. They started to get a little sloppy with it execution-wise in the 2 Governor episodes, but they are back at the top of their game now. That is the reason Walking Dead may finally enter the upper echelon of shows: the action, acting, and production values were always phenomenal, but now the writing is reaching the same quality. All of the best shows like Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, and not True Detective do that, and it was present this week. There was even a bit of humor thrown in here to mix things up (112 oz. of pudding!). Also, while this is considered a "slow episode", I really didn't feel like the pace was "bogged down" at any point. Everything flowed nicely throughout. Another thing I have been noticing is that they are following the comics very closely now while at the same time putting their own spin on things. Many of this week's scenes were direct quotes and even shot-for-shot with the comic. Hopefully they can keep all of this up. If that happens, then The Walking Dead will have finally put together a complete season of quality episodes....
Sure, this episode didn't move the plot forward leaps and bounds, it only united 2 of the split groups, and so on. However, not only did the emotional impact of the prison need to be felt, making this episode necessary, but it was an incredible episode as well. None of it felt like the dreaded "filler material" we began to see immediately in the second half of last year. Those slamming the episode must not like the comics either, because there is an emotional and contemplative break before the group moves on to bigger things. Sure, I would have liked to see other groups, but I don't see that as a negative because they used their time well this week. Also, if they go where I think they are going with the show, then don't worry about not having enough action: it will be coming, and in brutal ways that TV has rarely if ever seen before. The first half of the season was probably the best the show has ever been, and they were still on cleanup duty for how badly the last showrunner messed up the end of season 3. Just be patient. For now, this episode featured some of the best writing we've seen on the show, lots of symbolism, creative methods of showing the characters' mental state, and finally bringing Carl to appreciate his father in a convincing and realistic way, this episode will go down as one of the best character-focused episode the show has ever done....
OVERALL SCORE: 9.4 out of 10 FULL REVIEW AT http://www.ign.com/blogs/ao66/
The Walking Dead: Too Far Gone (2013)
After a week full of incredible amounts of hype, "The Walking Dead" delivered with easily its best episode EVER, bar none
FULL REVIEW AT http://www.ign.com/blogs/ao66/
After a week full of incredible amounts of hype, "The Walking Dead" delivered with easily its best episode EVER, bar none. This was really built up to be the biggest episode of the show, and it was not only that, but so much more. The bullets flew, explosions rang, but emotions were also at an all-time high with shocking deaths and horrifying moments. Half-way through the 4th season, this show has fully realized its potential of delivering both high emotion and high intensity....... After this episode ended, I sat in my chair, staring at the TV with my jaw wide open and trying to digest what I just saw. While there have certainly been some shocking episodes before, this is the first episode of "The Walking Dead" to ever make me feel like that. In fact, only 2 shows have ever done that to me: "Game of Thrones" and "Breaking Bad". I would say that this show is in some mighty fine company there. Not only was this episode jaw-dropping, stunning, and emotional, but it set up the show for a second half of similar quality. This will be the first time that we have seen the group on the road for an extended period, and that is a very intriguing premise. No matter what happens in the second half, this episode will be one we look back on when the show is done and talk about as truly game-changing. While this does give away my score, the first half of this season has earned two 10/10's from me, which is the same number of 10's I would have given in all 3 previous seasons combined! Scott Gimple and his team have surpassed all of my expectations this year, and this episode was the cherry on top of the first half of the season. (continued at http://www.ign.com/blogs/ao66/)
The Walking Dead: Internment (2013)
Simply one of the greatest if not the greatest episode of the series
FULL IN-DEPTH REVIEW HERE: http://www.ign.com/blogs/ao66 He's back!!!!! All of the episodes this year have been excellent, but nothing else comes close to "Internment". This was simply one of the greatest if not the greatest episode of the entire SERIES, let alone this season. Tense action, the near-deaths of major characters, and character-defining moments made this episode truly special. Television really doesn't get much better than this.
From the first shot of the episode it was easy to see that this would be some deep material. Rick's thoughtful drive had a lot to ponder. Then we were plunged right into the struggles of Hershel, Sasha, Glenn, and the rest of the sick. Thus the table was set for the major character of the episode: Hershel. This week was truly his finest hour, even before the chaos erupted (don't worry, I'll get to that later). They did a fantastic job of immediately showing the horrific state of those in the cell block. It doesn't get much worse that having to pump over and over again to keep someone alive (though it did get worse). Despite the circumstances, Hershel did all he could to keep hope. However, he wasn't just preaching to others that they needed to keep hope despite being sick. When things got tough for Hershel and he almost lost everything, including his own life, he didn't lose hope. More importantly, he didn't lose faith in what he believes, as evidenced by his reading of the Bible towards the end of the episode. The very relevant and well-written quote about hopelessness being worse than sickness was something Hershel really took to heart. There were just so many phenomenal scenes with Hershel: rolling out the dead and killing them out of sight, his conflict of views with the doctor, and so on. There isn't a character on the show more understanding than Hershel. He knew seeing Glenn would crush Maggie, so he made sure he didn't see her. While he would be the "hero" later on, I thought his most telling character moment was when he saved Sasha. Carol would have killed her right then and there, but Hershel isn't like that. He absolutely refused to give up on her, and as a result, she lived. Sasha said it herself: what Hershel did is what many would define as "stupid", and he did tons of "stupid" things in this episode. But if stupid is risking your own life to save others, then I certainly think Hershel wouldn't mind being labeled as such. Words really don't do Scott Wilson's performance justice. A showing like that is what wins people awards. While those around him made sure they weren't completely overshadowed (Steven Yeun, Sonequa Martin-Green), he gave the standout performance of the season so far for ANY actor. It wasn't just him that made this "Hershel episode" so special, it was the writing. The writing was superb throughout, and honestly it was the best all season, which is really saying something considering I have said this is the most well-written season thus far. Every single line was not only pertinent, but deep and meaningful. Before the first shot was even fired this was shaping up to be the season's best episode.......continued at http://www.ign.com/blogs/ao66
The Walking Dead: 30 Days Without an Accident (2013)
After months of nervousness about how this season would turn out after the calamity that was last season's finale, this was a solid start
FULL REVIEW AT http://www.ign.com/blogs/ao66
After a horrible finale, Walking Dead was at a crossroads. One way led to disappointment and squandered potential, and the other to becoming the show it can be. After one episode that sets up even more craziness to come, this season appears to be headed on the latter path. With much-improved character development, some creative action sequences, a broadened cast, and a superb lead-in to next week, The Walking Dead appears to be headed in the right direction under Scott Gimple's leadership...(full review on ign)... Some fans will hate this episode for not having enough action. Those people, however, won't realize the huge benefit that this episode will have next episode and beyond. It made you feel for and bond with these new characters, and deaths are sure to come next week and beyond. Character focused episodes are only bad if they are boring due to poor writing, and that wasn't the case this week. In addition, we were given a phenomenal action scene this week, evidencing that this show still have some great ideas left. If this episode is any indication, we are in store for the most well-written season of the series, with plenty of new characters to care for and mourn. After months of nervousness about how this season would turn out after the calamity that was last season's finale, this was a solid start.