What
makes a good television pilot? If I could unlock that secret I would be
producing television and not sitting on my couch writing a blog. One thing I
think is crucial is cast chemistry, and quickly establishing a connection with
the audience. If the audience doesn’t quickly identify with the characters in
the show, it’s hard to launch the story. If you liked tonight’s episode of Fear
the Walking Dead it is probably because you felt a connection with the
characters. I bought in. I liked the blended family dynamic and all the
struggles that comes with it. The decent into the apocalypse should be a slow
one. The measured burn of the show shouldn’t have been a surprise and was a
strong opening effort.
The
opening scene was well done. We see Nick Clark (Frank Dillane or
young Johnny Depp) awake from a drug crazed slumber. He looks for his
girlfriend and discovers her eating someone. The slow tension and build of the
scene set the hook for the next hour. We get introduced to the rest of the family
and learn, when they arrive at the hospital, they are a blended family. The
cops are interviewing Nick and his Mom, Madison, stops them. She kicks them out
of the room, and I think this is an important aspect of the show early on. No
one believes Nick, naturally, and he isn’t exactly sure if he was hallucinating
or saw his girlfriend being a cannibal.
The
next part of the show is slow. We don’t see another walker until almost the
hour mark. I’m ok with this, it was good character development. We see Travis
trying to be a good step-dad, and how well he does as a teacher. A great scene involved
a young student, Tobias, and Madison. He brought a knife to school, and she
pulled him into her office. Tobias didn’t bring the knife to school because he
was worried about bullies. He brought the knife because he was plugged in and
knew something strange was happening. It makes sense to have someone who
believes the weird reports and is being prepared. I like that it was a smart
kid (nerd) who is taking the precaution. It falls nicely into the scientist who
isn’t believed trope.
The
one character who didn’t get a bunch of screen time was the sister Alicia. We
got a few scenes of her wanting to break away from her crazy family. A couple
of scenes with her boyfriend, and then one at the beach wondering why he didn’t
show up. At first I thought this was going to be the first token African
American death on the show, and maybe it was and just not shown yet. Alicia is probably the thinnest character of
the pilot. Though I was reading some
hate for Madison already as well.
Reading
some reactions on twitter while watching the show, people were questioning why
Travis (step-dad) would go back to the church. I didn’t have an issue with
this. I don’t think he believed Nick saw a girl eating someone. Travis thought
Nick was hallucinating and he wanted to try and find someone else at the church
who could put Nick’s mind at ease. It didn’t turn out that way, when he found a
huge pile of blood and guts. Should he have called the cops? Yep, he should
have. Why didn’t he? He doesn’t want to get Nick in trouble. Madison has an
issue with the cops, and wants to protect Nick from them. Hence the scene at
the start of the show kicking them out of the hospital room. This is also why
she and Travis go back to the church looking for Nick after he leaves the
hospital. They want to protect him and don’t want him getting into trouble. This
is at least why I justified them going back to the church to investigate.
The
last half hour of the episode picked up a bit. Nick called his dealer, which
was also an old friend. Madison and
Travis are seen visiting him to see if Nick had made contact. Calvin, the
dealer/friend, got back to Nick. Calvin was worried Nick would out his drug
dealing to his parents. He drove Nick out to a remote place to kill him. This
is one part of the show which didn’t really jive with me. I don’t quite believe
Nick would have overpowered Calvin. Nick is able to shoot Calvin and then call
his parents. When they come back to the scene, Calvin is of course is gone.
This
part of the episode throws me for a loop. We don’t find out until the end of
the second season of The Walking Dead that everyone is infected regardless of
being bitten. I’m surprised everyone is already infected with the virus at the
start of the epidemic. Maybe Calvin had been bitten, but doubtful. I had
thought people who died a natural death would not come back to life until much
later in the show. This small part of mythology and the fact Nick overpowered
Calvin are two of my small gripes.
The
next is where did zombie Calvin come from? They drove down where he was
walking. They should have seen him while they were to the shooting scene. It
would have made more since for him to stumble out from somewhere while they
were investigating. It was still a great sequence even with this minor zombie
placement quibble. The terror of hitting Calvin again and again with the truck
and him still moving was fantastic. They are going to have to learn quick how
to kill the walkers to survive. We are also left wondering if Madison was bitten
or not. I am guessing not, but who knows with the way these shows work. I wish
AMC was allowed to use explicit dialogue, because this scene screamed for it.
Instead of a MY GOD, an O F*** was needed.
It
was a strong start to the first season of Fear the Walking Dead. I enjoyed all
the characters, and they seem to be fairly complex. They also all had good
chemistry together. I believed they were a blended family struggling through
mundane 21st century life. It
should make for a fun ride as the world crumbles around them. After tonight I
am extremely looking forward to the next five weeks, and then onto the main
course of season six of The Walking Dead.
What
did you all think? Too slow? Too many cliché horror tropes? (One other issue I
had. The Principle listening in to other
teachers and his slow turn. No reason to play ominous music to think he was a
walker) Comment and let me know.
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