I am predisposed to discussing the current so-called ‘Golden Age’ of US Television that currently consumes the twitter-verse we live in. It can be suggested that many of these ‘Golden’ TV shows are so titanic that they could meet the ‘silver screen’; however ‘silver’ would stay. On television, nonetheless, they are golden successors to the mediocre feature projects they could have been.
There is a distinct trend in the US ‘big guns’ literally showing off their big guns as TV has become more dark, violent, raw and simply blatant in death and killing. Via the small screen; it has now become accessible and acceptable to revel in this level of violence and darkness, and the ability to immerse in such onslaught; is just most attractive to us everyday up-standing citizens.
The specific guilty-yet-pleasurable entity subject to my analysis will be ‘The Walking Dead’ – Season 4, Episode 14.
Particularly, Episode 14 of the fourth season of one of Comic Con’s most esteemed shows; seems a rather arbitrary way to go as my choice to review. Episode 14 may not be the premier, penultimate, or finale episode of the latest season; however, to me it solely exuded the kind of TV wizardry of the whole fourth season and this Golden generation.
The episode entitled ‘The Grove’ focuses solely on two main adult characters and three children. Instantly, three children being part of environment where the walking dead are shot down or battered brutally without hesitation is enough to baffle the minds of the viewers. This uncomfortable yet enjoyable watching is the kind of subtle boundary pushing that emerges new genres, as opposed to the distastefully shocking series we see churned out and cancelled daily.
As the camera stalks the aimless walking of our four trustworthy protagonists, we learn that Lizzie, the oldest of the children is clouded by uncertainty as to who the enemy is.
Above and beyond the gore and bloodshed – that we find great guilty pleasure in, we now find ourselves tip-toeing around the precious egg shells of innocence being corrupted by the extreme and frankly unimaginable circumstances these children are in.
In a state of confusion and upset, Lizzie questions the actions of her human guardians and in child-like despair explains that these dead walkers were people. At this point we the audience have tapped into that frank and honest thinking we had in our first decade of life. The battle between logic and emotion is at its breaking point and neither the characters nor we know the consequence.
In a state of absolute disbelief, we watch on as our trusted child heroin murders her younger consort to prove such thought. In a further conflict of anger and upset our trust in our young heroin is betrayed by her naivety.
The conflicted emotions that enrage us now furthermore include dubiety, as the unwritten laws of television will never allow the murdering of children to be shown – surely?
As the credits tide in a wave of smacked gobs, we return to being fools in the arena of written entertainment that we once thought we had mastered. No longer can we predict, assume or remain appeased by the untouched safety of our favourite protagonists, let alone the innocence of children.
Ultimately, this alleged new Golden Age could not be more dissimilar to the tales told in narrative arcs and morals that once quenched our thirsts. However, our itches our now scratched by the complete lawless behaviour of our trusted writers – whom never allow us to assume.
The Critico 