Tag Archives: walkers
THE WALKING DEAD SEASON 3 SPOILERS
This week’s Entertainment Weekly offers up a sneak peek of season 3 of The Walking Dead. The issue features four different collector covers highlighting season 3 cast members, plus eight pages inside are devoted to the show. There are a couple spoilers revealed in interviews with producers and cast members. Some of the spoilers have been previously revealed elsewhere and some of the spoilers are brand new, but we’ve compiled five of the biggest spoilers below.
5. Lori Grimes Has Self-Hatred – When season 2 ended, Lori Grimes was pregnant and had just learned that her husband Rick Grimes had killed her former lover Shane. Apparently, both issues are going to weigh heavily on Lori, and she will experience a lot of self hatred. Sarah Wayne Callies, who plays Lori Grimes, is quoted as saying, “Lori feels horrible because good people are now putting themselves in danger and taking on her share of the work to protect her. I think it’s impossible to overestimate the amount of self-hatred going on in Lori’s head right now.”
4. Merle Dixon Is A Woodbury Hero – It’s already been revealed that Merle Dixon would be returning for season 3 of The Walking Dead, but EW offers up some details on exactly how Merle will return. Apparently, The Governor will start off a celebration by announcing a good old fashioned pig picking, and Merle will show up carrying a boar on a stick. And the townspeople appreciate the importance of a good hunter, as they chant “Merley! Merley!”
3. Milton Will Be A New Character – There is at least one brand new character being created just for the TV show. Dallas Roberts of The Good Wife and Rubicon will play a character called Miltion, who is a pseudo-scientist. Milton will not be a trained scientist, but he will be studying the behavior of the walkers in an attempt to find a solution to them.
2. Penny Might Show Up – In the comic books, The Governor kept his zombie niece Penny leashed in his apartment, and he fed her human body parts. While The Governor on The Walking Dead TV show will be somewhat different than The Governor in the comic book, producer Glen Mazzara had a very interesting response when EW asked about Penny. Mazarra said, “There are key moments in the comic book that we felt were very important to adapt into the series. I don’t want to give anything away, but our version of the Governor is recognizable to comic book fans.”
1. Other Survivors In The Prison – It turns out that Rick and his group are not alone in the prison, and we’re not just talking about zombies. According to a quote from Glen Mazzara, “The group will come to discover that there are other survivors within that prison.” However, it’s not revealed if the other survivors will be former convicts or an entirely different faction.
HALLOWEEN HORROR NIGHTS – THE WALKING DEAD
There is strength in numbers and you must band together to make it through many of the iconic settings made famous by the critically-acclaimed AMC hit, The Walking Dead. As the city is crawling with hordes of “walkers,” the issue of your becoming one of them is not a question of if, but when.
The Walking Dead Season 3 Spoilers and Photos – MERLE IS BACK
Warning: The following contains spoilers for the third season of The Walking Dead.
If the promise of the Prison, The Governor and Michonne wasn’t enough to keep fans of The Walking Dead salivating for the third season, new photos from the set of the AMC drama reveal the return of a long-absent character to further complicate the lives of Rick Grimes and the other survivors.
As you probably guessed, that character isn’t tormented widower Morgan Jones, but rather Merle Dixon (played by veteran actor Michael Rooker), the racist meth addict who disappeared in the third episode of Season 1 (“Tell It to the Frogs”), leaving only his dismembered hand and a trail of blood to remember him by. Sure, he cropped up again last season in a hallucination to taunt his injured brother Daryl (Norman Reedus), but that hardly counts. In the third season, it’s the real Merle Dixon, missing hand and all.
The first set photo shows Rooker wearing a bayonet where his right hand used to be; undoubtedly, Merle has dreams of sinking that blade into Rick and T-Dog, who left him handcuffed on the rooftop of that Atlanta department store as walkers overran the building (brother Daryl is probably on the stabbin’ list, too). Note that the vehicle appears to be the same one David Morrissey’s Governor is shown standing beside in the official image released last week, suggesting that Merle made his way to Woodbury after stealing the survivors’ truck in Season 1. Early speculation fell on Merle becoming The Governor, so having him allied with the bloodthirsty dictator is perhaps the next-best scenario. What a nice surprise for Rick & Co.
The second photo is significantly cheerier, showing a smiling, two-handed Rooker signing an autograph for a young fan. It’s probably the same expression Merle will have when he reunites with Rick, T-Dog and Daryl. Okay, probably not.
The Walking Dead returns in October on AMC.
THE WALKING DEAD SHOWRUNNER GLEN MAZZARA REVEALS SEASON THREE & FOUR DETAILS
Spoiler Warning: Glen Mazzara, showrunner for AMC’s The Walking Dead revealed some vital information in regards to the upcoming season of the show and mentioned that he sees the upcoming Prison arc lasting for both seasons three and four. Plus, he offers comments on pacing complaints, character evolutions/intros, the TV series catching up to the source material and more.
The Walking Dead tells the story of the months and years after a zombie apocalypse, following a group of survivors who travel in search of a safe and secure home. The series goes on to explore the challenges of life in a world overrun by walkers, where the interpersonal conflicts often present a greater danger than anything else and over time, the characters grow willing to do almost anything to survive.
As next season of The Walking Dead gears up for shooting its 16 episode order this May, fans should prepare themselves to visit the next safe haven that comic readers know all too well. During a recent round table interview, Glen Mazzara mentioned that the aforementioned Prison arc will last all of the third season until the end of season four.
“I think that a lot of people felt the farm was claustrophobic and we don’t want the prison to be that way,” said Mazzara. “The prison arc is really the heart of Robert Kirkman’s work with The Walking Dead.”
He went on to say that he plans to move closer to the source material in some aspects, but that there will of course be deviations along the way. Perhaps the largest deviation in season two was the surprise exit of Dale and therefore the lost opportunity to explore his storylines moving forward. In regards to Dale and Andrea’s love relationship, Mazzara said the writers didn’t feel the need to pursue it at all. “I don’t feel the Dale/Andrea storyline is a loss. It was never really on the table.”
One of the more intriguing comic book storylines involves Dale and group of cannibal hunters, and that will apparently live on through a different character in the TV series. “Anybody can be cannibalized, so we still have that story in the pocket.” As new characters like Michonne and the villainous Governor are introduced, I asked Mazzara if the zombies will ever take a backseat for an eventual human threat and conflict.
“Zombies will never take a backseat. We will introduce a significant human threat but the zombies are fully integrated into this world and are part of the landscape. There could be times with no zombie action but we feel we don’t need to have a 1000 zombies on the show either.”
Mazzara also confirmed that viewers can expect more ‘hero zombies’ in season three, much like the one that finished Dale off and proving Mazzara’s “quality over quantity” theory in regards to the undead. I also asked if he feels the show will catch up to the source material now that the ratings have shown continued and growing success. “Maybe we will catch up eventually; I know that Robert has no plans to end the comic.”
One of the common complaints Mazzara and the Walking Dead team have faced is purported pacing issues, which many felt caused the show to run slower in the first half before picking up later on in the season. When asked if any viewer input had an impact on this pacing change Mazzara replied, “No. My inclination was always to ramp it up after the Sophia arc and we were already so well into production that would have been impossible anyway.” Another question was asked if Mazzara’s comment of the final three episodes being a benchmark for the pacing of season three was a stab at Frank Darabont’s earlier work in which he vacated the series as showrunner after the Sophia arc. “Not at all. Frank actually wondered earlier on if we had pacing issues at the beginning himself.”
In regards to the characters, Mazzara revealed that Lori’s reaction of anger upon hearing news of Rick murdering Shane was one of shock and disgust in herself. This scene puzzled some fans when Lori implied for Rick to “deal with” Shane earlier in the season. “Lori did not ask Rick to kill Shane. She’s a confused control freak. She’s horrified at Rick and herself for her own role in this and is dealing with self hatred. She is appropriately f***ed up.”
Another character that viewers wanted to see more from was T-Dog, who many felt was underutilized. Mazzara said he was surprised by this reaction and compared T-Dog to another character by the name of Ronnie from Mazzara’s writing days on The Shield. He did however admit that they might have went a bit far in ignoring him to some degree saying, “He has been off to the side and forgotten so we’re going to correct this now that he’s survived the finale and develop him from being a background character in significant ways.”
As for new characters, he went on to confirm the sword-wielding Michonne (Danai Gurira) will have a vital role and said that, although her surprise entrance in season two was very “theatrical”, he does want to ground that character and make her real and gritty. The Governor, played by David Morrissey, is a good friend of Andrew Lincoln (who plays Rick) in real life. Mazzara mentioned that although he was not familiar with Morrissey’s work, Lincoln’s praise along with Morrissey’s audition were perfect. The actor understood that the Governor’s essence is that of a true villain.
Other interesting notes include
- Mazzara confirmed fan favorite Merle (Michael Rooker) is “on the horizon” for season three.
- Greg Nicotero will shoot webisodes based on different characters sometime next month.
- Horror novelist Stephen King will not direct an episode of the series as he was Darabont’s connection.
- The bar shoot-out in the episode ‘Triggerfinger’ was inspired by a similar scene from HBO’s The Wire.
- A writer from HBO’s The Sopranos has been added to the TWD team.
- Security has been ramped up significantly to prevent leaks, which were a huge plague for season two.
- Scripts for season three are being written simultaneously in a style that Frank Darabont introduced that he learned while working with George Lucas. Mazzara will write the third season premiere.
- Despite the prison arc showcasing some of the darkest aspects of the series, Mazzara confirmed that there’s“no place they won’t go” in those terms although they may utilize off-screen effects in some situations.
- Mazzara’s friend Kurt Sutter (creator of Sons of Anarchy) will likely have a zombie cameo next season while Mazzara plays a dead biker on SOA to seal the deal. “I love Kurt, so I might take him up on that offer.”
Zombie Apocalypse Teachable Moments – Straight From the CDC
Rule #1 – Make a pit stop, fill up before it’s too late
Siphoning gas…with your mouth? Gross. If you remember to always keep your tank at least half full, you can avoid having the lingering taste of petrol linger in your mouth and have enough fuel to get outta Dodge before impending disaster strikes.
Rule #2 – First aid kit, never leave home without it
We felt T-Dog’s pain when he ripped open his arm on a rusty car door while trolling the wreckage and siphoning gas. We’re assuming that you’re not scavenging for supplies on the freeway or hiding under abandoned cars to avoid walkers, but the key take away here is to always have a first kit on hand
. By doing so, you could avoid having to stop the bleeding with a grimy towel and some duct tape like T-Dog did…not exactly sterile supplies. T-Dog’s luck improves when Daryl offers his brother’s stash of anti-biotics (not something the CDC recommends!) and the group stumbles upon a farm conveniently inhabited by folks versed in the medical arts. Herschel’s wife is able to stitch up T-Dogs arm (now oozing puss) and prevent further infection. Always have a first aid kit on hand. If you’re really smart you’ll keep one at home, in your car, and at work. T-Dog could have avoided a lot of pain and suffering if he’d followed this simple rule.
Rule #3 – Clean water is zombie-free water
Zombie down the well? You might want to find a new water source. One of the most gruesome scenes of the season was when the group found a water-logged zombie in Herschel’s well, nasty right? Contaminated water is a common concern after a disaster, zombie related or other. After an emergency, especially flooding, run-off containing livestock waste, human sewage, chemicals, and other contaminants can taint water used for drinking, cooking, or cleaning. Our suggestion to Rick and his crew – don’t drink the water! If you’re ever concerned about the quality of your water after a flood or other emergency check with local authorities about water safety, you can also make water safe by boiling, adding disinfectants, or filtering.