Worst. Introduction. Ever.
What happened to you, The Walking Dead? You used to be cool.
I never really had any serious issues when I watched the first five seasons of the show on AMC. It had that perfect mix of zombie killing and emotional weight that hit the spot on a Sunday evening. With the recent finale, my thoughts have changed almost in a heartbeat. As it turns out, the introduction of one of the most famous villains in the story encapsulated every single thing that is wrong with this show. Namely, this was the first season where the writers must have beaten themselves over the head with a crowbar before they wrote themselves into a corner. Here are a few reasons why.
1. In Order For The Plot To Go Forward, The Characters Have To Be Idiots.
I saw that one coming…
This is perhaps the most apparent with the death of Denise because it led to this mess of a show, but it is a critical factor throughout the entire season. To serve as a lesson, I want to introduce to you two forms of writing. The first is the type of writing that naturally introduces new themes and explores the logic of the characters. The second can be encapsulated by saying, “Well, because plot!”
When I write my stories, I like to think of the logic of the world that I am set in. In a place like Alexandria, they are obviously surrounded on all sides by the dead, other survivors, and possible enemies. Therefore, what are the three basic things that they would need to survive above all else in their environment? Food, medical staffing, and the ability to manufacture defensive armaments.
What follows on from that? Well, one thing is that you don’t let your only doctor go out on a mission with no combat training! She should be spending time in Alexandria training the defense forces in all kinds of medical know-how. If she had been, Rick, Maggie, and the gang would not be in the predicament that we saw in the finale!
2. Great Job Throwing Away Your Character Development.
Are you not sure how to write this character? Try using a pistol!
In this case, I am going to use the character of Morgan as an example. Much of the season has been spent trying to show his emotional journey as a man who tries to be peaceful and protect all life. He even shows it by trying to save one of the Wolves that inevitably dies protecting someone else. Now, in keeping with his heroic journey, we should naturally expect him to uphold his code of honor in the finale, right?
Naturally, he caps off his journey this season by shooting a guy that we don’t really know… only to be met by some other guys that we don’t really know. And don’t give me the “you have to read the comics to get it” excuse. A common rule in storytelling is that you shouldn’t have to rely on other media (aside from previous installments) in order to understand what is going on. If you do, the movie/show/book/etc. has failed.
And what about Carol? She acts like a consistent, cookie-making, baddie-shooting heroine… only to lapse into something resembling PTSD for absolutely no reason whatsoever and then leaving?
Or better yet, what about Rick and Michonne? Now, I may not be some powerhouse with the ladies, but I think I can understand that you actually need to flirt with a girl and have her reciprocate before a romantic relationship happens. Where did that even come from other than “because the comics said so” town?
3. We Are In For It Now!
Hey, this is nothing. Imagine if he suggested marriage and a kid to her out of nowhere later on… oh, wait.
Is Negan supposed to be scary or unintentionally funny? I had a hard time telling when he was finally introduced because it destroys the tone and tension of a story that was already being screwed with. I get that he is a tyrant and the head of the Saviors, but it really makes him sound kind of odd when he talks about how everyone is going to be pee peeing in their pants before too long.
And by the way, how did the Alexandria Safe Zone not know that these people were out here on, say, one of their scouting runs? If Negan has that many people in such close proximity to the home base of the main cast, then they have very strong organization and they would have learned about everyone else much sooner.
But that just sums up The Walking Dead in a nutshell, doesn’t it? Nothing at all is ever earned.
4. You’re Not Fooling Anyone With That Death.
I hate to say it, but Andrew Lincoln is officially too good for this show.
The problem with death in The Walking Dead is that it is often pointless and brutal for the sake of being pointless and brutal. While that is okay in some instances, you know that you have a problem if you can witness someone “taking it like a champ” and not feel a damn thing. This isn’t a show like Strike Back where every main cast death was earned, final, and demonstrated their willingness to fight to their last breath. This is the type of show that relies on cheap gimmicks like having Glenn stuck under another body, even though the zombies probably would have gotten to him next.
You know what I would have done? I would have shown the death. It may have angered some of the fans by eliminating someone’s favorite character, but it would have at least granted some kind of emotional payoff that would allow us to see Negan as the enemy. Instead, I can predict a one word response when the show returns in October.
Really?!
Conclusion.
Seriously, they would have eaten Glenn.
It is clear that The Walking Dead is in need of some creative CPR, even though the ratings are still going strong. This is a show that demonstrates what it means to be human in nearly hopeless situations, and it deserves to be reinvigorated by someone that understands one word.
Don’t.
And what I mean by that is this. You don’t need to resort to cheap gimmicks. You don’t need to make your heroes stupid so that the villains can get the upper hand on everyone. You don’t need to reset everything back to square one in order to get a story going.
DO give your audience a thrill ride that they can talk about for ages to come.
But that’s just my two cents. Let me know what you think.
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