Walking dead season 8

[ghostryder]

It looks like another long drawn out season. First episode pretty much screams as much. Rick finds Negan. He as well as his intire group have clear shots to take him out....but instead....Rick scolds him. After that comical scene Rick shoots at him with a bullpup rifle on full auto....and yes you can guess it...shots go high and wide and Negan escapes. Next scene Gabriel...never short on stupid ideas...goes back to help the betrayer mayor of hilltop only to be betrayed by said a-hole and winds up surrounded by a thousand walkers. To seal the fact that we should know he's as dumb as we think he finds Negan...holding a baseball bat...yet Gariel...armed with a rifle , just lets him stroll up close and within striking distance as he spews out some crap about Gabriel shitting himself....uh...dispite the logical that Gabriel really has the upper hand. Yet he doesn't shoot him.
To insult everyone except the extremely ignorant Daryl shoots explosive charges at 40 yards out from a short barreled pistol..one handed from a motorcycle....in a shot. a repeats the stunt multiple times. Even from a show based on a comic I expect more.
Lastly, the dream scene with a flat top Rick in a fake beard was beyond cheese. Gimple and company have once again showed what they really think of the fans. There isn't even a grain left of what Frank Darabount brought.

I give episode one a two and half star rating...mainly for costumes. I'll give the writing one star because they form complete sentences. I'll give the actors 4 stars for trying the best they can do with what they were presented to work with.

[trailrunner]

Yeah, I agree about the confrontation scene.  While Rick was doing the smack talking, someone should have taken Negan out.  Instead, the only thing that the silly fusillade of shots accomplished was theatrically breaking a bunch of worthless windows.  Then the shootout didn't seem to make much sense -- there was some shooting, then they got the zombies inside the compound, but I couldn't tell who was winning.  I'm guessing that we will somehow loop back to the dream sequence, but those scenes were a bit over the top.

[ghostryder]

With the numbers the saviors have the whole thing makes no sense. We really see no response at all from the Saviors. And Negan seemed to be easily cornered- with rick taking pot shots at him.

I'm just not seeing what the heck the writers are thinking. It all seemed very easy for Rick and the gang to stroll in and basically undue all the savior's defenses. It actually took less effort to breech Negan's home base than it was 2 seasons ago for Rick and the gang to take out just a savior outpost.

The whole episode I don't know how many times i heard, "This was started by one man"....two...three...four times I guess....yet no one is taking out that one man dispite about a dozen perfect opurtunities to do so.

When you realize this long drag out fight is about all that has happened in the series now for two whole seasons...and nothing much else....it's becoming increasingly hard to even want to watch an episode. All the character development that drove the drama in the first 6 season was the show's heartbeat....now all we get is a comic book villian with no depth and a bunch of dumb one liners and zero character development with no meaningful interaction. We keep watching for the payoff with Rick killing Negan but it never comes. And the buzz I see among the show's fans they are tired of waiting.

[trailrunner]

The fight was indeed dumb.  They made a big deal of eliminating the sentries methodically and crossing them off the list, one by one.  But when they get to they compound, they stop, announce their presence, and we get more posturing.  Rick even offers to let the leaders surrender.  Then the fight ensues, but there is no real development.  Suddenly, Rick has Negan cornered and possibly wounded.  But I don't think we ever saw a Savior with a rifle shooting at Rick's group.  And so far that note that got sent in on the arrow hasn't paid off yet.

I get the impression they're going to finish the feud with the Saviors by the second or third episode.  Negan will take Gabriel hostage or do something especially violent to him.  Rick will get his revenge with Negan in a particularly brutal fashion.  But then that will be over, and Maggie will take over and be a new leader and that will finish out the season.

[JudgeDredd]

And - how many times does someone with a gun have the opportunity - a perfect opportunity - to take Negan out. It's dragging it out for the sake of it.

Even that bloody priest found himself in a trailer with Negan - a particularly nasty bad ass - and he didn't shoot him even though he had a gun!

[ghostryder]

Shit, daryl can ride by on his motorcycle and take out an explosive with his magic pistol at a hundred yards in one shot but a hundred of Rick's gang can't hit Negan when he's 15 yards in front of them using rifles, shotguns and semi automatics.

Are the writers even trying?

And the chick that is the producer seems hung up on dream scenes, timeline jumps and other artsy film methods that quite frankly I'm sick to death of. All the artsy crap in the world won't replace depth and character development- which they have ignored now forever. Rick and Michonne's get together never felt convincing because no time was spent on it- instead we get episode after episode about Negan--the most shallow Villian with zero background. While Rick's teenage kid has yet to get any from his girlfriend--that relationship has stayed stalled now for 2 seasons.

And I do believe those were Dream scenes as opposed to a timeline jump with Rick looking like Moses with a Kane. If you pay attention no one else in the scene looks any different than present day...so either we got a lazy make up crew or it's a dream scene.

In either event Negan isn't so clever and scary in this episode...if he ever was dispite the over the top killing in season 7 's opener. Here he seemed to be clueless and rather stupidly unprepared when Rick and gang stroll in.

It all could be bait for us and we're see Negan's big counter plan ....but if that is the case why not end the episode on that cliff hanger?

This is one of the worst season opener's rating wise as well... it's dying and this kind of stuff ain't saving it.

[bayonetbrant]

a hundred of Rick's gang can't hit Negan when he's 15 yards in front of them using rifles, shotguns and semi automatics.

they were trained by the A-Team

[mirth]

a hundred of Rick's gang can't hit Negan when he's 15 yards in front of them using rifles, shotguns and semi automatics.

they were trained by the A-Team

So they can also roll a car 12 times and have everyone climb out completely unhurt?

[bbmike]

Man, you guys sound like me complaining about the new "Star Trek".  :P

[mirth]

Man, you guys sound like me complaining about the new "Star Trek".  :P

No one complains that much.

[bbmike]

Just wait until I actually watch the other episodes...

[bayonetbrant]

Man, you guys sound like me complaining about the new "Star Trek".  :P

No one complains that much.

Oh, I know at least 1 person, and his sidekick, who can be counted on to complain that much

[OJsDad]

So, this season isnt any different the the others. Same story different names, same out come.

[undercovergeek]

Man, you guys sound like me complaining about the new "Star Trek".  :P

No one complains that much.

Oh, I know at least 1 person, and his sidekick, who can be counted on to complain that much

I see what you did there

[WallysWorld]

A drop in the season premiere's ratings: TWD's premiere ratings dropped 33%

Here's the trend:

Season 1 (2.7, 5.35 million)

Season 2 (3.8, 7.26 million)

Season 3 (5.8, 10.86 million)

Season 4 (8.2, 16.11 million)

Season 5 (8.7, 17.29 million)

Season 6 (7.4, 14.63 million)

Season 7 (8.4, 17.03 million)

Season 8 (5.0, 11.4 million)