The Walking Dead Season 10: Will it Die on the Vine?

Good ol' James Woods got it right. "Walking Dead" has turned into a chick-fest, and that ain't right. On the other hand, in light of other fanciful forms of entertainment ("Maleficient the Benign", "Socialist Beasts", etc), it still remains a godsend, albeit at present a misguided one.

I suppose that Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln)'s departure was the first sign of decline. Perhaps the series should have said goodbye at that point or shortly thereafter. A greater emphasis on Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) should have stepped in, as many of us thought would be the case, but promises are often the result of the crafty rumor mill. (And yet what does Season 10's poster reveal?! Say, we may yet get our wish. Nah, we'll probably just be fooled again.)

"Walking Dead" needs more unapologetic grit and shock-to-the-system surprise like it once had. It needs its core characters in the forefront. New folks are fine, but not when they take the reins coming outta left field, as became the case with those whispery Whisperers.

I want sheer madness and sadness reinstalled in "Walking Dead". I want that nail-biting edginess that made me not want to go to sleep on a Sunday night, even though better-be-spry Monday was in wait. I want the Governor (David Morrisey) back (somehow, someway), so that he can fight Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) for control, but I guess that's a scenario destined only for fan fiction. 

If I miss an episode of "Walking Dead" now, I'm content to catch it later. Never saw that coming. At the same time, I haven't given up on the saga, not by a long shot. I still want it to go out with a bang, even if that means every last lead dies as a consequence. 

Maybe Season 10 will go that cataclysmic path or at least die on the vine trying.  

For better or worse, the flesh-eating infestation returns Oct 6. 

Walking Dead Season 9: Let Tension Spread...Please!!!

AMC’s “The Walking Dead: Season 9” is right around the post-apocalyptic bend (Oct 7, 9 pm to be exact). 

Though some dare claim that the series has outstayed its welcome, I suggest such shortsighted folks clam up. We loyalists don't need their negativity clouding what's become the top, zombie-samurai-western of all time...well, more or less, anyway.

On the other hand, I can appreciate why some feel betrayed by the series' recent path, if only in that Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Negan has yet to perish. How that odious opponent has managed to evade an excruciating, comeuppance demise is beyond me, but as with David Morrissey’s Governor Phil, there’s nothing as satisfying as a quality villain to keep the blood pumping--and spurting. Without lingering villainy, there's no tension, and without tension, there's no "Walking Dead". 

Anyway, I'm fond of the series' jagged edge. It's for much the same cause that I favor George A. Romero's “Dead” movies. As with Romero's saga, “Walking Dead” is gruesome but character driven. Because of this, I'm invested in Rick Grime's fate, particularly now that it's confirmed Andrew Lincoln is calling it quits.Will Rick depart per bullet or bite on the trail to reunite with his courageous son and ignorant wife? Will he instead ride off into the ethereal sunset, where walkers (by hook or by crook) dare not roam? However it turns out, I gotta know. 

Besides, what else is there to get excited about over the long, ballyhooed haul?  Really, I could give two hoots for the new "Charmed" or those destined-to-be-castrated sequels to "Fantastic Beasts", "Maleficent" and "Star Wars".  Bloody ho-hum...

Come now, you know as well as I that there's nothing quite as stirring as when average, identifiable folks address insurmountable odds. And it matters not if they win or lose, only that they've stirred the action and fought the good fight. 

Sure, Khary Payton's King Ezekiel might never regain his eloquent mettle and forevermore stay just "some guy", and Lauren Cohan's Maggie could turn incorrigible (probably already has). Maybe Negan might flee to reinvent his brainwashed sect, or Xander Berkeley's Gregory could sprout (shock of shocks) some integrity. Well, no matter the outcomes, we diehards know that "Walking Dead'"s producers, directors and writers will startle, motivate and inspire like never before. 

That's the barbarous beauty of this series. The worst always turns out for the best.