Why The Walking Dead is Worth Watching: An Introductory for Beginners. (Guest Post)

Jamie is here filling in for me in my brief absence with a post about one of my new favorite television series, which she introduced me to, The Walking Dead.

Hello all, it's Jamie again. You might remember me as I've guest posted on here several times. I grabbed at a chance to do it again since I recently helped James discover one of my favorite TV shows and now I'm going to take a bit of time to talk about here.

When I started watching The Walking Dead several months ago, I didn't think it would be as dear to me as it has become. I heard it was popular but no one I knew or anyone I followed on the internet ever talked about it or reviewed it or mentioned it. Despite the fact that I'm not a zombie fan, I decided to give it a try. And I'm ever so glad I did. It really surprised me on different aspects and I wish I had heard about it sooner. So that's why this is my topic for today. I would hate to have someone not end up watching a great show because they might think it's shallow and nothing but violence. So to anyone who might be wondering about the themes of The Walking Dead or is just not thrilled about starting a show about zombies, this is for you, whoever you may be.

These are some of my reasons why The Walking Dead is worth watching.

First off, I would love to make one fact clear first. This show isn't actually about zombies (or Walkers, as they are called.) It's actually a tale of humanity; it's goodness, suffering, weaknesses and strength. You could say the apocalypse is really more of a backdrop, a clever and unique backdrop that is used to help bring out the inner goodness and darkness of the human soul for us to see.

The plot follows Officer Rick Grimes when he wakes up from a coma in an abandoned hospital and finds the world all but stopped in the aftermath of the zombie apocalypse. He manages to join a group of survivors in Atlanta and soon becomes one of the core members, aiding and protecting his new friends. The group, forced to move about trying to find sanctuary, must make the choice to either set aside their differences and work together or fall apart and face the consequences.

While the plot does strongly follow the group's struggle of remaining alive, it also gives us stronger messages of what it really means to be alive--without it being preachy or super obvious. We get to watch the relationships, dilemmas and struggles while fighting against Walkers and other survivors who often prove to be even more dangerous.

This show does contain quite a bit of violence and blood spattering. Since my previous public opinion on my own blog, I've come to the conclusion that the show is not as bad as it could be. While there have been several scenes that I found a bit much, it's overall not bad for a mature audience. This is a gritty, dark world we're being shown, after all, and it's a great setting. But please be forewarned for anyone who is more sensitive to that.

The show is character driven and to me that's what makes it work so well. Even though there are a few annoying ones, there are a lot of great characters, a wide variety of characters, actually, for us to like. This also means realistic character growth that goes in both directions. We see characters rise to the occasion and we see others crash and burn. And I really appreciate that because it's so true to life. Not everyone will be heroes. Yet sometimes the most unexpected people can become one.

I also like the fact that the show lets me come to my own conclusions on characters. I really dislike it when a film hands me a kick butt character and kinda says, "Ha, look at them, they're so cool, you should totally be impressed with them because they're awesome." That irks me. However, with the exception of one character, it's not like that in The Walking Dead. When we first meet everyone, they're scared and confused; they behave in realistic ways and we get to watch them grow realistically! They earn my love and respect. I can truly say "These guys are kick butt and awesome!"--because I actually saw them become awesome! The show doesn't tell me how to think, it let's me think instead. It makes me feel more invested and to me that makes it worth my time.

And last but not least, my final reason why I recommend The Walking Dead. It's helped me reflect about my own life. Not necessarily "what's my zombie apocalypse plan," although that is fun to do, but rather more inwardly. "Would I have had the courage to do what Rick or Daryl just did? To put my life on the line for someone who needs me help? Would I have a clear head, would I maintain my moral compass through trauma like that? Or would I steal or lie or be selfish in ways that would put lives at risk?"

I really appreciate being moved to thoughtfulness. A lot of shows aim to take you out of your world and distract you. The Walking Dead helped me personally think a little bit more about my inward strengths and weakness, how I value life, how I appreciate my life, and how I could be a better person. It's given me heroes to admire and cautionary tales for me to learn from. It's something I can enjoy watch yet also gain something from at the same time.

Besides all this deep stuff, this show also packed to the brim with fantastic-ness! There's thrills, suspense, shocking plot twists, action, gun fight, archery and swords, bad guys, scares, amazing effects, great cast, perfect theme song, a bit of romance and even some laughs. All combined, it's made for a fantastic, addicting show that I'm glad I took a chance on!

And thus is the end of my post! Thanks so much for reading, guys! I appreciate it and if anyone starts the show and falls in love with it, please swing by here or at my blog and let me know! I would love to hear your thoughts! I'm also open for any questions you might have as well, if there are any. :)

Thanks Jamie for another fantastic guest post! Check back tomorrow for her review of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.