The seventh season, however, is shaping up to be a flop for reasons every entertainment writer has already (accurately) mentioned. The problems with season season are vast - unfocused narration, too many characters, excessive violence, and the like.
17 million people tuned into the debut episode and were really turned off by the sadistic violence. Millions left and probably aren't coming back. (At least not any time soon)
And truth be told, Jeffrey Dean Morgan is creepy in the role of Negan, but the character of Negan flat out is not translating well to TV. The character of Negan works great in the comic book because the "alpha male" villain works fantastically well with a nerdish audience of 100,000 readers. The "nerd psychology" that makes Negan so "awesome" in the monthly comic book doesn't translate to mainstream audiences.
To a nerd, Negan is an alpha male. No matter how outrageous he acts, there is the desire to be someone like him: feared, respected, and in charge.
To mainstream audiences, Negan is a beta male trying to look like an alpha. No matter how impressive he tries to act, he comes off as an insecure bully.
The "cool smugness" may impress nerds, but the larger mainstream audience finds Negan annoying. When he turns up on screen, he is too one-note and one-dimensional. As an oddball villain in the comic book, his bizarre character works. On screen, he is just too obtuse. Without adding some more depth to the character and changing him up some, Negan's current characterization is going to wreck the show.
And what a shame for Jeffrey Dean Morgan - he really is a charismatic actor.
No comments:
Post a Comment