The Walking Dead: 10 Ways To Make The Show Great Again
7. Address The Epidemic
You remember that pesky disease that made people turn into flesh-eating zombies when they died? Apparently, just about everyone in the show has forgotten this little tidbit. In the episode Claimed, the eleventh episode of this season, for the first time sinceI dont know, the end of season onewe finally have someone focused on the walker disease. Glenn and Tara run into a band of survivors on their way to Washington DC, led by the determined (and somewhat peculiar) Abraham. Among Abrahams group is Dr. Eugene Porter, who claims to know what caused the apocalypse. Its even hinted that he may have a thought for developing a cure. This is great stuff! But as soon as we get excited, a group of walkers attacks, the group kills them all (of course), and in the process Eugene shoots the gas tank, rendering their vehicle inoperable. So much for going to Washington and creating a cure. It seems odd to me that following the season one finale at the CDC, no one would be interested in trying to find a cure. Its not even brought up. Its as though everyone has just accepted that they have the disease, and they better not die lest they want to turn into a walker. I get that non-scientist and non-physician characters probably arent going to make much headway when it comes to finding a cure, but isnt it strange no one is seeking them out either? No one seems to be in any hurry to try and rectify the epidemic. They only want to carve out a little niche for themselves and wait out a storm that has no sign of dissipating. Focusing on the characters and their immediate task at hand is all fine and dandy, but after awhile the storylines tend to get repetitive. Tell me if youve heard this one before: Survivors find a safe place. Survivors gather supplies. Survivors defend safe place. Safe place is attacked. Safe place is lost. Survivors look for another safe place. See what I mean? This recurrence is a reality in the world of The Walking Dead, and thats okay. But theres plenty of room for new, fresh storylines to explore as well. Why the disease happened, how it happened, and if theres indeed a cure are all new and interesting ideas deserving of exploration. If for no other reason than a welcome respite from whats quickly becoming a tired formula. Which is a nice segue to the next point.
