The Walking Dead
returns tomorrow night and we’re back with the first of our early
reviews for the new season. Like last season, I’ll make sure to keep
these reviews free of major spoilers, but obviously, don’t read this if
you haven’t been watching the trailers and have no idea what to expect.
Since it was first announced that
The Walking Dead was
coming to TV, fans of the comic book series have been excited at the
thought of seeing The Governor and prison stories coming to life.
Everything from the past two seasons has been leading up to this
storyline and
The Walking Dead Season 3 starts with one of the most impressive and ambitious season openings I’ve seen.
The story doesn’t pick up immediately after the events of the Season 2
finale and you’ll quickly realize that there are some changes in the
group. Most notably, Lori’s pregnancy is further along and Rick needs to
figure out where to have this baby. It doesn’t take long for them to
stumble across a prison that may be a perfect home if it wasn’t for all
of the walkers surrounding and inhabiting it.
When
The Walking Dead first aired, the pilot episode was a
big TV event that had a movie-quality feel to it. This was due to a
creative team that included Frank Darabont, Gale Anne Hurd, and Greg
Nicotero, who all had plenty of movie experience under their belts.
While I had no major issues with the first Season 2 episode, it didn’t
necessarily have that big event quality of the pilot. That’s certainly
not the case with the Season 3 premiere, which feels like it could have
been the first half of a
Walking Dead movie.
The cast and crew really stepped up their game with this premiere.
Not only are things moving at a considerably faster pace, but there are
easily more walker kills than in previous episodes. Greg Nicotero and
KNB EFX continue to impress with the walker effects, and horror fans
should enjoy seeing the addition of animatronic walkers to the mix. It
may feel like the episode is non-stop action, but there is also just
enough downtime to let us know what these characters have been going
through.
Like many, I was a huge fan of Shane in Season 2 and I have to say
that you aren’t really given a chance to miss him. Fans of the comic
series will be especially surprised by how quickly events transpire in
just the first episode. Similar to the past seasons, the story mirrors
many of the major events from comic book, but isn’t a direct adaptation.
You’ll notice that little changes have gone in to make up for the fact
that Dale, Sophia, and Otis died off much earlier in the TV series.
Also, fans of T-Dog and Maggie will be happy to learn that they have
really stepped it up in Shane’s absence, along with the rest of the
group.
The big focus of this episode is on Rick and the group of survivors
discovering the prison. Because of it, you’ll see very little of Andrea
and Michonne in this episode. Keep in mind, however, that there are
sixteen episodes this season and we’ll see plenty of them and many brand
new characters throughout the season.
It seems like this episode has also been designed as a great jumping on point for those who have never watched an episode of
The Walking Dead.
While you won’t be able to pick up on every little reference, you
certainly won’t be lost following along. Those who are not fans of the
show may not be won over by this episode, but I’d still suggest giving
it a try. The episode definitely fits in line with the previous seasons,
although it has a different pacing and feel to it that you may enjoy.
If you’ve been a fan of the TV series so far, I can’t see how you won’t be blown away by the opening of
The Walking Dead
Season 3. By the time it ends, you’ll be cursing your TV because you’ll
want to get into the next episode right away. Having seen the second
episode, I can tell you that it is just as impressive as the first. The
cast and crew have certainly raised the bar with the Season 3 opening
and I’m excited to see the world of
The Walking Dead expand and change over the entire 16-episode season
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