Today was a pretty good day.
I’ll admit, I did spend a little bit of it on my work laptop, checking e-mails and sending chapters out to reviewers. But before that, I actually enjoyed some of my vacation.
I watched last night’s episode of The Walking Dead. The resolution of last week’s kind of weird cliffhanger ended pretty much exactly as I expected it to, and in the least surprising way, but I thought it was handled fairly well, particularly in the brief scene between Hershel and Rick. I’ve had my issues with the show in the past, and I was not a fan of the comic, but this season so far seems to be doing a lot of things right.
After that, and breakfast, I went to see Skyfall. Last night, I started watching On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, but I have to admit I fell asleep maybe about halfway through. (Diana Rigg is gorgeous, and there are some good action scenes, but George Lazenby is no Sean Connery. He’s barely George Lazenby at times. I plan to finish watching it, but I’m almost surprised I stayed awake that long.) No such problems with this new Bond, which, I have to say, is probably one of my favorites. It’s beautiful to look at, for one — I saw it in IMAX, after some Twitter chatter suggested I should, and I don’t regret the added ticket cost — and exceptionally well staged. I enjoyed the heck out of it, and highly recommend it.
And then I did a little writing. This short story I’ve been working on since Saturday keeps wanting to change the century it’s set in, but I think I’ve finally hit upon the right time frame.
And then there was the work e-mail. Though I promise, not a lot. I am, after all, on vacation.
Re: Walking Dead, I was a more than a little annoyed because I went on some TV-related forums after last week’s episode and basically got spoiled for the resolution of that particular weird cliffhanger by people who apparently don’t think “Well, this is what happened in the comic” counts as a spoiler. And I can’t help thinking it would have been a little more effective for me if that hadn’t happened. So, grrrr. Still, not a bad ep. Despite a few flaws, I am generally really liking this season. It helps that I’ve finally decided there’s at least one character I actually care about. (Hello, Daryl! How ya doin’?)
I’ve largely decided to avoid forums and weekly review sites. I like the AV Club’s television coverage quite a bit, for instance, but I think it’s not the best way to watch weekly television, as it’s unfolding. Even without ridiculous spoilers.
That said, I had one of the biggest deaths this season spoiled for me, by reading ahead in some online wiki. And I found that scene one of the most effective — not least of all because up til this season I’d genuinely disliked the character. (I’m tap-dancing around it, for spoiler’s sake, but I think it’s pretty obvious who I mean.) I knew it was coming at some point, even if not the way it happens in the comic, but it still worked for me.
I thought the resolution to last week’s cliffhanger happened pretty much by the book — even if it was or wasn’t by the comic book — but that didn’t stop me from liking it, from liking that moment when Hershel offers to sit with him rather than force the issue, letting Rick come to it on his own.
It’s not a perfect show, and probably never will be. But I was genuinely thinking about dropping it at the end of last season, and I’m now glad I didn’t.
I can’t say the same about the comic, though. I tried, I really tried.
I enjoy reading things like Television Without Pity’s weekly episode recaps, as they’re often amusing, and sometimes point out things I missed. But there are clearly some sites I should avoid.
(I was, by the way, tremendously enjoying reading the AV Club’s posts on various classic Twilight Zone episodes as I was watching them. It just hasn’t been the same since my watching overtook their posting and I was left without anybody’s analysis but my own.)
Agreed that that moment with Herschel in the last ep was good. With certain exceptions, I am generally liking the characters this season, which has not always been the case. Although I thought the end of season 2 was really good stuff, too.
I really do need to get around to reading the comic, if only because I’m interested to form my own opinion on it. I do have a big old collection of the first umpteen volumes. But in addition to the question of when the heck I’ll find the time, with all the other stuff I have to read, I’m also not at all sure I can cope with the weirdness of taking on the comic and the TV show simultaneously.
I have been pleasantly surprised by the deviation from the comic so far (and I’m a big fan of the comic). It is a little odd, knowing which characters are essentially marked for death, but the differences in the storytelling has made watching the series a good experience. I was very glad that they kept the telephone sequence in…it was seriously creepy in the comics.
I thought this week’s episode was quite good. And Daryl…oh, how I love Daryl. Interestingly enough, he’s not a character from the comic at all. So everything Daryl does is basically a big, lovely, rednecked surprise.