- The Walking Dead S01E01: Days Gone Bye
- The Walking Dead s01e02: Guts
- The Walking Dead s01e03: Tell It to the Frogs
- The Walking Dead S01E04: Vatos
- The Walking Dead s01e05: Wildfire
- The Walking Dead s01e06: TS-19
- The Walking Dead s02e01: What Lies Ahead
- The Walking Dead s02e02: Bloodletting
- The Walking Dead s02e03: Save the Last One
- The Walking Dead s02e04: Cherokee Rose
- The Walking Dead s02e05: Chupacabra
- The Walking Dead s02e06: Secrets
- The Walking Dead s02e07: Pretty Much Dead Already
- The Walking Dead s02e08: Nebraska
- The Walking Dead s02e09: Triggerfinger
- The Walking Dead s02e10: 18 Miles Out
- The Walking Dead s02e11: Judge, Jury, Executioner
- The Walking Dead s02e12: Better Angels
- The Walking Dead s02e13: Beside the Dying Fire
- The Walking Dead s03e01: Seed
- The Walking Dead s03e02: Sick
- The Walking Dead s03e03: Walk With Me
- The Walking Dead s03e04: Killer Within
- The Walking Dead s03e05: Say the Word
- The Walking Dead s03e06: Hounded
- The Walking Dead s03e07: When the Dead Come Knocking
- The Walking Dead s03e08: Made to Suffer
- The Walking Dead s03e09: The Suicide King
- The Walking Dead s03e10: Home
- The Walking Dead s03e11: I Ain’t a Judas
- The Walking Dead s03e12: Clear
- The Walking Dead s03e13: Arrow on the Doorpost
- The Walking Dead s03e14: Prey
- The Walking Dead s03e15: This Sorrowful Life
- The Walking Dead s03e16: Welcome to the Tombs
- The Walking Dead S04E01: 30 Days without an Accident
- The Walking Dead: Season Four
- The Walking Dead: Season Five
A review by C J Dee
After being gunned down in the line of duty, Deputy Rick Grimes (Lincoln) awakens in a deserted hospital. Grimes stumbles around the empty hallways until reaching a door scrawled with “DON’T OPEN DEAD INSIDE”. Once he has escaped the hospital and its corpse-filled car park, Grimes makes his way home to find his wife Lori (Callies) and son Carl (Riggs) are missing.
While coming to terms with the gravity of his current situation, Grimes encounters Morgan and Duane Jones (James and Turner respectively). Morgan and Duane bring Grimes up to speed with the current situation: people are dying and sometimes they get back up again. Zombies. The Joneses inform Grimes that Atlanta was deemed a safe haven and that he is most likely to find his family there.
Based on this information Grimes gathers supplies and heads alone to Atlanta while radioing intermittently on the emergency broadcast station. Viewers discover that Grimes has been heard by a group of survivors including his wife, son and partner (Bernthal). However, they cannot transmit to Grimes or warn him of the horrors that await in Atlanta.
Grimes runs out of gas so rides a horse into the city of Atlanta only to find himself surrounded by zombies. The episode ends with Grimes ensconced in a military tank from the walkers while a voice speaks to him directly over the tank’s radio.
This is how you make a first episode.
In 67 minutes we get a clear and concise overview of the (I assume) main character, his life, and the events with which the world is currently dealing.
There was no part of this episode where I thought it was silly or unnecessary. Everything added something to the narrative, the character development and the process of showing the viewer who these people are.
Zombie perfection
The zombies in The Walking Dead are perfect. They look great, they sound fantastic, and they have the slow, shuffling walk of classic zombie lore. I just can’t get behind a zombie lore that expects me to believe that these decaying beings can run faster than an Olympic sprinter.
All in all The Walking Dead has started with a bang in ‘Days Gone Bye’. I look forward to continuing with this series.
“Hey you. Dumbass. Yeah, you in the tank. Cozy in there?”
Director: Frank Darabont
Writer: Frank Darabont
Starring: Andrew Lincoln, Lennie James, Adrian Kali Turner, Jon Bernthal, Sarah Wayne Callies, Chandler Riggs
Other notable appearances: Jeffrey DeMunn
Running time: 67 minutes
Rating: ★★★★★ 5/5
