Finally got to see the premier episode and I liked it. I think showing where Andrea was necessary to keep the audience connected with the cast even if it was only a minute or so of screen time.

For starters, Season 2 was ok but lost a lot of its luster thanks to the never-ending search for Sofia. By the 3rd episode where we were watching that unfold my wife indicated that Sophia was a zombie. As soon as we found out about the barn, I knew she was in there. It got old really quickly. And who the hell leaves a 10 year old girl alone in the woods in the middle of the zombie apocalypse?

Anyhow, the season 3 premiere was good, but there were things that I did not like about it. Spoiler alert.

1. The irish/fantasy-type singing around the campfire. Really? The show is being set up at this point that everyone is exhausted and barely able to continue, but you have the energy to stay awake well into the night and sing "kumbayah"? I don't think so. I know they were trying to add to the mood of the episode with this, but it failed. At least for me, anyhow.

2. Far too predictable about what was going to happen in the prison. Of course they could clear a cell block. Of course they would run into trouble if they ventured further in. Of course they'd get separated. Of course someone would get munched on. It's not scary to me when I can sit there and call the plays, so to speak.

3. There were civilian zombies in the prison. Call the national guard - there may be a breach somewhere in the prison allowing more zombies in.

4. Michone and Andrea were, as previously stated, an afterthought. It's kind of like they don't matter in the grand scheme of things, even though they play a role in the fight between the prison and the town later on this season. They got like 5 total minutes of screen time, and all that was shown was that Andrea is sick and Michone is still towing a pair of armless, mouthless zombies around.

Don't get me wrong - there were things that I did like. And I think this season is going to be good. But the opening episode wasn't what I was hoping for all summer.

For the record, I liked the singing, I just don't like how they introduced it. "Hey, why don't you sing X song?" just suddenly, while sitting around the campfire.

I'm all for singing and music and all that, especially during the apocalypse (god knows that people in that situation need some form of levity and normalcy to stay sane), but it would have been a lot more natural had somebody just picked up the singing on their own. It would have given the impression that they were thinking back on better times, and felt the need to express it, audibly.

Or at least a little background information about why this song is so important. "Hey, do you remember back when mother used to sing to you and blah blah blah?"

I just kinda felt it was a little hamfisted is all.

I found the singing to be more organic than that. To me, it played more as a father - stressed beyond all belief - trying to find some sense of normalcy in a world gone mad. He was grasping for something to ground himself ... and to provide a way to distract his girls from the horror they'd just experienced.

Which is why it would have made more sense for him to start singing, and have the girls enter in part way.

Unless he's a crappy singer

That's what singing coaches are for. Anybody can be taught to carry a tune. On a show based in a semblance of realism, everybody having a gorgeous singing voice just isn't necessary.

Season 2 spent too much time focusing on When are Shane and Rick going to fight? Side Note-I hate Lori. VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY MUCH.
Now I don't quite agree with this. I think it is a lot better then waiting 5-6 episodes to find out what happens to Andrea, then have a whole boring episode with her and Michonne talking and having more female bonding. I am afraid they're going to make Andrea go full darkside this season. Which I think would ruin her character. Poor poor mentally unstable, cling to the nearest living body so I can feel alive, Andrea.

I think the search for Sophia was paramount for the entire season. The scene at the end in which she comes out of the barn as a Walker. Is one of the most frightening and beautiful scenes in the entire show. Personally my favorite scene so far. Beautiful in the sense that it describes the feelings that everyone feels in the show and combines the grim reality of what happens. Real World Problems in an unreal world so to speak.

Now you're other points Scarecrow just kind of make me laugh. No offense but when I read your post you kind of reminded me of Comic Book Guy from the simpsons. Always got to complain about everything all the time. Sorry I am not seeming to sound grumpy or angry, cause I'm not. I just find it funny what you said is all, like amusing. Doesn't mean I think any less of you man. You made valid points and I respect them. I just don't really have much to say to them.

The singing was just bleh. I thought it was forced and added as like a “actor request” instead of part of the episode. It just didn't feel natural to me. The progression of the song was not natural and you couldn't even really tell what the words were that much. It is just all so forced and unnatural it kind of makes you glance to the clock. Just waiting for it to be over. Defiantly don't think the singing was needed at that point. Maybe like when they were all going to sleep that night, after securing the prison block. Would have been a good time to sing I think.

While I agree with you that the scene was powerful, it was far too long in coming. They could have done that far sooner in the season instead of using up like 8 episodes talking about how she's going to be found. Hell - Old MacDonald himself knew what was in the barn. When the group said "Hey, we're looking for Carol's 10 year old girl", Herschel should have come out and said "You know, I put a little girl in that barn a few days back. Take a look and see is she's the one you're looking for".

I'm just saying it was far too long in coming. While that scene was fantastic and powerful, they could have done it much sooner than they did.

And by the way - best scene in the show so far is when Rick is stumbling around in the hospital and he comes across the bolted doors that say "Don't Open - Dead Inside", and then the doors start getting pushed open and fingers come out and you hear moaning. Scary scene because, although we as viewers know what's on the other side, you feel for Rick because he has no clue what the hell is going on at this point.

I think the entire first season is full of fantastic scenes. They really pinned down the horror and the chaos that comes with finding out that the world ended while you were unconscious, in those first six episodes.