I haven’t seen last night’s episode of “The Walking Dead” yet because of the Oscars, but I’m assured by Sepinwall that it was the best of the season. However, while I am not one of the smug graphic novel readers, I am also assured by many who have read them that “The Walking Dead” won’t get really good until the third season, as that’s when The Governor enters. I assume, like most of you, that Shane will be killed off at the end of the season, which will make way for Rick Grimes’ new antagonist, the leader of Woodbury, a small settlement of survivors (if anything, that means that the action will finally move away from the godd*mn farm).
There’s been a lot of speculation about who would be cast in the role of The Governor. Tom Savini — who was the best make-up effects artists of the 70s and 80s, and is basically responsible for creating the look and feel of zombies (he did the effects for Romero’s zombie flicks) — lobbied hard for the role. However, he was told that the network was trying to land John Hawkes (Winter’s Bone), who probably would’ve been the best choice imaginable. The guy plays creepy better than anyone in Hollywood right now. However, Hawkins declined, so — according to Deadline — AMC moved on and last week cast British actor David Morrissey. Is he good? Yes, he is a good actor; I know him best from The Red Riding trilogy, an episode of “Doctor Who,” and most famously, the British mini-series, State of Play. Is he ideal for the role? That I don’t know. While I like Morrissey, I am a little disappointed that AMC didn’t find a more recognizable actor for one of the signature roles of the series. He’s apparently a very nasty character, but AMC is cheap. They see no reason to splurge since they basically have the highest-rated drama on cable already. At least we can probably expect better range from Morrissey over any of the existing talent.
