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Tales of the Walking Dead S01E01: Solid Start, Backdoor Pilot Vibes

Welcome to our look at the premiere episode of the latest series on the TWD universe, with AMC's six-episode horror anthology Tales of the Walking Dead set to tell previously untold tales from in and around the TWD universe. To kick things off, we have this weekend's Terry Crews & Olivia Munn-starring S01E01 "Evie/Joe" (directed by Ron Underwood and written by Maya Goldsmith & Ben Sokolowski). In a road-trip story, a reclusive prepper (Crews) abandons his bunker in search of a female prepper from his past; along the way, he meets an unlikely ally (Munn), who is his polar opposite; they team up in an effort to find their lost loved ones. Similar to our Better Call Saul coverage, you'll be getting live, in-the-moment commentary while the episode screens to give you a sense of what's working and what… well… isn't. So with that in mind, I'm throwing on the "MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!" sign and dropping down an image spoiler buffer before we do a deep dive.

I'm all about the opening credits- establish a different vibe to the series right from the start.

Even going into this episode, I always felt like Crews and Munn were great at comedy to a level that could translate very well to some deep, hardcore drama.

Nooooooooo! You can't kill Gilligan! That said, seeing how a prepper responds to a situation beyond their control is one that Crews demonstrates admirably- especially how quickly that loss of companionship impacts him. But past the rage, heartbreak, and anger, I appreciate seeing Joe's willingness to venture out for a fresh start at connecting with his digital friend.

Once again, the spike strip and the net trap are a nice demonstration of someone who lives a life in control and finds that all wiped away once the dead become too much to handle.

Can anyone explain to me why Munn isn't leading a major action film or streaming series franchise by now?

"You just hold up with your protein powder?" – Evie to Joe

Prepper respects prepper and these two are cut from the same cloth. Munn and Crews have sparking chemistry, with probably more dialogue between these two so far than in a whole bunch of TWD episodes.

So now Joe is Evie's at-gunpoint chauffer as they make their way through Ohio. And just to be clear? You need to let the dude pee with his hands fully free because that's an awkward position to be in. Or so I've been told…

Damn, the earpods move was a rough passive-aggressive one, as was the "death glare" when she tried singing along.

"Put that away, you nosey bitch!" – Joe to Evie, as she's about to read his personal writings. She tries to open up to him about why she's on the road, but he tends to go to sleep. Ouch.

Right now, Joe and Evie are representing the two conflicting mindsets we've seen time and again across all of the TWD series: accepting & giving into the horror or holding onto the aspects of decency, hope, and humanity that remain.

Okay… near the midpoint. I'm digging Crews and Munn, but really hoping Munn doesn't turn out to be who Joe's looking to meet because I called that three minutes in.

Bonding and a level of attraction between them as they're walker-fighting? Hmmm…

Nothing like walker-killing to build trust, as Evie's driving, the two are all smiles & singing, making their way into Michigan.

Evie's heading to Mt. Pleasant… which just so happens to be about ten miles from where Joe's going. Joe doesn't understand how Evie can hold such "hippy" beliefs and be as skilled of a prepper as she is. Munn telling her character's backstory resonates strongly here, and the lack of music in the background during it made it feel more relatable… more real.

Okay, so I was wrong. And I'm very happy to say that I was wrong.

Well, nothing better than the motorcycle being stollen for Joe to discover Evie's gun has been empty this entire time. I have a feeling that we have a "pacifist" debate coming up sooner rather than later.

Joe just schooled on the intelligence of sheep, and now I want one as a pet.

"I'm on 'Team Steve' here!" – Joe to Evie… which hurt! And now Evie is ripping back hard at how lonely he is and how he has no right to judge her. And it looks like AMC paid for some extra "fucks" for this episode.

So Joe's been let into where he's been searching, traveling down into a bunker where… Sandra is waiting?!?

By now, we know that the TWD universe can only put up with so much love and sweetness before the ax falls… right?

Evie makes it to Steve's home, but he's not there. Going through his painting, she sees that he painted her… in a beautiful, respectful manner. Munn's facial expressions carry this scene in so many ways.

Well… so that happened. Turns out Sandra likes to make herself look like a cross between the Joker and Harley Quinn, and cut people. Needless to say, a drugged Joe is quite a bit confused at this point. Yeah, this is definitely not the "first date" that Joe was expecting.

Doesn't Sandra losing her collective shit and going batshit on Joe pretty much back-up Joe's argument against Evie from earlier?

Whoever made the decision to mix Sandra's voice with the voice that a drugged-out Joe hears? Bravo! And yeah, Sandra is full-on psychotically homicidal… literally, a "mankiller." Thankfully, Evie's travels trip an alarm and save Joe from a butcher's knife.

So Sandra's trying to sweet-talk Evie to join her underground. Look, you already killed Gilligan. If anything happens to that sheep? I'm becoming a one-man riot. Just sayin'…

SIDE NOTE: With all due respect to the "Game of Thrones" fans out there? Can House of the Dragon just go on and premiere already?!?! Shit, I feel like it's been "previewing" for the past nine months. Sorry. Just needed to share…

I knew it! There was no way Evie wasn't going to know that was an edible! Stoners unite!

Damn! Nothing like a butcher's knife to the chest to end a date.

Joe starts laughing, and now he's starving… yup, let the good times roll!

The hug on the bridge… heart-crusher! Joe's opening up to Evie now about he made his life lonely and how he pushed people away. But Evie's trying to remind him that he has a chance now to rewrite his life, to start over, to connect in ways he never did before.

Skipper the Sheep! Perfect! And I love the travel postcard and the different take on the TWD theme at the end.

Okay, so my thoughts? A quality start and well-executed, highlighted by Crews and Munn. That said, it felt more like a backdoor pilot to something bigger than a fully-formed, self-contained episode. And with that, we'll meet you here next week for AMC's Tales of the Walking Dead S01E02 "Blair / Gina" (directed by Michael E. Satrazemis and written by Kari Drake).

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