The third season of “The Walking Dead” sprung back to life on Sunday night, and rather than starting in its usual slow-burn manner, it arrived in full force with the remaining survivors battling zombies in the opening seconds.

The opening scene set the mood for the change the survivors have made since the season two finale. Six months have passed and Rick and company have resorted to small hunts and scavenging through empty houses. Viewers can see the toll the last six months have taken from the survivors who are now covered in filth with heavy bags under their eyes from no sleep.

The survivors also finally find the prison where a quarter of the comic book took place. The prison set is rendered great and looks similar to what it looked like in the comic book.

Viewers are also rewarded with the first full appearance of the Michonne (Danai Gurira), a character fans of the comic series have been waiting for. The quintessential badass, Michonne is great to watch as she flawlessly slices and dices with her iconic katana cutting through every zombie in her way.

With all the anticipation for this episode, it delivered on every front making it enjoyable to watch. Even though it has gone away from most of the storytelling from the comic series, it’s given the show leeway to do what it wants. By not staying within the boundaries of the comic book, it has been able to evolve on its own, which is great.

It’s always nice to see what we read finally put on the screen, but it doesn’t have to be a carbon copy of the book. The writers take just enough so fans can recognize the characters and see how they could have developed differently.

Take Andrea, for example: in the comic books she is stoic and strong-willed with death and tragedy all around her. However, in the show, she does not cope well with the death of her sister and turns into a woman full of sorrow and emotional instability. It’s an interesting change posing great contrast from the show and the comic book allowing the show to stand on its own.

The episode ends with a twist by taking a gruesome scene from the comic books and recapturing it on the TV screen. It’s great and will make anyone cringe in horror, but in a good way.

In a welcome return to the show’s roots — less character development and drawn-out plot lines and more nail-biting terror and heart-stopping action sequences —“The Walking Dead” aims to liven up Sunday nights again.

 

Nathan and Christine can be reached at: [email protected]