This Sunday marks the return of “The Walking Dead” for its third season on AMC. Season two ended with the safe haven of the farm overrun with walkers, and our growing group of survivors back on the road.
The last few minutes of the finale offered us some insight into how the new season is going to proceed. First, they introduced the samurai sword wielding Michonne from the original comic book series. Michonne is first seen saving Andrea in the woods from a group of walkers. This hooded woman is also seen with a pair of armless jawless walkers in tow, which could only be explained by her being awesome. Second, they allude to another major plot point from the comic by panning out and showing a prison in the final seconds of the season.
Season one of “The Walking Dead,” while short, moved quickly and kept the viewer on the edge of their seat. Season two, while offering several memorable moments, suffered a bit from a sophomore slump. The pace was slow and repetitive. For season three however, the dynamic of the show seems to be headed for a change. With the introduction of the prison, a seemingly impenetrable fortress of safety, the walkers are no longer the main threat, the survivors are. This theme was introduced in the last several episodes of season two when Rick and Horace encounter another group of survivors who aren’t as kind and law abiding as Rick and the gang.
The Governor, another character familiar to those who read the comic series, will be introduced this season as the man in charge of the prison. Much like fellow zombie story 28 Days later did, the safety from the zombies means dealing with how the lawless survivors react to the new world. The Governor from the comic is ruthless and potentially more dangerous than the walkers. It will be interesting to see how this character, who is on IGN’s list of top 100 comic book villains is portrayed in the TV adaptation. (Spoiler Alert) The Governor will most likely fill the role as the moral foil to Rick, a position vacated by the death of Shane at the end of last season.
The dynamic change that is set up is a welcome one. With a new season, new problems, and new characters, “The Walking Dead” is in a position to be fresh and interesting again. While they were never in real danger of losing fans, another season of sitting around and complaining would make people think about changing the channel. However with all the new things introduced, I doubt the characters will have much time for sitting.
No comments:
Post a Comment