As hard as it is to believe, I, the person who never watches TV, is the person my husband turns to when looking for a new show. And it’s all thanks to you and Twitter. Walking Dead has been all over Twitter for three years, and even my husband new about it because all his friends at work are obsessed with the show. For three years we avoided watching the show. We both hate scary stuff and a show about zombies sounded gross. I’m just plain chicken and my husband prefers action over gore.
I started getting tired of the feeling I was missing something, but the Mister turned me down every time I suggested watching giving Walking Dead a try. Then my husband received an Apple TV with Netflix from his employer. And I got sick the end of December/first week in January. All of a sudden, I had something to do while sick on the couch. I watched all two seasons of Melissa and Joey. Didn’t know there was a show called Melissa and Joey? Neither did I, but I quickly became obsessed with the many ways the show tries to hide Joe Lawrence’s hairless head.
One night we tried unsuccessfully to find a movie to watch. Nothing. We looked for a documentary. Nothing. Finally I just told him we were watching the pilot episode of Walking Dead and that was that. By the time it was over it would be time for bed. Time killed/problem solved.
After the first episode ended we turned and looked at each other. Then the Mister grabbed the remote, looked at the TV and said, “Dammit.” We watched two more episodes and went to bed after 1:00am.
We burned through all three seasons in about two weeks. By the end we were very, very tired.
The show is not perfect. Don’t get attached to the characters. Some plot lines are unbelievable (even for a show about zombies) and the main conflict in season 3 is boring. I have zero interest in competing camps and every time a character refers to the new antagonist as a “pretty boy charmer,” I have to wonder if they’re talking about the same weak chinned piece of milk toast I’m watching sashay across the screen in high waist pleated pants.
(Side note: What’s with the pants? Shane’s pants were the worst. He looked like MC Hammer. See above image.)
This is the character who “gets by on his incredible good looks.”
[crickets]
I guess, if you say so. During a zombie apocalypse…maybe.
Or maybe my perception is skewed. When I first got my iphone, I used it like a basic phone because I was too overwhelmed by all the fanciness. The Mister was nice enough (and annoyed) to upload all my contacts, set up my preferences, and other stuff I can’t remember. He even programmed a picture for himself. Up until recently, this is the image that popped up when he called my phone:
The likeness is uncanny!
After over a year of this, I decided I needed a change. Now when my husband calls, I see this:
Daryl Dixon is the reason to watch Walking Dead. He character is funny and trashy and loyal and heroic and someone you would never want to associate with in real life.
He is also a total Marty Stu, because never have I encountered such a well spoken, witty, and charismatic white trash racist hick able to pull an arrow out of his torn flesh and use it to kill a zombie.
And I’m fine with that.
We might be distantly related. I watch all my series about 2 years after everyone else. Is ‘re-runs’ an out of date term now?
I haven’t heard that in years, but that’s what I call them in the summer.
Daryl is my new Tony Soprano. Nothing about him is good looking to me, but the more I watch, the more I find myself oddly attracted. Rick on the other hand is losing his appeal. He ended up being a lame husband (despite his initial unbelievable forgiveness of his wive’s indiscretions) and a worsening protector of his son. I know it’s rough times, but geez, give the kid a break.
Superb comparison. Nothing about him is attractive to me, either. In fact, in his first scene I hoped a zombie would get him.
We’re a two-years behind family, too. That’s what happens when you cut cable and only have Netflix for TV watching. I like it that way. Got hooked on Downton Abbey just this past fall, and it was great to tear through all of the first two seasons at once. (Though I did make us slow down just a bit.) Now I’ve got to get my fix doled out one week at a time, just like old times. Saw a few Walking Deads, but that’s not become a monkey on my back.
We got obsessed with Downton Abbey, too. Great show, and more my speed. The Walking Dead is really something out of nowhere.
I don’t know why but this entire post just surprised the hell out of me. My best friend sat me down and insisted I watch just a few scenes from The Walking Dead (her latest obsession – she, too, is about 2 years behind). So much gore! I’m totally okay with gore in action movies – like Kill Bill – but gore when there’s no high octane drama to drown out the hacks and spatters? No thanks.
I haven’t had cable since 2000, we have Netflix and sometimes a Hulu account. Even with those, I watch 2 shows regularly: Castle and Downton Abbey. There are a few others that I’ll sit and watch if the stars align just right – like Modern Family, Ask America (great post-workout chill), or Grey’s Anatomy. Sweetie likes the tv on as background noise which is how I catch the few shows I do.
Everyone is shocked. I’m shocked! It’s completely out of character for me to like a show like this. Here is how I explain it. The Walking Dead is more of a Lost/ER/West Wing character show than you may first think. The zombies are really a device for the show writers to explore how people respond to each other in a defined but chaotic environment, just like Lost had the island, ER had the hospital, and West Wing had the White House. For me, it’s a show more about group dynamics–and how individuals responds inwardly and outwardly to an external crisis–than it is about walking dead people. You see that especially in season 3. The zombies drift even more into the background.
As for the gore, I admit I usually don’t watch when arms go flying. It’s just not my thing, and as the show goes on the gore gets more sensational. It’s an additional character, but not one I give much attention.
The Mister and I tried to watch another show recommended by a friend from work (American Horror Story) and I can tell you I will never, ever watch another episode. Not only was it painfully sad, it dealt with demons, haunted houses, poltergeists, etc. That type of thing I will not watch. I’ve watched 3 seasons of Walking Dead and never had a nightmare. I watched one episode of American Horror Story and had nightmares the entire night. For me, zombies are make believe, but true evil is real.
The Walking Dead and Downton Abbey are the only shows I watch with regularity. When Melissa & Joey comes back on, I’ll probably watch that, too, because now I’m invested in Joey Lawrence’s hair.
I had to read the synopsis of Melissa & Joey – and google image searched Joey’s hair, lol. I love the concept of Joey as a manny. Very “Who’s The Boss” sounding – which was my favorite show as a teen.
NPR did an interview with the creator of American Horror Story and I was frightened just from the sound clips. I knew right then and their, in my car, that I would never watch that show. My best friend will not trick me into that one. No sirree. The last true evil movie she tricked me into watching was the original Exorcist. Then she’d torment me during sleep overs by sitting up really slowly in bed and making her eyes all wide while speaking in a gravely voice. Terrifying. I am scarred. Obviously.
Right? That’s what I thought, too. Total Who’s the Boss. :) It’s light and fluffy and happy–much more my usual speed.
We had no idea what AHS was about! I had my suspicions from the one sentence blurb, but I was not expecting how truly horrifying it was. (For us–other people don’t seem to be the least bit affected.)
I have not watched The Exorcist, Rosemary’s Baby, Amityville Horror, or any of those movies and never will. Nope. NEVER.
BTW, AHS has a little Rosemary’s Baby/demon rapes a human deal going on. I turned to my husband and said, “Nope, I’m done.”
Ahhh!! Stop it! We just cancelled our cable right before Season 3 started and it is literally the ONLY show that I miss. We haven’t seen anything since the Season 2 Finale and avoiding the spoilers is killing me. I refused to watch it for the longest time (“too scary”), but my husband was really into it and we only have one TV and I got tired of having to avoid the living room. And then I got all sucked in with Shane’s trifling ways in that episode where he killed Otis. (He looks really puffy in that picture up there — wasn’t he more…wiry…shredded by the time we got to season two?)
I can’t stand Laurie (Lorie? whatever). I get so pissed off at her every time Carl is wandering off somewhere. It’s like, “Woman, you have ONE JOB here. Can you please just keep track of your offspring for TWO SECONDS?” But the fact that I hate the character means that the acting is really good, so that’s fine with me.
And yes, I heart Daryl Dixon. I have always adored that actor and his character is, hands-down, one of the best-writted characters on TV. I would contend that he is someone that you definitely DO want to know in realy life, just in case we have a zombie outbreak at some point. And Lisa, the Tony Soprano comparison is genius.
Oh, that Shane!! He really got my riled up! Funny you should say that hating a character means good acting. That’s how I feel about Andrea. Holy cow, does that character drive me up the wall. Her and Shane= blech.
Lorie. Lorie, Lorie, Lorie. (I don’t know how to spell her name, either) Conflicted, torn, mixed messages Lorie. You’re right–she has ONE JOB, and yet despite the fact that her son is always disappearing and she is in the middle of a zombie apocalypse, she can’t keep track of him. And she is always SO! SHOCKED! when he goes missing and has the nerve to get made at the people around her when he does.
As for Daryl, in the unlikely event there is ever a zombie apocalypse, I’m heading to Fontana to look for guys with bows. In the meantime, we’ll just have to live quietly side by side. ;)
Yay! I’m super hooked. And Daryl is definitely the best thing on the show. I almost stopped watching halfway through season 2 because nothing was happening, but I powered through. I can’t wait for the rest of seaosn 3. Feb 17th, I think!
When I was in Atlanta over Thanksgiving, everything looked like sets from the show to me. I even made a point to visit the little town where they film parts of season 3!
I don’t know if I should mention this or if everyone is aware, but Rick AND the Governor are both British. That blew my mind.
February 10th!!
Is that so crazy (quoting Nico) to know those two are British? Especially Rick! When we watched the behind the scenes we were shocked!
I just read the tv tropes description…”possessed of a strange, saturnine magnetism”…hahaha! I love that. I read so many romance novels, and this is pretty much the description of every romantic hero ever.
I watched the first few episodes when it came out. Its a good show but I hate all the gore and scary stuff. I’ve been speed watching Fringe instead.
Yep, it sure is! And like you, I’ve read enough romance novels to know. ;)
The best sci-fi & fantasy will always be about the characters, with the “whatever” just being the catalyst. Walking Dead scares the you-know-what out of me, though this last season was a bit more tame toward the end. It was the people that were the worst monsters- which was actually MORE scary, just not as gross.
And should they ever kill of Daryl- I’ll be done with it. Besides Glen and Maggie, he’s the only one I really care about- though I do feel bad for Rick. Dude’s had it rough.
As a PS- the Governor was in an episode of Doctor Who 3-4 years ago and was totally different…so much so that I didn’t even realize it was him until I finally looked him up on IMDB because it was driving me crazy. He sounds better (and way less sleazy) with a british accent then the one he has for the show.
The best sci-fi & fantasy will always be about the characters, with the �whatever� just being the catalyst.
Perfectly stated.
I’ve never seen Doctor Who (dodges rotten tomatoes) but I’m not surprised. When I searched for images of him, I found plenty where he didn’t look like such a bowl of flan.
I am ashamed (ASHAMED) of the tiny squeal that comes out of my mouth when Daryl comes on the screen. Norman Reedus is an amazing actor because he has managed convince all of us ladies that this “white trash racist hick” is the sexiest thing ever. I have tried to analyze why there’s so much love for him and I think it just comes down to his absolute, unwavering loyalty. He believes they will find Sophia, cares about Carol, a throwaway character no one else seems to give a flip about, is loyal to Merle, his idiot and abusive brother, and is Rick’s right hand man even when Rick is talking to dead people on phones. I would love that kind of loyalty in a man. Maybe I should get a dog and name it Daryl.
Daryl Dixon is the tough bad guy with the secret heart of gold who just needs the right woman to “fix” him. He’s every woman’s dream DIY project. ;)
hahaahahah. that final picture of daryl made me laugh. but not like laughing AT it, more of a, “oh yeah, that pretty much sums it up.”
That last graphic is classic. I actually laughed out loud. I love Walking Dead even though I absolutely hate scary shows/movies. AMC has been incredible the last few years – Mad Men, Breaking Bad and now this. Glad you caught up. Can’t wait until it comes back I’m worried about Daryl. ;)
You, me, and Amanda @ Living on Grace have the same sense of humor. I laughed out loud when I saw that graphic, too. I couldn’t get into Breaking Bad, but holy cow does my husband love that show!
He, he – yep! It’s addicting, eh? Especially problematic when ya got multiple episodes lined up and ready to go! We’ve definitely spent way too many hours wasting away in front of the tube watching Walking Dead. I don’t even like the show (scares the bee geesus out of me!) but I am totally and completely addicted! ;)
Sometimes I’m not even watching the TV. That’s how worked up I get–but I keep watching!
Jules, Walking Dead is my secret obsession. My husband started an episode one night and I couldn’t believe he would be interested in watching a zombie show. Well, guess who got hooked?! Me. Now it is so bad (we don’t have cable) that I have pre-addressed, pre-stamped envelopes and my stepfather dvr’s it every week and mails it to me. I don’t watch anything on tv except WD and PBS Masterpiece Theatre. Funny. Love your blog – found you during your 30 days posts and haven’t stopped reading. Your projects inspire me, and I hope to read a book with your book club at some point this year.
Dianne
P.S. I think its interesting to know that Norman Reedus was once a model for Prada. I also watched “Love Actually” (thought it was a horrible movie) just to see the Andrew Lincoln character. I’m a little obsessed.
I’m obsessed too, Diane. It’s very strange for me…and a bit embarrassing, I must admit!
You crack me up – we have the dvd from the first season someone lent us and it is still on the shelf.
Well then you better hop to it! :)
We love The Walking Dead too! I started watching it last fall with my husband and sixteen year old son. We finally finished Season 3 last week. We can only watch when our little kids are in bed and all three of us are home at the same time, so it’s tricky. We live in Georgia very close to where it is filmed. We took a drive to see some of the sets a few weeks ago. http://lelushouse.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-walking-dead.html I’ve been watching the shooting schedule, we might go watch one of these days. I love Daryl but Glen is my favorite character. All of the characters are so great though, even the ones you hate. We’re counting down the days to the next season. Can’t wait!
That is so cool! How crazy is it to see the sets?! That was weird. Now I want to go to Georgia. I’ve always wanted to after reading the book/ seeing the movie Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil…but apparently the zombies have added another layer of excitement. (So embarrassing.)
Now I “need” to watch this as well. I don’t really like scary shows, but at the same time don’t like zombie shows because I can’t “take them seriously” – as if I take vampires seriously? I dunno, but it makes sense in my head! Anyway, I have no idea who this guy is, but I too laughed out loud at the last picture and now can’t wait to watch.
At the very other end of the spectrum, I am finally watching Downton Abby. I downloanded the first two seasons to watch on the plane for my trip. 10 minutes into the first episode I was absolutely hooked. When Maggie Smith says “What is a weekend?” i just want to bow at her feet.
We love Downton Abbey. I forgot–that’s another show we watch. Mad Med, Downton Abbey, and Walking Dead are the three in the regular rotation.
Have you watched Girls? I am trying but not too keen, it is kinda whiny…
Wait, season 3 is up on Netflix already?! I need to cancel my weekend plans.
Daryl is a sexy beast!
Ahahahaha! My husband watched whatever Walking Dead is on Netflix in about a three week span and I found that I quite enjoyed watching chunks and episodes with him, as long as I closed my eyes when there were zombies. The sound effects are fake enough to be silly instead of disturbing, so that worked.
I read a recap of an episode in which Daryl does something particularly dashing (his recent rescue of Carol maybe?) and the author said something about every woman in America instantly being impregnated “with Daryl Dixon’s brain babies”. Ha!
mmmm daryl ♥ LOVE this show!!
Oh no! you guys are too funny! But I called quits, too much anxiety on this show, it just kills me. I gave up! My husband also reads the graphic novel of the walking dead.
I just started watching on Sunday. I’m so late to the party but I’m catching up – already two episodes into season 3.
Jesse is still shocked that I’m THIS into a show about zombies, and no matter how much I tell him that it’s really a show about people and “politics” and survival, he just rolls his eyes. I also turn away at the gore part because I’m a wimp and I did have nightmare the first night, but I’m blaming it on 8 straight hours of zombie watching. Also I love finding the things that make no sense (locked in a cafeteria for almost a year and yet well groomed and shaven!?!) and drooling over Daryl Dixon like every other woman who watches.
As for American Horror Story, I watched less than 5 minutes. Just can’t do it.