EDITORIAL: Why I think Season 4 Of THE WALKING DEAD Sucked

EDITORIAL: Why I think Season 4 Of THE WALKING DEAD Sucked

It's not just me, there are a large number of viewers that have expressed their disappointment in this latest season of the Walking Dead. What happened?Click on to find out why I think season 4 just wasn't up to scratch.

Editorial Opinion
By sonofsamadams - Apr 02, 2014 11:04 AM EST
Filed Under: The Walking Dead
*SPOILERS WARNING! IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE SHOW YET AND YOU HAVE INTEREST IN SEEING IT, PLEASE DO NOT READ ON!**


I remember how excited I was when the very first commerical presenting the Walking Dead aired. It looked so exciting, with an interesting story, and characters I could get behind. I'll admit right away that I never read the comics, and probably never will even though I've been told they're spectacular. The first season was incredible, and arguably the best opening season out of any show in the passed ten years. There was real drama, there was real tension, and the zombies were a huge threat. The characters felt rich and had so much depth to them that it made me want more from the show.


Season two showed signs of the show slowing things down. While i still really enjoy season two, I felt it was a step down from its predecessor. The writers played it a little too safe in the first half of the season, taking very little risks until the main characters reached the farm house where Herschel and company were. From there on out the Season got better and eventually ended on a high note with a huge twist revealing that the virus that caused the apocolypse was in everybody.  


Season 3 is my personal favorite. It featured smart writing, extreme tension, horror, and introduced one of the best villains in TV history with the Govenor. Each episode was memorable and better than the last, and the mid season finale was a heart stopping adventure. I only have two gripes with season 3 and its the character Andrea and the Season Finale. These, in my opinion were red flags as to what was to come for the show in the future. Andrea is such a horribly written character; she is very inconsistent and is often complaining about things and when she's not complaining about things, she's being screwed by men she just met. When she died, I just didn't care because her character went from having depth to being as plain as a piece of printer paper. The season finale was very anticlimatic. The filmmakers built it up to being a huge action packed finale where several main characters would be killed off. I was excited; the show was just building up and building up with each episode and then in the final episode, barely anything happens. The Govenor and his men show up to kill everybody in the prison where Rick and the other characters are taking refuge. Rick and everybody ambush the Govenor, spokes his men and the Govenor retreats. Oh, and Andrea dies. The feel of the episode was so disappointing, it seemed as if the writers were afraid of taking any risks with the story. It left a bad taste in my mouth but overrall I think season 3 is the best. 



Now we come to Season 4. From the first episode I knew something was wrong. The premeire felt like a soap opera; people were just standing around talking about meaningless things, and they were doing nothing but hearding and planting seeds. I get that the writers were trying to show the audience that everybody was at peace and all was well but at least give us excitement! Every season premeire before Season 4 gave us a lot we could sink our teeth into; it got our blood pumping and got us excited. All season four's premeire wanted me to do was go take a nap. 

The writers tried to make things interesting by throwing in a disease that was taking over the prison, causing people to die. However this problem is resolved rather quickly; little is discussed as to what caused it and somethings are explained with quick one line cover ups. Characters are introduced and killed off in the same episodes, people fight about relationships, and the zombies just growl in the background. This isn't Walking Dead! This is a sorry excuse for an afternoon soap opera! Not to mention the extremely disappointing Govenor arc. The writers once again build up to the viewers that the Govenor is back and he wants blood and they spend two episodes with him. Of course not much happens with the Governor other than the fact that he finds a new group to live with. 

Season 4, in my opinion, didn't get its first good episode until the Mid Season Finale where the Govenor  once again attacks the prison. The mid season finale should have been the finale of season 3. Something tells me the writers were a little worried that they couldn't do much with having the Govenor in season 4. Its unfortunate thing however that the Govenor was only in 3 episodes in a rather long season where barely anything happens. Some die hards of the show will argue that this season is just setting up character development. Is that so? Because most of the characters have been reduced to plain melodramatic indiviuduals who have nothing interesting to say. Almost every episode features the characters sitting around talking about stuff and in the final two minutes we see shit randomly go down only to end in a cliffhanger, only to have it resolved in the first five to ten minutes in the following episode. 

Season 4 isn't an incoherent mess, they make it very clear as to what is happening, just you don't really care. The second half of season two picked up, but not by much. They seperated the characters after the Govenor attack and try to induce some flashbacks for the characters. Michonne's flashbacks were nice, but I feel that they were unnecessary. To me, Michonne didn't need a back story. It was nice having her be this dark and mysterious person that would open up a can of whoop ass when she needed to. I'm not trashing the flashback they had of her, I'm just saying it would have been better without it.As the season drags along, it builds up to another disappointing climax. 

The season 4 finale was better than Season 3's, because it was intriguing, it had smarter writing than the rest of the season, and ended on a cliffhanger for next season. However, when you step back and think about what happened, you start to feel a little disappointed. The season ends on one of the cheesiest lines in recent memory with Rick saying, "They're gonna be sorry...[15 second pause]...that they messed with the wrong people." One of the characters, like Glenn should have said, "LOL, seriously!? That's the best you can come up with?" I will say in the episode's defense that it gives me hope for Season 5. 

There is just one other thing that I have a problem with in this Season, and its the biggest flaw that the show suffers from--THE ZOMBIES ARE NOT A THREAT! In a show that features zombies everywhere should be filled with a lot of horror and tension. As stated earlier, I said that Season 4 has little to no tension in any of  the episodes aside from a select few. The nonexistent tension can be directly related to the fact that the Zombies are no longer a threat to the characters. I say this because now it seems so easy to kill a zombie this season whereas in previous seasons it was extremely hard to get away from just one. Now all it takes is a slight tap on the head and the zombie is out of the way. Yeah there's a few cliche scenes where a character trips and falls as they're being chased by a zombie and they kill it just in the nick of time before the get turned into lunch. They might as well rename the show because the freaking zombies are no longer the center piece of the plot!

Here's how I'd rate the seasons:

Season 1- 9.1/10

Season 2- 7.5/10

Season 3- 9.5/10

Season 4- 5/10


What I would suggest, that in Season 5 they introduce a new breed of Walkers. Walkers that sprint after their prey. I know that idea probably wasn't in the comics but it gives us viewers something to be excited over in this now "lifeless" show. Bring back the Rick we knew from Season 1! (although I am enjoying this new, crazy Rick because it finally gives him balls). 

What are your thoughts? Do you agree? Disagree?

Comment below and let me know!
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MrCameron
MrCameron - 4/2/2014, 11:44 AM
First half was great, the second half sucked except for maybe one or two episodes. I felt like they dragged out the whole "we're separated" scenario for way too long and nothing really happened.
sKeemAn
sKeemAn - 4/2/2014, 11:48 AM
I agree with you on the new walkers idea. I was thinking that Shane might of been the new zombie but that went out the window. Season 4 was definetley meh. That whole prison disease could've been executed a lot better, along with a simple explanation for the virus. I also believe they could've had more eps of the Governor. Nice read
Doughdzm
Doughdzm - 4/2/2014, 11:54 AM
I thought season 4 was decent. I think we didnt see as many zombie hordes as previous seasons. And that may be why the disatisfaction. I think they really wanted to focus on more human interactions with the current season
CorndogBurglar
CorndogBurglar - 4/2/2014, 12:40 PM
"The zombies aren't a threat."

After living in a world that is going through a zombie apocalypse, the zombies would slowly stop being a threat, as long as they are the slow, shambling types like in Walking Dead.

Think about it. These characters all have guns and weapons. The zombies are slow and you can run circles around them even if you were unarmed. The initial shock factor of seeing an actual zombie wore off a long, long time ago. So its not like you would panic anymore at the sight of one.

If you take all of those things into account, the only time zombies should be real threat after a while is if you get caught out in the wilderness at night time when there is low visibility, or when there is a giant herd of them. Otherwise, they would stop being a serious threat after a while.

I hear this complaint a lot from people that never read the comics. They don't understand that this show is not your average, action packed zombie movie. The comic isn't either. There are plenty of issues where zombies don't even appear. The real point of the Walking Dead is how these people survive in a world that has moved on. The real threat, are other humans. Always has been in the comics.

The zombies were always just a means to an end. They could have made the Walking Dead about any other type of apocalypse. Lets say a plague, instead of zombies, and the main stories would still be able to be told without the zombies. That is the whole point. The zombies haven't EVER been the center of any of the story arcs in the comics. Like I said, you could replace the zombies with a plague, or aliens, or a massive earthquake that destroyed civilization, and still tell the same stories they tell in the Walking Dead.
Tainted87
Tainted87 - 4/2/2014, 1:28 PM
Yeesh. Someone's missing something.

The Walking Dead isn't about zombies. It's about surviving in a post-apocalyptic world. It's about the fall of civilization, the fall of society, the fall of law and order, and the life that follows. It's a DRAMA.

From the first season, this is how it was. Rick was so hopeful, so optimistic, so much a Paragon Shepard that this photomanip became super-popular....

He leads the group on. He honors the dead. He's DETERMINED to be a hero, and it gets the group in trouble.
Season 2, they catch a break - but not really. Rick wants to settle in on Hershel's farm, but he's packing demons of his own within the group. They're demoralized, they're tired of Rick's soft approach, yet they're not sure what they want. When you have a group of people who are very different from each other, put them in the same area for months and months, you're going to get some serious social problems. At the end, Rick decides he's had enough beating around the bush, had enough trying to negotiate - it's his way or the highway.
Season 3, we see some serious contrasts in style. The Governor is a dark version of Rick, someone who is willing to lie, steal, and kill in order to provide his definition of safety and stability. Rick wants to hold onto his principles, and is encouraged to do so despite losing his sanity after Lori's death. His son loses respect for his father, and his grief makes him untrustworthy.
Season 4, Rick is trying to settle his demons. With help from Hershel, he tries to return things to SOME semblance of how things were outside of Atlanta. If you see the Governor as a dark version of Rick, then you'll greater appreciate his plea to "Brian" in the prison to work things out, to try and co-exist somehow. When Hershel is decapitated, Rick loses it. Things can't return.

The season finale showed Rick make good on the desperate boast made to Merle in the second episode of season 1.
"All I am anymore is a man looking for his wife and son. Anyone who gets in the way of that is going to lose."

We also see a man surrounded by walkers, begging for help. That man could have been Rick from the first season, might as well have been. Season 4 Rick wouldn't have done what Glenn did in Atlanta.
CorndogBurglar
CorndogBurglar - 4/2/2014, 1:52 PM
See, Tainted gets it!

you just backed up my point perfectly. Well done, sir!
LEEE777
LEEE777 - 4/2/2014, 1:57 PM
WALKING DEAD actually bites :p

LOL

C'mon its twice the show of most shows on TV and this season was no different, only complaint was it was only a 16 episode run, that sucks!

Cannot wait for next season!
LegendaryOutlaw
LegendaryOutlaw - 4/2/2014, 2:48 PM
If I made an article on the walking dead it would be, "Why the Walking Dead sucks."
DefcoN
DefcoN - 4/2/2014, 3:07 PM
IMO, the main problem with this show is the lack of a goal (other than survival). What made the first season so great was the fact that the group was on the road looking for answers to the infection. I hope they retake that quest if they're following Abraham to Washington.
ruadh
ruadh - 4/2/2014, 3:23 PM
I actually enjoyed it thoroughly. Overall, probably the best season, as a whole, since the first season. The disease thing was interesting to me, the Governor ark was a nice break, and spending a few episodes with the characters trying to come back together was enjoyable. One of the more satisfying cliffhangers too.
Facade
Facade - 4/2/2014, 4:44 PM
Two reasons your articles sucks: your image links don't work and you're wrong.
Enphlieuwince
Enphlieuwince - 4/2/2014, 5:17 PM
Sounds like you have the wrong expectation of this show. You'e going to be disappointed if you're going to McDonald's looking for Italian food.
ruadh
ruadh - 4/2/2014, 6:08 PM
Don't they have McCalzones now?
iMVuze
iMVuze - 4/2/2014, 7:27 PM
I feel like this season's final episode could have been scarier. Instead of having Rick figure everything out in 20 seconds they could have dragged it out. They could have had them for dinner and then bring Beth's head on a platter, and when Rick and friends try to run away, they then spring the trap and send them to the cart.
Ocelot
Ocelot - 4/2/2014, 9:08 PM
It's gone downhill since Frank Darabont left. No goal, too many characters and redshirts, too much filler, they're no interesting characters outside of Carl, Carol, Rick, Daryl and Michonne. They could kill off the rest(should have done it in the finale) and I just wouldn't care. The Governor, Joe, Carol and the two little girls saved this season.
MightyZeus
MightyZeus - 4/3/2014, 12:39 AM
This was actually a pointless article to read. I feel like i've just wasted a few minutes of my life just reading through this. Here's an idea if you dont like the show then dont watch and it wont give you any frustration.

As Tainted pointed out. The show is not just about zombies it's about people placed in an apocalyptic situation in which it creates drama. Each character changes in different circumstances and it's enjoyable watching these characters trying to survive and it's entertaining watching these characters react in different situations. The finale of season four did adapt some stuff from the comics in which i applaud too and i dont mind the fact that show is different from the comics which is better because your not expecting the obvious to happen.

I happen to know a lot of people that actually love the show and are fine with the way it is.
QuestionDAnswer
QuestionDAnswer - 4/3/2014, 9:34 AM
yeah, it did suck.
muffinslayer
muffinslayer - 4/3/2014, 10:33 AM
As someone who has read the comics, you sir expressed an opinion based on whats happened before. TWD isnt meant to be about zombies, because rick talks about how they r the walking dead. The show is great n has ups n downs, but it delivers. Season 4 is the best one, second to the first, but the point being it did wat the show needed n that was long overdue character development.
vejita51
vejita51 - 4/3/2014, 10:34 AM
The walking dead is a reference to the characters themselves not to the zombies! Honestly the show is pacing just like the comic! If you read them like I do then every month your left with a cliffhanger! Season 5 is going to start with conflict and that's were it needs to be
RobGrizzly
RobGrizzly - 4/3/2014, 3:24 PM
I liked Season 1 (barely call it a season tho- it's only 6 episodes).

LOVED Season 2, this was the true meat and potatoes of what The Walking Dead is. The clash of ideals. Shane, Hershel, Dale- these characters represent a ceratain line of thinking when it comes to this post apocalyptic world, and humanity's remaining place in it. How this butts heads with Rick defines the show. The Sophia reveal, the trip to the bar, "Tokyo Rose". I think the season on the farm is the best one. There I said it.

Season 3 was meh. I didn't care for the grouchy Michonne or the "I'm mysterious for mystery's sake" Governor. Andrea didn't bother me. Lori didn't bother me. I'm still baffled by the ire these characters faced from fans. Woodberry was interesting a little, but turning a racist like Merle into some kind of hero doesn't sit well with me.

Season 4 was a flat out disaster, as far as I'm concerned. AMC's clearly dragging things out but it hurts the show when 4 episodes go by and literally nothing has happened. Nearly ALL the character arcs could have been told in half the time. Filler after filler after filler. It only had 3 good episodes: The Gov's return, Rick under the bed, and "The Grove" from a couple of weeks ago.
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