Review: The Walking Dead: World Beyond series premiere, “Brave”

New setting, new characters, same old story. The new Walking Dead spinoff, World Beyond, starts off on an underwhelming note.

The Walking Dead: World Beyond premiered tonight, and the general consensus seems to be a resounding “meh.” However, I personally did not find it as disappointing as many critics did. There’s promise here, although I’m not sure it’ll be realized until the show’s second (and final) season.

If I recall, people weren’t very invested in Fear The Walking Dead when it first premiered. But as the seasons went on, it gained traction and made a name for itself outside the main series. World Beyond will likely not get this chance since it’s a limited series, but maybe the Rick Grimes connection will give it a boost.

The plot

World Beyond is set in Nebraska, in an extremely developed community with a fully functioning society. I mean, they’ve got schools and everything. It’s bizarre to think this is going on while some of the characters we know from the main show are battling for their lives. How did a community manage to build so quickly and efficiently?

This particular community seems to be under the control of the Civil Republic, identifiable by the three-circle symbol we saw on the helicopter that flew Rick away in his last episode. We still don’t know how it all connects, but if there’s one place we’re likely to get an explanation, it’s here.

The characters

The World Beyond series premiere introduces us to a handful of characters. We have Iris (Aliyah Royale) and Hope (Alex Mansour), two sisters that dead set on finding out what their absent father is working on. Is this mystery intriguing enough for us to care if they find the answer? Nope. But hey, maybe he’s with Rick right now!

The reason I keep bringing up Rick is because of a character named Elizabeth (Julia Ormond). She flies in on a helicopter similar to the one he was airlifted away in, and she knows where Iris and Hope’s father is. Could she know Rick’s whereabouts as well?

This show is odd because you don’t always feel like you’re watching something linked to The Walking Dead. Everything in the community seems so normal, like it could be taking place at any time. Compared to the other Walking Dead shows, it feels a little dull. We’ve already seen the world gone to hell, so what drama can we get from a society that’s figured everything out?

Later in the episode, Iris and Hope decide to embark on a journey to find their father. They’re joined by Elton (Nicolas Cantu) and Silas (Hal Cumpston). These kids have no idea what’s out there. We do, and know it’s a bad idea to go exploring.

Then there’s the twist involving Hope and Elton. Unbeknownst to them, the night that “the sky fell” was the very same night that Hope murdered Elton’s pregnant mother, right after her own mother died. That’s a pretty wild reveal and a riveting way for the episode to go out. It’ll be interesting to see how this impacts the dynamic as these four go on their adventure, and we get to anticipate them all learning the full truth of what happened that night.

The Verdict

World Beyond doesn’t give us anything particularly new. Even if the trappings are a little different, the themes are familiar: humanity is doomed, everything seems hopeless, and the people who are in power probably shouldn’t be. I fear that this will be a problem for a lot of the upcoming Walking Dead spinoffs. How different can you really make things?

We’ll have to wait and see how this plays out, but as of now, it’s looking just alright.

Grade: C-

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