The wonderings, ponderings and other 'ings' of me. Lifestyle, review, news and opinion posts. Chic with a hint of sarcasm... hopefully!

Tuesday 25 October 2016

When TV shows go too far


If The Walking Dead (TWD) were my boyfriend he would be getting some serious silent treatment after last night.  

I consider myself able to deal with a fair amount of violence when it comes to TV.  It can be entertaining when done with humour or in short scenes where we then watch how people cope with the adversity they face.  But there are limits and I think I’ve found mine with TWD's opening episode of season seven.

Spoilers - don't read if you haven't seen it!

I get that TV needs to keep reinventing itself and for the longest time (I'm talking to you the 80's and 90's) main characters in popular shows were never really in any danger of dying.  When that changed it did become more exciting, as you genuinely didn’t know which of your favourites were going to make it to the end of the series.   The problem however is while trying to shock increasingly desensitised and bloodthirsty viewers, writers push some of us over the edge. 

I knew there was always a possibility that Glenn would die this way, especially as in the graphic novel the show is based on, that is exactly what happens. But there has to be a point where I question if the senseless bludgeoning of a character I've come to love is worth a sleepless night?  When the violence is so graphic and relentless that all I'm left with is feeling stressed out, scared and sick it may just be the answer is no.  I admit I'm partly angry that I was lulled into a false sense of security by killing off Abraham first, but it goes deeper than that. 

You're jerking me around by doing something so lovely (Glenn dumpster survival) and then doing something so horrendous (Glenn eye poppingly excruciating death).   
Is it just to see how I react? 
To show me that life is hard? 
To prove that bad things happen to good people? 
NEWSFLASH: NOT. A. LESSON. I. NEED. TO. LEARN!

So we need to break up, or at least have a little time apart while I investigate how to have you committed for homicidal mania. Because things have changed.

This isn’t a world of dragons and witches and iron thrones, nor is there one ring to rule them all.  
Now there's nothing in the show to differentiate fantasy story line from a just brutal world. 
Now its a show about how deranged a person can be.  
Now watching it means I'm enabling your behaviour.  

Like an audience member at the Colosseum, its all a bit sordid...


Frankly mate no, I'm really really not.
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2 comments

Unknown said...

Will all be worth it to see negan get his butt locked. It has to happen eventually. Xx oh and hi! 😀

TmS said...

Yeah well when it was on this week I watched Gilmore Girls on my phone. Much less head crushing in that!

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