Every now and then, a TV show comes along that captivates the attention of millions week by week. This was true for hits such as Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad, and the same was, originally, true for The Walking Dead. Prior to its debut on the small screen, the name was practically unheard of. Only those that were interested in comics and graphic novels would have likely heard of TWD. When the first episode aired though, millions of viewers across the world were given a wonderful look into an apocalyptical world, where human relationships took centre stage over the backdrop of an Earth overrun by zombies.
The human element was originally the selling point of the show. Of course, the production value was always great, and many viewers would have been particularly sickened during infamous gruesome scenes involving zombie guts. At its heart though, TWD places a heavy focus on the relationships of its characters which felt somewhat comforting in an apocalyptical world. Indeed, the show would soon subvert viewers by revealing that the ‘Walking Dead’ does not refer to the zombies, but the people that are trying to make a somewhat good life despite the hardships that constantly plagued them. This formula worked for a time, but unfortunately, the series soon took a turn for the worst sometime during its middle age.
Veterans of the series will agree that seasons 1-5 represent the pinnacle of the show, where everything was still excellent, especially the writing. While the show has managed to keep many of the things that made it so good in earlier seasons, the writing was noticeably worse from season 5 onwards. Characters started to do and say things that did not match up to how they have been presented thus far. Hopeless situations were resolved due to incredibly lucky circumstances. The quality of the dialogue that characters would have suffered, and as a result of all these things, people simply stopped watching.
The Walking Dead is now in its eleventh and final season, a notion that may cause viewers to come back to a once-great show. However, if eleven sounds very high, that’s because it is. This is a series that should have really only had 5 or 6 seasons to begin with, due to the loop that exists within the world. Typically, the group that the show follows find a residence, make it their home, only to have it eventually destroyed before they find a new place the next season. It is something that viewers have noticed and have understandably become bored of.
There is some hope for fans hoping for a good end to the series though, and those who retired to other sources of entertainment such as online gambling, like at sites like these, may yet return to see how it finishes. This is because the series has a new showrunner, who has turned things around on the show. The writing is good again, and while it is unlikely that the final season will allow TWD to reach the heights of its earlier seasons, fans can at least expect a satisfying ending to an eleven-year journey.
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