The 10 OMG Moments From 'The Walking Dead's Return, Which Has Broken Cable Record In US
The 10 OMG Moments From The Walking Dead's Return
The Huffington Post UK
'The Walking Dead' is back and, judging by the response on Twitter and other social media, it's the TV event that everyone's been waiting for.
With more than 17 million viewers tuning in, the season premiere broke the record for a cable premiere in the US, where it is shown on AMC. The show is broadcast by Fox in the UK.
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It may be a US record-breaker, but 'The Walking Dead' stars our very own Andrew Lincoln
There have been a whopping 50,000 tweets shared about the series in the past month, and that was before it even hit the airwaves this weekend. The average number of tweets QUADRUPLED as the programme went to air, particularly in the US, where interest in the zombie saga is of particular appeal.
And a quick glance at the Conversation Cloud in the 24 hours around the premiere indicates some key emotions pouring forth, including 'excited' 'OMG', 'happy', 'sick' and the general vibe summed up as 'love zombies'.
After months of waiting, Season 5 of "The Walking Dead" finally premiered on Sunday night, and it was amazing.
So what did this seat-edge-sitting crowd get for their efforts? The premiere found Rick and his crew trapped in Terminus and presumably about to be turned into cannibal chow when Carol decided to show up and be a complete badass. After blowing up the fences around the compound and camouflaging herself like a walker to take out the "Termites," the survivors escaped and hit the road once again.
Bye, bye, Terminus.
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... and then immediately realizes that was a mistake
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All TV trends data referred to in this article has been supplied by Virgin Media, which provides access to up to 260+ channels including Fox TV, Virgin Movies, Sky Movies and Netflix.
'The Walking Dead': Rating the Characters
Maggie (Lauren Cohan)(01 of09)
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Three chompsAs was the case with Glenn, her captivity also revealed her toughness, and even if she gave up the location of Rick's group, she didn't let the Governor get to her, despite his sick attempts to break her spirit. Maggie may not be the show's most well-defined character, but at least I can remember her name, which isn't the case with her indistinct sister. (credit:AMC)
Carl (Chandler Riggs)(02 of09)
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Four chompsThe character who inspired the hilarious Get Out of Here, Carl! has come the furthest; he displayed epic pre-teen badassery by calmly locking down those newcomers and dispatching yet more walkers with smooth, collected ease. All season long, actor Chandler Riggs has been giving an excellent, subtle performance (his work in the episode in which Lori died deserves special praise). All told, we trust this kid to take care of post-apocalyptic business. Carl, can you go toughen up those teenagers on "Revolution" now? (credit:AMC)
Michonne (Danai Gurira)(03 of09)
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Three chompsShe's been a compelling addition to the cast, but now that we've gotten to know the taciturn badass, the show's got to make us care about her. She's got to do more than let her sword do the talking for her and give the other survivors at least moderately compelling reasons to trust her. No matter what, though, she's the ultimate weapon in this zombie apocalypse -- do not get on her bad side. (credit:AMC)
Andrea (Laurie Holden)(04 of09)
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One-and-a-half chompsThe show made an enormous mistake by continually showing the audience how evil the Governor was and not having the formerly savvy Andrea catch on to any of that. It's certainly not actress Laurie Holden's fault that "The Walking Dead" turned her tough, level-headed character into such an oblivious chump, but it's a problem for the show's future. Job 1 from here on out is undoing the damage done by the boring, passive, clueless Andrea we saw in the first half of the season. (credit:AMC)
Glenn (Steven Yeun)(05 of09)
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Four chompsEver thought we'd be saying, "Whoa, Carl and Glenn are so badass"? Me neither. As if Glenn's destruction of a walker while chair-bound wasn't awesome enough, the way he created weapons for himself and Maggie from the bones of his undead victim was insane (in a jaw-droppingly good way). For a while there, a lot of us wondered how these folks had survived, but Season 3 has done a fine job of showing how tough they are. You've come a long way, Glenn. (credit:AMC)
Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Merle (Michael Rooker)(06 of09)
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Three chompsThese two brothers have stayed pretty consistent -- Merle is still a tough hombre with a taste for vengeance and Daryl is a hard-boiled survivor who still has some shreds of compassion left. Both are solid characters, even if Merle tends to be a bit of a cartoon at times, and their brother-versus-brother throwdown promises to be a whole lot of fun. (credit:AMC)
The Governor (David Morrissey)(07 of09)
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Two chompsI have to be honest: I wanted the Governor to take command of this show, and David Morrissey has been capable in the role, but overall the character is a less charismatic figure than I'd hoped. Morrissey's wandering accent is a distraction, his sentimental attachment to his daughter is offset by those grisly heads, and this may be a nitpick, but I lost some respect for the Governor when he said he'd let the prison re-fill with walkers. Why not use it as a satellite settlement (or his own prison/lab)? In any event, I haven't necessarily disliked the Governor, but he's been less compelling than he could have been. Let's hope he's more memorable when the show returns. (credit:AMC)
Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies) (08 of09)
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Three chompsStill dead, which is good, but I had to once again (as I did in this review) pay respect to Sarah Wayne Callies' bravura exit and credit "The Walking Dead" with setting up a painful emotional path for Carl and Rick. Suffering is what this show is ultimately about, and that should make for good drama as her menfolk work through their grief and try to raise a baby in that brutal world. As long as the show remains more suspenseful than bleak, that is. (credit:AMC)
Rick (Andrew Lincoln)(09 of09)
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Three chompsAndrew Lincoln has done some fine work this season as a more take-charge Rick; he's not just a credible leader, he's a more humane and loyal alternative to the Governor, who tossed Merle aside without a second thought when it suited his nefarious purposes. Whatever flaws he has as a man and a leader, Rick would never throw a member of his group under the bus full of zombies, which is why we root for the Grimes bunch even as their circumstances get more and more desperate. (credit:AMC)