Season discussion in preparation for the finale.

[GamerGirl]

Ok so here we go. What are your thoughts about season 1 now that the show is drawing to a close.

[GamerGirl]

I was struck by Riley's us if the term "lion's den" just before she & Angel went into the arena to rescue Datu.

I am almost shocked Pegs & Michael got together after the way they couldn't talk to each other without one of them having to spit their foot out of their mouth.

I think it is totally unfair that no one asked how put the pot on the balcony that close to the edge. Pegs barely taped it & it went over.

I was reminded why there was so much hate for Kelly & so much love for Saul.

[Kc]

Something fun... The first chapter was like a pilot. The characters changed most radically after that episode. Riley's laugh was never brought up again... Michael's smoking was a little more subdued, and there was less swearing as it went.

[Grognaurd]

Riley's laugh was never brought up again...

Well, there is not much to laugh at in the zombie apocalypse

Michael's smoking was a little more subdued.

The biters are faster and stronger than the people. It is hard to justify the risks for a supply run to get a bunch of smokes. Besides, it is hard on the cardio and Kilani had not shown up so to survive Michael would have to out run Saul and Angel

there was less swearing as it went.

Swearing is just another reason for someone to discount the logic of one's argument

One of the biggest problem I have with Michael in Chapter one is his blatant disregard for situational awareness. Turn on the damn TV and radio! The fog of war sucks. Just about every room in the tower allows this and he has a pair of fifth wheels in Pegs and Riley that could oversee this operation.

[Witch_Doctor]

The biters are faster and stronger than the people. It is hard to justify the risks for a supply run to get a bunch of smokes. Besides, it is hard on the cardio and Kilani had not shown up so to survive Michael would have to out run Saul and Angel

Nice

One of the biggest problem I have with Michael in Chapter one is his blatant disregard for situational awareness. Turn on the damn TV and radio! The fog of war sucks. Just about every room in the tower allows this and he has a pair of fifth wheels in Pegs and Riley that could oversee this operation.

This bugged me too until the second chapter when Lizzy went looking for info. Micheal expresses surprise at the TiVo recording, thinking that they might have reception. It sounds like they may have tried looking for news at some point earlier. Lizzy and Riley look for more DVR recording but no more are revealed. Also, Lizzy says the recording ended at that point; in the middle of the broadcast. Nothing else but static was recorded in the hours later. At least THAT station must have been over run and taken off the air quickly.

[Grognaurd]

Nice




This bugged me too until the second chapter when Lizzy went looking for info. Micheal expresses surprise at the TiVo recording, thinking that they might have reception. It sounds like they may have tried looking for news at some point earlier. Lizzy and Riley look for more DVR recording but no more are revealed. Also, Lizzy says the recording ended at that point; in the middle of the broadcast. Nothing else but static was recorded in the hours later. At least THAT station must have been over run and taken off the air quickly.

Yea, I thought about that with mixed feelings. The TiVo would be setup to record the game show or soaps. Say from 1:00 to 2:00. The TiVo would not realize the show was usurped by breaking news. So, the fact that the TiVo stopped recording does not equate with the news ending. When it tried it again the next day, maybe it really was down.

We could just say, the news just ended for story telling purposes. However, most of the cable news are based back east and should not be affected by happenings in LA. Wait, I got an idea. The cable distribution site gets hit and collapses and does not have the error correcting redundency for information packets like the Internet.

My concern is biased by my country life. My TiVo is DirectTV, so it would not go down even if the cable did. Maybe no one in the tower had Satalite TV...

[Red Shirt]

One of the best lines/dialog interactions comes right out of Chapter One, easily in my top five fave for the show:

So you want us to run to the Hummers across the motorpool, carrying rifles, ammo bolt cutters... all while being chased by things that are... yep, still out there, that we know want to kill and eat us?
Ahh, yup. That's pretty much it.
Ok. So long as I get the SAW, I'm in.

That and the ant/chips discussion:

You want to track them to where they are hiding out and you want to go there? Dafuksrongwichu?


Aw, man. That was all from memory. Now I need to go have a listen again... looks like I might be jumping on board with the relisten thing.

(Saul got some of the best lines... zombie pimp on scooter... arg urg no helmet urrr wuuuts it matterrrr yourrrr already dead.)

[Witch_Doctor]

I always feel ashamed to cross-post but this seems like it fits here too...

[hide][top] Season One is like a Good Home-Cooked Meal

I'm a diehard Season One fan. I had been listening to various Zombie audio dramas on iTunes; some good, some decent. Most of them seemed to be put together by a groups of friends and or amateurs who just liked the zombie apocalypse genre. The most common thread among them seemed that they would end production without notice, almost as if cast were attacked by zombies on the way to recording.

One day while taking a road trip with my wife*, she played a couple of horror podcasts on our trip. One was We're Alive, which took me by surprise for several reasons. First and most immediately, Jim Gleason was much better at acting than anyone from the other stories. Secondly, the very first guns shots. Period. "Wow, how did they do that? That sounds real, and really loud too." Third most, I kept thinking that I heard the podcast before and was wondering how my wife* got a much better recording. I later realized that I got We're Alive mixed up with Age of Zombies.

What really got me was how the characters were trying to make sense of their changing world. They were using logic and reason to evaluate the outbreak. My favorite is when Micheal Saul and Angel were discussing if they were dealing with zombies, and Micheal laid out the similarities, ending with 'based on what we know from the movies."

The main critique that I had of the production was the amateurish way that it approached romance. I kept thinking to myself, "The writer writes like he's never talked to a girl before. What is he, an eight year-old?" Riley overdoing her laugh after she thinks Micheal is flirting with her, Pegs asking Micheal to repeat calling her pretty, Riley and Angel awkwardly explaining why they need to be naked to clean each other, Datu's and Samantha's spin-the-bottle-like courtship in the arena.... But this was in juxtaposition to the rest of the production.

It was this professional+realism+amateurish mix that brought out a tasty flavor. I would listen to one part and think, 'don't expect too much' then BAM (literally) Holly Wood sound effects! Awkward Boy-Meets-Girl interaction then creative, well thought-out story. To put it in simpler terms, it was like a good home cooked meal. My wife doesn't cook, so I do all of the cooking at home. It's either what ever I can Pegs together or we're going out. Restaurant food is good, no doubt about that, but it can get old really quickly. Too much of a formulaic, one-size-fits-all approach. Home cooked food is on the opposite end. Might not be the perfectly seasoned and grilled steak but instead a tasty hearty meatloaf. A GOOD HOME-COOKED MEAL bridges the gap. If you often eat out of a box, the microwave, on the road or anywhere else where you get something that's been put together to please the lowest common denominator or diners, then you exactly what I'm talking about.

I've heard from a lot of fans that appreciate the improvement in writing and sound quality over the seasons and I include myself as one of them. Yet, I think KC has been a bit hard on himself when he talks about how bad the first season what put together, compared to the later ones. Yes the improvements are awesome and they do make the story better, because it improves upon the amazing tale. But the first season is like tasting Grandmother's Sunday dinner cooked like one on else in town.


*I mentioned that my wife doesn't cook, but she DID introduce me to We're Alive. I consider this to be the best home-cooked meal she's ever given me.

[clem131]

I'm a diehard Season One fan. I had been listening to various Zombie audio dramas on iTunes; some good, some decent. Most of them seemed to be put together by a groups of friends and or amateurs who just liked the zombie apocalypse genre. The most common thread among them seemed that they would end production without notice, almost as if cast were attacked by zombies on the way to recording.

Same here. After binge listening all the way to the part of season 2 when Pegs, Michael and Kelly are at the beach house, I actually feared this was also an interrupted podcast. How little did I know.
However now I'm spoiled and other more amateurish podcasts just put me off instantly. Season One has its low points, specifically Riley's laugh and the awkward romance moments, but the highs are so high it still sets the standard for the medium in my opinion.
It's a common trend in audiodrama podcasts, they start out horrible but those that survive improve steadily. Our Fair City is another example, also with a very weak first couple of episodes and now on its 5th season with good quality production. The only one remotely comparable to WA that I found so far.

[Witch_Doctor]

However now I'm spoiled and other more amateurish podcasts just put me off instantly. Season One has its low points, specifically Riley's laugh and the awkward romance moments, but the highs are so high it still sets the standard for the medium in my opinion.

Yep, plenty of stories were ruined for me by W.A.

Our Fair City is another example, also with a very weak first couple of episodes and now on its 5th season with good quality production. The only one remotely comparable to WA that I found so far.

Thanks for the mention. I've giving them a listen right now.