Review: Series Premiere of Fear the Walking Dead

SPOILERS
Yes I was one of the millions of people that watched the premier of Fear the Walking Dead. Yes, I am mildly obsessed.
Here’s the thing: a lot of people may be totally over the whole zombie thing. I get it: it’s been done. But this show is the first representation I’ve seen that really explores the growing panic that comes with an unknown virus situation. We see blurps on the news and experience the panic with Nick when he first sees Gloria feasting on another human being. (The first 5 minutes were done perfectly) But the TENSION!
I sat there thinking, “How well can this be done? We all know where it’s going!” But then it gets worse and every time you think you’re going to see a new zombie you don’t. Then there is a ton of traffic and it’s just annoying until you see the news coverage. Woah. That is terrifying!
This fear is so well created that you find yourself being as afraid as the characters in the show. When Nick is hardly able to say even fragments of what he saw-sure we know what he saw we saw it too-but that struggle that no one will understand him and not being able to find the words… too real.
Furthermore, we get a lot of background without it being spelled out for us. Every time the phone rings there is a side eye and a moment of hesitation. That one little thing tells us so much about this family. They really focused on the details with that. Not just the zombie make up but the people themselves. Where do they come from? What’s the history like? We get all of that without receiving wasted lines on information we already know.
That is something that has been consistent with The Walking Dead franchise in general. I remember small things we see Carol do in the first season, for instance, that tell us so much about her as a person and her relationship to her husband and her daughter.
Anyway… trying to keep this short and sweet. Whether you are into zombies or not, Fear the Walking Dead is something you want to watch. 5 out of 5 and I look forward to what the season brings.