Michonne finally gets her episode and it was incredible

Now that the season has started again, who is going to survive the fall of the prison?

Last night's Walking Dead episode called "After" took us into Michonne's mind, and I absolutely loved it. It's been a couple of months since the mid-season finale, and we knew that life wasn't going to be the same following the destruction of the safe haven that was "the prison" at the hands of "The Governor" and his new lackeys. But I had no idea they were going to give us what the show probably needed most right now through the eyes of a brilliant character like Michonne.

Michonne having to revert to her most basic form of surviving the world of
zombies is a fate and a road she never wanted to walk again. The weight and
emotion of her having to make these tough choices really struck a chord
with me and I sympathized so much with her. I'm glad she made the most
courageous choice by accepting her vulnerability and drawing strength from it.

Michonne for me is the touchstone for the entire concept of humanity in a world full of zombies and the survivors (who you may not be able to trust). She is so incredibly scarred (post traumatic stress disorder comes to mind) but somehow finds the strength to still remain human. In one of the best scenes in the episode, she looks around at the other zombies in a herd she's traveling with and you can see that she's choosing not to be one of them (which she is in a real danger of becoming because of her state of mind). That's when she whips out her sword and starts killing them by the dozen. And when it's over, she screams, returns to the tracks in the mud that she found, and tracks down the people that she'd grown to care about.

This is more than just Carl leading zombies. It's Carl proving to himself that he
can survive this world without anyone's help. But what does that prove in the end
other than "You're alone."

I loved that the Walking Dead also gave us a glimpse of her past. We got to meet Mike (her boyfriend) and his best friend who were seated at the breakfast table. And we even saw their little boy, and it brings to mind the question of "what happened to him?" I suppose not knowing his fate is preferable to actually seeing a child grow to adulthood in this world. We're seeing that in Carl, who said to his unconscious dad, "I would be okay if you died." Sure, there's some father/teenager angst going on there. But the coldness in which Carl utters it sent chills down my spine because it means he truly views himself as being alone in this world (with no one to count on), and he's okay with that.

Apathy, not caring, and loneliness are the things that make people into zombies, not whatever the disease is that actually causes the plague. In this episode both Carl and Michonne manage to wrestle and overcome those demons and show us that humanity is worth fighting for. "After" was probably the best episode of the season. Did any of you get to watch it? If so, what did you think?

Also, I'm kind of glad we are away from the prison. That was starting to get old. Huzzah for the return of The Walking Dead!

Analysis of The Walking Dead Season 3 Thus Far

"The Walking Dead" continuously surprises me. I used to think that any story in a zombie apocalypse could never be extended into a series because the monsters are one-dimensional. Boy was I wrong. The way in which Kirkman and his team of writers have developed this world for AMC is nothing short of genius. With the mid-season finale looming just a week away, season 3 has made me understand through subtlety so many things about a zombie apocalypse that truly make it an "end of the world" scenario.  Here's my analysis of high points we have witnessed thus far and what they mean to me:

In "When The Dead Come Knocking", Michonne finally meets Rick because she walks
up to the chain link gate carrying baby formula in a shopping basket in the midst of a
herd of zombies who can't see her because she is dressed in zombie blood and gore. It's
a chilling scene to see a woman so calmly approach the gate and to be so comfortable
around the reanimated dead. Verdict: Michonne may be the most insane person the zombie
apocalypse has ever produced and thus, the most suited to survive.

1) The introduction of Michonne and the Governor, Rick losing his mind, the psychopath Merle, and the sociopath in Carl (Rick's son). My analysis: If you are normal like you and me, you cannot survive the apocalypse. Only people who are insane survive the end of the world, because insanity is the only psychological trait that is capable of dealing with legions of the undead. If you live for any length of time...if you are not insane, you will become insane. You can't escape it.

2) The death of Lori in childbirth. This was more  horrific than T-Dog's death, and it showed how far society has fallen. Women have not had to worry about death from childbirth for nearly a century. But throughout human history, it was a problem. Well with the episode that featured Lori's death, it's back and it's here to stay. Welcome to the stone ages again. The message to all women in the zombie apocalypse: getting pregnant just may be a death sentence.

In season one, this group didn't handle zombies well at all. There was lots
of panicking, screaming, and running. Now they don't even kill zombies if
the zombies are moving too slow. They don't even bother. They're treated
with the same indifference as a fly buzzing around. The ability to see such
things as merely a part of the scenery is disturbing because it's like they
no longer care or are shocked by anything.

3) The reanimation. In season one, the CDC showed us through sophisticated computer technology that the reanimation occurred shortly after death, and that nothing of the former person remained. Yet, we also saw in season one that Morgan's wife turned the knob to their door as if she remembered her home even though she was one of the walking dead. Then in last night's episode, a scientist was trying to discover if a newly reanimated zombie would remember either its name or recall a picture of his family. These kinds of questions, though unanswered to this point, seem to beg of a greater existential one: why is this happening and what exactly is a zombie? Is it a new form of life? Or is it truly an undead creation with no memory of its past life? I also think it may have to do with religion. More appropriately...do humans have souls? And if they do and something is left behind, then what does that say about an afterlife? Maybe it says there is no afterlife at all for any of us and that a person's soul could remain earthbound in a rotting corpse forever.

It's been a fascinating series. I'll be sorry to see it go on hiatus for a few weeks until it starts up again in either January or February 2013.

In other news, did you purchase your PowerBall ticket? I happened to be in Idaho over Thanksgiving weekend and since they (unlike Utah) sell PowerBall, I bought a ticket. Biggest jackpot ever. May the best ticket win. Boy, would $425 million be a real life changer or what!

Have a great Monday.

The Walking Dead Season 3 Four-Minute Trailer got my blood a pumping

Sunday night, AMC premiered the four-minute trailer to season 3 of the Walking Dead. It was previously shown at Comic Con in San Diego this weekend.

We see some Michonne action right off the bat using her katana to kill some zombies in a store. We also see the Governor in the town of Woodbury, Michonne asking for their weapons, and laying the foreshadowing that the Governor is evil by Michonne uttering the words, "I don't trust him."

And the clincher is seeing Merle with a knife wrapped to the stump of his right hand.

If you have the time, please watch the video. It's great.

Have a great Tuesday. #SoExcited for October. It's only twelve weeks away.

Science-fiction news that caught my eye this week

Here's the Prometheus International poster.

I really liked this Prometheus featurette that came out on May 21st. It has Charlize Theron talking about her character Meredith Vickers, and how she's the one in charge of the doomed mission in the movie. It has some clips that I hadn't seen previously, including a part where she roasts some guy in his own space suit with a flame thrower saying, "I'm not letting him back on my ship." It's really intense.

In addition to Prometheus (which continues to enjoy viral marketing), the Walking Dead started filming season three. Of the choice words being said to the camera were "There are samurai sword wielding characters that are turning up..." I love the summer, but I can't wait for the Walking Dead to return in the fall. But before that happens, I'll be able to enjoy the last season of Breaking Bad which promises to be absolutely amazing.

And last but not least, if you are someone (like me) that enjoyed watching Falling Skies last year, it has been renewed and is returning to TNT this June. So in the movies we get Prometheus and Brave, and on television we get aliens from outer space conquering Earth. Summer is shaping up to be pretty hot. Anyone else seeing MIB 3 this weekend? I'll probably try to catch one showing tonight.

Wanted: Dead or Undead by Angela Scott

THIS BOOK IS FREE TODAY. PLEASE GO VISIT ANGELA'S BLOG (LINK AT BOTTOM) TO FIND OUT HOW TO GET ONE.

This weekend, I read Angela Scott's book Wanted: Dead or Undead, and I loved it.

I award it five stars out of five. It's a quick, smooth, entertaining read. The first thing that amazed me was the language. Angela creates a southern accent in everything, including the prose between all of the dialogue. It isn't annoying. Rather, for me it immerses me completely in the atmosphere of this apocalyptic world.

Several times, I found myself picturing some of the old west skits in the classic Star Trek series.  The zombies were so gross and so evil, that even when they weren't attacking, I could feel their presence in the world. I knew that this wasn't a traditional western...and that's why I kind of pictured the Star Trek westerns in my head as opposed to real westerns (like the kind Clint Eastwood makes). Things were just different. One stepped removed from what I was used to. And it had the effect of making everything fresh and exciting.

Angela approaches zombie lore in a brilliant way. Her heroine (Elisabeth a.k.a. Red) is like a composition of Michonne from the Walking Dead and Sara played by Shirley MacLaine in the movie Two Mules for Sister Sara.

Angela approaches her zombie apocalypse like most writers. She doesn't explain it. And the story is about survival. Where it gets clever, is how the characters survive and through the strange powers that Red manifests.

The tale doesn't get too scary. But there are definitely some shocking moments. And Angela does not hold back on the gore. But honestly...who reads a zombie story and doesn't want gore?

Buy Angela's Book HERE
Visit Angela's Blog HERE

Dr. Jenner's whisper to Rick on The Walking Dead

This week's Walking Dead had me thinking.

If you recall from season one, the group led by Rick went to the CDC in Atlanta for help. When they got there, they found Dr. Jenner. He was the only one left. And prior to committing suicide and blowing up the whole building, he whispered something into Rick's ear.

Dr. Jenner whispered something to Rick in last year's
season finale and I think they are going to finally reveal
it very soon.

Well I have an idea on just what that whisper might have been.

After a discussion with my friend James, I think that Dr. Jenner might have told Rick that everyone is infected with the zombie disease. That everyone that dies, becomes one, whether or not they are bit. Somehow...the world has changed.

The implications for Rick are profound. If something happens to his unborn baby in the womb and it dies, it will become a zombie and attack the mother from the inside.

That would be horrific. And this series does not pull any punches.

Additionally, it looks like Michonne will be showing up in the season finale in just three more episodes. If you don't know who Michonne is, you can look at my post that I did on her HERE.

Rutina Wesley as Michonne? We find out in 3 episodes

The woman who has been cast with no name attached because AMC is keeping it secret as to who she will play is Rutina Wesley. You may recognize her from playing Tara in the HBO series "True Blood." She's also going to be in Ridley Scott's Prometheus (I can see Grumpy rolling his eyes). Rutina Wesley IS confirmed as a permanent cast member and not a guest star appearance.

She has to be playing Michonne.

UPDATE as of 3/19/2012

I was wrong on the casting of Michonne. It turns out that Treme actress Danai Gurira has been cast in the role. I have to say that October 2012 seems like a long time to wait before seeing her in action. But if last night's season finale were any indication, the best things do indeed come to those who wait.

Danai Gurira as the most badass zombie fighter in the world

What do you think?

Why I Can't Wait For Michonne

This mysterious black woman on the above cover is Michonne (pronounced ME-SHAWN). Her weapon is a katana and she's an expert at using it. This is her grand entrance which doesn't show her wearing a hood.  All badass people wear hoods. She shows up with two shackled zombies that she pulls along with a chain, one of whom is her former boyfriend and the other was his best friend. She cut off their arms and lower jaws to make them docile and unable to harm her.

Frank Darabont has confirmed that Michonne will be in the series but perhaps not until season 3.  Stephen King has also been signed to write one episode.

I leave you with more shots of Michonne who is arguably going to be the most badass character in any television series presently showing on any network.