The Walking Dead is AMC's greatest ratings succes by far and one of the biggest in cable, often beating the offerings on the broadcast networks. But is everything about the series working or are there still areas that need fine-tuning? In the wake of losing regular cast members Sarah Wayne Callies (Lori) and IronE Singleton (T-Dog) in last Sunday's gut-wrenching episode, how will their deaths impact the other characters and the show?
AfterElton gathered together a group of top TV critics to get their two cents on The Walking Dead. Included in this roundtable: Maureen Ryan(Television Critic, Huffington Post), Rob Moynihan (LA Correspondant, TV Guide Magazine), Reg Seeton (Editor-in-Chief, The Deadbolt.com) Trish Bendix(Managing Editor, AfterEllen.com) and our own Jim Halterman.
Overall, how do you think Season 3 is going compared to past seasons? Best season ever... or not living up to its potential?
Rob Moynihan: I think [the writers have] finally found a terrific balance of telling deep emotional stories while at the same time just obliterating zombies left and right. And if this is even possible, the show continues to get grosser and scarier with each week. Season 3 is a huge step up and I think the ratings reflect that. It's doing something that's connecting with an audience that might not necessarily have tuned in to a zombie show before.
Maureen Ryan: So far it's the best season, in my opinion, though we'll have to wait until the season is over to fully judge its quality. To me, the show is definitely starting to live up to its potential…the characters are smarter, less annoying and each episode has a lot of good payoffs and surprises, so I'm happy with it so far. The whole show seems energized, and it appears to have gone to the next level so far -- let's hope it stays there.
Trish Bendix: I think it's progressing similarly, with some new life breathed into it from the change of setting. After last week's episode, it has the potential to start getting better than ever, with Rick starting to break down.
I hope Woodbury has a shrink for poor Carl (Chandler Riggs, with Sarah Wayne Callies)
The death of Lori is obviously a big deal, but she had her share of haters. Do you think the show will be better without her or will we miss her?
Maureen Ryan: It makes me sad that Lori had her share of haters, because it didn't have to be that way. Don't get me wrong, by the end of Season 2 I wanted every zombie in the state to devour her, but she could have been a reasonably interesting mother and wife -- but any development along those lines just stopped happening mid-way through Season 1 (please don't start me on the Shane-Rick-Lori love triangle. Shudder). I don't think The Walking Dead is ever going to have the kind of deep psychological development Homeland and Mad Men have, but that's fine -- I'll just take moderately complex humans that are either compelling or sympathetic, but often, Lori was neither.
Reg Seeton: That's a tough one. I'm not sold that the show will be better off without Lori. After two and a half seasons of backstory, who (or what) could possibly replace that type of conflict and tension in Rick's life? At this point, it looks like the show has lost more than it can possibly gain.
Jim Halterman: I’ve always been a fan of killing off characters, especially major ones because when it’s done right, the event propels lots of conflict and story for everyone. I didn’t hate Lori, but I don’t think I’ll miss her much either, and her death gives a hell of a lot for Carl and Rick in the coming episodes.
Young Carl (Chandler Riggs) is obviously going to need some major therapy after what he's been through. Do you predict he and Rick will get closer or drift further apart?
Rob Moynihan: I think Rick and Carl will react to Lori's death in opposite ways. Rick's entire drive throughout the series has been to keep his group safe, and he's lost the most important person in his life because of a mistake he made with a former prisoner. This will completely break Rick, who will isolate himself from the group and not be able to handle any form of leadership role. As for Carl, that poor kid already shot zombie Shane and his mother, so the future looks bleak for him. Lori's last words to Carl were "you can beat this world," but I think he's just been damaged beyond repair. He's now a soldier, and with Rick down, it's up to him and the others to step it up in the continued fight for survival.
Reg Seeton: Although Carl certainly became a man last week by putting his mom out of her misery, he's still a kid. I could be wrong but it's doubtful he'll truly understand what happened between his parents until he's older (if he makes it past tomorrow). His inner tornado of anger, sadness, and fear needs to touch down somewhere, on someone. Who's the closest person? Rick, of course. I'm leaning toward rough days ahead for Carl and his father. Then again, you could look at it this way: did Carl shoot his mother because of what she did? Maybe he and his dad will be on the same page. Hey, I'm just stirring the pot of possibilities.
Trish Bendix: I'm not sure. I feel like Rick will be going through some things that are more about his relationship with Lori than his relationship with Carl. I don't feel the show has given me any real reason to care about Carl other than Lori and Rick love him, and that's not enough for me. He's just unlikable.
If you're gonna go out on The Walking Dead, go out BIG, right T-Dog?
Did anyone really care about T-Dog (IronE Singleton) sacrificing himself to the zombies?
Rob Moynihan: Poor T-Dog, overshadowed even in death! I just loved the way he went out. He was a hero through and through, a warrior and used his life to save (maybe?) another. RIP T-Dog!
Maureen Ryan: I'll give you five dollars if you find anyone who answers "yes" to this. I'm glad the actor got a reasonably decent send-off, but his final episode just highlighted the fact that the show did absolutely nothing with him for two and a half seasons. I know this is a program that willingly embraces a lot of genre tropes, but the old "minority character who dies via noble sacrifice" is not one I think needs to be reinforced much at this stage.
Reg Seeton: Who? No, just kidding. How can you not care about a guy who sacrifices his life for a woman? But with the two remaining prisoners among the group, it looks like T-Dog was expendable to make room for new faces.
The brother reunion of Merle (Michael Rooker) and Daryl (Norman Reedus) is bound to be fun when it happens. Do you think it's going to be heartfelt or more antagonistic?
Trish Bendix: I'm not really sure of Merle's motivations yet, so I can only assume it'll appear to be one way but will truly reveal itself to be the opposite. That's the kind of show this is. I feel like they are trying to make Merle more likable now, but I'm still Team Daryl.
Maureen Ryan: Hm, good question. I think Merle genuinely cares about Daryl and vice versa, but they're both aggressive and independent guys -- perhaps too aggressive and angry for comfort in Merle's case. I think they'll be allies at first, but the family reunion could quickly turn sour if Daryl doesn't go along with everything Merle wants to do. Merle doesn't strike me as the kind of guy who is tolerant of disloyalty, but Daryl is a more reasonable and compassionate guy than his brother. They're bound to be in conflict at some point.
Jim Halterman: I can’t wait for this one, and the fact that it has yet to happen makes me think we’ll have a nice payoff when it does. Merle has such a bad villain vibe about him as well as a touch of comic relief but reuniting with his brother is going to be more emotional and that will be a great side to see for both he and Daryl. Whether it ends up good or bad remains to be seen but I know I can’t wait.
Last week's episode was (sorry) killer! (l-r, Riggs, Andrew Lincoln & Lauren Cohan)
Should we trust The Governor (David Morrissey) even a little bit?
Rob Moynihan: There is no trusting this guy. We've already been introduced to his creepy head closet, so who knows what else he's keeping behind closed doors. We've seen his secret lab and murderous ways, so I think we're only scratching the surface with this guy. Beware!
Trish Bendix: Never, not even, no way. I don't care if he's got a great collection of booze in his office (which feels a little unnecessary, to be honest. What kind of work is he really doing in there?) He's shady and I would not be interested in having him tell me what to do, even if it meant I felt a semblance of safety in his little town.
Maureen Ryan: Not even a little bit. I've found that this is a good rule of thumb: Stay very far away from people who keep severed human heads hidden in their homes. Free advice for you. You're welcome!
Reg Seeton: Not at all. That doesn't mean the characters can't selectively trust him when it suits their needs. But if Merle's starting to doubt whether he can trust him, that's a huge red flag.
Jim Halterman: No way! But that’s what makes these early episodes with him so fun. After seeing him in the room with the aquariums full of severed heads I definitely want/need to see more!
Who is the bigger fool -- Andrea (Laurie Holden) for seemingly falling for the Governor's charm or Michonne (Danai Gurira) for not trusting him?
Rob Moynihan: Andrea and Michonne both have very good reasons for wanting to stay and leave Woodbury. This place is an oasis after a hellish eight months on the road, and I don't blame Andrea for wanted a clean bed and hot food. I don't think Michonne can really trust anybody, her guard is always up, so everything looks a little too good to be true for her. Andrea might be blinded by the instant gratification of Woodbury, but I think Michonne is looking at the big picture and has very good reasons to be wary of their surroundings.
Maureen Ryan: Oh, by far, Andrea, and here's where I make a public plea to the writers: Please don't ruin Andrea as you pretty much ruined Lori. As we saw from Lori's death scene (and other scenes before that), Sarah Wayne Callies is a fine actress who was saddled with a contradictory and ultimately annoying character. She deserved better, as is the case with Laurie Holden. It's bad enough that last year they put Andrea with my least-favorite character, Shane, but having her act so gullible around the Governor is just… well, I'll wait and see, but I hope they don't make me lose interest in the character by having her go all moony and trusting around hot guys with guns. (Mo, getting moony over hot guys with guns is one of my favorite pasttimes! – JIM)
Reg Seeton: I'm with Michonne's instincts on this one, she shouldn't trust him. Poor Andrea, she's desperate to trust anyone at this point. If both women trusted him, they'd be fools. As we know, though, things can turn on a bloody dime. Since the Governor is so used to not trusting anyone, Andrea's attention could make him vulnerable. If Michonne's as smart as we think she is, she'll use Andrea as bait to find out what's really going on with the Governor.
Anyone out there really rooting for the Zombies in all this?
Who should die next either for story purposes or just because they're bugging the heck out of you?
Rob Moynihan: I don't think it looks too good for The Governor's mad scientist Milton (Dallas Roberts) in that walker lab of his, especially if Michonne discovers it and wants to cause some chaos around Woodbury.
Maureen Ryan: Carol is the new T-Dogg -- would anyone care if she turned up dead or zombiefied? Either get rid of her or do something interesting with her. Other than that, I wouldn't care if they got rid of Herschel's blonde daughter, who's so memorable that I can never even remember her name.
Jim Halterman: They're creating a new kind of female character for the show in Michonne, so I hope she sticks around for awhile. I agree with Mo, though, that Carol is the new 'why is she still here" ancillary character, which also means her death wouldn't mean much.
Reg Seeton: I hate to say it, but it's time for Hershel to go. It's only a matter of time. He's dead weight unless he makes it to Woodbury and gets on the good side of the Governor. Given his injury, he'll end up costing two or three people their lives. But since so much time was invested in keeping him alive this season, we could do without the new whiny redneck prisoner guy. Enough begging already! Get Carl to put him out of his misery.
Trish Bendix: CARL! I'm a terrible person because he's a child, but Carl. I also can't believe that Herschel and his youngest daughter live but T-Dog dies. I was hoping he'd at least get to do SOMETHING this season. I suppose the only thing they knew to do with him was let him go out as a selfless team player.
The Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9pm on AMC.
