*Contains spoilers from the Season 5 premiere.*
Robert Kirkman's comic is awesome for 2 very simple reasons: it does a great job handling a group of characters and it shows us how this dark and messed up post-apocalyptic world can change a person. There's plenty of other reasons to read the comic book series, but to me, those are the 2 big reasons. Tonight's episode of the AMC show, "Strangers," did a mighty fine job with both of those elements.
Season 4 was mostly character-driven. A fair amount of the episodes would revolve around 2 or so characters at most and aim to flesh them out. Tonight's episode? It does a surprisingly good job focusing on most of the cast. There's a nice little bonding moment between Rick and Carl, one which shows how much both of them have changed over the course of the show and what a father/son dynamic is like in this twisted world. Usually those two are front and center, but the episode also manages to introduce Father Gabriel and gives him a good amount of the spotlight. If you've read the comics, you most likely know what's coming, but they're still doing a great job building up to the reveal and I can only imagine what fans are thinking right about now if they haven't read the comic! If you're going to comment, please use spoiler tabs. Don't spoil the fun for everyone, okay?
On top of that, we see a bit of Bob and Sasha's relationship, Abraham reminds the group why his mission's so important, we get more insight into Carol, Tara has a heartfelt moment, and we get some subtle focus on Michonne. As if that wasn't enough, "Strangers" does a damn good job teasing viewers with the final scene. If you've read the comic, odds are it was thrilling to watch how they adapted such a memorable scene. I can't wait to see what comes next. Oh, there's even a bit of Beth follow-up! See, the episode covers a lot of ground, doesn't it? Now, this has the potential to seem like a mess that randomly jumps around too much, but everything feels connected and flows properly. I have some issues with the pacing, but it's still impressive how they're handling so many characters so well.
It's not all drama and insight, though! "Strangers" works in some zombie action and it's pretty cool. There's a few zombie kills scattered throughout the episode and they're all filled with brutal moments and some really impressive practical effects and makeup. Part of me was questioning the logic behind the group's handling of the multiple zombies, but that was countered by how excellent the effects were and some of the shots they used. Man, that zombie with glasses? They gave us some really creepy looks at her. Odds are you knew she wouldn't kill Gabriel, but the handling of that scene was still wonderfully intense.
I understand the Season 5 finale went all-out with action and there's no way they can keep that kind of momentum going (the show's a huge success, but there's still a budget, after all), but a few of the character-driven scenes felt a little too slow to me and, because of that, they weren't as engaging as they could have been. The group's finally back together and each of them have a lot to reflect on as they move forward, but some of the static moments felt a tad too long and a couple of the conversations which followed the silence/buildup were a bit heavy-handed.
Okay, spoilers time. Right when the episode started showing happy Bob, I looked at my fiance and said, "They totally just gave him the kiss of death, didn't they?" Then when he was chatty during the scavenging mission, I turned to her again and said, "Oh yeah, he's definitely gone." Since the last finale, I was wondering how they'd handle the "tainted meat" scene and, right when Bob went under the water and then said he's fine, I knew it had to be him. On one hand, it's amazingly satisfying to see that final scene unfold and they're merging Fear the Hunters with the Terminus arc so well. But, on the other hand, it was telegraphed a little too obviously if you read the comic. And everyone else called it that Tyreese didn't pummel that guy to death, right?
AMC's The Walking Dead started strong but then turned into a show that divided fans. Yeah, it still gets huge ratings, but the seasons definitely had viewers arguing. Well, Season 5 kicked off in a huge and exciting way and thankfully, the second episode is really, really good. Not only are they giving Robert Kirkman's comic a whole lot of love, but they're still incorporating plenty of new elements and balancing the characters very well. Season 5 is showing a ton of promise, so here's hoping they can keep it up.