We are just a couple of days away from the season 7 premiere of The Walking Dead, but it doesn’t seem to be any light at the end of this tunnel. AMC has requested the production of season 8 for next year.
Who doesn’t love zombies? These lovely tenacious clumsy flesh-eating creatures that will stop at nothing before they can grab a big bite out of you. I do, as much as the next guy, but I believe that it is our duty (as living humans) to put them out of their misery, as they can be entertaining for so long. It’s not their fault to become boring and predictable; they don’t possess a dynamic nature per se, they’re just hungry and they didn’t choose to turn into a zombie.
I remember when the first season started (mostly because the first episode aired on my birthday) and there were only eight episodes. I followed it religiously on TV; I watched every single episode on the days it aired. And when it ended, I wished for a second season. Be careful what you wish for, right? Well, seven years later and the joke’s on me, what a zombie galore this has been: fighting these damn walkers, in a post-apocalyptic America where the remaining humans are even more dangerous than the undead.
The surprises and twists that were jaw-dropping in the first four seasons, became forced and necessary after that point on, in order to keep the audience interested. Now it’s crowded with disposable characters. We all know that eventually we are going to meet a new threatening group of survivors, some will become allies, some traitors or enemies, and most of them will just end up as zombie meals.
The remaining original characters have become like family to us and we still fondly remember some of the fallen ones. They all have evolved or involved, depending on each one’s perspective. My personal favourite is Carol, who went from a submissive domestic violence victim, to a pragmatic clever badass zombie/or else exterminator for the greater good (according to her). My least favourite (and it hurts me to say this) is Rick, who has become a shell of himself. He doesn’t look like a leader anymore; he’s turned into an unstable ticking bomb that refuses to shower or wear clean clothes, and is always frowning giving us weird looks. We get it; you’ve been through a lot, but look around, dude!
Don’t get me wrong, I’m still going to watch this, I made a commitment and I’m too involved just to let it go (yes, they have won this battle). And although I must admit it’s still entertaining, I wish there were some motives other than staying alive, some purpose, a direction; not just this survival mode they have comfortably stayed in. What about looking for a cure? Or a far away island where they can start over and live the rest of their days in peace.
“All good (and bad) things must come to an end” but The Walking Dead refuses to do so. The story, the characters and the audience deserve respect; ratings and dollars shouldn’t be all that matters. I hope this new season is different, that it puts us on the path for a real conclusion, a worthy finale; nothing lazy and unrelated like some asteroid wipe out or a collective suicide.
What I’m sure of is: I don’t want more dragging on the same; I don’t want the show turning into a zombie itself, and have no option but to put a knife through its head.
