What movies or TV series have you watched more than 5 times?

Based on a graphic novel, this post apocalyptic drama series captured my attention in 2010, the first year it aired. I was immediately taken captive of the storyline. Being an avid reader I purchased the graphic novels to get the gist of where the series was going. I watched every Sunday evening, that it was on, for twelve years straight. Even if I had to record it, I never missed one episode. My friends and family had attended many of The Walking Dead (TWD) parties that I hosted.

I had a hand full of die hard, that we communicated via text, throughout the episode each week. Only a couple of rules, during commercials only and no spoiler alerts.

We hardly ever missed The Talking Dead, a discussion show that aired immediately after TTD to dissect and attempt to predict what would happen next. It also included various actors, writers, producers, fans & other people in entertainment that would chime in, share their on set experiences and frustrations about the current episode. These TTD episodes only enriched the captivity the show had on many fans including myself. There was a common thing that would happen that if one of the actors would be on the couch meant they were up for be killed off the show. This made for a nail biter, wondering who was ousted next.

I found myself getting attached to the characters, obsessed with where the story would go next and always comparing and contrasting the differences between the TV series and the graphic novels.

What’s interesting about this obsession is I really am not a TV watcher. It took an apocalypse to get my undivided attention. People would ask me why I became so obsessed with TWD. I don’t think I was obsessed with zombies, well, because zombies are not real nor would I want them to be. What I found to be so fascinating was the fight to preserve humanity in the most inhumane environment imaginable. The desire each character had to try to define what their new normal would look like. The concept isn’t much different than what we go through in our personal environments. Instead of zombies, we have peer pressure, incredible, increasing debt loads, job stress, and long commutes to those jobs that feel like they are slowly devouring our most precious moments with family, friends and our home life.

What’s the “zombie” in your life? When are you going to fight to preserve what’s most important and valuable to you? What are those things that money can’t buy, that time you can’t ever get back and the broken relationships that need mending?