Editorials
[TV] 6 Things “The Walking Dead” Season Premiere Did RIGHT!
I have all of “The Walking Dead” trade paperbacks and I’ve been reading them for years. I was a fan before AMC ever announced they’d be adapting Robert Kirkman’s tale of the undead for the small screen. I say this because I’m one of the harshest critics of the ongoing series, now entering its third season. I’ve taken a lot of heat from you dear readers for holding the producers accountable, so much so that my partner in crime even slapped my hand. But the fact of the matter is, I expect way more from the cabler responsible for such classics as “Breaking Bad” and “Mad Men”.
“The Walking Dead” is the first major zombie series to hit TV, thus I understand where everyone is coming from. We want to be forgiving and give the show a pass. But as fans of horror you too should expect more. We’ve made it a record-breaking series, but it shouldn’t be rewarded for lazily limping by. They need to respect us and kick it up a notch. The ugly drama that went public last season was a sign that, whether you like it or not, there was something wrong with the show. And, as it turns out, AMC has worked diligently to fix it.
Last night AMC aired episode 03.01 “Seed“, the premiere episode that made me believe wholeheartedly that this is a new start. I am finally excited to see what comes each Sunday night. With that I want to reflect back on the season premiere and point out 6 things they did correctly that can take this show into a new era of awesome.
1: It opened with a bang! Guns were ablaze in the season premiere as the survivors slowly worked their way into a prison complex. When the bullets eventually wear thin, they use an arsenal of blades to stab the (un)living hell out of hundreds of walkers. There’s no shortage of blood and guts, and the FX team used plenty of practical effects that would make the great George A. Romero proud.
2: They quickly integrated character drama. The weirdest and most interesting moment was when Carol Peletier (Melissa McBride) made intense sexual advances towards Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus). It’ll be interesting to see where this goes. It was also extremely important to create conflict between Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies) and Rick (Andrew Lincoln), who have tension over Lori’s past relationship with the now dead Shane (Jon Bernthal), and for how last season ended (with Rick having to kill Shane). The most human moment was when Lori confided in Hershel Green (Scott Wilson) about her fears of having a stillborn baby (would it try and claw its way out? What if she dies during birth? Etc.)
3: Carl could be a badass! Without a shadow of a doubt, the biggest mistake made in the series thus far (besides the casting of Chandler Riggs as the character in question) was having having not having Carl kill Shane (those duties went to Rick in the show) at the end of Season 2. He’s one of the best characters in the book – a young boy who is forced to grow up at an exponential rate. Carl murders Shane in the comic, which turns him into a gun-wielding and unstable child. It’s one of the most brilliant characters in the franchise as it truly dives into what it would be like to “grow up” in this environment.
I’m not sure if it’s the poor casting of Riggs or not, but the show seems intent on taking the blame off Carl’s shoulders (maybe they feared the audience wouldn’t like to see a young boy shoot someone?). Last night the writers took Carl in a new direction by showing him shooting walkers alongside the survivors. And later on he was given the command to protect the women in the prison (look into this moment anyway you wish). The point is, the characters within the show are now treating him with more like an adult, which is the direction he needs to go for this to have any suspense. I was happy to see a taste of this, but they need to take this a step further. I just don’t know if his character can ever hit the depths that it should/could have if they had him actually kill Shane.
4: They gave Michonne (Danai Gurira) a lot of screen time. It was a great decision to save the introduction of The Governor (David Morrissey) for another episode and instead opt to spend time developing Michonne’s character (who was already teased at the end of Season 2). While she’s depicted as a hardened, tough woman (she slaughters zombies with no regard and keeps two as pets), they inject her with loyalty and ethics. By pairing her with a dying Andrea she’s depicted as more than a brutal killer, she’s someone the viewers will care for.
5: There’s finally some unique zombies and even more exciting kills. “The Walking Dead” often suffers from “gunfight syndrome” – meaning, watching a gunfight for an hour and a half gets boring. The same can be said about killing zombies. Shooting 100 zombies in the head isn’t fun unless there are UNIQUE zombies and HERO zombies. Season 3 injects some originality with their SWAT zombies, and kick it up a notch with a series of sweet kills (everything from be-headings to one zombie losing his skin and having his face sliced in half).
6: They finally ended with a cliffhanger! One of my biggest gripes with the previous seasons was that the episodes rarely ended by leaving something unresolved. Good television leaves the viewer begging for more. “Seed” ended incredibly strong and cut off before anything can be resolved. What’s scarier than a bunch of zombies? How about a group of surviving prisoners? I feel like this is the first time I’ve said aloud “Next week can’t come soon enough!”
What say you?
Editorials
‘The Vampire Lestat’ Concert Event Launches New Season With The Ultimate Expression Of Fandom
There are thousands of passionate fans decked out in gothic chic and champing at the bit like feral creatures. They’re screaming for Lestat, a legendary vampire-turned-rock star, as if the entire crowd has been glamored into submission.
The entire experience is magic, but not because some supernatural thrall has been activated. What’s going on is even more special. It’s the power of the effusive fandom that’s been authentically assembled by AMC’s sublime Immortal Universe, namely Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, now, The Vampire Lestat.
The Vampire Lestat is far from the first Anne Rice adaptation, and it’s not as if there’s been a lack of erotic vampire material for audiences to sink their teeth into. On June 2nd, during a one-night-only spectacle, New York City’s prestigious Beacon Theatre shook from Sam Reid’s bravado performance and an audience full of adoring fans who had already memorized Lestat’s songs.
It’s clear that The Vampire Lestat just hits differently than its predecessors. It’s become more than just a TV series at this point, and this opulent display of ego, swagger, and pure sex is the perfect way to premiere the new season and give back to the fans who helped make Interview with the Vampire/The Vampire Lestat such a breakout success. It’s exactly the sort of hyperbolized hedonism that would make Lestat cackle.
For all intents and purposes, AMC has successfully created the illusion that this concert/premiere is just one of the many destinations on Lestat and his band’s 54-stop tour that is simultaneously playing out on this season of television. It’s such a sophisticated and thorough level of interactive fan engagement that the audience doesn’t just understand, but also manages to accentuate through its involvement.
It’s a level of seamless synergy that’s not unlike the give-and-take relationship of vampire and victim.
Before the concert started, “LeStans” were sitting in the Beacon and flipping through a fake Rolling Stone issue with Lestat emblazoned on the cover, complete with interviews with the undead frontman inside. Other fans were admiring the vinyl pressing of Lestat’s EP as they walked past a section of undead band merch. Fandom and fantasy blur together, and it all becomes this elaborate, immersive experience. Fan celebration, erotic gothic fantasy, and a lavish rock concert transform into one beautiful thing.
To this point, AMC Global Media’s Chief Content Officer and President of AMC Studios, Dan McDermott, introduced the event by reiterating to fans, “You are the heartbeat of the series.” That’s abundantly clear on nights like this as that heartbeat collectively pulses to this performance. In terms of how AMC engages with The Vampire Lestat’s fans, it’s as bold a reinvention as the season itself.
This intuitive gamble speaks to AMC’s creativity in this department and a fandom that is eager to seize such opportunities. It’s the same innovation that led to zombie walks for The Walking Dead and real-life Los Pollos Hermanos restaurant pop-ups from Breaking Bad. It’s a great way to pump up the audience for The Vampire Lestat and then maintain that enthusiasm for the whole season.
For most series, a rock ‘n’ roll concert just doesn’t make any sense as a promotional tool. The Vampire Lestat finds itself in a very unique position where it can deliver an excellent concert at an iconic theater, but also use it to showcase The Vampire Lestat’s music by Daniel Hart (who was shredding on stage alongside Reid and the rest of their band) and, more than anything, Sam Reid’s endless charisma.
The way in which Reid feeds off of the crowd’s energy, modulating his performance and giving different sections of the Beacon life, is a perfect distillation of the series’ thoughtful relationship with its audience and how it’s become such a breakout success for AMC. AMC Studios President Dan McDermott emphasized that the fans are the reason that the show is still here and why an event like this is even possible. It’s rare to see a series in which every single cog in the machine is so perfectly attuned to its fans. Reid’s fans already cheer whenever they see him, so why not translate that to a concert setting?
It’s clear in this season of television that Reid was born to be a rock star, but it’s surreal to see him effortlessly command the stage — and the audience — at every step of the concert. He recites Shakespeare monologues and bitches out Armand between songs, all while the audience screams in support. For the duration of this concert, Reid is Lestat, and he’s given thousands of fans a memory that’s as immortal as any vampire.
Now bring on the encore and get this show on the road!
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