@ ralph, some very good points made. Actually, I was quite curious as to what happened with Morgan. I too would like to see a short episode focused on him and his son. Looks like I'll have to start reading Walking Dead after finals.
I'm a fan of Star Trek and Stargate, however I will be honest, I'm not sure if I would like that formula for a story like Walking Dead. Take DS9, VOY and ENT for example. In VOY we know that they're trying to make their way home, and in ENT, they have story arcs like bringing the Klingon home etc. However episodes with independent plots kind of take away from the main story, and thus restrict the quantity and quality of emotional themes in them (IMO as well). For example, in VOY we know they're going home, but all these sub-plots don't convey the hardship and the emotional strain of being 75k light-years from home.. What I liked about DS9, is that for the Dominion War arc, they focus on the story, with no sub-plots per episode. That arc was essentially one big movie. The same goes with the Stargate Universe series. However with that said, both DS9 and SGU did not fair so well in terms of popularity, so it looks like the market of viewers do not enjoy this formula. But you're right, this is definitely a matter of preference.
Yes and no. Yes, in that you're certainly right about each particular show's plot; Next Gen being explorers, Voyager being lost, DS9 being the outpost, etc. However, they're all star fleet and talk the same language. This is what trekkies hungered for. Or else they would have all jumped ship when Star Wars came out. Kind of how people get roped into a game like Star Craft; the mechanics are the same even as the mod may be different. No, I think that people who already buy into Rick Grimes et al would find it just as addictive if there were other crews surviving out there. Moreover, there is a thing about audience psychology, where if you put them "in the know" or let them have possession of knowledge that characters in the show don't have, that gives such audiences a huge sense of empowerment. This endears them to the series by giving them an emotional feeling of superiority. An example of this is to have the crew from Next Generation ST finding or receipt of a broken partial message from ST Voyager, misinterpreting its contents; but where the viewer (if he had been following the Voyager series), already knows what the real and correct message should have been. This adds a powerful poignancy that endears watchers and adds undeniable connections between shows, even if the characters never actually interact. Franchises are what creates television series empires. There are legions of trek fans, but they pale in comparison to the suspected number of zombie fans. Hence, IMHO there is easily a lot of potential for expansion of the Walkerverse. Or, let's take what you stated and put it in reverse. Example, one likes ST-TNG but not DS9. The flip side of that is, there are plenty that loved DS9 but were lukewarm with ST-TNG. In other words, I'm sure that some people out there don't feel as passionate towards Rick's story may warm up to tales from other survivors and what happened to them. Again, these may not have to be full series, but a rather a series of supporting short stories along the way. Frankly, after the big mid season finale, I would liked to have seen what actually happened to Sophia... Spoiler: How she ...got turned and how she wound up in the barn. One episode can show that, ending with the sounds of gunfire and then her walking towards the open door of the barn. Of course, we all know what is about to happen, but it would add tremendous drama, and further burnish the main storyline and plot.
Oh wait, if by that definition, then I agree with you.. What I understood it was something like.. Oh one episode ST VOY encounters the Borg, and the following episode they encounter the Hirogen.. The Borg and the Hirogen episodes have nothing to do with each other, and one who missed the Borg episode can still watch the Hirogen episode without having lost anything in the overall story of them getting home. However, if it followed your definition, it would be nice if they tied up the Borg story to the Hirogen story, like show how the Hirogen handled the Borg etc. What I understood it was like House. There's a new disease in each episode, and each episode can be independent from another. What I would prefer was that the sub-plots were related to the overall main story.
I don't think they saw the episode. Cause if they did, definitely wouldn't have said the above. I really hope the show gets better from here. It would be such a waste for the show to just sizzle and go back to being how it was before the midseason finale.
Well, it was certainly a fitting coda to that chapter. In terms of creative plot device (like what happened with the finale at the CDC), it signals that they're about to move on. It was certainly sad, but IMHO, a great way to deliver powerful poignancy while taking care of a logistical problem within the plot time frame in one masterful stroke.
Spoiler: Episode 8 Did not expect Rick to kill those two that fast. Absolutely loved that scene. Getting kind of sick of his passive nature. Between this and shooting Sophia, I'd say it's safe to say Rick is kicking things up.
Spoiler: Personally... I thought Rick was going to shoot Loudmouth, and Glen would have had the street smart sense by now, to back him up and immediately cap Lunch Bucket. Instead, Glen stood there like a lame dumbass, LOL... Also, as much as people say that Shane is a lunatic and loose cannon; the man's got a point (best sound bite? He tells Rick, "You're just as delusional as him"). He also has a wonderful knack for cutting to the chase and understanding the tactical situation in a clarity that is beyond anyone else of their group. IMHO, if we were fighting a war, he should be the general. Rick? He would be a Chaplain, or some other officer, but certainly not anyone I would want as a first choice in a combat leadership role. As a total sidebar, this is exactly why combat veterans have such hard times assimilating back into society; the skill set that allowed them to survive wars generally don't overlay well back into civilian society. These guys (and gals too, now) are pretty remorseless and generally self serving assholes. They shoot first and don't worry about the collaterals; their sole rational and purpose being survival. In a nutshell, this is pretty much Shane. Also, I couldn't understand why Rick would let himself get caught in a crossfire between Loudmouth and Lunch Bucket. When the first moved to jump over the bar, Rick should have seen what was coming and moved to cover. In essence, he's not even a very good cop anymore. Instead, he stood there like a deer in headlights, trying to "talk" the situation when it was already long apparent that these were armed bad guys that needed to be neutralized. In a real tactical situation, the probability in my mind is that he would have died. Also, I love the subliminal Don't Text & Drive message near the end with Rick's wife flipping the car, LOL... Granted, she wasn't 'texting' per se, but nonetheless distracted. Note to self: in an Apocalypse, remember to bring the GPS.
second that, it's indeed the best ep for this season, let's hope that the next one is from the same quality or even better.
I think this latest ep is Spoiler: setting up ...for a final confrontation between Rick and Shane. Remember, in the comic series, Shane is killed and I think that in this series, it would have to be the same. There's only so much that you can wind this plot tension, so it's going to have to give at some point. LOL at Hirshel when his daughter blew right past him and into the arms of Glen. As far as eps were concerned, this one was only fair; nothing too spectacular, but lots of background plot stuff to prep for something big.
