S01.E01: Pilot

[Bad Example]

I will say, the trailer looked really really cool. Here`s hoping the season picks up a lot.

 

I am curious. If so many kids are getting sick, where are all the Walker kids? 

 

Do we know for sure that the sickness isn't just a coincidental run-of-the-mill flu?  I wasn't sure about that.

[SlovakPrincess]

It didn't seem like it fit him, even when he woke up. The arms were very tight, the back came to the middle of his back, but it seemed oddly loose at the same time.

I think it was a girl's sweater from the juniors department. Between that and the slo-motion tugging at his jeans as he ran and they were falling off ... I was giggling so much.

I actually liked this show and think the Nick actor is great. But that running scene was unintentionally funny.

[maystone]

There were some inconstincies in TWD about how soon they get up.  Remember Andrea weeping over her dead sister for seemingly forever?  Maybe it's the same thing here.  I mean, the "whatever is causing this" has to start at a certain point, there might be some who died, say, yesterday, or an hour ago or whatever who don't reanimate.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking, too. As far as we know, the virus didn't infect the whole word instantaneously. Some people must have died a natural death this early into things. Probably not a lot, but some. I think if the old man next to Nick had reanimated, the nurse would have been incredibly freaked out.

Edited August 24, 2015 by maystone

[Anela]

Oh, and this was what I was referring to earlier. It was the look on his face, the angle, the hair, etc:

http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/chubby-bubbles-girl

[Ripley68]

It was better than I thought it would be.  But I get it all ready, LA is big.  They established on TWD that reanimation is different lengths...and it was a couple of hours at least between kill, call and attack.

 

I just kept thinking though...all these people are dying, where are the walkers?  And why do they keep saying flu?  We haven't seen anyone actually sick yet

Edited August 24, 2015 by Ripley68

[Raven1707]

I kept waiting for the old guy in the next bed to die & reanimate, and to have Nick have to somehow fight him off while wearing restraints, but that might have been a bit too reminiscent of Andrea's demise...

[natyxg]

Exactly. especially in a hospital. I would have thought that was where  Travis, Nick, and the mother would have encountered a mass of walkers.

 

Yes, that's what I was thinking. Hospitals would be a huge mess and from then the caos should start fast. but not just hospitals: nursing homes, random house with random families.... I also thought it was OTT that it seemed liked the government wasn't telling people anything at all.

1) Have to introduce us to the characters and the dynamics help with that.

2) It's a slow burn so don't expect too much ramping up.

 

They could show the family dynamics in the middle of the chaos. In fact, showing the family dynamics then would be even more powerful and reveal the characters even more, imo. I don't think an hour an a half was necessary to show me their ordinary lives.

 

If it's really a slow burn, color me disappointed. It's a zombie show. I want zombies and running around and surviving. I should have known what to expect, I guess, given how the Walking Dead has been in the last few seasons.

[truelovekiss]

Out of the three kids in the blended family, I think Nick is definitely safe. Chris and Alicia, I'm not so sure. I think one of them could go. I also think ex-wife (Liza? Eliza?) is not long for the ZA-LA world.

[SimoneS]

Yes, that's what I was thinking. Hospitals would be a huge mess and from then the caos should start fast. but not just hospitals: nursing homes, random house with random families.... I also thought it was OTT that it seemed liked the government wasn't telling people anything at all.

 

Not having Travis and the mother encounter a walker at the hospital and have to fight their way out with Nick was a huge missed opportunity. It would have gotten the story moving faster in a more realistic way. Instead, they have a reanimated drug dealer in the isolated location.

 

I don't understand the lack of government warning or the use of the emergency warning system. I would think that the CDC would be leading the charge with the President addressing the nation by now. 

[Raven1707]

Hmm, I worked in hospitals in SoCal for many years and the body count wasn't really that high.

[SnoGirl]

I saw Travis' son and Nick during the trailer. I didn't see a lot of Alisha or the Mother (saw Mom a couple of times, but not as many times as Travis and the boys).

I need some badass women on this show too. I hope we don't have to wait as long this time around.

[Red Fields]

Was it me? Or did these people seem weirdly calm after running a man over twice and having that man still get up?

They seemed really zen about that shit for teachers. Must be a rough school.

I think it's supposed to be. At first I thought it was a prison when they were going through the metal detectors. I couldn't figure out why the mom brought her daughter to prison if she worked there.

I like the family drama. I think they did a good job showing how some people would be struggling with big problems in their lives when the zombie apocalypse hits. It's going to make it just that much harder for this family to deal with the New World while Nick detoxes.

Edited August 24, 2015 by Red Fields

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

[instant initial reaction time to the 'Pilot']

 

*snore-snort-jerky wake up motions*  What?  Its over??

 

Ok, that was over-the-top reactionary, and I know this was just an "introductory" episode... but after 5 seasons of insanity on TWD, I was almost bored to tears tonight.  I want to like this show, I really do, but its got a long ways to go to ever reach the "WOW!" levels of the "mother-ship".

 

I already know the druggy is gonna grate on the nerves.  Early days, but so far, 'sis' is a real bitch.  Super-dysfunctional, and super-badly-glued-together family unit, now has to survive in a zombie-apocalypse.  That's the textbook definition of how you don't want your life to be like when you grow up!

 

Fun snarky moment was when 'Dad' was walking around in the church yelling and making all kinds of noise, I was ranting at him in my head;  "Dude, don't you watch TWD!?  Or do you?  This is a tryout for CDB, isn't it... cause you're ringing the frigging dinner bell!!". 

 

And playing off that, small moment of not-realism... where the F did "Gloria" and other other dead dudes go??  'Dad' never saw them on his own or didn't again on the return trip with 'Mom'.  Seeing as how boarded up that church was, they didn't just waltz out the F'in front door like Sunday Service just ended.

 

 

LSS, I'll keep tuning in, but based off just the pilot, if need be I could live without this show until TWD starts back up in mid-October.

 

[natyxg]

Not having Travis and the mother encounter a walker at the hospital and have to fight their way out with Nick was a huge missed opportunity. It would have gotten the story moving faster in a more realistic way. Instead, they have a reanimated drug dealer in the isolated location.

 

Yep. Then there was the lost opportunity, like someone posted above, of Nick half tied to the bed trying to escape from the dude next to his bed.

[Saje]

Things I liked: 

Seeing Joanie Stubbs and Daya's Mom

Nick is a good actor

Walker damage by truck - twice

Lil chubster with the knife

The principal listening to Joanie Stubb's handsome boyfriend teaching

 

Things I didn't:

Way too slow

Too much boring

Joanie Stubb's handsome boyfriend is too good to be true - usually a death sentence

Fine Cal was a shitheel dealer and is now undead

 

There's more but going to rewatch now. I expected more from this group of producers, writers, etc. It's not like they don't know this world. Come on. The writers could really benefit from watching Shaun of the Dead to see how to reveal a ZA slowly in 90 minutes, while still keeping it ominous, funny, scary at the same time. 

[TexasChic]

Rewatching because I seemed to have missed how fine Cal was.

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

I don't remember the music/atmospheric effects being this loud and overbearing on the mothership show.  It's really getting on my nerves.

 

Favorite line:  Kim Dickens (upon seeing a huge pile of blood): "Something bad happened here."  Oh boy, think a rewrite was in order there.

 

That line peeved me.  Not that she said it, but the writing and direction made it so she totally contradicted herself.  When Travis first 'scouted out' the church, he fell in the blood puddle and then afterwards, told her "something really bad happened there", and her non-caring reply was basically "yeah, shit happens in places like that".  And then they walk in, she sees the drying puddle and is all "OMG!!  Something really horrible happened here!  *huge angsty-concern face*". 

 

Ugh.   Totally took me out of the story for a couple minutes.

[SlovakPrincess]

Rewatching because I seemed to have missed how fine Cal was.

I'm a little sad we lost Cal so soon. He was fine AND interesting in a diabolical kind of way.

[ParadoxLost]

That line peeved me.  Not that she said it, but the writing and direction made it so she totally contradicted herself.  When Travis first 'scouted out' the church, he fell in the blood puddle and then afterwards, told her "something really bad happened there", and her non-caring reply was basically "yeah, shit happens in places like that".  And then they walk in, she sees the drying puddle and is all "OMG!!  Something really horrible happened here!  *huge angsty-concern face*". 

 

Ugh.   Totally took me out of the story for a couple minutes.

 

I thought it was intentional.  Because they both reversed their lines between those two scenes.  I think is was supposed to be profound or something.  I didn't like it either.

[Shimmergloom]

The kid with the knife mentioned there were reports in 5 states and we know there's a flu going around.  I think most likely not everyone has the virus yet, so not everyone who dies is going to be re-animated.  And it's possible that this flu going around is what is passing the zombie virus to everyone, so that when they die, they reanimate.  It's possible that the flu itself is not 100% deadly and is just a new strain of flu, so many people might recover from it, so no zombie kids from the flu itself.

 

So I don't see a problem with not everyone who dies being reanimated as a zombie and why hospitals are not fighting constant running battles with the undead yet.

[TexasChic]

Yep. Then there was the lost opportunity, like someone posted above, of Nick half tied to the bed trying to escape from the dude next to his bed.

I think this, along with the extended shot of the principal from behind, was an intentional bait and switch. Also, yes, I now see how pretty Cal is.

[vibeology]

That was more Intervention than The Walking Dead. I will say of course the show has already killed one black character and has another missing, probably dead based on the "irony" of the daughter's texts. So, it definitely a Walking Dead show.

 

I like Nick. Nick wants to live and that is the most important skill. Plus he reminds me of Connor from Angel with the hair and the running around LA, so that's a plus for me.

 

I don't really care about any of the other characters yet. Travis shows some promise, but zombies or no, going to that church in the night when he knows its full of users makes me think he's missing that will to live gene. 

[truelovekiss]

The most redeeming scene for Alicia was when she was feeding her brother jello. It was the only real familial love I saw so far. She has some pretty obvious contempt for Travis and she's cold and hostile to her mom. Travis' son doesn't like him much either. I do think Alicia might have a genuine soft spot for her brother, no matter how frustrated she is with him.

[Lila82]

I'm getting major Tim Riggins vibes from druggie Nick, so suffice it to say, I'm hooked.  

 

I was too distracted by Alycia Debnam Carey's shiny, shiny hair to notice her character, but hopefully she has more to do in the next episode.

 

The accents were on point.  75% of the main cast aren't American and no one slipped.  Well done, team.

[Straycat80]

I was hoping they would have shown the people who were sick with the flu, what their symptoms were and people, or at least the hospital people , talking about it.

I thought there would have been more walker action earlier on. Gloria and the dead guys should have been somewhere around and hungry.

[SlovakPrincess]

I do wonder why Alicia and, initially, Nick were so bratty to Travis.

[TexasChic]

I do wonder why Alicia and, initially, Nick were so bratty to Travis.

Because, teenagers.

[truelovekiss]

I like Nick. Nick wants to live and that is the most important skill. Plus he reminds me of Connor from Angel with the hair and the running around LA, so that's a plus for me.

.

I agree with this. He seems much more focused on the day to day survival, and he has literally nothing to lose. His life sucks right now, he's an addict. He'll be much more focused on how not to die than "why is this happening to me" and I think for the time being that will be to his benefit.

You really hit the nail on the head here.

[ottoDbusdriver]

There were some inconstincies in TWD about how soon they get up.  Remember Andrea weeping over her dead sister for seemingly forever?  Maybe it's the same thing here.  I mean, the "whatever is causing this" has to start at a certain point, there might be some who died, say, yesterday, or an hour ago or whatever who don't reanimate.

 

Seems like I remember the show saying the time varied from person to person.

 

Dr. Jenner at the CDC way back in Season 1 of TWD indicated that there had been reports of re-animations occurring in as little as 3 minutes, and Shane re-animated in under 5 minutes.  And I think Jenner's wife, subject TS-19, re-animated in something like a little over 2 hours (though I many have to double-check that).

Edited August 24, 2015 by ottoDbusdriver

[mmecorday]

Thought it was OK, but I kept thinking in the scene with Nick and Cal that Craterface from "Grease" was going to show up for a drag race.

 

Also, anyone else notice that the doctor on call when the old man coded looked an awfully lot like the doctor at Grady Memorial?

[truelovekiss]

I do wonder why Alicia and, initially, Nick were so bratty to Travis.

I was just assuming it was the "you're not my dad," thing. And then there's Chris who's got the, "you have a new family now, and you don't care about me" thing going on.

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

I don't really care about any of the other characters yet. Travis shows some promise, but zombies or no, going to that church in the night when he knows its full of users makes me think he's missing that will to live gene. 

 

That was so dumb.  I almost hate that we're watching a prequel to something we know so much about from 5 seasons' worth of experience.

 

I was screaming in my head the whole time, "Where's your weapon(s)?!" and "Where's your backup!?"

[dammitwoman]

Undecided whether this series is a keeper. I'll give it another episode. 

 

But the Nick actor was giving me serious Benny and Joon flashbacks.

[TexasChic]

Also, anyone else notice that the doctor on call when the old man coded looked an awfully lot like the doctor at Grady Memorial?

Holy crap! I thought he looked familiar, but didn't put it together. So. Is this the same hospital? Edited August 24, 2015 by HalcyonDays

[ParadoxLost]

I think its a mistake to start the show from the perspective of one family and their acquaintances.  I think it would have been better if they had a large cast initially to show the gamut of reactions to the ZA.  Then you kill off characters at the rate the population died in the ZA.  So if 50% of people are dead in a week (or whatever) then half the cast is wiped out by whichever episode that is. 

Edited August 24, 2015 by ParadoxLost

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

You know who's gonna lose their shit first, right?  Nope, not gonna be "going cold-turkey" Nick; its totally gonna be 'Alicia'.  When the power and communications goes out, and she can't text or listen to the music.   Katie, bar the door!

[truelovekiss]

Also, anyone else notice that the doctor on call when the old man coded looked an awfully lot like the doctor at Grady Memorial?

Holy crap! I thought he looked familiar, but didn't put it together. So. Is this the same hospital?

I don't think so. They're all the way in LA, but Grady was back on the east coast, right? If it's him, either he left before the ZA, or that was one hell of a walk.

[Hootis]

I've only watched 17 minutes, and I have to ask: after TWD, why would we want a setting where the characters were MORE clueless? Where they have even less idea about the situation and the new world?

I am hopeful that they are using this show as a "do over," and that these characters will act more rationally. Smarter.

[Amelie06]

 

Seriously, I was rather tense watching the premiere.  And also a bit sad.  All of the bit characters that the main cast has interacted with are going to die horribly and become those monsters.  People who had jobs and plans for the future.  It's tragic.

True. I really felt for the kid with the steak knife. He gets it and is appropriately horrified. He feels like we do, only he is living in it. Seeing a doomed way of life every where he goes. This also made me strangely reckless because I know that civilization is about to fall. I worried for a second that Nick was leaving behind a mountain of evidence in and around Cal's car, then I realized that they are probably a few days away from complete anarchy. The CSI:LA  people are going to be eaten.

 

But let's face it, Cal and all of the extras we see who are going to be eaten  early are the lucky ones. I figured out by season 2 of TWD that I don't want to live through the zombie apocalypse. It's just no fun. And there seems to be a lot of rape, murder, and cannibalism. Nope! Not for me. 

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

I think its a mistake to start the show from the perspective of one family and their acquaintances.  I think it would have been better if they had a large cast initially to show the gamut of reactions to the ZA.  Then you kill off characters at the rate the population died in the ZA.  So if 50% of people are dead in a week (or whatever) then half the cast is wiped out by whichever episode that is. 

 

I totally agree with you on this, but doing it that way = more production cost.  I don't know the situation for the show, but maybe they have a limited budget, at least in that way.  And if that's not the case, then a show like this needs a bigger cast just based on the simple fact that it takes place in LA.  LA [and suburbs/surrounding area(s)] is HUGE.

[Iguessnot]

Rather boring because the backstories and characters aren't interesting. I thought the mom needed to speak to Travis when she was eavesdropping on his class. Yet when he finally notices her, it's just an eye of acknowledgement. Useless scene. Secondly that scene claiming that Russell "nailed" the analysis was plain insulting. The concept was easy to understand but Russell produced an answer without really understanding what was being asked. He even had nerve to smile proudly as if he was a second grader instead of a high schooler.

 

Why did Maddy do that weird fainting ruse when she saw the syringe in her son's book? Made no sense for the character nor in context of the story. Of course large puddles of blood don't faze them or cause them to consider calling the police.

 

 

 

Okay the trio approaches the car. The drug addicts of course is a little freaked out because the body is missing, but folks, there's a big ole pistol lying there. Y'all can't just pretend nothing really happened and just drive away, leaving an expensive car and loaded pistol unattended. Why was Cal not seen before they entered the viaduct.

 

One reason TWD is a great show is because it doesn't play stupid. This first episode was full of Lifetime channel sap, I'll watch again but I have very low expectations now.

[Irritable]

This is not a complaint, but I feel like I just watched Johnny Depp, Jr. in "Fear and Loathing 2: Los Angeles".  Between the actor resemblance, his being drug addled, and wearing a Bing Crosby outfit, I found the similarity to be a wee bit distracting at times. 

 

It was pretty slow, but I'm in.  Of course, I'm probably in no matter what.  Hope Alicia's boyfriend isn't dead, he was really nice, and since Cal turned out to be a sleaze we are going to need Matt around for balance. 

[truelovekiss]

I think its a mistake to start the show from the perspective of one family and their acquaintances. I think it would have been better if they had a large cast initially to show the gamut of reactions to the ZA. Then you kill off characters at the rate the population died in the ZA. So if 50% of people are dead in a week (or whatever) then half the cast is wiped out by whichever episode that is.

I really like this idea. I often thought that I would've liked footage of Dale meeting Andrea and Amy, T-Dog in his church bus, etc.

[Glaze Crazy]

Since it's clearly a pilot to set up the series, I was OK with the slow burn on revealing the zombie effects. I like that they used a drug addict to be the primary civilian character who's seen the first zombies, leaving Mom to go "Yeah, OK then, back to rehab for you!" 

 

I started watching for the background people walking around the parks and streets to see if they set out some lone "walkers."  That would be more realistic in the early days, IMO, since they would be sparse on the ground and not in packs yet.  There was one in the park across from the flophouse church that might have been drunk, high or zombiefied so that was a good visual, if that was their intention.  It was plausible that Mom and Boyfriend wouldn't have paid any attention to that guy in the park because they are caught up in their own drama.

 

I think it was good to show them actually seeing someone reanimate after they themselves inflicted some serious damage.  The guy in the next hospital bed could have been easily dismissed as just getting his heart restarted with the machine on the fritz.  Until he chewed a chunk out of the nurse, of course.  Since this is supposed to be very early days and it's only covered about 48 hours I can accept the general population is still putting the pieces together about what is possibly going on.  Wasn't Rick in a coma for about 2 weeks in TWD?  He (and us viewers) woke up to the full blown switch over, these guys are living it real time.

 

I'm in for the duration.  Looking forward to seeing where it goes.

[HalcyonDays]

Very very slow start. A few good scares, but somwhat predictable. I mean, I fully expected the old man sharing the hospital room with Nick to Code Blue then turn Zombie. Close.

 

The woman playing the mom - Maddie I believe - totally reminds me of Elisabeth Shue.

 

But it wasn't until the last few minutes that I finally realized who Nick (looks and behaviour) totally remind me of.

 

Johnny Depp's Gilbert (What's Eating Gilbert Grape) + Johnny Depp's Raoul Duke (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas) + Elias from Kevin Smith's Clerks II.

 

Combine those three, and THAT is the physical looks, behaviour and mannerisms of Nick on this show. It's uncanny.

[ParadoxLost]

This is not a complaint, but I feel like I just watched Johnny Depp, Jr.

 

Are you the one that said that in the live chat thread... because I'm never going to be able to un-see that now.

[Tippi Blevins]

Poor Nick. It's only day 1 of the zombie apocalypse and his hair already looks like hell. 

 

His mom and Travis (mostly the mom) had such underwhelmed reactions to Calvin. It's like she was looking at a guy with a sprained ankle instead of a guy with half a face, assorted bones sticking out of his flesh, and still moving after being run over twice.

[TexasChic]

I do find it unusual that no one is saying, "eating people's face off, impervious to getting shot point blank? Bath salts anyone?" Maybe this world doesn't have that I guess

[truelovekiss]

I've only watched 17 minutes, and I have to ask: after TWD, why would we want a setting where the characters were MORE clueless? Where they have even less idea about the situation and the new world?

I am hopeful that they are using this show as a "do over," and that these characters will act more rationally. Smarter.

I think they're using this show as a "do over," but to basically do the same exact thing, but keep it around for longer. There's only so much longer they can justify camp dinner bell roaming from one "safe new home" to another, something fucking it up (or they fuck it up themselves) and then finding a new "safe permanent home," all while gaining a few new people and losing roughly the same amount of people per season. There's going to come a day when the actors want to move on. Not to mention, they have to deal with the aging of Coral and even more so with Judith. I think the goal of FTWD is to essentially do the same thing, recycle their best plots, and stay away from the less popular ones.

[Saje]

I'm getting major Tim Riggins vibes from druggie Nick, so suffice it to say, I'm hooked.  

 

I was going to say! Don't they remind anyone else of Tim and Lila - AND THEN YOU GO BY LILA!

 

lulz