Now that we are four seasons into THE WALKING DEAD, one can look back at DAYS GONE BYE and truly appreciate what a stunning achievement it was and how AMC raised the bar on mature entertainment in prime time. Everyone was impressed with the zombie makeup-those walking corpses were as good as anything seen in the movies. And the special effects were outstanding-try not to wince when that poor horse is disemboweled and devoured on the streets of Atlanta. There was high praise for the way director Frank Darabont paced the story and set a most ominous mood right from the start, making us truly believe this was a world where death could come shambling out of the shadows at any moment.
But we can now look back and grasp just how well the characters were delineated and the story laid out in a way that set the stage for much of what was to come. The opening scene where Rick Grimes encounters the little girl in slippers plunges us right into the apocalypse with no warning or exposition: we learn that something bad has happened, so bad that people fled their homes and camped at a gas station waiting for a tanker truck that never came. Now there are corpses everywhere, some of which get up, walk around and attack the living. A bullet through the head, even a child's, is the only solution. A flashback to before the apocalypse reveals Rick and his fellow officer, and best friend, Shane, going about their business before the world went to hell. It's quickly established that these men have been friends for a long time, there is tension in Rick's marriage, and that they know how to handle themselves in a tough situation. If only they knew how tough things were about to get.
A shootout leaves Rick in a coma, one from which he does not awaken until after the zombies have ravaged the world. It's telling that the one memory he holds onto is of a visit from Shane, bearing flowers, and not one from his wife, Lorrie, or his son, Carl. It's this memory that finally shakes Rick back to consciousness and the dead flowers in the vase hint at how much time has passed. We are not shown how civilization ended, but the rows of body bags, burned out buildings, abandoned military equipment, the chained door with the Dead Inside warning are all images that let the viewer write the story for themselves.
Rick is saved from a Walker by Morgan and his son Duane (named for an actor in the original NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD) and learns the hard facts of the new reality, but is determined to go find Lorrie and Carl, who may have fled to a refugee camp in Atlanta. Rick hits the road, but Morgan won't join him because he can't let go of his old life by putting a bullet in the head of his zombie wife. There is no sanctuary to be found in Atlanta, only a herd of ravenous Walkers and the episode ends on a perfect cliffhanger. Before that, it is revealed that Lorrie and Carl are safe, so is Shane, who has gotten very close to Rick's wife in his absence. We also briefly meet future regulars Dale and Glenn.
By the end of the episode, many plot threads have been put in motion: How much Rick loves his family; How much Shane desires Lorrie; How much she desires Shane (and why her character will be hated so much by fans in the future); How deadly are these Walkers in a group; How Rick might be a good guy, but he doesn't always make the best decisions; How Shane might be a hard head, but a better leader than Rick.
Right from the start, the acting was exceptional and huge reason why the show was a success; all of the performers-Andrew Lincoln, Jon Bernthal, Sarah Wayne Callies, Lennie James, Chandler Riggs, Jeffrey DeMunn-never once overact or camp it up in a way that would have ruined the mood. They really make these people real and make us care what happens to them; which makes much of what happens later so shattering for us fans.
With the exception of LOST, no show in TV history ever got off the mark so well as THE WALKING DEAD. Of course they had Robert Kirkman's comic as a source material, but a good book doesn't always translate. Thank God they got this one right.
But we can now look back and grasp just how well the characters were delineated and the story laid out in a way that set the stage for much of what was to come. The opening scene where Rick Grimes encounters the little girl in slippers plunges us right into the apocalypse with no warning or exposition: we learn that something bad has happened, so bad that people fled their homes and camped at a gas station waiting for a tanker truck that never came. Now there are corpses everywhere, some of which get up, walk around and attack the living. A bullet through the head, even a child's, is the only solution. A flashback to before the apocalypse reveals Rick and his fellow officer, and best friend, Shane, going about their business before the world went to hell. It's quickly established that these men have been friends for a long time, there is tension in Rick's marriage, and that they know how to handle themselves in a tough situation. If only they knew how tough things were about to get.
A shootout leaves Rick in a coma, one from which he does not awaken until after the zombies have ravaged the world. It's telling that the one memory he holds onto is of a visit from Shane, bearing flowers, and not one from his wife, Lorrie, or his son, Carl. It's this memory that finally shakes Rick back to consciousness and the dead flowers in the vase hint at how much time has passed. We are not shown how civilization ended, but the rows of body bags, burned out buildings, abandoned military equipment, the chained door with the Dead Inside warning are all images that let the viewer write the story for themselves.
Rick is saved from a Walker by Morgan and his son Duane (named for an actor in the original NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD) and learns the hard facts of the new reality, but is determined to go find Lorrie and Carl, who may have fled to a refugee camp in Atlanta. Rick hits the road, but Morgan won't join him because he can't let go of his old life by putting a bullet in the head of his zombie wife. There is no sanctuary to be found in Atlanta, only a herd of ravenous Walkers and the episode ends on a perfect cliffhanger. Before that, it is revealed that Lorrie and Carl are safe, so is Shane, who has gotten very close to Rick's wife in his absence. We also briefly meet future regulars Dale and Glenn.
By the end of the episode, many plot threads have been put in motion: How much Rick loves his family; How much Shane desires Lorrie; How much she desires Shane (and why her character will be hated so much by fans in the future); How deadly are these Walkers in a group; How Rick might be a good guy, but he doesn't always make the best decisions; How Shane might be a hard head, but a better leader than Rick.
Right from the start, the acting was exceptional and huge reason why the show was a success; all of the performers-Andrew Lincoln, Jon Bernthal, Sarah Wayne Callies, Lennie James, Chandler Riggs, Jeffrey DeMunn-never once overact or camp it up in a way that would have ruined the mood. They really make these people real and make us care what happens to them; which makes much of what happens later so shattering for us fans.
With the exception of LOST, no show in TV history ever got off the mark so well as THE WALKING DEAD. Of course they had Robert Kirkman's comic as a source material, but a good book doesn't always translate. Thank God they got this one right.