Part Two: The Walking Dead: The Complete First Season

Let me say I've been extremely impressed with the caliber of acting on The Walking Dead. None of the actors are major, or A-list, but their performances would have you fooled. These people can really act and deserve any Emmys they might have been nominated for.

At the top of the list is Andrew Lincoln, a British actor with a great American accent, who plays Sheriff's Deputy Rick Grimes. In many ways Andrew carries the show and supplies its heart and soul by protraying a police officer who tries to do the right thing in any given circumstance, often against every opposition. Next in line are Jon Berthal as Andrew Lincoln's police partner who saved his family from certain death and Sarah Callies who plays Andrew's wife. They both give excellent, strong performances that make you feel their emotions and indecisions. There's also Lauri Holden (from The Mist) and the great Jeffery Demunn (The Shawhank Redemption, The Green Mile, and The Mist), who never turns in a bad performance. In fact, Jeffery gets better and better with age, like a fine French wine. I love seeing him act. Steven Yeun and Norman Reedus are also regulars on the show and shine in their roles. There are also guest stars in most of the episodes like Michael Rooker, Lennie James, and Noah Emmerich. This is definitely an essemble cast and they manage to bring an unbelievable theme alive with their realism to their roles and to the show. They make this believable!

Another thing about having the DVD set is that you don't have to deal with commercials. Though commercials pay for the shows, they also tend to break the emotional connection the viewer has with the performers and the drama they're immersed in to deal with deodorant or car ads. The show without commercials is like a gift from God.

The Behind-the-Scenes extras on the two discs are certainly worthwile, and I think you get your money's worth with them. There's The Making of The Walking Dead feaurette that centers on Frank Darabont and how he discovered the graphic comic book and then spent five years working at getting the show made for the small screen. Then, there's Inside The Walking Dead, which introduces you to many of the actors on the show. If you love zombies, there's a feaurette on how they're created and the make-up process. There's a final feaurette dealing with a comic book convention that Frank Darabont, Robert Kirkman, and many of the cast attended to promote the upcoming series. Last, but not least, are vinettes on each of the six episodes and what the cast and crew were attempting to accomplish.

Okay, so what's my verdict on The Walking Dead: The Complete First Season? As Roger Ebert would say, I give it a big thumbs up. I love the series and look forward to Season Two this Fall. The two-disc set is a keeper for anyone with a horror library of books and DVDS. Once again, I sincerely thank AMC for allowing Frank Darabont to do this show right. It took a strong sense of bravery on their part to give the go-ahead. Needless to say, I highly recommend this series to any serious horror aficionado!