"The Walking Dead" **SPOILERS ALLOWED (Thread for those who have read the books)

Game of Thrones has a thread for those who read the books, so I figured "The Walking Dead" should have one too. If you are caught up on Walking Dead Graphic Novels, or at least to the point where the show is now (or somewhere in between), I'm sure there is plenty you want to discuss but really can't in the regular thread. So I'll get this started:

I realize the show has limitations and what not and may have differences from the way the book goes, but having said that, the fact that Shane meets Herschel and is still alive, to me, is beyond ridiculous. The show has taken too long to get to the pregnancy angle, but importantly, they are obviously too afraid to kill off a main character. This is especially bothersome because, in the Walking Dead in print, anyone can die at any time. This is a theme of the series. And sure enough, they do. In the show? Not so much, especially when it comes to the main characters we are getting invested in. That to me screams that the TV show is being more formulaic than the books.

In the show, it seems like the producers are too scared to kill off Shane. This is unlike, say, Game of Thrones, who killed off its main character, just as it happened in the book. Keeping Shane alive thus far reminded me of Heroes: Heroes was supposed to be a revolving cast of characters, but when the producers picked up on the fact that the viewers loved such characters as Hiro and Sylar, they didn't kill them off/ dump them. Rather than stick to your original storyline (in this case, a long running comic book series), Walking Dead seems to follow the usual TV pattern where main characters we are invested will never die.

Am I way off base in being critical of Shane still being alive in the Walking Dead? I didn't have a problem as much with the CDC storyline (Even though it is nowhere to be found in the graphic novels), especially because when they wrote that for the TV show, they didn't know if the show would last. The CDC angle was a way to close that arc out (so if it needed to be a series/mini-series, it kinda sorta works), and also leaves open future seasons.

Having Shane still alive, meeting Herschel, involved with Otis, etc, just feels like blasphemy.

Any other positive or negative critiques of the series from those who have either some or big time familiarity with the print series?

I am enjoying the portrayal of Shane too, it just seems like in the TV version they are getting too slow getting to the pregnancy.

In the TV show, take all this Sophia is missing stuff. I don't recall that from the books. (Just as I don't recall the guy handcuffed to the roof in the books either) If I am right that it isn't in the books, then the Sophia stuff on TV is just filler to keep going longer until we get to the pregnancy storyline.

I don't see why for the TV show they decided to add a bunch of filler (Sophia, Merle's brother) and not do the pregnancy angle before getting to Herschel. My take is, they are scared to kill off Shane.


I hope you are right (would be really awesome too!), but I find it hard to believe. Like I said, in the books, one of the central themes is that anyone can die at any time. Regardless of the fact that the show is a different entity, you can't deny that you don't get that feeling from the TV show, and Shane still being alive is a good example of that.

Anyone else think that the TV show doesn't follow the theme of the books that anyone can die at any time?

Any other positive or negative critiques of the series from those who have either some or big time familiarity with the print series? There are many, many differences that we can discuss here.

We are discussing the show. It's no different than the two Game of Thrones threads, one for non-spoilers and one with spoilers were people who have read the books talk about the books and how it relates to the shows.

Did you object to second Game of Thrones thread that allowed spoilers and discussed the books and how they intersect with the TV show?

Yeah but


This last episode was a good example of how it seems like the show does not follow the theme of the books that anyone can die at any time. Daryl (who is not in the books) gets shot...but luckily the bullet just scrapes by him with minor injury. You might think, if anyone can die at any time, Daryl would have died...at the hands of Andrea. Now that would have been something, and consistent with the theme of The Walking Dead.

I'm just surprised no one else sees (or can even appreciate?) that the theme of the books is that anyone can die at any time, but that central theme is not apparent at all in the show.

I like the Daryl storyline. Like his character and how it is intertwined with the main story. To me, Daryl is a good example of how the TV show differs, but in a good way.

As to The Governor, I am hoping he shows up (And so does his town), but that it is done right and not toned down. Sadly, I think it will be severely toned down and we won't see the Governor in all of his glory.

In the TV show, now that we have seen how shocked Rick was to learn that his wife is preggers, that means to me the doc at the CDC did not say his wife was preggers. Rather, I think doc at CDC told Rick that "Everyone is infected," and, thus, Rick knows that if someone like Shane dies (or anyone), not necessarily from Zombies, that they will come back as Zombies.

Just my thought. I did read somewhere that it WILL be confirmed on the show, this season, what was told to Rick by the doc at the CDC.

Why didn't you think he was believable? To me, the notion that in such a world, there is a community with a ruthless, evil, sadistic dictator seems very believable to me. The Governor, in print, reminds me of Gael Garcia Bernal's character in "Blindness," King of Ward 3. (I did not read the book, as the movie did nothing to get me interested in reading it).