It’s pretty unlikely you haven’t heard of the new zombie extravaganza that’s hitting the tubes… But none the less, if you’re unaware, The Walking Dead is AMC’s newest TV show that is based on the graphic novel series created by Robert Kirkman.

Over the top Handgun? Check.

It had a lot of hype behind it, being shown at Comic-con and receiving lots of buzz on the Internet. On top of that, it’s already been renewed for a 2nd season; two episodes into its broadcast. The basic gist is it’s a human drama that focuses on the interactions between people and how characters would react to a Zombie Apocalypse, while attempting to straddle realism and approach it in a serious fashion while the characters deal with something obviously unbelievable – a zombie invasion. They like to call them Walkers, but we all know what they are.

The first episode seriously smacks you in the face and doesn’t screw around, sitting at over an hour – it’s nearly a mini-movie filled with nervous excitement. The depth of the vileness to the zombies becomes apparent very shortly and you’ll realize that although some of them may get a little speed behind their strut, they are mostly classic zombies and not super-fast, adrenaline-pumped zombies that some of today’s new zombie movies have. That isn’t to say they can’t easily take you down, but it certainly is a step away from the super-zombies that have filled many of the new non-Romero zombie movies to greet the scene these days.

That aside, the characters are very well-fleshed, well-acted, and damn – you care about them… Whether you care about them in the sense you want them dead, you’re pissed at them, or you sympathize… The fact that the show can pull you in at all with such a over-the-top premise (when you boil it down), is commendable.

The action is also top-par. After meeting characters, getting some development, you’re driven straight into action. As you’re watching, the importance of the action soon becomes apparent that it is not the event – but the repercussions of the events that will matter, and you will find yourself in these moments of reflection quite frequently as the story unfolds in the Walking Dead, because it seems that the choices the characters make really do matter and truly do have repercussions, rather then being baseless character decisions that have no long term effects.

"Just one little kiss, it can't hurt."

The zombies also look AWESOME. They look horrifying, they’re falling apart, they’re scary, they pop out of no where, and when there’s a bunch of them – you share the characters urge to soil themselves. It’s important that your zombies don’t look like non-scary garbage when they are the main antagonist of the story, aside from the characters themselves. Whether they’re putrid, come in groups, make disgusting noises, or eating anything that’s fresh, they’re the walking embodiment of scary zombies. Also, I don’t say they’ll eat anything with a grain of salt. You’ll learn this the hard way.

We came into this weeks new episode with the conclusion of an epic cliff-hanger at the end of the first lengthy episode. I was worried, wondering, and hoping that the next episode would live up to the expectations created by the first, and it did not disappoint. With more fast past scenarios as we see our would-be walking salad bars attempt to diffuse a zombie-intense situation. We’re introduced to more characters both likable and scum buckets, and we’re left salivating for more.

I don’t want to get into specific details, but the show is superb. There’s already plenty of build-up in the drama and you forget that there’s just so much more for these characters to discover as they stumble across this hell of a landscape.

On a final note on characters, our main protagonist, is awesome. Andrew Lincoln plays Rick Grimes, our local zombie land Sheriff. He has a lot of emotion in his face and can push a lot, and you’re still just not sure what he’s capable of. I also hope to see Lenni James come back,  (Snatch, Jericho) as the guy has a lot of diversity and talent with added hilarity skills, so it’s welcome to see the possibility of his return later. Now keep in mind, I have not read the graphic novels at length.

With that being said, without needing knowledge of the graphic novels, this show is top quality. It has the signs of awesome character development, with an added bonus of characters that seem pretty interesting. Great music, production value, and obviously – the zombies. They are fantastic. If you’ve been avoiding Walking Dead due to the zombie craze, now is your chance to check it out – because it’s definitely worth it.

You can watch the entire first episode of the Walking Dead online, so aside from time – you really have no excuse to miss this baby. Check it out here.

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