Posted May 4, 2013

By ISABEL BRADOR

AMC’S series “The Walking Dead” is brimming with zombies, plot twists and scenes that send adrenaline coursing through viewers’ veins.

The hit television series, which completed its third season on March 31, takes place in an alternate reality where the majority of the population has been turned into zombies, or “walkers” as they’re called in the series.

The television series is based off the Image Comics series “The Walking Dead” by Robert Kirkman, and follows the story of Rick Grimes, played by actor Andrew Lincoln.  The hardships Rick experiences as he struggles to keep his family safe propel the series forward at an intense and heart-pounding rate.

Throughout the three season viewers are kept glued to their television screens, by  realistic gore and make up effects,  twisting plot lines, and the magic of suspense.

The series begins by focusing Rick’s search for his wife Lori, played by  Sarah Wayne Callies, and his son Carl, played by Chandler Riggs. Thankfully, the series is continuously evolving and changing the focus of the story; ensuring that the interactions amongst the cast never grow stale.

The focus of the series shifts when Rick finds his family and is forced to learn how to live in a community with other survivors- he is eventually chosen as their leader.  As the series evolves new threats emerge, not all of them are from the undead, and the show forces viewers to analyze what makes up an individual’s humanity.

Throughout the series the character must come to grips with vital questions about humanity, which are valid regardless of a zombie apocalypse.  The series touches on topics such as society and religion, as seen in a monologue Rick directs at a statue of Jesus Christ,  and what it really means to be human; a question posed by main character, Dale, throughout the second season.  These moments make the show strangely relatable, and keep viewers coming back for more.

Yet as the third season of the series comes to a close, the season three finale aired on March 31, the questions become bigger and deeper.  The size of the group of survivors has considerably grown and this increase drastically complicates the interactions between the cast. Also, Rick must deal the fact that his son Carl is slowly being warped by the horrors of this post-apocalyptic world; a fear turned into reality when Carl kills a surrendering teenager.

The series has managed to attract a massive following through a masterful use of suspense, mind-bending plot twists, and a cast with electrifying chemistry. Yet, as the undead threat grows  stronger and  life becomes more brutal, a new focus needs to be found for season four.

Thankfully, the end of the season three finale promises just that.