The Walking Dead Adds A New Threat: Today In Science & Science Fiction
Plus, a memorable 1987 role for Babylon 5's Claudia Christian.
This article is more than 2 years old
“Infected” (AMC, 9/8c)
“The group faces a new enemy; Rick and the others fight to protect their hard-won livelihood.” That’s the brief official synopsis for “Infected,” tonight’s episode of The Walking Dead. Last week’s season premiere was a mixed affair, as the show has been all too often. It did set up what looks to be a new element that will make the beleaguered survivor’s already unhappy lives that much more difficult. Then again, they exist to amuse us with their suffering, so dance, jesters! Dance!
And while “30 Days Without an Accident” definitely wasn’t the best episode ever by any means, it did manage to keep me interested for another week…and brought in 16 million viewers. If the ratings keep up like that, we may wind up with more than one Walking Dead spinoff before all is said and done. Let’s get a buddy road-trip comedy starring the Governor and a new fishtank of zombie heads as he crosses the country in hopes of making it big in show business. Just remember to add the laugh track.
Tonight’s episode was written by Angela Kang, a former story editor turned writer/producer, who previously penned episodes such as “Secrets,” “Say the Word,” and “I Ain’t a Judas.” You can check out a gallery of images from the episode right here.
Danny Boyle (born October 20, 1956)
After making a name for himself with the 1996 movie Trainspotting, Danny Boyle has gone on to direct eight feature films, including such acclaimed hits as Slumdog Millionaire and 127 Hours. We here at GFR are more interested in his genre fare, however, which includes 28 Days Later… and Sunshine, both written by Boyle’s frequent collaborator Alex Garland.
Star Trek: “The Doomsday Machine” (first aired October 20, 1967)
It’s one of the most memorable of Star Trek: The Original Series’ episodes, one that pits Kirk against an enormous, devastating super weapon that just happens to look like an ice cream cone. We may not all scream for ice cream, but we will scream for a few seconds before being vaporized by this thing. The episode was written by sci-fi legend Norman Spinrad, and you can watch it this very minute on Netflix Instant or Amazon Instant Video.
Sam Witwer (born October 20, 1977)
Actor Sam Witwer is only 36, but he’s already popped up in a ton of geek-friendly shows over the years. He’s been playing a vampire on Syfy’s Being Human for going on four seasons, but before that he had small roles in Dark Angel, Angel, and Star Trek: Enterprise. As far as larger roles, he played Crashdown in Battlestar Galactica and voiced Darth Maul in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. That’s not his only Star Wars connection — he also voiced and provided the likeness for Darth Vader’s “secret apprentice” Starkiller in the Star Wars: The Force Unleashed video games.
The Hidden (released October 20, 1987)
Digging into the sci-fi back catalogue, this trippy alien-hunting tale first hit theaters on this day in 1987. Kyle MacLachlan (Dune, Twin Peaks) stars as a dead FBI agent — or rather the body of a dead FBI agent, currently possessed by an alien with a mission. He’s on the trail of another dangerous alien who gets its kicks by killing on a whim and swapping bodies like the rest of us change our socks. The Hidden also features Babylon 5’s Claudia Christian in a…minor but memorable role.
