Not Just Zombies Anymore

     I may have to detract my earlier complaints about the zombie genre. Rather, I may have to add to them. Maybe it's not the "zombie" part, but the "apocalypse" part that is getting tired.

Plus, nobody ever dresses appropriately anymore.

     After having a discussion about such things over Thanksgiving (because that's the kind of family I have), I started watching Survivors, which is a British post-apocalypse show featuring a plague as the cause of the end of the world. I'm only on episode 2 of 12, but already I can see the themes and realize that my interest will wane fast.
     The problem is that I don't tune into these kinds of shows to watch a soap opera that just happens to take place with the backdrop of apocalypse. It's the same reason I'm struggling through The Walking Dead. It's just a big mass of high school-esque drama with the occasional zombie. I might as well watch Glee; it's the same thing, just replace "zombie" with "musical number."
     Yes, yes, as a writer I understand that part of the importance of the genre is to show how normal people react when civilization as we know breaks down. But really, we've seen it before. It's all the same. There's a Lawful Stupid protagonist who refuses to acknowledge that the old rules don't apply anymore, and there's the guy who goes way over to the Dark Side just to provide juxtaposition. Is there a child and/or pregnant lady to provide unwarranted optimism and remind us to hope for the future? You bet. Tough guy survivalist who is just waiting for an otherwise useless female character to bring out his heroic side? Check and check. And wait, what's that over there? The suicidal character who has to learn that all is not bleak and that life is worth living, no matter what terrible fate inevitably awaits you? Why yes, yes it is.
     However, I realize now that plague as a start leads to even less options for excitement. There aren't even monsters to pop in every once in a while. All you get is bandits or guys shooting each other over canned foods. While I accept that these would be realistic and logical dangers, you can only watch so many tense standoffs between middle-aged unwashed office workers before it starts to lose its appeal. Most plague apocalypse stories understand this and start going off on other tangents, which is often worse. Like the conspiracy angle (where it seems Survivors is going) or the magical/religious nonsense that takes up the last two-thirds of The Stand. Either are just as groan-worthy, and smack of the author shrugging and saying "I know there isn't enough plot in a plague, so I just started winging it."
     Of the apocalypse genres, I think of the big four: zombies, plague, aliens, or nuclear. The first two have been done to death. I haven't had a chance to watch any Falling Skies, so we'll see how alien holocaust does. I have some hope, because at least then we have monstrous bad guys to fall back on (like zombies, but who's superior technology actually poses some logical threat to our heavily-armed society). If not, then I guess we're back to thinking other ways to create an apocalypse. My vote is for more plant-related madness, like Day of the Triffids or The Happening. But I'm pretty sure I'm alone on that one...