The Walking Dead

I'm not particularly fond of graphic violence.

Given that, it's safe to assume that I don't enjoy watching zombie movies. However, my partner is a fan.

A few months ago, she bought one of those bootleg DVDs that contained 15 movies in one, and, as expected, all of them were zombie movies. She asked me to watch them with her, but naturally, I wasn't keen on the idea. You can imagine the harmony in our relationship.

One day, boredom struck, and there was nothing else to occupy my time. The house needed cleaning, but I lacked the motivation to do it. I had already watched all the DVDs at home multiple times. That left me with the zombie DVD, the one thing I hadn't even considered inserting into the disc tray of the player. It was a choice between cleaning the house or watching a zombie movie (a not-so-life-altering predicament). The decision was clear. Laziness prevailed.

I glanced at the list of movie titles on the DVD. I recognized a few, but most of them seemed to be obvious B-movies. Unable to decide which one to pick, I resorted to the foolproof method of random selection (eenie-meenie-miny-moe), and it landed on "The Walking Dead."

As it started playing, I soon realized it was a TV series. Surprisingly, I became engrossed. The storyline was captivating. There were a few gruesome scenes, but nothing I couldn't endure. While watching, a nagging thought persisted in the back of my mind: "What if something like this happened here? What on earth would I do?" And that's the beauty of it—it forces you to contemplate and question the very fabric of society as we know it.

I watched non-stop until the final episode, where the protagonists escaped the CDC (more on that later), and it ended. I was left wanting more. I conducted some research and discovered that the episodes I watched belonged to Season 1, and Season 2 had just concluded. A quick visit to a DVD vendor allowed me to acquire a copy of the complete Season 1 and 2 (or so I thought, but again, more on that later).

This occurred back in May. Through a few Google searches, I learned that "The Walking Dead" was actually based on a comic book and that Season 3 was set to premiere on October 14.

And now, I find myself among the millions of fans of "The Walking Dead."

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It was a week before the premiere of The Walking Dead season 3. I gathered with a couple of friends and we embarked on a marathon of seasons 1 and 2. In case you haven't seen it, here's a brief overview:

(Source: Wikipedia.com)

Season 1 - The series kicks off with sheriff's deputy Rick Grimes waking up from a coma in a damaged and abandoned hospital. Upon leaving, Rick discovers a post-apocalyptic world overrun by zombies, often referred to as "walkers" in the show. He also learns that his wife and son are missing. Acting on a rumor from a fellow survivor, Rick arms himself and embarks on a dangerous journey to Atlanta, Georgia, where the CDC is rumored to have established a quarantined safe zone. However, upon reaching Atlanta, Rick realizes that the city is infested with walkers.

Just outside the city, Rick's wife Lori and son Carl have been hiding with Shane Walsh, Rick's partner, and best friend. They have formed a camp with a small group of fellow survivors. After being rescued from Atlanta and reunited with Lori and Carl, Rick takes charge alongside Shane. However, the camp is later attacked by a group of walkers, resulting in the deaths of several survivors and forcing the remaining group to seek aid from the CDC.

At the CDC, all but one staff member, Dr. Edwin Jenner, has either fled or taken their own life. Dr. Jenner reveals that his research has failed to find a cure for the infection, and he has been isolated for a long time. As the emergency generators run out of fuel, the CDC's safety protocols initiate, leading to a building-wide explosion aimed at preventing the escape of deadly diseases. Jenner and Jacqui, a member of Rick's group, choose to stay and face their fate. Before they leave, Dr. Jenner whispers something to Rick, and the group narrowly escapes as the CDC is incinerated.

Season 2 - The second season begins with Rick and his group of survivors fleeing from the CDC. They decide to make Fort Benning their next destination. Along the way, they encounter a massive traffic jam on Interstate 85, filled with abandoned vehicles. As a large herd of walkers approaches, the group hides under the vehicles for safety. Sophia, a young girl, is chased out of her hiding spot and pursued into the woods by walkers. Rick manages to find her but loses her again after drawing the walkers away. While the group continues searching for Sophia, they also face interpersonal conflicts. During the initial search, Carl is accidentally shot by a hunter named Otis. To save Carl, Otis leads Rick and Shane to a secluded farm owned by a veterinarian named Hershel Greene. Shane later sacrifices Otis to the walkers to ensure his own escape. The survivors settle on Hershel's farm as Carl recovers. However, tensions rise as dangerous secrets and disagreements over leadership emerge. Lori reveals she is pregnant, although the father's identity is unknown, and Glenn forms a romantic relationship with Hershel's daughter, Maggie. Glenn discovers that the barn on the farm is filled with walkers, some of whom are Hershel's deceased family members. When Shane releases the walkers, Sophia emerges as one of them, and Rick is forced to shoot her.

(Note: I initially thought this episode, where they discover Sophia as a walker, was the season 2 finale because the DVD I purchased ended there. Thanks to a friend, I was able to watch the remaining episodes of season 2.)

Hershel disappears to mourn his loss and is found by Rick and Glenn at a local tavern, where they encounter two other survivors. The encounter quickly turns violent, leading Rick to kill the two men in a gunfight. The commotion attracts a large horde of walkers and the attackers' group finds Rick, Hershel, and Glenn at the bar and opens fire on them. The noise lures even more walkers, and one of the attackers, Randall, is left injured and abandoned. Rick and the others bring Randall back to the farm, but they soon realize that he may reveal the farm's location to his former group. As the group debates what to do with Randall, Dale is mortally wounded by a walker, forcing Daryl to end his suffering. Later, the group searches for Randall, who was secretly released by Shane and murdered in the woods. Daryl and Glenn find him as a walker and kill him. They deduce that a broken neck caused Randall's reanimation, rather than a walker's bite or scratch. Meanwhile, Shane and Rick confront each other, with Shane having planned the fake search to eliminate Rick. Rick gains the upper hand and fatally stabs Shane in the torso. Just in time, Carl witnesses Shane reanimate as a walker and shoots him down.

The gunshot attracts a massive herd of walkers, overwhelming the farm. In the ensuing chaos, Jimmy and Patricia are devoured, and Andrea is left behind. Andrea survives on her own and is later rescued by a hooded woman accompanied by armless, chained walkers. The remaining survivors regroup but are forced to camp due to a lack of gasoline. Rick reveals to the group, amidst questioning his leadership, what Jenner whispered to him at the end of Season 1: every survivor is infected with the Walker virus. As the final scene pans out, a large prison comes into view.

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I can’t wait to watch Season 3!