That being said, HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!
Halloween is one of my very favorite holidays of the year. I love the magic of it all--especially the fact that it's the one day of the year it is socially acceptable to be someone (or something, hehe) else.
In the past, Halloween has always meant dressing up and parties for me but this year has definitely been more low-key. Yes, I've decorated the house and bought some candy for any potential trick-or-treaters (since this is my first Halloween in the new house Im not sure if we'll have any kids come by so I was kind of conservative in my candy purchase) but I didn't get a costume and did not attend any parties this past weekend.
Instead, Erik and I decided to thoroughly creep ourselves out by watching the first season of The Walking Dead on AMC. If you don't know about this show, I'll try to give a basic summation without giving too much away. Basically the show follows a group of people who have banded together outside of Atlanta, GA mere months after the Zombie Apocalypse. The city has been overrun by "walkers" (a.k.a zombies) and those who have survived are either hiding out in abandoned houses/buildings or camping in the woods. It seems as if no one really knows what has caused the zombie epidemic and there is definitely no known cure at this point. All the characters in the show know for sure is that: 1. don't get scratched or bitten. This leads to a fever, which leads to death, which leads to reanimation, which equals zombification. 2. The zombies are attracted to light 3. The zombies are also attracted to loud noises which means gun shots, yelling, and screaming are all bad ideas when trying to stay hidden.
The first season of the show is only 6 episodes and they are gory (do not watch if you have a weak stomach). The main characters find themselves in numerous terrifying situations including being trapped in a department store with the "walkers" breaking down the doors, and the infiltration of their safe camp in the woods (because of course the zombies are hungry and having eaten everyone in the city are now migrating to the country). Now I am no zombie apocalypse expert but I do have a few issues with the show thus far:
1. How are the Zombies able to rip into animals and humans with so much ease? Does zombification include superhuman hand and jaw strength?
2. In the first episode of season 1 (spoiler alert) the characters cover themselves in zombie guts in order to escape the city. It seems to work until a pop-up rainstorm washes the dead smell off of them and the "walkers" catch on. Rainstorm aside, this method seemed to work pretty well yet the main characters never really use this tactic again to escape from any other close calls (ok yeah I realize its horrifyingly disgusting but its called SURVIVAL right??). What's up with that? If it works it WORKS.
3. There isn't enough backstory on the characters themselves. The show gives snippets here and there of some of the characters pre-ZA life but not enough to make me really care about what happens to any of them. This is especially true in season 2 so far. Watching the characters get out of run-in after run-in with the "walkers" is really starting to get old. Also 3 episodes dedicated to a missing girl and a boy needing surgery for a gunshot wound is a little much. This is the Zombie Apocalypse for goodness sake! There is no time for that!! There needs to be more substance.
4. Finally I must mention the Farm of Doom in Season 2 (a.k.a the Greene farm out in the GA countryside). Something weird is going on here. How do they still have electricity and hot water? And how are the zombies not attracted to the lit up house at night? And what's with the fat guy? We're talking several months of scavaging for food and running for your life--how is this guy still overweight?
I know this is just a show and for entertainment value purposes (and a good Halloween scare) I would definitely recommend it. However, can those of us who are watching agree that there needs to be some plot movement (and answers) soon? Things are getting just a bit ridiculous...
Speaking of ridiculous (and scary tv shows) who out there has been watching American Horror Story?? It's a train wreck but I can't stop watching!
Happy Halloween!!
