Review: The Walking Dead Webisodes

I am often asked about THE WALKING DEAD by fans of the AS THE WORLD DIES Zombie Trilogy.  I suppose it makes sense since both works are about a group of people surviving the zombocalypse.  Though I had never read THE WALKING DEAD, when I heard about the TV show, I was very excited just like all the rest of the zombie fans.

I eagerly tuned in and was...disappointed.  Though I loved the zombie makeup, gore, and the setting, I found myself struggling to invest in the characters. Though Morgan and Duane captured my heart, they vanished from the show after the first episode.  Later, I rather enjoyed the gang in Atlanta, but they, too, were only on for one episode.  I did end up liking Glenn and Daryl enough that I worried about them dying.

But I didn't like the treatment of ALL the female characters on the show and most of the minorities.  When all the women did was the laundry, cooking, and screaming, I was ready to kick my TV.

BUT...that being said, I had high hopes for season two anyway.  The first season felt rushed and crippled by being only six short episodes.  I think it takes most TV shows around six episodes to usually find their footing (unless its LOST).  Some episodes were freaking awesome, while others somewhat bored me.  The trip to the CDC was incredibly annoying and boring (and I understand its not in the comics).

Yet, I was still so happy to see a TV show about zombies at last.

When I saw the link about the webisodes a few weeks ago, I watched all six in one sitting.  And I have to say right now that if the second season of THE WALKING DEAD is anything like the webisodes, I'm in heaven.


The webisodes are about the iconic "torso zombie" from the first episode of THE WALKING DEAD.  She was heavily featured in most of the promotion of the show (see the ad above as an example) and was probably one of the most graphic and disturbing of all the zombies.  In fact, the torso zombie was the one zombie that broke my heart.  By her appearance it was obvious to the viewer that something just terrible had happened to her.

And now we know...

Episode one "A New Day" opens with the introduction of Hannah as she awakens in her car after an accident.  Stunned, wounded, and terrified by the disappearance of her children, she rushes through an Atlanta neighborhood seeking them out.

Hannah in a still from the show.

Of course, the world has been turned upside down and she is quickly in danger from the walking dead roaming the streets.  Scenes of carnage are everywhere, from a birthday party gone terribly wrong to a mail carrier being eaten on the sidewalk, it is clear that the world has come to a bloody end.

The rest of the webisodes follow Hannah, her children, her ex-husband, and his wife through a terrible day of death and destruction.  No one is safe in the tale, and of course, Hannah's fate is already sealed.  Yet the show has plenty of thrills and chills despite the short length of each episode.

Though Hannah is going to die, her character is the strong female we did not see in the actual TV show.  She is a devoted mom who is determined to save her children no matter what it takes.  She is never shown as weak and is the most well-rounded character in the entire webisode series.

In the end, even Hannah's death is not because she is weak, but because she is strong.  I won't lie.  I cried.

So if this is what THE WALKING DEAD season two is going to be like, I'm more than a happy camper.

Check out the preview for THE WALKING DEAD Season Two.