Over the course of several years, I have spent a lot of time learning about story writing, screenwriting, and what it means to tell a good story. Because of this, I like to think I have a somewhat reliable opinion when it comes to that sort of thing.
Now...
I rarely share my blog on Facebook, but this post reflected an opinion I believe would benefit from being shared to others.
So here it is.
The Walking Dead TV show is an accurate reflection of what is wrong with modern storytelling.
First, let me say I am a HUGE fan of The Walking Dead. If you don't think so, I encourage you to read my most recent blog post about how I fell in love with the graphic novel. And I would also encourage anyone to read it (or play the video game by TellTale).
It's not like the show is lacking available content. The writers of the show literally have pages of interesting story arcs at their disposal. But they're pigeonholed by AMC to write content that makes the most money, not tell the best story. In a world where quality storytelling should be the variable that's maximized, money is.
The graphic novel is thick and dense with story arcs and character development. Constantly moving from environment to environment, characters growing and changing from each experience. By the time you settle into a place of comfort with each character, Robert Kirkman rips you out, tells you everything sucks, and forces you to get comfortable again. He wants you to stay on your toes, totally oblivious to what's going to happen next. Exactly how the characters feel in the story.
The show doesn't do this at all. It refuses to flush out the characters in the book, insisting on keeping characters two-dimensional for the sake of plot devices. It skips out key points in the book that are too expensive, or run the risk of being too inappropriate for the average viewer.
Below are 3 examples:
1. The Farm
In The Walking Dead TV show, the cast is on a farm for the entirety of season 2. In the book, they are only on the farm from issues 10 to 12 (of a currently published 150). They leave the farm almost as soon as they get on it.
Why? Because the farm is boring. And Robert Kirkman knew that. The farm is the kind of place a story teller does NOT want their characters. No drama to drive the story. No reasons for characters to interact.
So why did they stay on the farm in the show? To save money. AMC gave the second season production such a small budget that the writers were forced to cut every corner, and couldn't afford to shoot anywhere besides a farm.
2. The relationship between Michonne and The Governor.
In the show, Michonne hides in the Governor's room, and gets into a squabble with him that results in the Governor losing an eye. (it's never really explained why she felt the need to go there in the first place).
In the graphic novel? Oh man. (graphic novel prison arc spoilers next paragraph!)
After getting imprisoned, raped, and tortured by the Governor, Michonne escapes and, instead of running away, patiently waits in the Governor's room. She proceeds to torture him in disgusting fashion. Scooping out his eyeball with a spoon, sawing off his entire arm, ripping out fingernails one at a time. You name it.
And I loved it. Because this scene is a perfect representation of how the women in this universe behave: like everyone else. Everything Michonne and Andrea do in the graphic novel is entirely dependent on their character, and never their gender. Their characters could be replaced with men and do everything the same, and you couldn't tell the difference. To me, that's an impressive quality that the graphic novel possesses, and something the show completely missed.
Speaking of...
3. Andrea
Andrea in the graphic novel is unrecognizable to the Andrea in the show. A cool-headed, powerful leader of a community, She struggles through pain, loss, and a nasty scar on her face.
The show turned Andrea into a love interest to the Governor. Why? Because the show didn't have one. The show wasn't filling the "cute girls in underwear whining about boy trouble" quota AMC was forcing on the show to maximize viewership. At the time, season 3 was not peaking in views like the previous season, and needed a way to attract more males. This resulted in Andrea's character getting boiled down to scenes of her naked under covers, and complaining about her struggling relationships. AMC was aware of the character Andrea becomes, and sacrificed her so that more people will tune in.
To the show's credit, they did a decent job establishing Glenn and Maggie's relationship, and had the first Asian/White kiss ever on television. They also did a a decent job with Aaron and Eric's relationship, not turning them into just "the gay couple" that the audience giggles at.
As the consumers of their product, we need to demand more. When AMC bought The Walking Dead they had an opportunity to either make money, or tell a compelling story. Why aren't we as viewers, the ones screwed by their decision, angry about this? Why are we settling for mediocre storytelling?
Maybe it's just that not many people have read the graphic novel in comparison to the show. I think to better understand the faults in the TV show, you need to read the book or play the Telltale game. But I think there's a deeper issue here that comes to light. The show falls flat, and the blame should clearly fall onto AMC. But why is no one talking about this?
Why did The Talking Dead spend a month promoting the terrible Activision Walking Dead: Survival Instict game, and never even mentioned the TellTale game winning game of the year? Why are we joking about riots if Daryl dies, but not blinking an eye at the horrible Hyundai Tucson placements?
I think awareness is key, and I hope more people recognize the flaws.
For more information, I encourage you to watch the 4 part YMS video review of The Walking Dead. It discusses a lot of things I didn't have the time for in this blog.
Thanks for reading.
-Ryan
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