The biggest show on cable television has changed show-runners again. For a show that is so enormously popular, Walking Dead has had a surprising amount of turnover at the top, and that pattern continues again this year with Scott M. Gimple taking charge. This would be cause for concern for a lot of other shows (imagine if Vince Gilligan had left Breaking Bad after season three) but in the case of Walking Dead, no one seems to be panicking. Probably because, despite all the upheaval throughout it's four seasons, the quality of the show just hasn't varied much. Season two was probably the only one considered somewhat of a disappointment, but even that one had it's moments (and sports a healthy rating of 80 on Metacritic).
Part of the reason for this is that Walking Dead, simply put, is no Breaking Bad. Or Mad Men, or any other critically acclaimed hour-long drama favored by the intelligentsia. This show is not deep (although it often hilariously aspires to be). There is no complex, overarching narrative. It's just a pulpy, guilty pleasure that happens to be watched by 16 million people. The quality of the story has varied a bit throughout the series, but the incredible makeup and zombie effects have not. And neither have the action sequences. And as long as Walking Dead continues to excel in those areas, the ratings will be there.
That said, each season of the series has had a pretty unique identity, and "30 Days Without an Accident" provides our first glimpse into what our characters will be dealing with this season. The episode was low-key overall, obviously setting the table for things to come while introducing a host of new characters (and changes to old characters). It was also less of a downer than this show has tended to be at times. The cast of the show has expanded exponentially, and I for one think it's a good idea. There are some obvious standout characters on The Walking Dead (Daryl, occasionally Michonne), but many more are inconsistent, or just plain uninteresting. Expanding the cast ensures we don't have to stick around too long with those uninteresting characters, and provides a lot more zombie fodder as well (like poor Zach this week; we hardly knew you brother).
I got a pretty serious Lost vibe from "30 Days Without an Accident" (in a good way) because it felt like all the characters were going on with their respective lives and we were just dropping in and out to see what they were up to this week. That sort of unencumbered approach bodes well for future episodes. Also of note was the great zombie sequence involving Daryl and company in the supermarket. Over four seasons, there have been countless scenarios like that one (the characters sneak into some dark area, somebody screws up, a ton of zombies converge on them like white on rice), but kudos to the creators for finding a way to put a fresh spin on it (the zombies dropping in on our heroes via a decaying roof). I particularly enjoyed the numerous squishy zombies who merely exploded into zombie paste upon colliding with the supermarket floor. Just the sort of gross detail I've come to expect from Walking Dead.
Overall, "30 Days Without an Accident" was a solid, if somewhat uneventful start, to the season. Rick may not able to come back from all the terrible things he has done, but I'm glad he has come back to my television set (and brought all his zombie-slaying friends with him).
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