George Romero: 'The Walking Dead' Is A Soap Opera With Occasional Zombie

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Comments

  • I was talking to you both, as exemplified further down this thread.

    I love how you chastised me for saying a comment was ignorant, but you refer to mine as excrement. I understand the rules now. "Stick to bumping your Justin Bieber" is a harsh insult, but you using profanity is alright. I appreciate the insight.

  • There's a fine line between "expressing a negative opinion" and doing it in such a hyperbolic way that it offends others. The first naturally has a place here, the latter doesn't. And as the latter hardly serves a communicative purpose but flamebaiting, it's absolutely not in the community's interest anyway.

    Exactly how did i contradict myself? i mean specifically, i believe there is a clear difference in having a negative opinion and expressing a negative opinion.

  • I dont care if you like it or not. That is totally your choice. I dont like some shows that other people love and revere. I just, like I said, never understood, and this is from reading the same kind of comments on other message boards, when people continue to watch a show they dont like just to bash it. I actually read someone say that they watched a show they didnt like just so they could "heckle" it. That kind of mentality I dont understand.

    TheMissus posted: »

    It's easy: I was into TWD before the series, I loved the comic and the game. Lot's of people said the show was great, so I believed them and b

  • IMDB and Facebook to name two. When I like a show, I like to read as much as I can about it. I also listen to a lot of podcasts so I hear a lot of opinions. Ive seen every episode of Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones and have defended both shows to other fans. Yeah, they are not always treated like the bastions of tv as no show Ive ever seen is. But, if you think The Walking Dead is an inferior show, that is fine. It doesnt change anything for me, not my opinion of it or my love of the show so we can agree to disagree.

    lmao, no I wouldn't use the word "upset", but disgusted would work. Spending an entire season building up to a battle/climax that never happen

  • exactly what i was getting at sorry for the confusion

    Vainamoinen posted: »

    There's a fine line between "expressing a negative opinion" and doing it in such a hyperbolic way that it offends others. The first naturally

  • edited November 2013

    When did I say I was trying to change your opinion? You are the one who replied to me. If anything you were trying to change my opinion.

    Let me know when TWD gets praise for its acting or writing. Until then, we can agree to disagree as you said.

    KCohere posted: »

    IMDB and Facebook to name two. When I like a show, I like to read as much as I can about it. I also listen to a lot of podcasts so I hear a lo

  • This is ridiculous. Two pages of back and forth. Every one has opinions and everyone has the right to express those opinions. What people need to learn is that not everyone is going to agree.
    Personally, I love the game, but I can't even read the comic and the show was good but has been on a decline. There has been some promising moment's in the new season, but it depends on how it all pays off. If they do what they did with last season's finale, which was very bad writing and disrespectful to the time I devoted to the series, then I don't think I'll be continuing with it. But, for those of you who'd continue to support the series, good for you. My opinion doesn't invalidate yours.
    Now, as for Romero's opinion, I will say that it does hold a lot of weight, but if you don't agree with it, what does it matter, you're not going to stop watching just because of what he had to say. But, PLEASE, don't disrespect the man, because, without him, The Walking Dead Never would have existed.

  • Why shouldn't you not watch something you bought? Well because maybe you should have watched it on TV before you bought two seasons of it!

    TheMissus posted: »

    It's easy: I was into TWD before the series, I loved the comic and the game. Lot's of people said the show was great, so I believed them and b

  • edited November 2013

    Oh how dare I being born and raised in the wrong country? I am SO sorry that we didn't have it on TV earlier and I had to ship it from abroad. We have every season 1 or 2 years later and when it's finally on TV they air it in the middle of the night. We're still stuck on Season 2 here.

    Honestly: THINK before you speak! Your behaviour is getting worse

    UndeadEuan posted: »

    Why shouldn't you not watch something you bought? Well because maybe you should have watched it on TV before you bought two seasons of it!

  • that thumbs down wasn't me in case you are wondering.

    Warge posted: »

    They do? I haven't read the comics.

  • Seriously: Do You really have such a low self-esteem that you can't handle it, when some guys don't like what you like? Because that's my impression, prove me I'm wrong.

  • I'm just pointing out the flaws in your post. Do you have such a low self esteem you can't handle people pointing out the flaws in your posts?

    TheMissus posted: »

    Seriously: Do You really have such a low self-esteem that you can't handle it, when some guys don't like what you like? Because that's my impression, prove me I'm wrong.

  • Well then go point out my "flaws" in our disscussion on page 1 because we're disscussing Logans post here. I don't care what you think about me, Romero, the TV show or else but you should really calm down and stop acting like an insulted primadonna if you want to be respected, not dissaproved.

    UndeadEuan posted: »

    I'm just pointing out the flaws in your post. Do you have such a low self esteem you can't handle people pointing out the flaws in your posts?

  • VainamoinenVainamoinen Moderator
    edited November 2013

    Some posts were lost in this thread because I had to clean up the place a bit. Carry on the discussion please. Without the flamebaiting and the blanket statements, of course.

  • Logan is soooo right, this is getting silly. Lets either have a pleasant conversation about the topic at hand or be smarmy and condescending to everyone who has a different opinion to you, and that goes to both parties.

    LoganX23 posted: »

    This is ridiculous. Two pages of back and forth. Every one has opinions and everyone has the right to express those opinions. What people need

  • edited November 2013

    lol wow are you trolling, ill informed (apparently ignorant is a bad word around here now) or 12?- probably all but definitely one of the three, without a doubt

    UndeadEuan posted: »

    Most of the general public do not know who he is.. it's not that unlikely you do know. Ask anybody who he is and I bet 90% will just go ' who? '. He is not a legend.

  • stirpicusstirpicus Telltale Alumni
    edited November 2013

    The first few arcs of TWD comics were free of "the Z word" (as Shaun would say) and then it slowly started to creep in more. The show still has yet to use it (I think?), and it's only slipped into the games once or twice...
    Alt text

    :)

    Hershel posted: »

    actually, the comic calls them zombies a couple of times.

  • stirpicusstirpicus Telltale Alumni

    I think people are reacting to the term "soap opera" like way more of an insult than it was probably meant to be? Yeah it's definitely teasing the show because of how it does everything it can to create drama betwixt characters ("Pregnancy!" "Whose baby is it?!"), but I don't think Romero was implying the whole thing was trash or not worth watching. It's just a different take on the "typical" zombie story which, in my opinion, is part of what's helped it grab such a huge audience. It's the addictive nature of soap operas and human drama, but wrapped up in zombie stuff so it's still cooler. :)

    shrugs Just my $0.02 on the matter. In any case, people should all chill and stop fighting with each other so much in here! Be nice y'all! :)

  • edited November 2013

    i completely forgot about the ones in the game.

    EDIT: i just noticed your bio says you are working on TWD season 2, can you tell us if there will be another trailer soon? we're all looking forward to more info on it :).

    stirpicus posted: »

    The first few arcs of TWD comics were free of "the Z word" (as Shaun would say) and then it slowly started to creep in more. The show still has yet to use it (I think?), and it's only slipped into the games once or twice...

  • edited November 2013

    That's the thing - they weren't "some of the first", they were the invention of the genre, period.

    Don't ask me why, but Night of the Living Dead replaced the basic concept of ghouls with zombies. Maybe back then, having a character use that description sounded more "real", since you'd be referring to what people pictured as voodoo-resurrected slaves. You know, mindless shambling, etc.

    This isn't all to say you're not entitled to your opinion on the actual films, it's just that brushing them off so casually in relation to The Walking Dead is a little silly. It's like dismissing Walt Disney as a feature-length animated film creator. Sure, you can hate him, but don't forget that Snow White is also the reason (and template) for the entire genre's existence.

    UndeadEuan posted: »

    They're only classics because they were some of the first zombie films, and were made in the 70's. That's the only reason. Critics don't always know best, you should know.

  • WALKING DEAD : ZOMBIES : : LOST : MYSTERIES

    lol, no...Game Of Thrones, Breaking Bad and Homeland are dramas. The Walking Dead is a poorly written and acted soap opera. There is a huge difference.

  • That is quite interesting really - personally, I'd say it comes down to accidental Freudian slips. But the most used terms are 'walkers' for the show, and 'dead' for the game I think.

    stirpicus posted: »

    The first few arcs of TWD comics were free of "the Z word" (as Shaun would say) and then it slowly started to creep in more. The show still has yet to use it (I think?), and it's only slipped into the games once or twice...

  • edited November 2013

    Technically you are right (getting there), but the way Romero put it makes it negative. there is no "satire or a political criticism" in a soap opera.

    But yes, the show has drawn a larger audience because of the soap opera part - let's face it, a TV show based on say a game like Left 4 Dead would have a lot of more action, but wouldn't draw the same crowd as TWD, simply because the interaction between people is not there to the same extent as in TWD. And people like soap operas, that's kind of part of life as well.

    Personally I think the soap part has taken over too much of the show, dragging it to a halt, and that's a damn shame since the premise (survival during a zombie apocalypse) is awesome.

    stirpicus posted: »

    I think people are reacting to the term "soap opera" like way more of an insult than it was probably meant to be? Yeah it's definitely teasing

  • TWD is interesting because its not just about killing zombies.

    George Romero should go crawl back under whatever rock he emerged from.

  • ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^THIS THIS ALL OF THE THIS

    Made posted: »

    That's the good thing about TWD. I never was a fan of the zombie-genre. I am not now. I only got into TWD because of Telltale. I bought the ga

  • This whole franchise puts human drama above zombie hacking and slashing, whether it be TV show, comics, or even the game.

    Erm...don't Romero's best forays into zombie-fiction do the very same thing?

    I frankly don't understand his point at all...unless he means how drawn out the interactions of the show are, to which I would say...well, it's a television series, and not a two-and-a-half hour movie, George.

    I feel bad for Romero because his work has become less and less profitable, and he's seen everyone else cop his basic idea.

    Zeruis posted: »

    I sadly have to agree with him on this. This whole franchise puts human drama above zombie hacking and slashing, whether it be TV show, comics

  • Ah, you've made my point for me! Totally agree. Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead aren't focused around zombie-killing, but the "soap opera" of human interaction within the zombie world.

    Michael7123 posted: »

    That is kind of the point though. This is about emotional turmoil, not hacking through zombies. To each their own.

  • The show just lost its way, and i think that thats what Romero is talking about. They no longer focus on the dangers of this world, people being the worst and zombies just being there. This show has devolved into just being "human drama" to the point where i can no longer stand the eps while the game does the human drama right and it feels very natural the shows drama just feels like drama for drama sake.

    Romero's movies use the zombies as a catalyst to people devolving into either monsters or cruel people doing anything to survive, the show only glances at that and goes right back to drama. Honestly I havnt watched an ep since season 2 finale.

  • If you want to emphasize human drama over zombie action, that's a perfectly reasonable creative approach to take. But none of that amounts to anything if the human drama sucks. I mean, can you honestly say this dialogue doesn't sound like something out of a hokey soap opera?

    Sithdude78 posted: »

    The show just lost its way, and i think that thats what Romero is talking about. They no longer focus on the dangers of this world, people bei

  • Sorry but I have to disagree here - In my opinion 'The Walking Dead' is focusing on the human condition when put in tough survival situations. It has a variety of characters to gather different perspectives on certain situations. So, the fact that we see human emotion or human interaction whether it be relative to 'soap opera' standard is only natural in my opinion.

    To me, 'walkers' are a metaphor for death. No matter whether its slow or fast it will eventually get you, and seeing different characters struggling to keep walkers off is a literal fight between them and death and not only that but their decisions decide how close or how safe from death (walkers) they'll be.

    Sometimes characters win, sometimes characters lose. Walking Dead has many different characters and depending on our individual perspectives on them depend on how we react to these victories and losses. Just because it delves into topics such as pregnancy or suicide (which are also topics in soap-opera) doesn't mean it has to be seen as a soap opera.

    It can just be seen as different characters responding to different stimuli trying to prevent death and living in a world where they've finally realized there is no black and white to morality, good or evil just shades of grey.

  • "Crap" is "profanity"? Give me break.

    I love how you chastised me for saying a comment was ignorant, but you refer to mine as excrement. I understand the rules now. "Stick to bumping your Justin Bieber" is a harsh insult, but you using profanity is alright. I appreciate the insight.

  • edited November 2013

    Have you ever actually seen "White Zombie" with Bela Lugosi? There is nothing about that film that resembles modern zombie movies. Nor did "King of the Zombies" (one of my favorites) or "Revolt of the Zombies" or any of the other early zombie films. You could argue that "The Last Man on Earth" with Vincent Price was one of the first modern zombie films (which came out 8 years before "Night of the Living Dead"). The zombies in that were more like vampires though. Movies like "White Zombie" and "King of the Zombies" were based on voodoo zombies, which are very different from the modern concept of zombies. They were more like entranced slaves than zombies. They killed, but they did not eat human flesh like Romero's zombies. George Romero is well-known as the father of the modern zombie genre. It's pretty much consensus. He popularized and reinvented the sub-genre of zombie horror.

    UndeadEuan posted: »

    Romero did not create zombies, he only changed them slightly. But, if nobody knows who the man is, they sure as well won't give a damn about w

  • I agree with you. As a lifelong zombie fan, Romero's opinions on the subject DEFINITELY matter to me, personally. His opinions don't dictate my tastes or anything, but I definitely value what he has to say, as should anyone with a love of the genre. I still like TWD because I love all things zombie, except "Zombieland". I really didn't like that movie for some reason. Bill Murray was awesome and is the only reason I purchased the movie. :) I agree with what you said about TWD too. It's definitely soapy and I wish they had better writers. I think the show has such great potential, but really crappy writers (for seasons 2 and 3). It's getting better this season though. I just wish HBO had bought the rights to it instead of AMC. It could have been amazing if HBO did it. I heard that HBO (before AMC bought the rights) wanted to use Thomas Jane as Rick, which would have been 100x better than Andrew Lincoln. It's too bad. I'll still keep watching though.

    Warge posted: »

    Well, Tolkien created the kind of fantasy we are used to - wouldn't his opinions matter regarding some of the mutations the fantasy genre has

  • Argumentum ad populum is not a sound argument. Just because many people believe something, does not make it so.

    UndeadEuan posted: »

    16.1 Million viewers speaks for itself.. none of the general public care what he has to say - if it's a soap opera with a few zombies then who cares? People love it, and so do I.

  • I don't know about that. There's been plenty of hacking and slashing in season 4 so far, along with, yes, human drama. I think they finally struck a good balance between the two, at least so far.

    Zeruis posted: »

    I sadly have to agree with him on this. This whole franchise puts human drama above zombie hacking and slashing, whether it be TV show, comics

  • The entire cast minus Scott Wilson, Danai Gurira, Chad Coleman, Jon Bernthal (but he's gone now), and maybe Melissa McBride (she's gone now too).

    UndeadEuan posted: »

    Just to start off.. why the heck do you watch something you don't even like? Do you really have that much spare time? You've got no right to c

  • edited November 2013

    It's all semantics. Warge makes a good point. It's different words to describe the same basic idea.

    UndeadEuan posted: »

    Apart from the ' zombies ' in 28 days later aren't zombies - they're infected.

  • No shit no one would watch it if everyone hated the lifeless characters

  • Seriously, this discussion would be 100% better without the needless drama

    So would the show! Lolz. Just kidding.

    Vainamoinen posted: »

    Wait, does that mean if you don't like the show, you can't criticise it because you shouldn't watch it anyway? Ouch. Of course the actors a

  • They were vampires, actually, like you said. That movie was based off of Richard Matheson's book I Am Legend (it was also much more faithful to its source material).

    Have you ever actually seen "White Zombie" with Bela Lugosi? There is nothing about that film that resembles modern zombie movies. Nor did "Ki

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