Fear the Walking Dead
Most people who know me know that I love a good scary movie, or book... or TV show. I was reading Stephen King when I was ten years old. And Dean Koontz, he was another favorite of mine. I watched The Exorcist every time it was on TV, no matter how late at night it was. And I slept with the TV on until I was in my 40's because having spent years in the "ghost hunting" racket I KNEW what was in the dark.
When The Walking Dead first premiered I was pretty excited. I love zombie movies. The idea of a weekly zombie soap opera just lit up my twisted little world. I popped popcorn and made a real event of the series premiere in our house, which included torturing my husband with it - he couldn't really care less about any of this foolishness. Over the course of five years I fell in love with the characters and bit my nails along with the rest of the fan world every time it looked like we might lose someone. Now, there were acceptable losses like Laurie and Andrea... I thought they just exhibited zero common sense throughout and so everything was both directly and indirectly THEIR FAULT. But I loved the show. For five years.
Fear the Walking Dead premiered and I was psyched to see what direction it would in since it was sort of a prequel, but more of a companion series and as a writer who is currently working on a companion series I loved the idea. I did not, however, love the characters. Without a sympathetic character (protagonist OR villain) to get behind I watched the show half-heartedly. But I watched. Most of the time. Well, some of the time.
Season six of TWD brought some changes I wasn't thrilled with but I kept watching, hoping for a turn-around. I've never really been a "shipper" and when Rick and Michone hooked up I was a little horrified. I don't mind a little UST in a show (unresolved sexual tension) but when it becomes a relationship I lose interest. The introduction of the Saviors and Negan was something I knew was coming from the spoilers on the 'net and the comic books. I wasn't looking forward to it but I knew it was coming. Sometimes the show follows the comic, and sometimes it doesn't so I still had hope that it was going to deviate.
Fear the Walking Dead wrapped up their season with a bloodbath. The thing that made the bloodbath unusual was that it was human versus human and frankly the whole theme in BOTH shows was becoming too much "man's inhumanity to man" for me. There's enough of that going on in the real world. I wanted the escapist entertainment that started both shows, not this. The character of Travis wasn't someone I liked to begin with, and seeing his unleashed violence on other humans, and then Madison's unconditional acceptance of it was just enough to make me turn the show off. For good.
TWD began their seventh season with a bloodbath. Man's inhumanity to Man again. It was over the top graphic and crossed lines I didn't want to cross. I turned it off and don't intend to watch any further episodes. For me, the show ended at some point last season.
An author I very much admire once wrote that "by beholding, we become". Is art imitating life or vice versa? When did we become so completely desensitized to the graphic violence and hatred?
When The Walking Dead first premiered I was pretty excited. I love zombie movies. The idea of a weekly zombie soap opera just lit up my twisted little world. I popped popcorn and made a real event of the series premiere in our house, which included torturing my husband with it - he couldn't really care less about any of this foolishness. Over the course of five years I fell in love with the characters and bit my nails along with the rest of the fan world every time it looked like we might lose someone. Now, there were acceptable losses like Laurie and Andrea... I thought they just exhibited zero common sense throughout and so everything was both directly and indirectly THEIR FAULT. But I loved the show. For five years.
Fear the Walking Dead premiered and I was psyched to see what direction it would in since it was sort of a prequel, but more of a companion series and as a writer who is currently working on a companion series I loved the idea. I did not, however, love the characters. Without a sympathetic character (protagonist OR villain) to get behind I watched the show half-heartedly. But I watched. Most of the time. Well, some of the time.
Season six of TWD brought some changes I wasn't thrilled with but I kept watching, hoping for a turn-around. I've never really been a "shipper" and when Rick and Michone hooked up I was a little horrified. I don't mind a little UST in a show (unresolved sexual tension) but when it becomes a relationship I lose interest. The introduction of the Saviors and Negan was something I knew was coming from the spoilers on the 'net and the comic books. I wasn't looking forward to it but I knew it was coming. Sometimes the show follows the comic, and sometimes it doesn't so I still had hope that it was going to deviate.
Fear the Walking Dead wrapped up their season with a bloodbath. The thing that made the bloodbath unusual was that it was human versus human and frankly the whole theme in BOTH shows was becoming too much "man's inhumanity to man" for me. There's enough of that going on in the real world. I wanted the escapist entertainment that started both shows, not this. The character of Travis wasn't someone I liked to begin with, and seeing his unleashed violence on other humans, and then Madison's unconditional acceptance of it was just enough to make me turn the show off. For good.
TWD began their seventh season with a bloodbath. Man's inhumanity to Man again. It was over the top graphic and crossed lines I didn't want to cross. I turned it off and don't intend to watch any further episodes. For me, the show ended at some point last season.
An author I very much admire once wrote that "by beholding, we become". Is art imitating life or vice versa? When did we become so completely desensitized to the graphic violence and hatred?
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