Random Thoughts on The Walking Dead, Awake and The Challenge

-The Walking Dead continues to divide people who watch the show. Some people loathe the show while others quite like the show. I don't have any interest in defending the show nor in insulting the show. The show's strengths are strong but the show's weaknesses are weak. The action is always top-notch but budget constraints limit the amount of action on an episode-by-episode basis. The characters are the weakest part of the show. Anyway, the Videogum recap of Walking Dead episodes is a consistently entertaining read. One thing Gabe mentioned got me thinking: he argued that the nameless 'enemies' in their episode weren't really enemies because they were shooting at the people who killed their two buddies. His argument concluded with a query about why the audience roots for the characters which is in itself complicated to answer because fans of the show don't seem to particularly care for any other characters. The only strong feelings from the audience towards these characters are negative. Now, I haven't thought too much about what I'm about to write; in fact, I'd suggest anyone reading to skip over the rest of this paragraph because I'm going to tap into my English major roots for a sentence or five. Regardless of one's feelings about the characters, they are our only transport into the world of The Walking Dead. People might loathe these creations, but we're dependent on the characters in order to witness the story. So, perhaps, fan frustration stems not from the lazy characterization but, rather, the audience's reliance on these lazy characters who are loathed to be transported into this world full of zombies and chaos. From what I've read, a large contingent of fans exist who just want non-stop zombie killing. Maybe The Walking Dead is an exception to the rule that says an audience needs one character to identify with to invest oneself in a TV show, a novel, short story, novella, film, etc. Maybe fans truly just want non-stop action. Again, my take hasn't been well thought out. Indeed, this post is titled 'Random Thoughts' for a reason.

-Community returns March 15 at 8PM on NBC. During their hiatus, various entertainment news websites reported on numerous Community happenings. One character will be killed off in an upcoming episode. Breaking Bad fans rejoiced when Community cast Giancarlo Esposito for the season-finale. Community wraps filming on season three sometime soon if I'm not mistaken. I'm glad it's returning. It's my favorite comedy on TV, if not my favorite show. I hope the episodes are as wonderfully creative and funny as ever, capable of surprising me as the best Community episodes have multiple times through 2.5 seasons.

-Awake premieres March 1. The pilot is available to watch on Hulu. I will watch the Pilot tomorrow so that I'll have a review ready by the afternoon on March 1. I've looked forward to Awake since I read about the premiere nearly one year ago. Speaking of pilots, entertainment news websites report on pilot casting more than ever before. Last spring, New York Magazine published the logline for each pilot developed. Of the many, many pilots, only a select few are brought to series by a network. Awake's a show I never thought the public would see. It took a recent production break to, presumably, figure out the kinks of turning the premise into a sustainable TV show. Kyle Killen talked about the show several months ago at the Nerdist Writers Panel. The writing will be ambitious, as will the storytelling, even though it'll be within the procedural format, but great shows happen when a writer puts a spin on an old and tired formula. Awake could be special.

-I watch one reality tv show: The Real World/Road Rules challenge. This season's theme is Exes. Former cast members who've dated one another return as teammates and must rely on one another to make it to the final for the chance to win $100,000. The best episode of this season was when the producers made the cast members spell words, because it's always disastrous, and always awesome. Real World/Road Rule alumni can drink, have sex, compete in mindless challenges, but cannot spell simple words like 'caravan' and 'attitude.' Please, BMP, for one challenge, make it a grand spelling bee in the deserted and brutally cold forests of Siberia. BMP likes to take the final teams into extreme conditions. Last challenge ended on the mountains of Patagonia. This season will conclude in Iceland. Why the hell not have a spelling bee in Siberia?

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