I'm not a fan of
The Walking Dead myself, but then, I'm not much
of a TV viewer, period. But my husband watches the series, so I looked
in on a few episodes when it began, partly because of the Georgia
locations, and partly because I had read that it was supposed to be a
thought provoking look at how people handle a Götterdämmerung.
But even in the beginning, the carnage overshadowed the psychological
elements. I've seen a handful of episodes since then, usually when hubs
is watching off-season repeats, but I'm still no fan.
The premier for Season 7 that aired on October 23, was sadistic and
sickening, with no redeeming qualities whatever that I could see, and
for me that description now fits the whole series. I won't be watching
it anymore.
I actually think a story about how a people, a culture, handles the
collapse of their civilization would make a great TV series or
theatrical film, if it was realistic (i.e., not due to a zombie
apocalypse). In fact, I think how our Southern ancestors handled the
oppression of their region, its economy and culture, for several decades
after the civil war, would be fascinating -- although likely not in the
hands of leftist Hollywood haters.
A series about surviving civilizational collapse, whether fictional or
historical, could be still be thought-provoking, even compelling. The
collapse of civilization has occurred numerous times in various parts of
the world throughout history, and such catastrophes have already
inspired cinematic and television dramas. The reality of societal
cataclysm is beginning now in Europe and it's in full swing in Syria --
and some of the atrocities occurring in Syria would make the latest
episode of
The Walking Dead look like a kid's Halloween special by comparison.
But regardless of how much worse reality can be, last weekend's sadistic
television make-believe was over-the-top. The reaction by some viewers
that I've seen online echo my thoughts. The series is no longer
character driven; it is driven by shock value. One viewer commented that
the episode was "snuff porn." Skimming comment threads about the
premier and the series itself, I saw many declarations that AMC and the
producers had crossed the line, and the viewer would not follow the
series anymore.
Reportedly, the Season 7 premier was the second highest-rated episode of
the series, so presumably next week's ratings will give an indication
of just how sick this sick episode made viewers and fans.