Days Gone Bye

TWD's Very First Episode is Still Great by Today! The Show is Expressed with it's Vey First Scene! Character of The Episode: Rick Grimes A Prefect 10

Going back and watching the first episode brings tears to my eyes from how far the group has come and what a strong first episode the show had. The acting was superb and the story flowed. The most iconic episodes of all time, and creepy too. The raw emotions are felt throughout Andrew Lincoln's stellar performance. This is a rejuvenation of a dying genre.

Hungry ? There's nothing as efficient as a film of zombies to fill up your belly. Yummy ! We just can't get enough of these sleepy walkers, even after 28 Days Later and I Am Legend. However I really didn't know what to expect and was wondering if Frank Darabont, director and writer of the pilot, and his team would be able to disturb us positively.

There're shows that try to introduce as many characters as possible in their pilots and there's The Walking Dead. Similarly to Danny Boyle's masterpiece this first installment covered the journey of a lonely and agonizing protagonist, Rick Grimes. Andrew Lincoln's performance was flawless and greatly contributed to make his character authentic. You should instantly care about his fate and watch his every steps. In fact we didn't have much choice considering the other characters had anecdotic roles. It's a good thing because for example I was driven to the show by Sarah Wayne Callies and as she was only featured for a few seconds I won't miss the upcoming episode. An other important element to consider is the immersion. Indeed I hadn't been so engaged by a production since 28 Days Later. From the first person visuals to the astonishing visual effects I just haven't one single complain to make. Pure perfection ! I never thought they would be able to transpose I Am Legend incredible cityscapes to a simple TV series.

The story itself is edgy, scary and unpredictable. The twists weren't numerous but absolutely exquisite. The lasts were jaw breakers ! You have been warned. All along I couldn't help being frightened by what was happening to the protagonist. An other character portrayed by Lennie James made his creepy adventure even more fearful. He was also used to tell what happened as Rick's miraculous survival is unexplained. It's even more puzzling as we have no idea when the apocalypse began nor how. As a comparison Survivors (2008) was far less intriguing so I hope it's not an other government conspiracy ! Let's now dissect the ambiance silently. Indeed we don't want to draw the walkers attention. An identical process was applied and the pace was brilliantly spread. People interested by psychology and climax should feel right at hell. Some scenes were so calm that I could hear my breath. The background music wasn't intrusive and very rare. But the best part and the most mind blowing one is that most scenes occurred in bright day life. The only night one didn't last more than five minutes ! It's very smart if you compare the concept to I Am Legend. The seams of its digital effects ruined the creatures impact in my opinion. So we aren't ready to give up on the good old make-up craft ! Anyone for a zombification ?

Still we could argue for a more original story and less stereotyped characters. But some of them definitely have potential and their connections could lead to very tensed moments. To sum things up all victorious ingredients were united for once. Even the visuals were able to convey the comics spirit it's based upon. Indeed some scenes were like frozen in time just to have a higher impact on the audience. From the crawling woman to the dark crows walking in the pages of that bestiary was fascinating !

The first episode of The Walking Dead is the definition of a perfect hook, as it despite its 1 hour runtime, leaves you desperate for more!

Of all the different Zombie apocalypse introductions, this stands to me as one of the best one! Rick waking up in a hospital bed, and slowly discovering the state of the world, is so brilliante and full of atmosphere! It allows for the viewer to sink in what is happening as we are probably just as shocked and confused as Rick is!

The very first scene is equally iconic!

Everything this episode does, is some of the things this show does BEST! It will leave you on edge right till the credits roll! It has everything you would expect balancecing great atmosphere with horror, gore and great characterwork and storytelling!

We can all argue how the show turns out, but the pilot here is PERFECT and remains one of the best episodes in the series!

Deputy Sheriff Rick Grimes and his partner and best friend Shane Walsh are summoned to form a police roadblock to stop a runaway car. Rick is shot by one criminal and goes into a coma. When Rick awakens in the hospital, he finds that he is alone in the abandoned hospital and sees several bodies disposed everywhere.

He wanders along the empty streets trying to find his wife and son and stumbles with Morgan Jones and his son Duane that explain him that the world has ended and now there are only walkers, zombies that are attracted by sound and smell of the survivors. Rick heads to Atlanta in the police car to seek out his family but he runs out of gas on the road. He sees a horse in a farm and rides to the city. Out of the blue, he is surrounded by walkers that eat his horse. He seeks refugee in a military tank and he hears a message on the radio.

I have glanced at many good reviews about "The Walking Dead" and I have finally bought the Blu-Ray with the complete First Season. This first show or pilot is one of the best zombie films I have ever seen and this is my favorite horror genre. The plot is very well constructed through a good story, great performances and stunning special effects. Now I am going to see the next episode, hoping that keep the same level of this pilot. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "Days Gone Bye" (1.1)

Note: On 08 April 2016, I saw this show again.