Why do I keep watching The Walking Dead when it stresses me out? Seriously, why do I do it? I’ve never liked horror movies or gory shows. I fast forward through any violence on my DVR. I even read the parental guide for movies on the Internet Movie Database so there won’t be any nasty surprises when I go to the show.

WARNING***SPOILER ALERT***

I think it’s the characters and their trials that keep me hooked on The Walking Dead. In the first season, the idea of Rick searching for and finding his family only to discover that his wife has become lovers with his best friend blew me away. And the fact that Rick realized what happened and  he knew the baby Lori was expecting could belong to his best friend. OMG. I can only dream of creating that level of conflict in my books.

Even if the characters weren’t fighting flesh-eating zombies and searching for the ever elusive food and shelter, the conflict in this show would be enough to keep me hooked. It’s almost like the zombies are the setting for the story. They affect how the characters act and interact, but in the end it all comes down to human drama.

Each season the level of conflict has escalated. And the Governor? He took creepy to a whole new level. Don’t get me started on Andrea…I mean did she have to sleep with every alpha-male psycho on the show? And why didn’t she work faster to break free from that chair? Staring at the guy who is about to turn into a zombie and eat you just to make sure he hasn’t turned into a zombie yet, throws her into the TSTL category: Too Stupid To Live.

The level of violence and gross zombie action causes me to fast forward through the show, or hide behind a pillow until my husband tells me it’s safe to peek out. But, the conflict and the characters keep me coming back for more. I would like to see a little romance between Daryl and Carol. The story line seems to have set them up as friends, but I can’t help imagining that Carol has designs on the redeemed bad boy. As does a large portion of The Walking Dead fandom. I leave you with a joke and a little eye candy.