Category: Television

AMC’s The Walking Dead is unarguably the best zombie apocalypse series to date. The show’s plot, setting, and character development made it one of the most-watched television series nowadays. The hype reached global proportions—audiences across Asia and Europe are tuned in to the show’s developments from its first season. It has a huge fanbase particularly in Germany, where it was found by the RTL Group that the first season had 17.2% and the second one had a 16.2 % average when it comes to audience share, defeating the epic fantasy series Game of Thrones which only scored 10.8% in its first season. Fans are now excited for the fourth one, especially since the TV series sometimes deviates from the storyline of the comic strip it was adapted from. It’s this unpredictability that makes viewers want more.

There’s no question that the most compelling character in the show is Merle, and he unwittingly uttered the perfect life quote ever: you have to play the hand you’re dealt. This is especially true in any endeavour, whether we’re being literal (like if we’re at a poker table), or thinking in a profound manner. Come to think about it, even Germany’s Marvin Rettenmaier (who emerged as champion in PartyPoker’s World Poker Tour last year) knows how to make the best out of a bad hand. We should have the same philosophy; there’s bound to be pit stops as we go through our everyday routines, and whether we get the equivalent of a losing card or a royal flush, it’s up to us to deal with it. Even Merle survived the loss of his hand and his brother’s absence—surely we can take inspiration from his resilience.

A more in-depth analysis of the famous quote was provided by a personal blog, JShirk: The Point of Impact. He contradicted the quote by saying it’s no longer applicable in this day and age, saying that it takes hard work to re-deal. According to him, one should hone skills and put in effort in order to become a pro. Besides, nobody gets to the final table of the German Poker Tour by sheer luck—it takes hard work, passion, and exceptional strategic skills to get that far.

What should we expect in the fourth season of the show? The Walking Dead will return in October 13th, with new characters joining our beloved cast. Vincent Martella (the voice behind Phineas of Disney’s Phineas & Ferb), Christian Serratos (of Twilight), and Lawrence Gilliard, Jr. (of The Wire) are the new additions to the show. Will the fourth season start on a positive note? Screen Crush tells us not to be too optimistic—producer Scott Gimple said that there may not be hope for the survivors.