It really has been a wonderful year for fans of The Walking Dead Universe. For we were treated to the return of Rick and Michonne, via the powerhouse series, The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live. Which delivered an epic story as promised, one filled with redemption and quite the surprise for the Civic Republic Military. Not to mention, we’ve been getting snippets of season two of The Walking Dead: Dead City, something that has fans amped and today… we received more wondrous news about what lies ahead. 
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In that, AMC Networks let it be know that September 29th, 2024 will bring season two of Daryl Dixon, allowing for us to see what became of Daryl after his decision to stay in season one and of course, with a title such as The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol, we also now know that Carol will be back in the mix and searching for her best friend for life, all of which has the Dead world abuzz with joy and well, to sweeten the pot and make us even more excited, AMC dropped a bonus gift upon us. In that, we got some first look phots from season two and some updated details as well. All of which we will share with you now, so you can prepare yourself for the return of this magnificent series.

‘Ahead of its debut at the Tribeca Festival this weekend, AMC Networks announced today that The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon - The Book of Carol will premiere Sunday, September 29 at 9pm ET/PT on AMC and AMC+. New images of the highly anticipated six-episode second season of the series, which stars fan-favorites Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride, were also released.

The new season picks up where The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon left off, following fan-favorite characters Daryl Dixon (Reedus) and Carol Peletier (McBride). They both confront old demons while she fights to find her friend and he struggles with his decision to stay in France, causing tension at the Nest. Additionally, Genet (Anne Charrier)’s movement builds momentum, setting Pouvoir on a violent collision course with the Union of Hope in the fight for France's future.

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol stars Reedus, McBride, Clémence Poésy, Louis Puech Scigliuzzi, Laika Blanc Francard, Charrier, Romain Levi and Eriq Ebouaney, and is executive produced by showrunner David Zabel, Scott M. Gimple, Reedus, McBride, Greg Nicotero, Angela Kang, Brian Bockrath, Daniel Percival, Jason Richman and Steve Squillante.
About AMC Networks

AMC Networks (Nasdaq: AMCX) is home to many of the greatest stories and characters in TV and film and the premier destination for passionate and engaged fan communities around the world. The company creates and curates celebrated series and films across distinct brands and makes them available to audiences everywhere. Its portfolio includes targeted streaming services AMC+, Acorn TV, Shudder, Sundance Now, ALLBLK and HIDIVE; cable networks AMC, BBC AMERICA (operated through a joint venture with BBC Studios, which includes U.S. distribution and sales responsibilities for BBC News), IFC, SundanceTV and WE tv; and film distribution labels IFC Films and RLJE Films. The company also operates AMC Studios, its in-house studio, production and distribution operation behind acclaimed and fan-favorite originals including The Walking Dead Universe and the Anne Rice Immortal Universe; and AMC Networks International, its international programming business.’

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 205 of ‘Reginald the Vampire’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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Over the course of the past few weeks, we’ve talked at length regarding the sheer brilliance of season two of Reginald the Vampire on SYFY. Simply because this show, has unleashed its full potential upon the masses, by offering up powerful stories that have explored incredible corners of the human condition, and the show has even toyed with putting our undead friends into scenarios that the creatures of the night really haven’t dealt with before. Giving rise to an intelligent and beautiful season of storytelling, one that has left us eager to see what other powerful observations await us down the line as Reginald and his friends work to find agency and a future free from Bolestro’s fury. 

But alas, sometimes in storytelling… one must take a slight break from the cerebral to not overwhelm the audience with too much to ponder upon, and to also… move the plot forward. For we are here to enjoy a juicy story through and through, and see it come to resolution and that’s really what this week’s episode was all about. For the clock was ticking in ‘Undead Bedfellows’ and Reginald and his friends were rightfully getting nervous about battling Bolestro, and that prompted Reginald to come up with a wild plan to survive. In that, if by chance they recruited some of the vampire world’s biggest and strongest warriors and its most feared vampire witch, alongside getting hold of Uriel’s sword since there was the belief it would kill Bolestro, then perhaps they could lure Bolestro to a location of their choosing… and defeat him.

Which was a plan that Maurice loved and oddly… so did Justine, the witch in question. Which made it seem as though, this crew finally had a plan in place that would come together beautifully, especially since Uriel actually handed his sword over to Sarah because of the massive crush he has upon her. But alas, it did not take long for this plan to go south. Mainly because, Justine, and her arrogance, prompted her to let loose in a bad way. Wherein she used her powers to supercharge fear in people so the blood was flavored just right, allowing for her to kill with impunity and leave a calling card to make the moment worth her while, and well… Maurice could not have this happen on his watch. For he was the Deacon and he expected better of his bloodsuckers and that prompted him… to just put her down
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A move that pushed Reginald to learn some new magic skills to try and summon Bolestro to keep the plan alive, and well… since his brilliance cannot be understated, he did indeed figure out how to summon an angel. Which led… to an early showdown between our heroes and Bolestro, one that ended in utter disaster. Simply because the sword gambit did not pay off, and well… such an act basically helped Bolestro to double down on his belief that vampires were not worthy of salvation and this left our heroes beside themselves. Because they failed, plain and simple and it seemed as though there was no hope going forward. But Reginald and his big brain came to realize that perhaps not all was lost, and if he and Sarah, and Maurice could find Abraham down Washington way… then perhaps they could find a solution to their problem.

One that is now growing in nature. Manly because Uriel felt betrayed and was emotionally broken over what happened with his sword and what Sarah decided to do here, and that… prompted him to align with Bolestro once more, and no good can come of that. In the end however, this was just… a delightful push forward regarding the plot. Since our heroes managed to anger a powerful angel even more than before and even handed him allies. Raising the stakes and pushing them to their limits and that is never a bad thing. Since Reginald reminded us that we are sometimes at our best when put under incredible pressure and well, it will be interesting to see what the hunt for Abraham brings about, and what lessons await us along the way as Reginald fights to save all of vampirekind. Until next time.

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the motion picture, ‘Stopmotion’.
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If there is one particular truth that every writer, and artist in general, will attest to, is that they do indeed inject a bit of themselves into every piece of work they create. It might be by inserting a location or a character name from the story that motivated them to become a writer, into their own creation, or it might be an image that reminds them of childhood, but one way or another… there is that delicate insertion of one’s very soul into a story. All because that makes a story personal and special, and some… take it one step further. By using their medium to do more than scratch a creative itch, they use storytelling and art… to outright heal themselves. 

Because creating a story in any form, can be therapeutic in nature, provided the dark stuff is permanently left on the canvas or the page, and for most creatives that is easy in nature. Since there is in the trained creative mind, a separation point. One that allows for the creator to understand they are purging something toxic into a world where it is permanently captured and can no longer do harm, via a safe environment they can leave at any time, if this quest to heal becomes a touch overwhelming. But again, it takes a little training to make that happen, and must be done at the right time… or disaster can strike. As evidenced by the new Shudder feature, Stopmotion.

For this is a story that introduces us to a woman named Ella Blake who is indulging in creativity in the most forced manner possible. For her mother is noted stopmotion animation artist, Suzanne Blake, and she is in poor health and needs Ella to help her finish her magnum opus before she passes. But a stroke, changes that plan, and leaves Ella wondering what comes next for her in life. For up until this very moment, she’s only known her mother’s creative commands and she is now immersed in a story she does not understand, and outright sorrow since it seems her mother will soon pass. But the decision to temporarily relocate and start her own work, with some pressing from a young girl in her new apartment building, gives Ella quite the idea to work upon. A story that will help her cope with her pain, but there’s just one problem with this. In that, she doesn’t understand the separation point between creativity and reality, and that may lead to disaster the further she digs into this therapeutic tale.

Which is the perfect way to explore the theme at hand. Because that truly allows for the viewer to learn a great deal about the creative process. Such as how creatives come up with ideas involving real life, and how powerful those ideas can be when they take hold, regardless of how dark or edgy they may be. But most important of all, it showcases what happens when a creative mind cannot separate the story from reality, and the dangers inherent to that. Since the lack of a barrier plunges Ella into a twisted waking nightmare, where the story finds her at the worst possible moments and makes her life a living hell. Wherein she scares her loved ones and scares herself in a manner that is unhealthy and dangerous, and that makes for a powerful story for certain, one that at first glance, seems more dramatic than horrific.
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But have no fear, there are scares to be found in this tale. After all, the story that Ella and her young friend wish to tell is quite twisted and ripped from the pages of our very psyche. Complete with musings upon our fears of the unknown and fears of losing control. And of course, make no mistake about it, Ella crosses some serious lines to get the shot she needs or to make the story work properly, and that brings about one gory and terrifying third act. Where Ella goes WAY too far in telling her story, to the point where one is shockingly uncomfortable with what is playing out on the screen and where one hopes that Ella wakes up from this nightmare before she truly takes this vision further than it ever needed to go. 

But while those elements could easily carry this feature no problem, it still has more wonders to send our way. Such as the fact that it feels incredibly real and that comes courtesy of some amazing performances, with Aisling Franciosi (Ella Blake) leading the charge here. For Aisling sells the pain that Ella experiences in this tale, and her downward spiral, with a visceral honesty that immediately leads us to believe we’re not watching a movie, but a live stream, and that only adds to the wonder of an incredible horror feature. One that truly taps into the zeitgeist of elevated horror by putting the power of trauma and the dangers of unregulated creativity on display, and the end result is a story that is chilling, sorrowful and downright frightening. Thanks to its no-hold barred examination of what could happen if someone truly lost themselves in a dark and twisted story.

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 204 of ‘Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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It is definitely safe to say, that the vampire elicits a great deal of emotions from readers and viewers of their stories. For instance, there is a sense of awe and romance that accompanies these creatures, since they tend to be refined and magnificent individuals, who seem to have come to understand the wonder of projecting class and virtue. Yet at the same time, they elicit fear since they can go from refined and bougie to bloodthirsty nightmares that will tear someone’s throat out since they are in fact, a monster through and through. But what they rarely evoke, is a sense of pity, since those elements make it hard to feel that for a creature of the night. But that is starting to change. For the longer we watch Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire on AMC, the more pity we feel for these beings. 

For this series is quickly establishing the fact, that the vampire’s journey is one of pure tragedy. One where they lose more than they gain by becoming immortal. For with their humanity gone, and their sense of time skewed, they detach from their emotions while desperately trying to hang onto them, giving rise to ugly and cruel moments that only add to a mountain of trauma that has built up over decades. The kind that they seemingly can never escape and being trapped in a body at a specific age, that oft seems to remind them that they are in fact frozen in time with their worst memories and moments. Making them sorrowful beings that we should only feel pity for, and all of these elements are top of mind today, because they were all put on display in the next episode of the show. 

A feat that ‘I Want You More Than Anything In the World’ accomplished by taking us into the salad days in the world of vampires. After all, Claudia was now the star of a hit skit at the Théâtre des Vampires, and Louis was able to move as he pleased and continue to indulge in the wonder of his love of photography. Making this story seem less about such issues, and more about the dapper lifestyle the vampire leads. But soon, cracks formed in the foundation of joy both Claudia and Louis thought they had built. After all, Claudia soon began to lack in her performances, to the point where she was punished and threatened. All because… the luster faded over being a star was replaced with a cruel reminder of the fact she was a 14-year-old girl for all time now and that was getting harder and harder to reconcile and she wasn’t alone in struggling with the wonder of immortality. 

Because Louis was frustrated over the fact that he wasn’t learning new skills fast enough and wasn’t seen as much more than an amateur photographer that would likely never find the wonder of the eye that so many famous photographers enjoyed. Not to mention, the ghost of Lestat continued to haunt and terrify him, to the point where he felt the need to finally let go because of the pain Lestat brought him, so he did not end up like Armand. Who spoke to the pain in his heart that never left him. Courtesy of a powerful moment where he explored his backstory with his new love. One that spoke to the horrors of his youth and how the moment his life changed forever locked that horror in place. Speaking to a real trauma that vampirism creates, and to top it all off… trouble arose in this tale. Since Santiago worked to turn the troupe upon Armand for his own power play, and Daniel of course… has more questions in present day regarding Armand’s intentions. 

All of which made, for a grand tragedy of a tale. One where all we could feel for these creatures… was outright pity. Because all of those elements we discussed were put on display in full and that really did showcase, a miserable group of creatures here. Trapped in their past, stuck with their sour memories and they cannot move forward because they are trapped in an endless cycle of violence that ruins them for all time. Which made for one powerful episode to say the least. One that informed us that being a vampire wouldn’t be cool, it would be pure hell on Earth. Wherein there would be no peace and power, just real suffering and a desperate search for the next meal while keeping a close eye over one’s shoulder for the next usurper desperate to take one’s place in the name of agency and to desperately feel something outside of the suffering.

Which also makes this… a game changing tale. One that finally showcased the horrors of vampirism in a manner that felt realistic and poignant. All by informing us that our worst demons would linger because we would no longer have anything to work for or a clock to race against. And all of this came forth via some stunning performances. Since everyone here turned in their A-game and expressed their internal torture with a gravitas that worked and added to the pity surging in our stomachs, and this truly motivates a viewer to continue the journey. For this is indeed undiscovered country for vampire stories, since we’ve never seen the horrors of becoming a bloodsucker be put on display in this manner and that will make the wait for next week’s episode as painful as can be. For now, and we must know if these creatures can be saved or if they will use reinvention to bury their trauma further to find a reason to go on… when they have in many ways, given up on what really makes life worth living… that growth that truly defines us. Until next time.