Had heard nothing but great things about 'The Walking Dead' from friends and IMDb reviewers. It took a while to get round to watching, both from being busy and also not being sure whether it would be my cup of tea. Finally getting round to it a few years ago and slowly working my way through it, having had a very long to watch and review list, 'The Walking Dead' turned out to be very much my cup of tea and as good as the hype made it out to be, have found it extremely addictive.
Season 4, as far as previous episodes go, has been very promising on the whole, "Internship" and "Too Far Gone" being exceptional. It still shocks me at how an intelligent, well-made (so much so that it is easy to mistake it for a film) show about zombies could be made when so many films have tried and failed abysmally to do so. After such a brilliant previous episode, a season and show high-point, "After" disappointed somewhat while still having a number of good things. It is not as strong reminder of most previous episodes of how Seasons 1-5 of 'The Walking Dead' to me were absolutely brilliant and seeing the show in its full glory days (Season 6 was uneven, Season 7 was a huge disappointment and am still debating whether to watch Season 8). For a start to the second half of the season, one inevitably expects a start with a bang quality, although the opening sequence did that it was not quite managed for the rest.
Certainly "After" has a number of good things. It, like all the episodes before it, is superbly made. It has gritty and audacious production design, effects that are well crafted and have soul rather than being overused and abused and photography of almost cinematic quality. The music is haunting and affecting, having presence but not being intrusive. The more eventful scenes, like the beginning, are unsettling and uncompromising.
There are moments of thought provoking writing and some tension and emotion. The beginning does intrigue and wrenches the gut. Characters are far fewer than usual, focusing on Rick, Michonne and Carl. There is some great character development in "After", with the most interesting character being Michonne boasting some quite resonant moments, and the episode excels in the interaction. The performances are without complaint, Andrew Lincoln is superb as always but Danai Gurira's powerful performance stands out here.
However, something was missing. Admired the quieter and more reflective approach and its focus on characterisation, but a large part of me found it lacking in tautness and that it was too restrained after such a gut-wrenching opening. There are pacing issues here, with some dull stretches and at times too much talk.
Did admire too that effort was made to develop Carl and make him the most interesting he's been so far this season. Did find that this wasn't executed completely right, count me in as another person who frequently was frustrated by Carl with his immaturity and rushed without thinking decision making (making it difficult to get behind him) that does make for some uncharacteristically head-scratching moments up to this point of the show.
Overall, pretty decent, but after being amazed by the previous episode that rounded off the first half of Season 4 was expecting a lot more considering that it started the season's second half and could have been mistaken easily for not being one. 7/10 Bethany Cox
Season 4, as far as previous episodes go, has been very promising on the whole, "Internship" and "Too Far Gone" being exceptional. It still shocks me at how an intelligent, well-made (so much so that it is easy to mistake it for a film) show about zombies could be made when so many films have tried and failed abysmally to do so. After such a brilliant previous episode, a season and show high-point, "After" disappointed somewhat while still having a number of good things. It is not as strong reminder of most previous episodes of how Seasons 1-5 of 'The Walking Dead' to me were absolutely brilliant and seeing the show in its full glory days (Season 6 was uneven, Season 7 was a huge disappointment and am still debating whether to watch Season 8). For a start to the second half of the season, one inevitably expects a start with a bang quality, although the opening sequence did that it was not quite managed for the rest.
Certainly "After" has a number of good things. It, like all the episodes before it, is superbly made. It has gritty and audacious production design, effects that are well crafted and have soul rather than being overused and abused and photography of almost cinematic quality. The music is haunting and affecting, having presence but not being intrusive. The more eventful scenes, like the beginning, are unsettling and uncompromising.
There are moments of thought provoking writing and some tension and emotion. The beginning does intrigue and wrenches the gut. Characters are far fewer than usual, focusing on Rick, Michonne and Carl. There is some great character development in "After", with the most interesting character being Michonne boasting some quite resonant moments, and the episode excels in the interaction. The performances are without complaint, Andrew Lincoln is superb as always but Danai Gurira's powerful performance stands out here.
However, something was missing. Admired the quieter and more reflective approach and its focus on characterisation, but a large part of me found it lacking in tautness and that it was too restrained after such a gut-wrenching opening. There are pacing issues here, with some dull stretches and at times too much talk.
Did admire too that effort was made to develop Carl and make him the most interesting he's been so far this season. Did find that this wasn't executed completely right, count me in as another person who frequently was frustrated by Carl with his immaturity and rushed without thinking decision making (making it difficult to get behind him) that does make for some uncharacteristically head-scratching moments up to this point of the show.
Overall, pretty decent, but after being amazed by the previous episode that rounded off the first half of Season 4 was expecting a lot more considering that it started the season's second half and could have been mistaken easily for not being one. 7/10 Bethany Cox