Anyone who knows me is well aware of my die-hard dedication to AMC's "The Walking Dead." Since its premiere, I have been absolutely hooked. And while I can openly acknowledge its flaws, I've found that often people are way too harsh and incredibly misdirected in their criticism of the program. I don't work for AMC, and I have zero affiliation with AMC, but my nerd instincts make me go up in arms at the slightest hint of distaste for the show. So, here I am on the internet, defending it.
The most common critique of the show lies within its slower moments. People often complain of episodes being too boring, and characters not taking enough action. But this is one of its secret weapons. The show could easily slip into set piece action and gore porn, but it refuses to do so. Yes, I love the fast-paced episodes of the show. But what keeps me engaged every year is the character development, which can only be achieved by said slower moments. Characters walking through the woods giving small detail to past struggles or devising strategies for survival give us more insight into who they are. It's also a great way to showcase relationships within the group and give the viewer a stronger sense of community. This way, when a beloved character dies, we feel the pain of the viewer along with empathy for the other characters. Perhaps there is a bit of a bias on my part. Admittedly, my favorite films are dialogue heavy (think Linklater, Truffaut); but I believe that I'm objective enough as a lover of film and television to judge well enough.
Dialogue itself has often been pinpointed as a weak point of the show. And I couldn't disagree more. The common complaint is that the dialogue leans more toward nonsensical than effective. The simplicity of the dialogue is usually skewered, but I believe that this is one of their strongest suits. There is a secret poetry to the lines, and I wish more films and television shows used dialogue like this. They don't reveal everything about the situation, but let the weight of their words hang. Films like the surreal indie feature "George Washington" are amazing with this. While Daryl saying to Rick "we just ain't" in regards to Rick's insistence that the group themselves are the titular walking dead, the context gives the words immense purpose. Over-stuffing their lines with detail would detract from the realism and human elements of the show.
My favorite aspect of the show is its insistence to be relatable to the viewer. The aforementioned elements, along with world building, have made the show relatable in spite of it's fantastical premise. We see ourselves in the character and their struggles, even though their world is vastly different from ours. Few shows, in my opinion, have reached this show's level of real world reflection. The destruction of society breaks the character downs to their bare bones; we see Rick's refusal to let down his family, Carol's paternal instincts taking form of physical violence, Tyreese's efforts to remain a pacifist in a chaotic world, etc. The staggering amount of main characters provides so many different outlooks on the very idea of what it means to be human.
