TV Series Review: The Walking Dead Season Four

Took me longer than I thought to get round to a review of The Walking Dead Season Four but I have finally got round to it.

Taking place a few months after the events of season three the prison now seems to be a really stable and flourishing camp. With the inclusion of the Woodbury survivors in their group now, Rick and co are now trying to make a proper life for themselves again. Rick however, wanting to set a better example for Carl has resigned from the leadership position and is now basically the farmer along with Carl. However the peace they have created does not last in the form of the hordes of zombies, a deadly virus and the Governor who is gunning for revenge.

I have been really looking forward to this season because my favourite parts from the graphic novel is the attack of the Governor and the events that happen after and for the most part it does not disappoint. I will now go in to three of my favourite highlights of this season and be warned; SPOILERS AHEAD!

First is the story of a deadly virus that sweeps through the prison and infects many of the residents, this is also why they included a lot of red shirts. I did like this part a lot because it was a good original plot they made for the series, plus Hershel gets an episode all to himself on dealing with the virus which is one of my favourite episodes. I have always like the casting of Scott Wilson and he was just so good as the main character for the episode.

Next is the second attack of the Governor, which unlike the last season, was not a disappointment. It included the tank from the graphic novel and it was all guns blazing and zombie action. They also include the Governor's famous decapitation scene of a major character and that was just so cool. The only let down though the extended flashback of the Governor of what he did after season three that covers two episodes. While this was interesting in its own way it suffers from what a lot of original series content suffers from; it just dragged on!! The flashback really could have just been one episode or just a half an episode, it was just really slow in some parts. Also again I praise David Morrissey as the Governor and again I feel like it is the writers who let down is character a bit not the actor by dialling down the brutally of him.

Thirdly is the introduction of three of my favourite graphic novel characters; Abraham Ford (Michael Cudlitz), Rosita Espinosa (Christian Serratos) and Eugene Porter (Josh McDermitt). Not only was their acting just for the characters was perfect but they really, really look like who they are supposed to be. I really want to see even more of these three in the next season.

There are however a couple of let downs in this season and that has mainly to do with some of the characters during the second half after the attack from the Governor, while the group is split. While this does include the introduction of the three characters above from the graphic novel it also includes ALOT of original series content that spans across eight episodes. While some of this original content is good it is the same as with the Governor's flashback; it just drags on too much. Whole episodes are given over to pairing of characters like Daryl and Beth and Tyreese and Carol and while I like these characters I felt a lot of screen time was wasted on them.

Also I think that this season really messed up three events from the graphic novel by mixing it in with original content, the first with the two sisters Lizzie and Mika. These two obviously took the place of Ben and Billy and if I'm honest I never really liked them that much. Ben went crazy and killed his twin because he had psychopathic mental problems and never understood what he did. For Lizzie killing Mika they had her being sympathetic to the zombies and wanted to be friends with them, I never liked that and I found her scenes when she is playing with the walkers just very annoying.

Another event is the group Daryl ends up with for a short while after Beth is kidnapped by an unknown person. I admit I really liked this group when they were introduced and also liked the group's leader Joe (Jeff Kober) because he as a really dark and interesting antagonist. I even thought he could have been a new main enemy for Rick and the rest after the Governor and before the introduction of Negen but I was wrong. After such a hype Joe and his group got they merely took the place of the three rapist that attack Rick, Carl and Abraham for a few pages before being quickly dispatched and that is what happen here. That was a major disappointment for me.

Finally the thing that bothered me the most out of this whole entire season is that Judith is still ALIVE! Don't get me wrong it is not like I want a baby to die but she does in the graphic novel along with Lori and it is the biggest failure Rick has done that haunts him ever since. At first I thought it would be best if they did not kill her off but when they showed the blood stained baby chair at the end of the Governor's attack I thought; "wow the writers actually did it after all, they killed her off but in a way that is more appropriate for TV." But then she was shown with Tyreese and Carol. Sorry but I do not know were they are going to go with this and I don't want Rick to be burdened with looking after a baby for the entire rest of the show. This is also another example of the writers dialling down the brutally of the graphic novel like the stuff the Governor does, Rick losing his hand and now this! Makes me worried about what they are going to do with Negen?

Before I end this there are few other good points to mention like the episode Rick and Carl to themselves that adapted really well from the graphic and the inclusion of Bob Stookey (Lawrence Gilliard Jr.) who has become one of my favourite characters. He is a lot different from his graphic novel counterpart but I defiantly prefer this one because he has such a larger and important role. His struggles with alcoholism he touched more in this and when he had his flashback of being alone for ages I think that was acted just so well, I really felt sorry for that guy and you really feel that he has just been through hell. My hats off to Lawrence Gilliard Jr, I hope you continue to be a member of Ricks group for a good long while.

And that is it, overall it was a solid season but the first half was a lot better than the second and they messed up some iconic plots form the graphic novel that I really cannot forgive them for. However the action and casting are great as always and I really hope it gets back to the proper story of getting to Washington soon.

SCORE: 7/10

TV Series Review: The Walking Dead Season Three

Finally it is time for my review of The Walking Dead season three, after this I will be up to date on the series and will wait until season four is finished to do another review on it.

This season takes place after the winter (based on Lori’s pregnancy almost nine months after the conclusion of season two) and is based on the prison arc of the graphic novel. The prison arc was one of the longest settings in the comic and also one of the most iconic. During this season the group not only have to deal with the undead but also the threat of other humans, in particular the near by town of Woodberry run by a man who calls himself the Governor (David Morrissey). This season also brings back the character of Merle Dixon (Michael Rooker) and introduces fan favourites from the comics Michonne (Danai Gurira) and Tyreese (Chad L. Coleman).

I will start by saying that this season was a major improvement over season two since not only does it focuses on a popular arc in the comics it all so stick more closely to the source material on several occasions it also introduces another threat to the group besides zombies and that is another group of humans. Because of this and probably because there was not that much of it in season two this one has a lot more action in it but it does not sacrifice character development in the slightest.

If there is anything I disliked is that we have more insight and time in the town of Woodberry than we did in the comics, they used original material for this and I have to say that a lot of it I did not like. Not that I am saying that it was all bad it was just that if it was not about the Governor I just wanted it to go back to the group at the prison. My opinion might be affect because Andrea is at Woodberry and those who have read my previous reviews know how I feel about that useless character.

The prison however was something I always enjoyed watching; from the old inmates who where staying there to the breaking down of Rick’s mental state was all superb.

Now as for the new cast I will say first that David Morrissey was great as the Governor, sure he looked nothing like him but he was really menacing when he needed to be. I have heard complaints that they dialled down some of the truly gruesome acts (e.g. raping and mutilating) of the Governor and I have to admit they are right however I blame the writers for this because I am sure David Morrissey would have nailed whatever scene they gave him. Another one I really liked was Tyreese because not only did Chad L. Coleman look exactly like him but he is just how he was in the comics. He is one of my favourite characters from the comics and I cannot find a single fault in the TV adaptation. As for Michonne however while I do really like her in this she it a lot quieter and withdrawn in this; in the comics she is more open and I guess cheerful with the other characters. She does get better in later episodes but it was annoying to begin with.

Some more characters that I also have mixed feelings about were the old inmates at the prison that Rick and the group find locked up. On one hand I really liked the character from the comics and Nick Gomez as the murdering Tomas and Markice Moore as Andrew where really great as their roles however I was slightly let down by the characters of Axel (Lew Temple) and Oscar (Vincent Ward). Don’t get me wrong their portrayals where great but it was how their characters where treated; Axel in the comics struggles with trying to prove himself to the group even though he was a prisoner and he does, he becomes a major help to the group. In this season he does do that as well but he does not get as much interaction and much screen time as I would have liked and is killed off just way too early for my liking. The same goes for Oscar, an original character who plays a similar, I really thought he would be a great character for the series yet they just go a head and kill him off. 

Now just like my last review I want to talk a bit about the previous cast members;

Firstly there is the character T – Dog (IronE Singleton) someone I have not mentioned before and that was because he was a minor character who with barely any character development. Sure there is the feeling that he is trying to prove his worth to the group but that is never really built upon. However in an episode in this season, which is also the one he dies in, he really stands out for once and trying to convince Rick about trusting the prisoners and saving Carol from zombies. Just when was becoming really interesting they go a head and get rid of him which I have to say was a shame.

Next is the character of Lori and I have to say that even though I knew she would eventually die I was completely taken by surprise at how they did it. She sacrifices her life at so her daughter could live and her death has an emotional impact on the group (especially Rick and this begins his mental break down, which I have to say is one of the highlights of the series).

Now it is the character of Andrea worst adaptation of a comic character to film/television I have ever seen. Her story does not improve in this series at all; she is at Woodberry and becomes involved with the Governor while being conflicted about stay with him or going back to the old group and it was just utter rubbish. It takes her so damn long to make up her mind and a lot of unnecessary screen time but the good thing is this eventually leads to her death. That is right; she may be a major character in the comics but the TV writers messed her up so bad that they thought it would be better to get rid of her and I say good riddance.

Finally the return of Merle was also another highlight of this season, during the first one he might have been a one dimensional racist but he is a lot more developed now and one hell of a good character. Along with Daryl he is one of the best zombie killers in the series and his death and reanimation was just so well done. He tired to take out the Governor all by himself and he was just so badass in the episode and Norman Reedus gave a great performance when he had to put the zombie Merle down.

All in all this has got to be one of the best seasons of The Walking Dead let down slightly by the waste of good characters, some scenes in Woodberry involving Andrea that I did not like at all and the disappointing finale with the lacklustre attack on the prison by the people pf Woodberry. I have gone on longer than I thought with this review but with good reason because despite what I have mentioned above this season was damn good with adapting one of the best parts of the comics. I think this one was better than season one and season two.

SCORE: 8/10