5 Things The Walking Dead Season 5 Needs To Do To Maintain Momentum

By Brent McKnight | Published

This article is more than 2 years old

The Walking DeadDon’t Feel The Need To Check In With Everyone Every Week

As an ensemble, The Walking Dead has a large cast, one that is constantly growing as they encounter new survivors, as well as one that is continually in flux as people die off. While that means there are a lot of stories, that doesn’t mean every one intersects. Often they do, as things impact the entire group, and it makes sense for everyone to be involved, but not always. All of these people have their own personalities and lives within the group. Part of what makes the final eight episodes of season 4 so strong is that the writers and producers didn’t always feel obligated to include every last person in every last episode. One of the best weeks, “Still,” features two people, Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Beth (Emily Kinney), and no one else. This allows space for a story to develop and for the actors to do some really good work, letting the characters grow and explore. You don’t need to know what each character is up to at every moment, and this ability to let storylines lie for a while increases interest and tension. Not to mention it prevents them from overexposing any one character, so you don’t get sick of them. This also allows for a single, smaller storyline to play out in a more natural state. Minor asides won’t get dragged out over multiple episodes when one would easily suffice. If it fits with a storyline, fine, by all means check in with everyone, but you don’t need to force it where it doesn’t fit. Lots of great shows with ensemble casts go a week without everyone showing up, just look at The Wire and Game of Thrones, and it looks like The Walking Dead is finally learning this.


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