Walking dead premiere
Last night 11
million people watched the second season premiere of AMC's
zombiepallooza The Walking Dead. Yes, that's cumulative number of people
who watched the show over its three broadcasts, but even the 9pm
showing pulled in 7.3 million viewers, which is absolutely huge for
cable. If those ratings were a person, they'd be the mom in What's
Eating Gilbert Grape?
The press release AMC sent out says it's "the strongest telecast for any drama in basic cable history," which is a really spinny way of saying that everyone in America watched the damn thing. Well, not everyone, but you get the point.
Still, it wasn't my favorite episode. Not enough angst or enough action, just a lot of roaming through the woods. But the ending. Oof! That ending! It seems like you all watched it. What did you think?
The show re-aired twice that night, bringing in an additional four million viewers, upping the number to eleven million total tune-ins.
These numbers broke records with adults ages 18-49, who are reportedly tuning into The Walking Dead more than any other basic cable series ever to be aired, according to Entertainment Weekly!
The season one finale brought in six million viewers last year.
“The Walking Dead is one of those rare television programs that reaches both a core genre fan as well as broad audiences simply looking for a great, character-based story,” AMC president Charlie Collier said.
Things get complicated when hordes of undead decide to stroll by. Suddenly humanity's remnants decide this would be a great time to bond with cannibalistic cadavers over a fun game of hide-and-seek. Carol's daughter Sophia almost gets caught but bolts into the surrounding woods. Rick chases her, drawing off the zombies and telling her to run to camp. Sophia never makes it back, choosing instead to keep playing but this time with humans and zombies searching for her.
Hard to Stomach
Now in Amber Alert mode, Daryl and Rick set out to find Sophia. Her trail runs cold by a quickly dispatched walker. Fearing the worst for the child and that the audience hasn't been grossed out yet, they decide to perform a zombie autopsy. Watching Daryl digging through decaying organs made me want to tear my eyes out and soak them in Lysol ... but you know, in a good way.
When Sophia doesn't turn up in in stomach or forest, the two head back to camp. News that they couldn't find her pushes strained tempers to the breaking point. Andrea snaps at Dale for his unorthodox suicide prevention technique back at the CDC, wishing she had died back there. Lori remains cold towards Shane over his attempted seduction last episode that had all the restraint that comes after chugging a fifth of Southern Comfort.
Undead Made Re-Dead: 5
Making the Walk of Shane
The next day everyone now searches for Sophia. Sounding bells in the distance fills the survivors with hope another living soul has discovered the missing child. Keeping with the cheery nature of the show, they find a church whose congregation is now made up of walkers.
While everyone else is praying Shane and Lori butt heads again. Shane has decided he'll leave the group, feeling as he doesn't fit in. You'd think that when 99% of the planet's population has their face rotting off you'd have to find some common ground with the remaining few. Andrea overhears his plan and asks him to take her along.
Undead Made Re-Dead: 8
Oh Deer Jesus
After asking God for guidance, Rick gets back on Sopie's trail accompanied by his son Carl and Shane. Apparently Jesus was listening as a deer pretty much magically appears to show them the way. For a brief moment spirits rise.
Then everything's back to terrible. An off-screen hunter shoots the deer, his bullet going through the animal and hitting Carl. Rick runs over to check on his son, and the episode ends. If the last scene doesn't have you breaking into a pharmacy to steal every antidepressant ever made you have no soul.
But hey! Not having a shred of humanity's working out pretty well for the undead on The Walking Dead, so don't let that stop you. With all the hype built up around this season's premiere did the show live up to its expectations? With both Carl and Sophie getting it in the shorts tonight does The Walking Dead have a grudge against children? You let us know.
