Prelude: I'm drunk in a sports bar approximately 1000 miles from home. I've read about every post on every sub I can stand and I'm in the mood for typing.
Started reading TWD in 2008, been watching the main show since it premiered daily (was also on GA state campus when they were filming the early episodes). Defended the shows a ton because of how much the comic ended up meaning for me, I felt like they were a decent attempt at bringing the brutality and humanity of a post apocalypse to life, within the bounds of what you can show on cable.
As you read, I'll reiterate, I'm drinking so expect a spelling/grammatical error or two. It's going to be a long night.
Part 1: Spinoff announced and Released
When they first announced a spin-off show, I couldn't say I didn't see it coming. The franchise was at the height of it's popularity, the comic especially. IIRC the Savior's had just entered the story in a big way and the entire tone had changed. Issues hit double pace through AAW and the main show was in it's rocky stages but it was obvious AMC was really fucking up the production by limiting the budget, extended episode calls, getting rid of Darabont. As a fan I just knew that as the team settled in and the really good stories came up it'd end up being one of the greats, they had an entire map in front of them and they just needed to not tweak it too much to make a great season once a year.
We all know how that turned out and when they said there would be a spin-off I couldn't help but be excited. I thought they would finally be able to tell a story unencumbered by the comics, where we wouldn't have to learn the universe rules as slowly and just get to live with a new group with their own problems. On top of that, a drastically different environment, and it starts as the apocalypse does. Cool to see society collapse, and a good way to meet our characters both before and after. S1 wasn't the best TV I'd ever seen but it had tons of promise and the stories possible were ripe.
Part 2: Seasons 2 and 3 'or' The Golden Ages
Whatever happened in the pre-production meetings should be a lesson to the entire TWD team. Between boats, stadiums, dams, and the multitude of huge set-pieces, they made a really great story that didn't sit in uninteresting places for long. The characters all saw some really dark spots, and some moments of humanity, but the path seemed much darker than what the main show was offering. I know it was a common theory back then that Fear's endgame was that Madison's family was on their way to becoming the Walkers, something that was just occuring in the comic. I personally, was fond of this theory. Nick was the prototype, Madison was a dominant female anti-hero, and their distance from the main show would allow them to work their way Eastward to meet with Rick and crew for what I'm sure we all would've assumed would be a series finale for both shows (or maybe just Fear, but the crossover potential would've been big).
Think about it, they had multiple opportunities to develop livable situations for people, but every time it would fail. The mindsets of the people they were around were still in shock from their shared experience and no one could trust each other. It seems like a perfect Alpha backstory, and the main show did an OK job at that (more than the comic ever did at least) but apparently we were meant for:
Part 3: Reboot S4
You ever use Premiere? How much do you like greyscale? Well whoever was in charge of editing just loved it. (Sorry if you're the editor and you're reading this because please read my following statements)
I'm a bit of a film nerd, or more appropriately, I love film that's dirty, off color in places and raw. When film/tv sticks with a color scheme, I'm inclined to like it. I know it's unpopular here, but I liked the tints they would use for both current and flashbacks. The Texas landscape is haunting on its own, but for people who've never been to Georgia, Virginia, or Texas, telling the difference may be tough. California had this nice glow, Mexico too (let's all laugh about how all the SW regions get an orange tint in movies to signify how very south you are). But their vision of Texas...it's a wide, empty land full of survivors, trailors, roads, truckstops, you name it. What a perfect place to put a bunch of survivors who want to get around outside of major cities.
The reboot of a series in its infancy really took everyone by surprise. Morgan is entering, we have a bunch of nobodies to learn about meanwhile the original cast is down to what you can count making a peace sign. I figured we weren't going the "turn good people into villains" angle anymore, but wanted to see how it played out.
Part 4: Stories are Valuable
The fanbase has lost all hope. They killed the dialogue into what made the last few seasons of the main show unbearable. Ethical philosophy is cool in a show where you actually understand it and then can give practical examples in unexpected ways, but most of the wording is just your run of the mill "bad people bad but maybe were bad and how can we be less bad" dialogue using the most souless language possible.
I can't even bring myself to watch the last to episodes of Fear. I've been so disappointed in this season and I didn't even mind the bully splitting scene. What is killing me is that there is not any begining season ambition, realistic climax, or end goal I care about. There is their goal to help people, but the way they've played it doesn't lend itself to a proper story that will carry me from week to week.
On top of that, there is just no reason to care about people trying to rebuild when that is already the plot of the mainshow.
Part 5: the Movies
I'm fairly certain they got an end-call a while ago and were told to set up the characters for whoever could survive in film. All of their new additions are film ready, they just needed some precurser episodes so when the film hits they have enough backstory to rescue Rick Grimes and not just be randos. I'm fine with path, but it just shits on the idea of having a spin-off.
I'm a bit of a journalist, and there are some scenes with Al I totally relate to and love her addition as a character. If you consider the comic ending, I think she'd end up being a sort of hero for the larger community. She's idealistic, sharp on her feet, and actually cares about people in a way no one else does.
John is cool, he's a sharpshooter with a heart of gold and the aesthetic to boot. He showed Dwight what the new world could be much like the land he had left, allowed him some sort of redemption.
But this season is almost entirely useless except for the helicopter people ep which just opens up the connection between shows. Nothing has any sort of lasting consequence. We know the heli group is going to be a big part but I don't think they have another season in them with this group that doesn't involve them seeking then out and then reaching the Eastern communities.
Conclusion: The End of an Era
The main show will likely end on S12. None of the primary actors want to do the show anymore, the comic came to a solid conclusion, Commonwealth has been hinted at, and the thrill is gone.
Fear could've been a great spin-off but they needed to setup a big spin-off ending. Better Call Saul works because you already know the ending, Fear doesn't work because they keep setting up endgames that would work great and then they deviate into something no one wants. There is just no tragedy left anymore, any character who dies now is totally expendable. We just know that this group will end up tracking down some sort of Apocalypse Illuminati and we could care so little about them that if they even make it to that point it's going to ruin the entire plotline they were hoping would set the shows apart from the comics.
I'll repeat that for the TL;DR NO ONE CARES ABOUT NEW CHARACTERS GETTING INVOLVED IN FINALE PLOT LINES
For instance, Magna's group, Princess, Mercer, a bunch of characters got the short end of the stick by the end, but their place in the story only made for small moments to move the story along.
This is where we are either Fear; we have a few good characters who are about to go on a big adventure, but it's purely for the sake of ending both shows. I'll forgive them for the bad stories because they couldn't just wrap up a spin-off without a conclusion that made sense (or connected) and they couldnt let them end the main show without a big crossover.
Conclusion 2: Predictions for the End
The Fear Cast ends up finding out the truth if the helicopter people by way of Al seeking them out. Morgan will recognize Anne at one point and seek peaceful resolution between what they want (obviously a strongest amongst us approach), rick will be subjugated to their rules for a period, and Al will try and make a case for the weakest as their stories are just as horrifying and strengthening as they'd hope their prime survivors are (a B maybe, their philosophy still being a mystery).
Yeah the Fear side sucks, especially now. Somewhere along the line, the were told to drop their original intent, and now every character needs to be able to adapt to Rick Grimes, the ultimate savior of the New World. The Trials will not only be marked by Rick's influence, but also Morgan, Al, Carl, and (likely) Dwight.
I'm just looking forward to that scene where an older Michonne is judging over a case and speaks of these characters as they should be known. It's one of the biggest moments in the book and draws attention to the characters who grew and led through the worst of the Trials.
TL;DR the show needs to wrap with both show's mains being acknowledged as being savior's of the Trials, the fact FTWD deviated from being villains (the whisperers) made the show weak.
Submitted September 07, 2019 at 10:44PM by SheriffMcSerious https://ift.tt/2PVH34S
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