Had heard nothing but great things about 'The Walking Dead' from friends and IMDb reviewers. It took a while to get round to watching, both from being busy and also not being sure whether it would be my cup of tea. Finally getting round to it a few years ago and slowly working my way through it, having had a very long to watch and review list, 'The Walking Dead' turned out to be very much my cup of tea and as good as the hype made it out to be, have found it extremely addictive.
"Cherokee Rose" was a slight disappointment, being the weakest of Season 2 up to this point and the weakest of the overall show up to this early stage. "Chupacabra" sees a step up in quality, the tension, guts, emotion and tautness much stronger and more frequent here. It is still a strong reminder of how Seasons 1-5 of 'The Walking Dead' to me were absolutely brilliant and seeing the show in its full glory days (Season 6 was uneven, Season 7 was a huge disappointment and am still debating whether to watch Season 8). It may lack a few of the things that made the previous episodes so great but there is plenty of what is particularly good about the show.
It still shocks me at how an intelligent, well-made (so much so that it is easy to mistake it for a film) show about zombies could be made when so many films have tried and failed abysmally to do so.
Not a masterpiece as such. Some of the action at the Greene farm lags a bit and again slightly too heavy in talk.
Also am yet to be completely sold by Sarah Wayne Callies as Lori, she still doesn't have the presence or nuances of much of the rest of the cast.
Like all the episodes of the show, "Chupacabra" is incredibly well made in the production values, with gritty and audacious production design, photography of almost cinematic quality, effects that look good, have soul and are not overused or abused and pretty frightening make-up that make the walkers even more creepy. The music is haunting and affecting, having presence but never being too intrusive.
The writing generally is intelligent and thought-provoking, with lots of tension and emotional resonance and continues to show signs of character complexity and multiple layer storytelling. The highlights here are the shocking ending and the character development for Daryl.
Appreciated the ever strong and still progressing story and character building, which the episode has a bigger emphasis on.
The world building is still stunningly immersive and effective. Direction is smart and atmospheric while the show throughout has been strongly acted. Andrew Lincoln is an excellent lead, with an even better performance from Norman Reedus giving Daryl intensity and pathos.
To conclude, excellent. 9/10 Bethany Cox
