Tag Archives: AMC

Thoughts on AMC’s Interview with Lauren Cohan (Maggie Greene)

Posted on by

This week’s interview from “Dead Alert,” The Walking Dead newsletter was an interview with Lauren Cohan who plays Maggie Greene. I often forget that Cohan is yet another actor on the show who is a British. That’s because her accent is flawless. I love how British actors are so great at doing American accents, but it’s not the same the other way around.

Because Maggie doesn’t have a lot of lines and is frequently relegated to the background I don’t get a chance to stress enough in my episode recaps, how much I enjoy her as a character and Cohan’s performance in general. Maggie is shrewd, immeasurably strong, and a quiet leader. Cohan embodies all of these complex qualities in a very understated way, which makes Maggie such a likable character.

After reading the interview with Lauren Cohan, I agree with her that while I like Glenn and Maggie’s love story I prefer moments in the show that concentrate on Maggie’s relationship with her father Hershel. She has such a tender, supportive side with him that’s always touching to see. I also concur with her that the sex scene between Maggie and Glenn does justice to their relationship. Like she says, there’s a limit to what can be shown, but the scene communicates their passion in a tasteful way.

I think it’s pretty silly that fans of the show believe that her and Steve Yeun are couple off-screen too. I know actors frequently become involved in real life after working together for so long, however it’s just ridiculous for fans to automatically assume that they are. TV is not real life folks, no matter how much we want it to be. And that’s coming from a guy who has an entire site dedicated to a television show.

Her closing mantra is one I think we should all live by: “Make love, not zombies.” Well said, Ms. Cohan.

Do you like Maggie as a character? Or does she annoy you? If so, what in particular gets to you about her?

Thoughts on AMC’s Interview with Dallas Roberts (Milton Mamet)

Posted on by

While I was watching the Liam Neeson film The Grey recently, I knew that I recognized one of the other actors roughing it with him in the Alaskan wilderness, but I couldn’t for the life of me figure out where I knew him from. I was 3/4 of the way through the movie when I realized “Ah ha! It’s that nerdy guy from Woodbury on The Walking Dead!”

As it turns out, the actor’s name is Dallas Roberts, and although he’s slightly nerdy in The Grey, he’s less so than his brainy character Milton Mamet on The Walking Dead. Milton is for all intents and purposes The Governor’s right hand man and confidant, although surprisingly he’s not really a tough guy. He’s a thinker, and honestly from what I can tell, a huge coward. He’d rather live in perpetual fear under the rule of a messed up dictator with his creature comforts than stand up to a man like that. Roberts plays him with a constant air of uncertainty which I like though, where you can tell that Milton is constantly at odds with himself about whether he should keep listening to The Governor’s orders.

AMC posted an interview with Dallas Roberts this week which he discusses his character a bit and working on the show. For the most part there’s no earth-shattering revelations here. Roberts admits that playing an egghead came easily since he was one growing up, and that he wasn’t expecting to have a role on the show which interacts very little with zombies. He does throw in a couple of amusing anecdotes however. One is about the playful off-screen rivalry between the Woodbury folks and the prison crew. While the other one references how Roberts initially got into The Walking Dead comics through his character on the show Rubicon, which I’ve never seen. That’s a cool connection to have and it’s nice to hear at least one person acting on the show that legitimately enjoys the comics.

The final question of the interview with Dallas Roberts, poses the issue of whether there’s any danger of Milton turning into a mad scientist. I won’t ruin it, although suffice it to say it’s both humorous and accurate.

What do you think of Milton so far? Is he a coward? Is he evil? Do you think he’ll eventually grow some scruples and sell out The Governor? 

Uncle Phil Wants You: Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 11 (I Ain’t a Judas)

Posted on by
Andrea and a zombie from The Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 12

Andrea (Laurie Holden) in The Walking Dead Copyright 2013 AMC TV

Warning: This Walking Dead Season 3 post contains spoilers. Please wait until after watching, before reading further. Similarities and differences between the show and the comic are also discussed, but whenever possible, details of the comic are left ambiguous in case you decide to start it later on.

Summary: Rick’s people argue about their next move and whether they should allow Merle to stay. At the same time, The Governor starts forming an army to “defend” Woodbury. A frantic Andrea decides to sneak back to the prison in an attempt to negotiate peace before the impending war. Tyreese and his friends find their way to Woodbury where they offer their allegiance to The Governor in exchange for sanctuary. 

The Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 11 (I Ain’t No Judas) is the talky-est, most
dialogue-heavy episode of the season so far. Believe it or not, I’m actually happy about that because it pleasantly reminds me of The Walking Dead comics with of its rich verbal exchanges between the characters.

There are some very bold words thrust into the conversation as Rick and his people debate their next move. The most unexpected comment of the lot is that Merle is right. And I hate to admit it, but he does makes a valid point. By hanging around the prison instead of leaving immediately, they’ve lost their strategic advantage. What’s not shocking though is that Hershel publicly calls Rick to the carpet for his looney behavior. “You said before that this wasn’t a democracy, now it’s time for you to own up to that!” he yells. Amen Hershel.

Then we actually see young Carl muster up the courage to tell his dad to stop being the leader. Carl’s advice is to let Hershel and Daryl handle things while Rick gets a rest. Good move little man. Speak your mind.

Later on Glenn tries to say that they should toss Merle, maybe even give him back to The Governor as a peace offering. Hershel shoots him down with gusto (did I mention this was another great Hershel episode?). “He (Merle) may be erratic but he has military experience. Don’t underestimate his loyalty to his brother.” Hallelujah Hershel! And speaking of Merle, Hershel goes to see him and they have a kick-ass moment. They quote the Bible together, AND we find out that Merle likes to read?! Maybe this other Dixon has more than meets the eye.

Merle seems to be truly turning over a new leaf and this time I buy it. He tries to make things right with Michonne, giving the closest thing he can to an apology and admits with what seems to be absolute sincerity (this time) that he’s done a lot of things he’s not proud of. Plus Michonne actually has lines in this episode! Holy crap! She starts to become the character I know and love from the comic when she tells Andrea off “You chose a warm bed over a friend.”

Phil wants YOU/ Phil wants YOU/ Phil wants YOU as a new recruit. He’s certainly not putting together a Navy as my singing may suggest, but Uncle Phil (aka The Governor) is forming an army to take on Rick’s crew. And he wants every able-bodied person to serve in it, even old ladies and asthmatics. Well he decides against the old lady but still keeps the asthmatic. It’s needlessly silly and over-the-top.

Lucky us, we get to see him take off his bandage to reveal his nasty eye before he switches to an eye patch. Which reminds me, I loved the line where Daryl says to Andrea “Next time you see Philip, you tell him I’m gonna take his other eye.” Damn straight Daryl.

I’m kind of annoyed that they’re lining Tyreese’s group up with The Governor and Woodbury. Tyreese is so desperate for shelter he’s willing to do whatever to “earn their keep.” He has nothing to do with The Governor in the comics so it’s stupid they’re putting them together in the show. Although at least Tyreese seems like he doesn’t entirely trust The Governor.

And finally, Andrea may have earned awesome points with her brilliant curb stomp maneuver and her hatchet jobs on several zombie faces, however she quickly lost them when she failed to stab Philip at the end of the episode. Totally weak Andrea.

Make sure to click here to take this week’s poll: Are you tired of Hershel’s daughter singing?

Where do you think Rick plans to take Michonne and Carl on the “run” he discussed at the end of the episode? Also, who do you think will spill blood next? Rick or The Governor?  Leave me some comments and share your thoughts!

Thoughts on AMC’s Interview with Norman Reedus (Daryl Dixon)

Posted on by

Warning: This Walking Dead Season 3 post contains spoilers. Please wait until after watching, before reading further.

This is the first season I’ve started receiving AMC’s weekly newsletter, so I have no idea if they’ve done one before, but I’m surprised they took this long to do an interview with Norman Reedus, who plays my favorite character, Daryl Dixon on The Walking Dead.

Because I heard tons of hilarious stories about Reedus clowning around on set with his co-stars, I was expecting an epic interview. Although I was disappointed that this one turned out to be a bit anticlimactic, given my anxious anticipation to hear from Reedus about his experiences working on the show.

I was definitely fascinated to learn that Reedus actually rides a motorcycle and likes cruising around down south while working on the show. I also liked finding out about the ways he has influenced who his character is on the show, since Daryl is so layered and complex. I would have asked more questions about his character’s back story and influences.

I can definitely see what Reedus means about how his fight scene with Michael Rooker (Merle) went down. It would have been cool to see them really go at it like “wild animals” as he puts it, but I think they did things just right. It had an authentic sibling vibe to it.

He does show his fun side too, talking about how he re-gifts some of his fan mail to Chandler Riggs (Carl) and how they hang out. Some of his fans who send him those things are probably disappointed to read that however. I got a laugh when he said that he accidentally called the baby on the show “Lil-Ass-kisser” instead of “Lil-Ass-kicker.” Whoops.

Like Reedus says at the end, there’s always the concern that your character could get killed off at any moment on a show like this. Although I think we’re all hoping that Daryl will stick around for a good long while. He continues to make The Walking Dead worth watching, even when the writers do annoying things with other characters.

Do you have a favorite Daryl line or moment from the show so far? What is it?

Would you have ditched the Dixons in Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 9?

Posted on by

In Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 9, Daryl refuses to rejoin the prison crew without his brother Merle. As the leader, Rick is forced to decide whether to take a chance on everyone’s safety with a wildcard like Merle or to cut them both loose.

Thoughts on AMC’s New Trailers for Walking Dead Season 3 Return

Posted on by

Last week, AMC release two new trailers teasing the return of The Walking Dead Season 3 on February 10. I waited as long as I could without watching them, but couldn’t help checking them out, so here are some quick thoughts on what’s in store for us.

The first video is a quick little 30 second piece promising a look at Rick and The Governor meeting face-to-face for the first time. Thankfully it indicates that Daryl survives his bout with Merle, because he’s seen telling someone that The Governor is on his way to the prison. The majority of the trailer just plays up the impending war between the prison group and Woodbury, with soundbites from the characters mentioning how the action is going to heat up. Nothing we didn’t already know was coming. Then finally at the very end we just see separate shots of Rick and The Governor supposedly talking about how they have things to discuss. It’s kind of a rip off, because it’s not even clear they’re in the same room or that the clips are from the same scene based on the way it’s cut. No need to waste your time on this video. If you’d like to see it though, it’s below.

The second trailer for The Walking Dead Season 3 part 2, is a minute-long piece that seems like a music video at first with its credit in the corner revealing the name of the artist and song that it uses. There are some revealing tidbits with Carl telling Rick he should stop being the leader, The Governor telling Andrea to leave for the prison, and a naked Andrea standing over The Governor while he’s asleep holding a knife. Maybe he catches her contemplating his murder and that’s why he sends her away? Glenn has gotten much more badass, talking about how if The Governor wants a war, then he’s got one. Hopefully that trend will continue in the second half of the season. What piqued my curiosity the most was Hershel at the end of the trailer, calling Rick out. He’s yelling at Rick about taking responsibility for his dictatorship. I wonder what prompts that moment. Again the trailer is below. This one is definitely worth checking out.

What are you most looking forward to about the return of The Walking Dead on February 10? Any predictions on what will happen with the second half of Season 3?

Checking out AMC’s Dead Yourself App

Posted on by

Are you a weirdo like me, curious about how you’d look if you ever turned into a zombie? Well if you are, you should check out AMC’s Dead Yourself app. A cool app for iPhone and Facebook (for Android users), which allows you to take normal pictures of yourself and zombify them. They have all sorts of eyes, mouths, and accessories almost like a demented Mii creator. Once you’ve decided on the perfect zombie version of yourself you can upload the photo to AMC’s website for sharing or you can put it out on Facebook and other social media through their app. You can also download the image for safekeeping.

Curious how I’d look as a zombie? See my results below. Feeling adventurous? Give it a try yourself and let me know how it comes out. And if you decide to upload it somewhere send me a link.

Evan as a zombie

My attempt at turning myself into a zombie with AMC”s Dead Yourself App

Thoughts on AMC’s Interview with IronE Singleton (T-Dog)

Posted on by

Warning: This Walking Dead Season 3 post contains spoilers. Please wait until after watching, before reading further.

Not sure why they waited until the Season 3 hiatus, but AMC posted an interview with IronE Singleton who played T-Dog on The Walking Dead. If you’ve been keeping up with Season 3, you know that poor T-Dog was killed off very unceremoniously. I was personally very upset that they killed the character just as he was starting to get more exposure and a chance to shine.

As you can expect the interview mostly concerns questions about how it was revealed to Singleton that his character would be getting the axe and how he dealt with his last days on the show. The best nugget that comes out of the whole interview is when Singleton mentions that he does a Walking Dead rap song, where he raps like a zombie. I would love to hear that and I think it would be perfect for a viral video.

Would you watch Singleton rapping like a zombie? I know I would.

Thoughts on AMC’s Walking Dead Season 3 Part 2 Sneak Videos

Posted on by

Last week AMC released three videos teasing the second part of The Walking Dead Season 3. Of course I couldn’t resist checking them out, so I watched them and thought I would share my thoughts. Overall, none of it is Earth shattering or terribly revealing so you’re not missing much if you don’t see them.

The Cast Looks Ahead

This almost six-minute piece contains clips and interviews with the actors, but basically it’s just people stating the obvious about how dark things have gotten on the show. They discuss how it’s interesting to watch the characters reach their breaking points and make vague forecasts about what’s in store for the second half of Season 3. For me the highlight is to hear all the British actors with their normal voices, especially Andrew Lincoln (Rick) and David Morrisey (The Governor). I always forget that Lauren Cohan (Maggie) is a Brit too.

Special Trailer for the Second Half of Season 3

This one is my favorite because it raises some interesting questions. In the trailer, Glenn tells Maggie “You and I can end this tonight.” What he’s referring to? I hope he doesn’t mean their relationship or that he’s hinting at suicide. Daryl is seen running from bullets, so clearly escapes (Thank God). Then Hershel’s daughter kisses Rick on the cheek, which is weird. What reason will she have to do that? The last thing of note is that Carl tells Rick he should stop being the leader. Rick’s status as head honcho comes up in the comic and becomes a point of conflict with Tyreese. Definitely curious to see where they go with that.

Sneak Peek at Episode 9 (Suicide King)

Nothing much happens in this minute long clip. It’s literally right where Episode 8 ended. Just people standing around chanting with The Governor walking around. Daryl and Merle look at each other, while breathing heavily and Andrea tries to help Daryl. Maybe she’s finally coming to her senses. I’d be happy about Andrea becoming a better character. Then that jerkface The Governor says there is nothing he can do and that the people have spoken. Lame. At least we know Daryl will be on the run. Wonder if they’ll kill Merle.

What are you looking forward to the most in The Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 9?

Thoughts on AMC’s interview with Steve Yeun (Glenn)

Posted on by

Warning: This Walking Dead Season 3 post contains spoilers. Please wait until after watching, before reading further.

Just checked out AMC’s interview with Steve Yeun who plays Glenn on The Walking Dead. In it he discusses being taken hostage, acting opposite Michael Rooker (Merle Dixon), and taking on more of a leadership role this season.

Yeun reminded me that Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 6 (Hounded) wasn’t his character’s first time being held hostage. I forgot that he was taken way back in Season 1, by the guys who turned out to be decent people protecting the elderly. I was glad to hear that escaping from the chair and killing the zombie in the room was a fun experience for him to perform, though he’s right: he’s lucky that his legs weren’t tied down. A smarter captor probably would have done that. Still it was a badass kill and seemed like it would have been a blast to shoot.

It was very cool to read that the actors are given creative freedom to improvise and choreograph new ways to kill walkers. I would probably love that part of the job. Although he makes a decent, somewhat depressing observation about love in the zombie apocalypse. The attachment could be your downfall if you put others ahead of yourself, yet how could you not do that if you love someone?

Based on what Yeun has to say about Michael Rooker, it seems like the actor completely throws himself into the role of Merle. He may be going method with the character, or he’s just insanely well cast, because he is very convincing as a psychopath like Merle.

Lastly, in the interview with Steve Yeun, I thought his final comments about taking on more of a leadership role both on and off the set to be fascinating. With all of the dead bodies this season, Glenn must step up and take charge just like he learns to do in the comics. And with other core actors gone, Yeun is also given more room to experiment and to do work with his character. He’s also in charge of death dinners now if you recall the interview with Sarah Wayne Callies from earlier in the season. A lot of responsibility is on his shoulders right now. However I’m sure Yeun/Glenn will soldier on like he always does.