Fear the Walking Dead Season One

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It’s the beginning of the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine.

Ok, real talk here: I love The Walking Dead. No, I mean I REALLY love The Walking Dead. I’ve consumed all story that Robert Kirkman has provided in this universe. Comics, TV shows, webisodes, games, and novels (Did you know there are four of them?), I’ve seen it all. And my conclusion is that this is quite possibly the greatest story of the zombie apocalypse ever told. And it might be the last one, too.

Let be back a second. For many years, I had a tradition every October. I called it “Zombithon,” and it entailed me, sometimes others but mainly me, watching one zombie flick every night I possibly could until Halloween. It started off with the Romero films, Night, Dawn, Day, and then Land of the Dead; then the 1990 remake of Night of the Living Dead and the 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead. After that, I’d move on to the goofier but still atmospheric Return of the Living Dead I and II, and would be fully engrossed in 1980s horror. Then it was time for the runner duology of 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later. Finally, I’d mop up with Dead Alive, Zombi, Slither, and of course, Shaun of the Dead. This would take me the month, trust me–don’t forget that at this time, there was no one into zombies, really; it was a niche fandom still very underground. But by the late 2000s, it was surfacing. I consider Left for Dead and its sequel perfect zombie shooters. And this was my thing. For many years, I enjoyed my Zombithons.

Then, I saw The Walking Dead. And everything changed.

So, I know of the comics well before I read them. A decade ago, someone introduced me to the comics, still in their early year, and I sort of shrugged them off. I wasn’t reading comics and while I was assured this was “the real deal,” I just didn’t have time or effort enough to delve in. I wish I did, because I woud’ve been in on the ground floor. Ah well, I caught up easy enough.

The Walking Dead universe takes the zombie apocalypse to Romero’s logical conclusion; it’s truly what Romero should’ve done all along if he wasn’t so confined by his identity as an indie filmmaker. A lengthy, drawn-out account of what happens days, weeks, and years following the fall of civilization. It’s what he tried to do with his trilogy. Perhaps that what set the foundation for Kirkman, but nowadays Romero’s films seem like vignettes in comparison to the scope of The Walking Dead. In fact, The Walking Dead is so engrossing, so emcompassing of all scenarios of this genre, that it may be the last zombie story. What can The Walking Dead not do? The breadth of its tales are already far and wide, as well as minute and deep-diving. Anyone who would be writing similar stories would be grasping to find something that wasn’t derivative.

However, the one thing I hope no one tackles is the reason. No, I’m not so precious as to say that  I love the mystery, and I don’t need to know, personally, but I think it does the genre a disservice. Once the reason is given, all thought turns to the cause. An audience becomes less concerned with present events, and the characters they are following, and try to tie them back to the cause, and the possible solution. By leaving the cause unknown and unconquerable, the genre can move forward without being beholden to themes, punishments, and causality that tie it down, and get ont o focusing on the genre’s greatest asset: characters.

And that brings us to Fear the Walking Dead, a show that starts off slowly, in our world, and introduces us to meticulously crafted, fascinating characters that I want to watch every damn week. It’s gonna get weird, it’s gonna get interesting, and it’s gonna get absolutely brutal for Travis and co., and I am on board every step of the way.

Fear the Walking Dead is a work that asks you to believe in it. Don’t judge it by the parts; judge it by the whole. Have patience. Get on the ride, buckle up and keep all hand and feet inside, even when it appears to be slow. It is a rarity in television; a spinoff show with so much confidence that it didn’t need to fight the ratings game; it was guaranteed a second season from Jump Street. AMC knows what they’re doing, and I can’t say a single bad thing about this show.

Get on board, and get in line behind me for your Strand Fan Club membership. That guy is awesome.

Also, can’t wait to get the soundtrack. So, so good.

So what do we have in store for season two? The high sea? Pirates? Warships? Flotillas of undead? I’m guessing all of the above, and man, I can’t wait.