Fans Swarm ‘Walking Dead’ Finale Party In Atlanta

Atlanta has no shortage of zombie love. If that wasn’t already apparent, last night’s Walking Dead season finale party cleared up any confusion. While there were multiple fan viewing parties across the city, it was the Diesel Filling Station, a local Atlanta restaurant, that hit capacity one hour before the finale started.

This wasn’t just your typical viewing party either. Approximately 200 fans entered into a mandatory quarantine zone, and in efforts to reserve generator power – only the ATM and televisions were operational. No lights, no air conditioner, and a limited menu consisting of items that could be scavenged from an outside grill while keeping everyone safe inside. Survivors were also asked to bring in canned food items to donate to the Atlanta Community Food Bank.

With good karma being shared among all, the fan comradery was in full swing when IronE Singleton, who plays T-Dog on the series, arrived. Fans rushed to get their picture taken with him and show their support and love for his character.

Singleton admitted that he had recently gotten a taste of fan interaction for the first time at the Run For Your Lives race (an amazing zombie invested 5k) which was held just outside Atlanta earlier this month.

“I knew they were going nuts on Twitter and Facebook, but once I was out there and immersed in it – I saw what this whole phenomena has been like for the rest of the cast members.” Singleton said.

Multiple zombie extras from the show were also in attendance including Rodney Hall, Pat Britton and Tony Gowell – as well as some of the show’s crew including camera operator Matthew McGinn.

When 9pm rolled around, everyone took their sets and soon fan commentary was in no shortage. They had it covered with everything from driving advice to relationship advice, and Singleton couldn’t help but smile as people hollered every time they caught a glimpse of T-Dog.

It was that love from fans that Singleton admitted has actually helped him feel less surprised that T-Dog hasn’t bitten the dust yet… or been bitten.

“Early on I was very surprised that I survived, but not as much lately because my Twitter followers and Facebook fans are incredible.” Singleton revealed, “They’ve been showing T-Dog so much love – to where I’m thinking writers are like, ‘Damn, we didn’t know T-Dog had this much love!’ So now that they’re actually seeing that, maybe they feel that they have to respect that.”

As the episode drew to a close, fans were introduced to a new character, Michonne, a fan favorite from the comic book series. Between this scene and the very final scene that panned up from the survivors, the loudest roars of the evening were heard. Teasers for what lies ahead in season three had everyone talking and approaching Singleton.

Singleton had promised fans a cataclysmic finale – going so far as to say that the episode may go down as one of the best hours in television history. Fans were certainly expressing similar views as the credits rolled, making it clear that they couldn’t wait for season three.

While the show won’t be back until later this year, fans can catch The Walking Dead cast members at numerous conventions until then including Texas Frightmare in May which will host Jon Bernthal, IronE Singleton, Chandler Riggs, and Madison Lintz.

What did you think about the finale? Did you attend a viewing party in your area? Sound off in our comment section below!

Responses

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *