Days Gone Bye

Going back and watching the first episode brings tears to my eyes from how far the group has come and what a strong first episode the show had. The acting was superb and the story flowed. The most iconic episodes of all time, and creepy too. The raw emotions are felt throughout Andrew Lincoln's stellar performance. This is a rejuvenation of a dying genre.

Best Pilot Episode of any TV Ever, Hands Down. PERIOD!!!

Had heard nothing but great things about 'The Walking Dead' from friends and IMDb reviewers. It took a while to get round to watching, both from being busy and also not being sure whether it would be my cup of tea. Finally getting round to it a few years ago and slowly working my way through it, having had a very long to watch and review list, 'The Walking Dead' turned out to be very much my cup of tea and as good as the hype made it out to be, have found it extremely addictive.

"Days Gone Bye", having now decided to review all the episodes, is an absolutely brilliant start to 'The Walking Dead', and one of the strongest reminders of how Seasons 1-5 of 'The Walking Dead' to me were absolutely brilliant and seeing the show in its full glory days (Season 6 was uneven, Season 7 was a huge disappointment and am still debating whether to watch Season 8).

Other reviewers have hailed it as one of the best first episodes ever, definitely agree with this. It still shocks me at how an intelligent, well-made (so much so that it is easy to mistake it for a film) show about zombies could be made when so many films have tried and failed abysmally to do so.

Like all the episodes of the show, "Days Gone Bye" is incredibly well made in the production values, with gritty and audacious production design, photography of almost cinematic quality, effects that look good, have soul and are not overused or abused and pretty frightening make-up which helps make the already freaky zombies even freakier. The music is haunting and affecting, having presence but never being too intrusive.

The writing is intelligent and thought-provoking, with lots of tension and emotional resonance and already showing signs of character complexity and multiple layer storytelling. The more eventful scenes are thrilling and terrifying as well as uncompromising.

It's all thrilling and tautly paced without rushing through the more important parts. The world building is already stunningly immersive and effective. Direction is smart and atmospheric while the show throughout has been strongly acted especially from the two leads playing particularly well-crafted characters.

All in all, brilliant start. 10/10 Bethany Cox

The Walking Dead has been heavily anticipated by me and many other television fans, and we finally have it. Was it worth the wait? Definitely!

The Pilot of The Walking Dead was everything you hope for in television. It was smart, it presented some great character development, had some really great writing, and on top of that it is a zombie show. What is present here in the Pilot is how much the writers added emphasis on the humanity that is gone from these infected. Most zombie films have zombies are stupid, human-less animals, but one has to remember that these things used to be people. The Pilot definitely made me realize just how fragile they were and just how unfortunate the situation is. It was entertaining from the first second to the last, but it is not stupid gory fun. The great thing is that it was smart gory fun! The make-up looks amazing, probably the best make-up in any zombies I have ever seen.

Overall, it was a great first episode, probably the best Pilot in years. I cannot wait for the rest of the season and just wish it would be longer.

Deputy Sheriff Rick Grimes and his partner and best friend Shane Walsh are summoned to form a police roadblock to stop a runaway car. Rick is shot by one criminal and goes into a coma. When Rick awakens in the hospital, he finds that he is alone in the abandoned hospital and sees several bodies disposed everywhere.

He wanders along the empty streets trying to find his wife and son and stumbles with Morgan Jones and his son Duane that explain him that the world has ended and now there are only walkers, zombies that are attracted by sound and smell of the survivors. Rick heads to Atlanta in the police car to seek out his family but he runs out of gas on the road. He sees a horse in a farm and rides to the city. Out of the blue, he is surrounded by walkers that eat his horse. He seeks refugee in a military tank and he hears a message on the radio.

I have glanced at many good reviews about "The Walking Dead" and I have finally bought the Blu-Ray with the complete First Season. This first show or pilot is one of the best zombie films I have ever seen and this is my favorite horror genre. The plot is very well constructed through a good story, great performances and stunning special effects. Now I am going to see the next episode, hoping that keep the same level of this pilot. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "Days Gone Bye" (1.1)

Note: On 08 April 2016, I saw this show again.