by Matt Sernaker, Managing Editor
After months of waiting, The Walking Dead finally returns for Season Four! With the threat of The Governor on the back burner, Rick and the gang are focused on trying to do more than just survive in their post-apocalyptic world. With new showrunner (Scott M. Gimple, who’s recently penned two of the Da Vinci’s Demons episodes) in place, how does The Walking Dead Season Four Premiere compare to its predecessors?
“30 Days Without An Incident” takes place a short time after the events of the season three finale, and Rick is focusing on trying to lead and support the group in a different manner. Gone is the angry, gun-toting officer, and in his place stands a farmer. Rick has decided he is done with killing after seeing how his son has been influenced by the status quo of their zombie filled lives. While hunting for food, Rick meets a woman who claims that she and her husband are survivors and need assistance. A reluctant Rick agrees to go with her to meet her mysterious husband, but as with everything on this show, things aren’t always as they seem.
While Rick is off having solo adventures, Daryl and rest of the gang focuses on a supply run to a newly found retail store. The majority of the action in the premiere comes from this group, as they try to salvage as many supplies as possible with zombies literally dropping out of the sky.
As usual, Greg Nicotero delivers some bad-ass zombie creations. Each premiere always focuses on some impressive new designs, and this premiere is no exception. The Dead once again feel like a threat, and I believe that is truly due to the innovative work of Greg and his team. The zombies in the season premiere are pretty damn intense, adding to the overall realistic tone of the series.
Tyresse fans will definitely be happy, as our favorite hammer wielding hero finally gets a chance to step it up a bit and take more time in the spotlight. An additional shout out for this episode goes to Beth (Emily Kinsey) who finally has an interesting plot development for her character (she CAN do more than just sing and hold the Rick’s baby!).
Overall
This is the first time that our heroes are starting off in the same place as the previous season, and I think that it unfortunately leaves a lot to be desired. Sure they have beaten the Governor (for now), and are trying to focus on living instead of daily survival, but the intensity of this episode was pretty lacking. Foreshadowing leads us to believe we won’t be in the prison for very long, but hopefully the exodus is sooner rather than later. The pacing of this episode wasn’t the greatest, but we still got some solid moments with all of the main cast members, and a few new “Red Shirts” who are sure to provide some solid cannon fodder for zombie attacks. We definitely need to get these people out of the comfort zone and quickly.
ComicsOnline gives The Walking Dead – “30 Days Without An Incident” 3.5 out of 5 zombie filled episodes.
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