Undead Walking is doing a walk-through of the best episodes of The Walking Dead series' eleven seasons. Throughout the series, AMC released 177 episodes, among which numerous are worthy of remembering. Today, we look back at the pilot episode "Days Go Bye," which premiered on Halloween night, 2010.
The Walking Dead's pilot episode is hands down one of the best openers of a series ever. Fans of the comics knew what to expect, but viewers were in for something exciting and new. The series was much more than a traditional "zombie" series as it featured engaging survival stories. The episode was written and directed by showrunner Frank Darabont and had a runtime of 90 minutes.
The main story tells of Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), who, after being shot in the line of duty, spends 4 to 5 weeks in a coma; during that time, the world fell apart as it was overrun by the undead. The concept of zombies not being a part of TWD is due to creator Robert Kirkman's desire to set the story apart from the familiar tropes associated with the term.
The above-pictured scene is Rick walking through the abandoned hospital, trying to discover what has happened while he is in a comatose state. Be sure to watch The Walking Dead: The Oath webisode, which shows the origins of the "Don't Open, Dead Inside."
Highpoints of the episode
- Rick kills a child walker, Summer (Addy Miller), in a gutsy movie to feature in a new series opening.
- Watching Rick acclimate to the world of the undead.
- Shane and Rick's bond - the beginning of the pilot is the only time viewers really see this friendship in a positive light.
- The incredible shootout, which sadly ends with Rick being shot.
- Seeing the first meeting of Rick and Morgan, two characters who would significantly affect one another, off and on, for many seasons.
- In this and other early episodes, the walkers were far more intelligent than others shown throughout other seasons.
- Viewers are introduced to the original Atlanta group that Shane and Rick's family are a part of.
- The end of the episode features a fantastic scene of Rick in downtown Atlanta, which is overrun by walkers. Amy foreshadowed this with her comment, "Folks got no idea what they're getting into" by going to Atlanta.
Overall the pilot of The Walking Dead set the tone for the remainder of the series. It is undoubtably one of the best introductions to a series ever.
Main cast of Walking Dead pilot - Days Gone Bye
Andrew Lincoln - Rick Grimes
Jon Bernthal - Shane Walsh
Sarah Wayne Callies - Lori Grimes
Jeffrey DeMunn - Dale Horvath
Steven Yeun - Glenn Rhee (voice only)
Chandler Riggs - Carl Grimes
Lennie James - Morgan Jones
Emma Bell - Amy Harrison
