When Season Three of the The Walking Dead ended, I planned to write a Blog Post about all of the things Rick Grimes should do to make the prison more safe. My hope was that season four of the Walking Dead would center on the attempts to rebuild a civilization. It seemed to have a lot of interesting possibilities. About a month later I read the novel World War Z, by Max Brooks. This book (but not the Brad Pitt film of the same name) dealt with the issues that interest me in a much more intelligent way than I could have hoped from TWD. So my curiosity was sated.
And eventually we saw the Comic-Con preview of Season Four. I was surprised by how much the preview showed in terms of story points. The preview showed that the Survivors have taken steps to resume some agriculture and are educating the kids that came over from Mayberry. It's also evident that things will go very badly and the Prison will have to be abandoned. Probably the right thing for the story. I'm sure the season will be very entertaining. But here are a few stray thoughts on what I want to see from Rick in tonight's debut.
1. Marshall the resources (especially weapons) of Woodbury. This is job one. Get the gungs, get the food, get the solar panels, vehicles, etc.
2. Integrate the Woodbury survivors. The season finale implied that the Woodbury survivors were all children or elderly people. But there are at least two characters that could be of great import. One is the doctor. I think they should at least explain what happened to her, because she (and her equipment) would be so valuable to the survivors. The other is the visibly pregnant woman that we saw in the first Woodbury episode. I don't know how much infant formula they have been able to scavenge but it a possible wet nurse for Little Ass Kicker would be invaluable.
3. Repair and improve the prison. Clear more cell blocks. Fix the breach that Tyrese's group came in through last season. Try to rebuild the guard tower.
4. Walker Defenses. Learn from the governor and build some Zombie pits. Make it a daily routine to clear them.
5. Nature. My biggest nitpik with TWD so far is the near-absence of conflict between wildlife and humans. We are now two years removed from the zombie apocalypse. Bears, wild cats, wolves would be reasserting their natural dominance of the ecosystem. The preview hints at some scenes involving animals being fed to Walker to get them near the prison. That's a promising starting point but I want to see the survivors being threatened by some of the non-human predatory species.
6. The Big Picture. What I most loved about World War Z is that it was written as an oral history, looking back at the war from a secure and peaceful future. This removed suspense and let in a real breadth of subject matters-politics, military strategy, religion, cultural differences and prejudices, etc. TWD will never be that, because it's a TV show that runs on the tension of the struggle to survive. Last season I hoped that Milton would have something interesting to say about what the long-term issues facing Rick and the group would be. But that doesn't really make television. Nevertheless, the scale of the problem is pretty amazing. There are 900 million people that live in the new world. That means about 899 million zombies to take care of, more or less. So the only plausible way this crisis ends is if the zombies ever start to "die". Maybe that will come in a later season but I get the impression that AMC knows it needs to milk this series for as long as possible. So I don't expect a zombie cure. That means lots of zombie kills for years to come.
Death Predictions.
Season 3 of the The Walking Dead was made great by the gutsy decision to kill two original characters early on. Such deaths are the emotional currency of the series. We know from the preview that at least 12 people die in the prison. Most of them are probably red shirts from Woodbury. But there will be important death as the season goes along. Here are some thoughts.
Likely to Die:
1. The Governor. Probably in episode 8, to make the half-season meaningful. Chances of dying this season: 99%.
2. Maggie and/or Glenn. Their engagement was one of the few sweet moments of a grim season three. I think they will pay a price for it. My hunch is that Maggie is more likely to die than Glenn, but I wouldn't rule out both of them dying, perhaps together. Maybe one will turn and then bite the other. Chances of dying this season: Maggie 70%, Glenn 60%.
3. Carl. Well the season has to end on a big note. And Carl is Rick's last tie to the world before the apocalypse. His death is the ace in the hole of the series creators. They may not want to play it yet, but I wouldn't be shocked. (51%)
4. Sasha' character could also be on a dangerous arc. I think Tyrese will be around for the long haul so they might write a story about the death of his sister to give his character some depth. 60%
5. DeAngelo Barskdale's new character has Red Shirt written all over him. 70%.
Reasonable Death Candidates.
Someone of noticeable value will have to die early. Hershel or Carol would seem to be good candidates but I think they both have some potential left as characters. I mean Carol has to sleep with Darry at some point, right? Hershel: 40%, Carol 35%.
Unlikely to Die. Judith, Beth,
Bullet Proof.
Rick, because he's the protagonist. Darryl, because he draws so many female fans to the show and Michonne because she is the ultimate fantasy of the 14 year old boys that this show is intended to entertain.
I am nearly 40. But it entertains me too.
