‘TWD’ CATCH-UP
THE trouble with deadlines and TV series airing here so close to US broadcast is that this morning (which was Monday when I was writing), I was faced with the dilemma of not yet having watched the third season finale of Fear The Walking Dead (aired on Sundance in the wee hours and recorded despite being available on Explora Catch Up, which sometimes takes some time to, well, catch up) while having to look ahead to next Monday and the season eight premiere of The Walking Dead (FOX, 9pm).
Since Google is filled with news stories about the eventual crossover between the original show and its (better, I think, but we’ll get into that in a minute) spinoff having been revealed in the Fear finalé, I hope you’ll forgive me for not explaining it in detail; once seen, spoilers cannot be unseen. That said, there are some below, if you’ve not all caught up with TWD.
So, let’s go back in time a bit to New York Comic Con earlier this month, where Robert Kirkman confirmed the crossover.
“We want these shows to have their own legs, tell their own stories and be their own thing,” he said, “and I think we’ve finally gotten to a place with Fear The Walking Dead, where it has its own identity, where, you know, we can play with some things.
“There is one character that is going to go from one show, that I will not name, to another show, that I will not name,” he continued. “Now, what does that mean? Because these timelines, like... how does that work? Are we going to see an interesting backstory of a Walking Dead character in Fear The Walking Dead? Or are we going to see a Fear The Walking Dead character show up in The Walking Dead and show a future version of the character?”
This is exactly the kind of eloquent ambiguity we need right now.
Created by Kirkman and Dave Erickson, Fear is a companion series and prequel to The Walking Dead. Its first six-episode season set the scene for what came after, when the zombie apocalypse was still terrifyingly unknown. “Shoot them in the head!” I yelled at the characters on my screen. Because of course, they didn’t know that then.
Having tested the waters, seasons two and three were 15 and 16 episodes respectively and it’s been renewed for a fourth.
Watching these cinematographically different series side by side, it was easy to draw comparisons, while keeping the original books, which inform TWD, in mind. As such, Fear and its characters became more appealing as seasons six and seven of TWD faltered and pandered to fan reaction. I don’t think I’ll ever forgive them for “killing” Glenn (Steven Yeun), then bringing him back to life only to have Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) kill him again. This from a show which had no qualms about giving us characters to love, then violently destroying them. Hershel Greene (Scott Wilson) is all I’m saying on this matter.
TWD showrunner Scott Gimple has offered an explanation as to why I – and many other fans – didn’t enjoy season seven so much; truth be told I still have to watch the last two episodes, which are currently and conveniently residing in a full season box set on Explora Catch Up, so unenamoured was I.
Much of season seven was structured so that each episode would follow a single character (or a group) or storyline and stay in one location for a whole episode (or close to it).
Fans found it frustrating, because long stretches would go by without checking in with other stories and the season often dragged as a result. This is pretty much what Game of Thrones does too, just saying.
Season eight will follow a different structure, said Gimple: “Because of the narrative that we’re following, the story this season is really spread out among all of the characters. And the story shifts quite a bit in single episodes between lots of different characters on a consistent basis, which is a little more unusual for the show.”
Returning with the landmark 100th episode, the season will follow the comics’ All Out War storyline, where the Alexandrians and their allies rise up against the totalitarian Saviors, which Gimple promises will be tightly focused and action-packed.
It will refocus on Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), who took a back seat to Negan in season seven and was the only reason to keep watching, his sheer cheerful brutality bringing the requisite horror to the show. “We start episode 801 on a close-up of Rick Grimes and we really get a sense that he’s driving our story, not Negan,” said executive producer and premiere director Greg Nicotero.
Nicotero is the special make-up effects supervisor for both series, his first major job in this area being George A Romero’s film Day of the Dead. To date, he has directed 24 episodes of TWD and is a co-executive producer.
At the end of the explosive season eight trailer, we see Grimes as an old man, which indicates the time jump after the end of the war with Negan that will be tracked on the show this season.
Gimple says the “Old Man Rick” scene will be in the premiere and will be explained by the middle of the season.
We can also look forward to several “Easter eggs” in the 100th episode as a thank you to loyal viewers who have taken TWD this far. You’ll know them when you see them.
“Traditionally, the way The Walking Dead works is we kind of set up our first half of the season to lead us into this second half,” says Nicotero. “Usually the second half of the season kind of shoots us off into space, so when we lay these little seeds and as things start to germinate, something that happens in episode two may not pay off until episode 13. I feel like this first half is going to feel like the second half of most of our seasons where we’re already kind of taking off and I think people are going to be blown away by it.”
And on this first half, secondhalf note, as with previous seasons, eight episodes air from next week and the other eight in February next year.
Superheroes Decoded (History, 8.15pm): This two-part series offers access to top creators at both DC and Marvel, as it uncovers how the rise of the superhero parallels the rise of the US as a superpower in the 20th century, evolving through the decades into a uniquely American mythology that has captured audiences across the globe.
Using modern film clips, vintage comic artwork, historical archival material and interviews with experts, fans and creators, such as the former president of Marvel Comics, Stan Lee, director of Iron Man Jon Favreau, best-selling author and DC comic book writer Brad Meltzer and Game of Thrones author George RR Martin, Superheroes Decoded tells the story of the modern era through the lens of America’s greatest fictional heroes.
George Michael: Freedom (BBC Brit, 9pm): The programme covers the span of Grammy award-winner Michael’s whole career but concentrates on the formative period leading up to and following the making of his acclaimed, best-selling album, Listen Without Prejudice, Vol 1, and his subsequent court battle with his record label.
Filmed before Michael’s death, the documentary is narrated by the singer, who was heavily involved in the making of the film that serves as his final work. It features unseen archival and private home footage.
This Is Life (TLC, Thursday at 8pm): Join TLC’s Next Great Presenter, Cape Town-born Carissa Cupido, as she follows the personal journeys of families about to go through situations they never thought they would experience.
In this series, she features a young couple surprising their friends and family on their wedding day, a professional baseball player sharing big news and a blind mother’s life-changing moment when she gets to see her children for the first time.