The Film: Rick Grimes(Andrew Lincoln) and his band of survivors are thriving in The Prison. Rick has settled into his role as no longer being the leader but, on being a farmer. Rick’s son Carl(Chandler Riggs) feels his dad has gone soft, causing tension in their relationship. Maggie(Lauren Cohan) and Glenn(Steven Yeun) continue to have a strong relationship. Daryl(Norman Reedus) has settled into the role of the leader (view https://kurtuhlir.com/hire-to-speak/ to know how to become one). Of course in the world of The Walking Dead, nothing good can last for long. Carol(Melissa McBride) is teaching the children to defend themselves with weapons behind the back of Rick, but that’s the least of their worries as a new flu infects one of the survivors, who soon rises and infects everyone in the cell block. This is the strongest season top to bottom. I loved how a lot of the episodes focused on one or two characters allowing certain ones to have a chance at the spotlight. Lincoln is in top form yet again as Rick. When he realizes that the epidemic might be transmitted from the pigs he raised, he sacrifices them to remove Walkers from the fences around the prison. It’s like he is slitting his own throat, a powerful performance without speaking a word. Chandler Riggs continues to grow as an actor and he has some of the best moments in the season. However this season has two unlikely MVP’s. The first hands down is Melissa McBride as Carol. Once an abused woman, Carol has continued to be the character who has grown the most throughout the series. In the seasons best episode, “The Grove” McBride commands the screen with tender and intense readings. In another episode, “Indifference”, Rick takes Carol out on a run. He decides to leave her behind after he discovers she killed two people at the prison. Here McBride shines yet again, the way she talks to Rick is so to the point and strong, a huge change from season one. The other MVP is Emily Kinney as Beth. After the prison falls, Beth and Darryl are on the run. They seem like an unlikely match but it soon develop a strong bound, anchored by Kinney’s heartfelt and tender choices. All that and the usual shocking deaths, the return of the Governor, make this the strongest season from beginning to end.
The Video: The Walking Dead looks stunning on Blu-Ray. Every frame on the screen pops with lots of detail and color. The blacks and blues are dark, and the blood is a gushy red. This is one of the best looking shows on Blu-Ray hands down.
The Audio: The Walking Dead once again has an amazing soundtrack. The music is one of the highlights this season, on top of Bear McCreary’s great original score this season is peppered with folk songs that fit the mood of the show. The sound effects are gruesome and the Walkers moans are terrifying as ever.
The Extras: Season 4 of The Walking Dead is loaded with some great features. There are some extended episodes(the best little bit is from episode 16, where in the broadcast version Rick says after being captured “They’re messing with the wrong people”. In the extended version he says “They’re fucking with the wrong people”). Eight informative featurettes ranging from the make-up process to the return of the Governor. Five episodes have commentaries. Plus a handful of deleted scenes, this is how Blu-Rays should be.
The Verdict: The Walking Dead continues to be an impressive show. Five years ago no one could’ve guessed that a horror black and white comic would become the highest rated show on TV. What makes it even more impressive is the makers of the show don’t rest on their success’ they continue to build on it. This season they took a chance by focusing on several of the supporting characters and in return they got some of the strongest episodes in the series. If you are the fan of the show it’s a no brainer purchase.