The Walking Dead "TS-19": Tomorrow Is a Long Time

The first season of The Walking Dead ends up taking at least a dozen episodes worth of story and boiling it down to just six, so if much of it seems rushed, we shouldn't be surprised. And that's really the only fault I have in the inaugural season for the comic book adaptation. Many characters didn't get enough time with them for us to care about their demise -- see Jacqui, for instance. I guess it's fitting then that her suicide decision to stay behind is, for all intents and purposes, shrugged off by the group (save a brief "are you sure" from T-Dog). The time at the CDC alone could've been stretched out over 2-4 episodes (or a whole season ala Sons of Anarchy's frustrating hide-the-baby story arc). Despited the rushed storytelling, I'm all in and look forward to the full 13-episode next Halloween.

The finale aptly ended with Bob Dylan's "Tomorrow is Long Time," whose lyrics deal trying to live life after losing a loved one, as there are plenty of that going around here.

The Walking Dead - Episode 1.06
"Tomorrow is a Long Time" - Bob Dylan [download]

Previously: "Days Gone Bye" (Episode 1.01)

The Walking Dead "Days Gone Bye": Welcome to my World

The 90-minute premiere of The Walking Dead, based on the Robert Kirkman comic book series, pretty much lived up to all the hype that proceeded it. And audiences ate it up in droves (premiered with 5.3 million viewers, which is more than double what Mad Men achieved on their recent season four finale and approx 2.4 million more than highest rated episode).

Fans of the comic book will notice a drastic cut in the amount of dialogue, which is a welcome change. The long, wordless scenes with Rick (Andrew Lincoln) discovering the new world he's woken up to were breathtaking at times, and it made the scenes with Morgan (Lennie James) and his son that much more poignant. The opening episode does a great job of introducing us to this desolate new world with the post-apocalyptic slant making this more like Cormack McCarthy's The Road than 28 Days Later, even factoring in the zombies. Never thought I'd experience so much brains with my "BRAIIIIINNNSSSSS!"

How odd was it, then, hearing Wang Chung's "Space Junk (Wang Chung '97)" swelling up near the end? Recorded over 13 years ago, the band reunited for the song as part of a greatest hits collection, making little or no impact whatsoever at the time. The repeated refrain of "Welcome to my world..." is the obvious reason for its use here.

"Space Junk (Wang Chung '97)" - Wang Chung