Television as art?

Chigs finally watched last Sunday’s episode of ‘The Walking Dead’. I watched it again with her. I have been busting at the seams to talk about it with her. Since I don’t like to give spoilers, I wasn’t about to spoil the experience for her.

Even while watching she said, “Tell me what happens.”

I kept a stone’s resolve and kept looking straight at the television as if she said absolutely nothing. I didn’t want to spoil the moment that was about to arrive. I wanted to see her reaction because a character was killed off ‘The Walking Dead’ last Sunday night. A character played by an actress that Chigs has grown to love.

I was surprised, of course, when it happened. And I was delighted as to how it happened!

The series gave us, the viewers, the “ol’ one, two”. They let us see a scare coming when a character approached the car containing a cooler. SURPRISE! A zombie pops up into the window. It was something anyone that has watched more than a handful of horror movies would see coming.

I was a little surprised that it “got” Chigs, but it did and she admitted to it. Hell, it even got me a little because I was checking my Twitter. I had seen it, but damn! Once my attention was diverted that little bit, that zombie pop up got me.

But later, the character’s death came out of nowhere! It was a complete and utter surprise! And I love the fact that the character, unaware of what happened, kept talking. It was a thing of beauty.

Sure, I was disappointed like Chigs. I wanted that character to continue on the show. That character was finally coming to terms about “living” and killing her own share of zombies instead of cowering in her safe confines while others did it for her.

That particular episode of ‘The Walking Dead’ sparked a conversation between us after we finished watching it.

“Look at us,” she said. “We’re discussing a television show.”

“That’s good,” I said. “Television is an art form. Art should be discussed. Television should be subject to the same criticisms as music or paintings or movies.”

Last Sunday’s episode is titled “Twice As Far” and it’s a fairly deep episode. There was enough zombie slaughter to satisfy the masses that don’t seem to care for deeper meaning of the human condition. But that’s what makes the show great! That's the heartbeat of the series.

Sometimes I’m bothered by folks that easily dismiss the series as a zombie show. It’s not about the zombies. It’s about the humans and how inhumane they can be towards each other when all laws of society are taken off the table. The greatest enemy on the show isn’t the zombies. It’s the living.

If you’d like to see this excellent episode of ‘The Walking Dead’, just click right here. The link will take you to AMC’s website and you can watch it for free. Even if you’ve never watched an episode of the series before, try this one on for size to see why it’s one of my favorite shows of all time.