The Walking Dead: My Love/Hate Relationship

As I mention here a lot, I'm kind of a TV junkie. I love a good TV show that I can really dig my teeth into. So, a couple of years back when I heard they were developing "The Walking Dead" into a TV show, I was really excited. I loved World War Z and the issues it covers that you wouldn't normally think about in a 2 hour zombie move. A zombie TV show could really develop how the apocalypse came to be, the panic, the crime, the migrations, how relationships change, all the good stuff.

And just normal children scare me

Once the casting list was revealed (the cue card guy from "Love Actually"!) and some early images of the zombies (Holy crap! That's what a zombie would really look like, right?), I was so excited. When it finally debuted, I was riveted for the whole 2 hours.

Probably something important I should mention now. Somewhere in the last five to seven years, I became very squeamish. I don't know what caused it (I kind of think it might have been the year when "Kill Bill" and "Sin City" were both released), but I can't tolerate a lot of on screen violence. I'm the wimp who looks through my fingers to see if it's over. The husband is great because he usually blocks my eyes until it's over.

Anyway, while the premiere was great, it was definitely not for the squeamish. Combine some of the uber-violent scenes with the realism of the zombies and it apparently shook my subconscious pretty hard. I've never had worse nightmares than I did that night. I don't care how much you tell yourself zombies aren't real, once they are in your head in the middle of the night in your little bed in your little apartment all by yourself, they aren't coming out. I think part of it is that there is no way I would survive the zombie apocalypse. I'd be screwed. Odds are a zombie wouldn't get me, but something else would while I'm fleeing from them. Either way, totally screwed.

This would be me. But much less put together. And I don't cook much now, I sure as hell ain't cooking as a zombie.

The problem arose because I still loved the show and so did my whole family now. They were incredibly sweet about it, though. Every Sunday night was family night, but they would record "The Walking Dead" and watch it later in the week without me. And I still did like the show, I just couldn't watch it. So, I read recaps of it every week to keep up with the story and watched clips every once in a while.

After a season and a half of avoiding it, my sister finally talked me into trying again last night.

Good episode.

Worse nightmares.

Ugh!

I will give it one more shot. I'm really hoping at this point that my subconscious will finally adjust, but it's not looking good.

Why can't my brain have a problem with "Two and a Half Men" reruns? I'd gladly give those up!