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Posted on October 13, 2015

The Walking Dead Season 6 Premiere Review

Grade: B+

While The Walking Dead has played with challenging storytelling before, most notably in the love ‘em or hate ‘em bottle episodes, tonight’s foray into nonlinear storytelling was a bold narrative move that potentially resets the show. Not only does it play with the audience’s perception of what we think we know about these characters, but it also sets up the potential for our hero to become our villain. Instead of turning into a tour de force of pyrotechnics and fighting prowess like last season’s opener, “First Time Again” was actually a very quiet character piece in which every survivor was given a moment to shine.

This was not an episode designed to inspire shock and awe (my bet is that is coming next week) but was the proverbial calm before the storm. For as much as the promos promised a showdown between the ideologies of Rick and Morgan, “First Time Again” was less about grandiose philosophies coming head-to-head and more about the ways in which seemingly unremarkable encounters can alter how we see the characters we think we know. From Abe’s (Michael Cudlitz) dangerous search to feel alive to Sasha’s (Sonequa Martin-Green) shockingly Zen state, the episode took great pains to highlight how these characters and their worldviews are shifting. Read more

Posted on October 11, 2015

6 Predictions for Season Six of The Walking Dead!

Elizabeth Erwin

After what seems like years of waiting, we are now mere hours away from The Walking Dead’s season six premiere! And so in between baking Carol cookies and coiffing my Eugene inspired mullet, I bring to you predictions!

6. – Daryl Gets His Groove Back
As a huge fan of Daryl (Norman Reedus) from seasons one and two, it’s been disappointing to watch what was once a nuanced character become so, well, emo. The expected arrival of comic fan favorite Paul Monroe, aka Jesus, puts the position of Daryl somewhat in jeopardy. Monroe is an able survivalist who becomes one of Rick’s most trusted allies. Sound familiar? The show needs to remind viewers of the reasons why we first fell in love with Daryl, and so I’m expecting to see a less teary-eyed and more badass Daryl take center stage. And if this metamorphosis could involve Carol (Melissa McBride), that would be even better!

5. – You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out!- The Carl Version
It’s no secret to anyone who knows me that I am not Carl’s (Chandler Riggs) biggest fan. And so it might be with more than a little sadism on my part that I am actively hoping that one of the comic book’s most memorable storylines comes to fruition. Carl losing his eye actually opens up a wealth of storyline potential and could be a defining moment in helping to transition that character from child to adult in the eyes of the audience.

Posted on October 8, 2015

The Walking Dead and The Sympathetic Zombie

Elizabeth Erwin

As a pop culture juggernaut that shows no signs of slowing down, AMC’s The Walking Dead is the unusual zombie narrative that has managed to capture the attention of both horror and non-horror fans alike. With its sly humor, grotesque kills and nuanced characters, the show both reflects and reimagines the ways in which zombies can be used to create a distinct sense of dread. But unlike their living dead predecessors, the zombies of The Walking Dead are not mere monsters. Instead, the show offers a zombie construct that is both identifiable and malleable. While it would have been easy to cast the zombies as simple monsters, the show often challenges its audience to sympathize with the zombies. The end result is a much more complicated and socially aware narrative.

The notion of a sympathetic zombie seems at first contrary to the genre. After all, zombies are traditionally designed to be decaying shells whose threat revolves around their complete lack of intent. Steve Bruhm notes that zombies serve as a “barometer of the anxieties plaguing a certain culture at a particular moment in history.” Season one of The Walking Dead reflects this thinking in its utilization of zombies as the main source of the narrative’s horror. Where The Walking Dead succeeds in remaking the horror of the zombie is in its gradual personalization of it. The zombies occupy, intentionally, both an impersonal and a personal position within the narrative.

Posted on October 5, 2015

Point Counterpoint: Are Zombies Good Horror Monsters? (Yes)

Elizabeth Erwin

Note: For the counterpoint to the argument that zombies are good horror monsters, check out Gwen’s piece on Wednesday!

For the past decade, zombies have been experiencing a pop culture resurgence. Because they are instantly identifiable horror monsters, it isn’t at all uncommon to hear the gripe that zombies aren’t really all that scary. This, my friends, is utter nonsense. Zombies have style, substance and a penchant for ripping victims wide open. What more could a horror fan want?

Death by Zombie is Brutal

Scenes of carnage in most American zombie narratives make it clear that death by zombie is utterly brutal. In Shaun of the Dead (2004), David is ripped open in horrifically gory detail as he screams in terror. It is a scene that is as bloody and visceral as any you’re likely to find in slasher horror. City of the Living Dead (1980) ups the gross factor when Rose is killed as she is forced to vomit uncontrollably. As both of these cases demonstrate, the assumption that zombies pose no real threat is a misplaced one. Sure, they often (but not always) are slow moving but their tendency to move in groups increases their threat value. And when they catch you, it is guaranteed not to be pretty.

Posted on September 30, 2015

Point CounterPoint: Is Scream Queens Horror? (No)

Elizabeth Erwin

Note: Be sure to read Gwen’s argument why Scream Queens is horror!

Routinely criticized for a camp aesthetic that would make Divine blush, Ryan Murphy’s foray into horror has been mixed at best. While American Horror Story has had its share of viral moments, its consistently uneven storytelling has prevented it from picking up the mantle from its most obvious predecessor, Twin Peaks. And so it was with more than a little apprehension that I sat down to take in Scream Queens.

Gwen’s review highlights the many reasons there are to love Murphy’s latest television outing. I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t thoroughly enjoy every moment, mainly because it isn’t often that a show makes me laugh out loud. And ultimately that is the main problem with Scream Queens. By elevating humor above dread, the show is squandering its horror potential.