First Impressions: ‘Fear the Walking Dead’

We watched the Fear the Walking Dead premiere last night and — truth be told — it was exactly what I thought it would be. Maybe even a little better considering the mixed reactions the show’s been getting.

For those complaining that there wasn’t enough “action,” I beg to differ. It was book-ended with your zombie attacks, with some filler thrown in to keep us “aware” (i.e. kids missing school; the traffic incident). But, really, the show isn’t about the apocalypse, it’s about the beginning of the end. It’s going to be a slow(er) burn — because it’s about the unraveling, the deconstruction of civilization. It’s not going to happen overnight — but considering that we know exactly where this is headed, we know it’s not going to be a pretty path.

 

Then again — maybe we don’t know where this is headed? For all we know, the west coast could be surviving a lot better (or worse, if there is such a thing) than the south/east coast. We know one very small segment of the population in this universe; so, it’s going to be interesting (I think … I hope) to see a different perspective, a different way of dealing.

Another notion we rarely (never?) see in a zombie post-apocalyptic setting: the actual destruction of society. How long is the process? What happens to the government? The President? When is trying to maintain order too much of a task and martial law/no law is declared? These are the things I am curious about — and I hope we get to see them on Fear the Walking Dead.

Of course, there are also some things I wouldn’t mind not seeing during this pre-apocalyptic time. If you think we see a lot of death on The Walking Dead, I can only imagine what the death toll will be like on FTWD.  It’s simple math, folks — there are a lot more warm bodies at the beginning of Armageddon than there are during its aftermath. And some of those casualties — ahem, the kids/babies — might be a bit too much too handle. (DISCLAIMER: Life changes when you have little ones.) What’s more — I never like thinking about families having to leave pets during an apocalypse. Yeah, I’ve thought about it — does that make me weird?!

Favorite Part: Nick (Frank Dillane, AKA Tom Riddle). Whether he’s wearing a weird open-faced, half-shirt cardigan, or some clothes he stole from a dying old man, Nick is manic and honest — even if he is a drug addict. He’s witnessed the zombie carnage (by the alleged patient zero), killed his dealer/friend, and then admitted to it. He’s all over the place — but in a good way. Let’s just hope he stays clean.

And, for the record, the show’s title still sucks.