WARNING: SPOILERS
After the disappointment that was the recent spin-off series “Fear the Walking Dead,” it was refreshing to have the original “Walking Dead” back on TV.
Season six began Sunday night with a 90-minute premiere on AMC. The premiere was one of the series’ tamer episodes.
The episode began centered on the discovery of a nearby quarry populated with the largest herd that the show has ever had. The extreme amount of walkers down the road — which explains why Alexandria has been seemingly safe for so long — now threatens the safety of the gated community. In recent seasons, the threat has shifted from the walkers to dealing with other survivors in the ensuing anarchy, but so far this season, the walking dead have once again been a threat to survivors instead of just being an afterthought.
Rick and the gang led hundreds of walkers out of the pit and away from Alexandria as if en route toward some sort of decaying Noah’s ark of the damned (ooh, too soon?), yet the episode was one of its tamer season premieres, especially when compared to season five’s last year.
The episode was a little more lighthearted than usual — not in the feel-good moment kind of way, but in the fact that there were several one-liners that made me laugh rather than the typical anxiety-inducing situations that left me yelling at my TV.
It is satisfying to finally see Rick in charge of the residents in Alexandria in lieu of a grieving Deanna and that the survivors are finally attempting to step up to the plate and accept what the world has become outside of their walls.
To be honest, I really wasn’t a big fan of the black and white flashbacks. I mean, c’mon, these are AMC fans. I understand that the show plays with time a lot, but it was a little excessive to clarify when each scene took place based on the color of the screen. Other AMC dramas, such as Breaking Bad, frequently played with timelines and never needed over-the-top, artsy attempts to differentiate which timeline was which. So, why should this episode?
All in all, it wasn’t the worst premiere that “The Walking Dead” has had, but it wasn’t its best.
Unlike the many cliffhangers this show has left its audience with in the past, it didn’t leave me on the edge of my seat. Instead, I am left with a lot of questions that I can wait till next week to get answers for.
