The Walking Dead 3.1 Review - "Seed"

By Felix Vasquez jr. /

rating: 4.5

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The producers of The Walking Dead TV Show seemed to have addressed a lot of the major concerns from fans and the inherent moaners of the show. Not enough zombies. Too talky. Carl won't stay put when told so. Well, the opening moments of the season three premiere of AMC television's hit show "The Walking Dead" is more than happy to meet those complaints. In the first five minutes of the show we meet the group of survivors, as led by Rick Grimes, months after they were booted from Hershel Green's farm in "Beside the Dying Fire." There is absolutely no dialogue in the opening, and the group take down three walkers at random while scavenging yet another abandoned farm house for supplies and food. You'll also notice the house is filled with vines and overgrown shrubbery. "Seed" is the further evolution of the mythos and of the characters created by Robert Kirkman, as they find themselves short of a few survivors and on the edge of nowhere. Where in "What Lies Ahead," saw the group in a highway filled with abandoned cars and endless supplies, the group has surveyed the entire country side and have officially run out of homes and stores to raid. What with the dead feasting on wildlife too, hunting is also becoming light and rare in many instances. "Seed" sets in to motion the very defining story arc for "The Walking Dead," and that is the occupation of the maximum security prison and the inevitable confrontation with series new villain. The invasion of the prison is handled with much finesse and rather excellent choreography as Rick seems to spend most of his time obsessing over fortifying this new home for his group, while the rest of the survivors spend their time trying to build something of a life for themselves. As is the case with Rick's declaration that there is no longer going to be a democracy among the group, everyone pretty much snaps in to action whenever Rick demands it. Even as they prepare to sit and rest in the field among the prison before them, Rick demands they keep going. Deep down Rick may have found a reason to keep living. And he just may have found a place where he can show Doctor Jenner that there is something worth living for, when the smoke clears. You can sense the desperation and longing in the characters, especially from Herschel and Rick. The following invasion in the prison is rife with fantastic gore effects from KNB and wonderful moments that will keep audiences reeling. There's even the appearance of a different kind of zombie that isn't so vulnerable, allowing the group to somewhat re-think their entire strategy when they decide to raid the prison and systematically close off the portions of the jail. Much like Romero's "Dawn of the Dead" Rick's tactic is to tackle wings of the prison, allowing them access and breathing room. The occupation is slow and terrifying, and Rick has ambition to slowly but surely turn the maximum security prison in to a place the group can live in peace. Along the way we're given an even strong bit of turmoil among the wasteland as we finally meet the cloaked katana wielding heroine from the end of "Beside the Dying Fire," and she's formed a partnership with Andrea. Her introduction is raucous and exciting, and as we see, she's tending to a fading Andrea who lays sheltered and stricken with pneumonia. Their journey is going to be arduous and as we've seen from the previews, eye opening. I suspect with the new sub-plots and character motivations established, characters will soon find themselves trying to decide between forces in this waste land leading to many a supporting cast dead and buried. "Seed" is an uneasy and, as is typical, truly harrowing opening for the season. Much like Robert Kirkman toward his comic book, the writers of the series simply will not allow these versions of the characters easy access in to safety and shelter.