Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

Tales of the Walking Dead: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Randy Miller III July 3, 2023

AMC's The Walking Dead has earned a half-dozen spin-offs before and since its eleventh and final season wrapped up last year, with their new anthology series Tales of the Walking Dead joining that rather hit or miss pile of fan-baiting detours. It seems primarily concerned with testing the waters by dropping mostly new characters -- some of which reek of stunt casting -- in stand-alone stories scattered across TWD's post-apocalyptic landscape, with one exception: an origin story for "Alpha" (Samantha Morton"), which currently ranks as the highest-rated installment of this season's six-episode run on the ever-popular IMDb. That alone should tell you which direction Season 2 should go.

I'm actually a pretty big fan of anthology shows... and especially in this case, where my far-from-deep knowledge of the TWD universe allows me to jump in without having to dig through pages and pages and Cliffs Notes so as not to look like a total idiot. It helps when such stand-alone stories are actually good, which unfortunately applies to maybe less than half of these episodes, but more forgiving franchise fans might walk away with a different opinion.

RLJ Entertainment presents all six episodes of this first season on two discs with no extras, but collectors will at least appreciate having the chance to own Tales of the Walking Dead on Blu-ray for a reasonable price.

"Evie / Joe" - Our first new protagonist is Joe (Terry Crews), a lonely but self-sufficient survivor who finally decides to leave his bunker via motorcycle to reunite with a potential love interest he met online several years ago. Unfortunately, he runs into a trap set by the much less welcoming Evie (Olivia Munn), who has plans to meet a friend near his same destination. This one's fun in spots, but relies waay too much on easy coincidences and narrative shortcuts -- not to mention a stupid twist near the end -- to feel like anything other than a curiosity. Rating: 2.5/5.

"Blair / Gina" - Clearly the black sheep of the bunch (and that's saying something, even in hindsight), this time-loop episode follows employees of an insurance agency -- namely self-centered Blair (Parker Posey) and meek receptionist Gina (Jillian Bell) -- as they figure a way out of their shared personal hell, which includes a gas-station walker attack, a conveniently-placed Homeland Security agent, and a fuel struck that always explodes and kills them no matter what decisions are made. I'm a sucker for a good time-loop story, but this one ain't it. The hook and any logic that supports it rarely adds up, with only the faintest whiff of character appeal carrying the weight here. 2/5.

"Dee" - This origin story for series regular "Alpha" (Samantha Morton) covers her earliest steps into the TWD universe, where she was known as Dee and lived with her daughter Lydia and others on a steamboat, largely safe from most of the post-apocalyptic on-short dangers. Trouble still comes their way, however, when one passenger tries to take over their vessel. Clearly the most substantial of these six episodes, it's headlined by another solid performance by Morton and a story that leads several characters begrudgingly back on land to face a horde of Whisperers. 4/5.

"Amy / Dr. Everett" - Opening with a pretty convincing spoof of the BBC's nature documentaries, this outing follows roaming scientist Dr. Chauncey Everett[ (Anthony Edwards) and straggler Amy (Poppy Liu), who's recently become separated from her group. There's a few bumps along the way, but I rather liked this one; Edward is well-cast in the role, Walkers are prominent, and some of its narrative themes raise interesting questions. 3.5/5.

"Davon" - We're introduced to a man named Davon (Jessie T. Usher), who has temporary amnesia and is chained to a woman's dead body. As he struggles to remember his past via flashbacks and hallucinations, Davon is also tasked with proving his innocence in her death and avoiding execution. I can see where this episodes was going but some of the pieces just don't connect, not to mention that amnesia-themed entertainment usually isn't my cup of tea. 3/5.

"La Doña" - The de facto season finale, this episode follows desperate couple Idalia (Daniella Pineda) and Eric (Danny Ramirez) as they take shelter at the home of an old woman who insists they only stay the night. Failing to convince her to let them stay permanently, their situation drastically after an accident leaves the old woman dead. A bit of intrigue develops here and there, but the episode is severely undercut by its ending which leaves things flat. 2.5/5.

Tales of the Walking Dead: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Not surprisingly, these six episodes of Tales of the Walking Dead feature different key visual personnel, including two cinematographers (Adam Suschitzky, Thomas Yatsko), three editors (Jeffrey Glaser, Phillip J. McLaughlin, Shari Mead), and four directors (Michael E. Satrazemis, Haifaa Al-Mansour, Deborah Kampmeier, Ron Underwood), not to mention its built-in anthology format means that the look and feel of each episode varies somewhat dramatically. There are a few aesthetic through-lines, such as the same general visual effects team, makeup department, and of course its digital filming equipment, which helps to achieve a bit of consistency here and there. Regardless of their similarities and/or differences, all of these episodes are well-maintained on RLJ Entertainment's two-disc set, which gives each trio of episodes plenty of room to breathe although a few stray encoding hiccups could be seen along the way, such as mild banding and posterization. Fine detail purely hinges on lighting, with some scenes looking unavoidably mushy while others are razor-sharp with distinct textures and greater depth. But generally speaking, they're an easy step or two above their streaming counterparts, where compression issues are typically much more rampant.

Tales of the Walking Dead: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Likewise, two different composers are credited here (Morgan Kibby, Daniel Wohl) and members of the sound design team tend to vary by episode, and again the disparate subject matter means that no two outings sound alike or even all that similar. Massive explosions and chaotic brawls are few and far between, dropping in somewhat unexpectedly but repeatedly in episodes like "Blair / Gina", "Dee", and especially "Davon" and "La Doña", where a more supernatural creep-out vibe is intended. Elsewhere, most scenes tend to be more subdued and dialogue-driven, with stray portions of the DTS- HD 5.1 Master Audio mix dipping lightly into the rear channels for subtle atmospheric touches and vaguely unsettling music cues. For the most part, though, it's business as usual for the franchise and, like its visual counterpart, this audio presentation surpasses streaming counterparts in overall dynamic range and precise sonic detailing.

Optional dubs and subtitles, including English (SDH), are offered during all six episodes.

Tales of the Walking Dead: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This two-disc set ships in a keepcase with collage cover artwork; a matching slipcover and promotional insert are also included. Sadly there are no extras, which is disappointing given the number of people involved here.

Tales of the Walking Dead: The Complete First Season Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

AMC's Tales of the Walking Dead continues a long-running franchise that, much like its central Walkers, just won't die. Although this anthology format has good intentions by bringing mostly new characters into the fold, most of these six episodes fall short of expectations and the best one features an already-established figure in the TWD universe. That said, your mileage may vary and RLJ Entertainment's Blu-ray offers solid A/V merits. It's not exactly a high-risk blind buy for curious fans at the current price point, but newcomers may still want to stream a few episodes first.