The Walking Dead - TV spoilers - NO BOOK SPOILERS

[joefixit2]

Originally Posted by Bullseye

For those who want to watch this in the UK and Ireland it's on FX and FXHD Friday night at 22.00. Looking forward to checking this out.

Is FX in the UK the same as FX here in the States?

[rilynil]

Only two details bothered me about the premiere. I'm interested to see if anyone else had similar thoughts as me.

Did it strike anyone else as being slightly offkey when the little zombie girl bothered to pick up and carry a teddy bear at the beginning of the episode? It's always seemed to me that in the "Walking Dead" comics that the zombies lose every bit of their humanity when they turn. Why would a zombie -- who is craving only flesh -- feel the need to pick up a teddy bear? Seems like a wrong note to me.

In similar fashion, does anyone know if there has ever been an example of a zombie in the "Walking Dead" comics who turns doornobs? I found it offkey when the black fellow's zombified wife wandered up to the front door and began turning the doornob. Sure, it's a creepy image, but I've never thought the "Walking Dead" zombies had enough brainpower to know how a door opens.

Thoughts?

[stormshadow75x]

Don't know much about the comics but it looks like the TV show maybe having their zombies keep some of their memories. It may also have to do with how recently they were infected.

I took it as the Zombie wife recognized the house & was trying to get back in.

[patrickwm68]

Neil in Romero's City of the Dead some of the zombies were acting out old memories, one was attempting to pump gas into a car after another zombie stepped on a cable ringing the bell at a service station. So there must be some residual memories left in them.

[Hellboy]

Having never read the comics from this series I think I can at least respond to part of your question Neil.

As far back as Romero's zombies it has been common for them to retain certain aspects of their personalities. As if there are parts of their humanity that don't go away when they turn into the walking dead. To quote Peter from the original Dawn of the Dead regarding the mall - "They're after the place. They don't know why, they just remember. Remember that they want to be in here." and to quote Francine and Stephen - "What are they doing? Why do they come here?" - "Some kind of instinct. Memory, of what they used to do. This was an important place in their lives."

So no I don't think the girl holding the bear or the wife turning the door nob was out of place at all. If anything it fits perfectly into the characteristics established by Romero who for better or for worse is the father of the zombie genre.

[joefixit2]

In regards to Neil's question, I think both of his examples show that for people who have died recently, they still carry some residual memories, which is why the girl would pick up her stuffed animal and the wife would go back to where she was before she died.

[joefixit2]

Originally Posted by Hellboy

Romero who for better or for worse is the father of the zombie genre.

definitely better

[Hellboy]

Originally Posted by joefixit2

definitely better

Overall I agree. Night and Dawn of the Dead are 2 of my all-time favorite horror films. Classic all the way, they set the standard for generations. To a lesser extent Day and Land were enjoyable too but Romero's recent additions, Diary and Survival, were not just bad, they were downright embarrassing. IMO he has completely lost the magic he possessed when he pioneered the genre.

[rilynil]

I'm well-aware of what Romero and others have done, but I'm referring to what's been done in the source material, "The Walking Dead" comic book series. I've read every issue of "The Walking Dead" at least twice, and I can't recall an instance of any remnant of the original person being exhibited in a zombie. Maybe I'm forgetting something, but in my memory, not even the Governor's daughter, whom he kept chained in his home, showed any signs of her former self. The zombies indicated no thoughts other than "Eat. Eat. Eat."

[rilynil]

Originally Posted by joefixit2

In regards to Neil's question, I think both of his examples show that for people who have died recently, they still carry some residual memories, which is why the girl would pick up her stuffed animal and the wife would go back to where she was before she died.

Yep, both the little girl and the fellow's wife look to have died very recently. It's just I would hate for much of a former person's mind to remain around very long after becoming zombiefied, because it just doesn't seem to jive with the reference material. The comic book is so good that I don't think the TV show should monkey around with it much. The idea of some kind of zombie leader eventually appearing just doesn't appeal to me.