Coming into the new season, this show was already in danger of being deleted from my auto-record list, but I was holding on because of: Old Badass Daniel, Logical & Efficient Strand, and Starting To Become Cool In His Own Way Nick.
Let's see what has happened with those characters in just the last few episodes:
- Old Badass Daniel - as if someone flicked a lightswitch, he went from being bad ass and practical about the apocalypse to being a giggling/hallucinating waste. And why? No context even provided.
- Logical & Efficient Strand - I was willing to overlook the token Hollywood alternative lifestyle implant because, like Daniel, he was the only other character applying LOGIC and SURVIVAL skills to what was happening around them. Instead of, you know, stopping for every raft filled with 100 refugees since it would be "ZOMG terrible to NOT HELP PEE-PUL!!". But in like two short episodes he's gone from efficient to effeminate, first lounging in bed and blubbering with gay lover and then after finally off'ing him, just staring at the floor while Mexican granny insults & berates him. Again. And again. And AGAIN. This is not the Strand that I came to love (in a not gay way).
- Cool Nick Depp. Dammit dammit, DAMMIT. This character had potential. Went from being incredibly annoying in Forest Gump/Grandpa Clothes mode to suddenly becoming very likable when he decided to be 'above it all' and follow his street smarts to survive the apocalypse. I really liked the team that he and Strand were becoming. But now he's Kooky Quirky Zen Bloodbath Nick, who loves nothing more than to roll in ketchup and go walking with the zombies because.....something.
And on the flip side, we have all of the characters that I hate becoming even MORE hate-worthy:
- Madison. Christ almighty. Do. Not. Want. I love the earlier observation someone made that she always looks like she's smelling farts. Nailed it. God she'd be unbearable to be around for more than 3 minutes in real life. Her mantra can be summed up as "All Yur Barber Shops/Yachts/Mexican Compounds R Belong 2 Me". Walks into every scene/situation trying to take resources away from those who have worked for them for herself and her lazy daughter. Madison definitely would've voted for Bernie if the damn zombie apocalypse hadn't occurred.
- Almost makes me feel sorry for Travis, although I hate him so much for being such a beta-male/California "we can't kill anyone who is trying to hurt us because then we'd be no better than them" hypocrite.
- Emo-Chris. I just don't get him at all. Haven't been able to understand a single one of his behaviors, why he's done what he's done, what has prompted each move, etc. Don't care to waste any more energy trying to figure him out, either. If I was that actor, as I read each script I imagine I'd constantly be asking "but why would I be doing this, this and this?".
- The Two Hot Chicks (Mexican daughter and Madison's daughter). They went from being characters whose hotness made you tolerate their incessant whining and quests for FEELINGS/drama to becoming characters whose hotness made you tolerate their incessant whining and quests for FEELINGS/drama. So I guess I'm still okay with them since we at least get occasional eye candy. However, cost is beginning to exceed reward watching the white one sit on her ass and watch TV, or sit on her ass and play with the ham radio while (almost) everyone else works hard.
I thought this whole thing was supposed to be about what happened while Rick was snoozing over in Ga. and how the U.S. crumbled, etc. What a fantastic waste.
