The Walking Dead

[Tycho]

Season 2 is coming up on us fast.

We need a thread for this great show!

[sith_killer_99]

I agree. This show was much better than I had expected and I am looking forward to the new season!

[Tycho]

Yes.

I am NOT a fan of horror.

I am NOT specifically a fan of zombies, and normally vampires and werewolves would interest me more.

However: Walking Dead rocks and has me completely hooked. I will probably not go looking for any other Zombie genre material, but Rick's adventures in the post-zombie appocalypse world can definitely count me as a fan.

The CDC finale episode has me totally hopeful that this show will eventually have a great and plausible sci-fi cause-cure-conclusion to the zombie disease and the characters will learn all the details about it.

[JEDIpartner]

I'm concerned about the upcoming season because the first one WAS so good. Frank Darabont has parted ways with the show for a number of reasons (mostly 'cos the network wanted to take the show into another direction). So... I'm giving it 3 episodes to prove to me that there's no slip in quality 'cos this, to me, was almost as good as Battlestar Galactica. I have heard that there will be fewer zombies seen and there will just be more that are merely heard or suggested.

[Slicker]

I'm hoping that I get to see season 2. This was the first show that I would set aside time to watch in a long time.

[Tycho]

JP - the Zombies being shown are part of the excitement to each story.

I don't think they should reduce their numbers.

However, if the characters are written smart, they will move to more isolated areas so their loved ones are safer. However, Rick and the other fighters can make incursions into Zombie-land for the stories' needs.

Additionally, the fewer zombies they do show, could be really grotesque with their face falling open (jaw coming unhinged, etc.).

The show could take a story arc into a CSI style medical research / discovery storyline. That would be very logical.

The show must also end when they use up all the good storylines that are available to them in zombieland.

[OC47150]

I'm anxiously waiting the return.

[pegger]

Definitely one of the best shows in a long time. can't wait till season two.

[2-1B]

Norman Reedus was at Wizard World Chicago a couple weeks ago and he said they're in the middle of shooting season 2 and that it is fantastic, so far...hopefully the final product turns out well!

[pegger]

AMC has trailers on it's site for the coming season...

[bigbarada]

Well, since I still don't have cable, I'm forced to download the episodes off of iTunes, so I just watched the season 2 premiere yesterday.

Usually, I'm that guy who likes to read the books and get the basic story down, including how everything ends, before I even watch movies or shows like this. However, I'm making a concerted effort to stay as "spoiler-free" as possible for this show. I don't know what's going to happen next and I don't want to know. So, as you might guess, the ending of this week's show caught me completely off guard.

I'm assuming that this turn of events was in the comic book, but it's still a pretty gutsy thing to put on television.

My only minor gripe is a tiny one. I understand that mediums like TV and comics prefer to have strong visual representations of spiritual or religious beliefs; but I don't know that any Southern Baptist Church would ever have a statue of Jesus Christ on the cross right in the center of their sanctuary (I was raised Southern Baptist, but am currently in a Presbyterian Church). They might have a cross, but it will always be empty; because praying to a carved image of Jesus/GOD is still considered idolatry. I'm assuming it was a concession made for storytelling purposes and it's good to see a show that takes a respectful approach to religion for a change; so it's something that I can overlook.

[Bel-Cam Jos]

Someone mentioned to me that there's a clip of a parody, called "The Walken Dead," but I shan't post a link to it, due to its language. But if you search for it, it'll give you... a recipe... for more cowbell. Wow.

[Tycho]

What was gutsy to put on TV, BigBarada? I'm quite desensitised and as a writer, I'm always trying to come up with something that challenges levels of appropriateness all the time. I've just come up with a necropheliac being caught in the act and executed by a bullet in the head on top of the body he was "into." But this is in a western Civil War format (my work).



Usually, I'm that guy who likes to read the books and get the basic story down, including how everything ends, before I even watch movies or shows like this. However, I'm making a concerted effort to stay as "spoiler-free" as possible for this show. I don't know what's going to happen next and I don't want to know. So, as you might guess, the ending of this week's show caught me completely off guard.


I'm in the same position that you are. I've actually not been really into horror - this sort of thing. But WD is not traditional horror. It's a survival story about the families. That makes it very different. (Now Falling Skies and Tera Nova are very smiliar in that regard - but with aliens or dinosaurs respectively - yet Walking Dead does it better.)



I'm assuming that this turn of events was in the comic book, but it's still a pretty gutsy thing to put on television.

Just like you, I wouldn't know. I would like them to come up with a cause for the Zombie Appacolypse - as well as a cure, or information such as "will all those turned" eventually decay and rot apart so there are less and less zombies and humanity can be restarted? Also, what's the rest of the world like? I assume that either it's everywhere, or North and South America are affected and Europe, Africa and Asia are still safe?


My only minor gripe is a tiny one. I understand that mediums like TV and comics prefer to have strong visual representations of spiritual or religious beliefs; but I don't know that any Southern Baptist Church would ever have a statue of Jesus Christ on the cross right in the center of their sanctuary (I was raised Southern Baptist, but am currently in a Presbyterian Church). They might have a cross, but it will always be empty; because praying to a carved image of Jesus/GOD is still considered idolatry. I'm assuming it was a concession made for storytelling purposes and it's good to see a show that takes a respectful approach to religion for a change; so it's something that I can overlook.

Eh, religion is hypocrisy to me. Jews didn't accept Christ for the most part (aside from Christ's first followers) because worshipping a man - or saying that he's God walking on earth - is idolotry. Jews are too tactful to say that Christians are all going to hell for idolotry if you were to extend all of it to what it actually is - worshipping anything other than an image-less Creator God. That being said, Christians believe Jesus is the messiah, yet Jews who do not, still wait for one. For what? So the Jews can worship a messiah, too? That's idolotry too. So it looks like everyone's going to hell anyway. Statue or not.

Interestingly enough, I intentionally write hypocritical Christians who as Southerners in the Civil War era, should definitely be Baptists, as having a huge cross in their church. I needed the imagery of my modern-day characters, upon who after having sex in the church in which they are trapped during a hurricane, are subsequently almost buried in that very church as they cling to the large cross as everything's buried in a flood (in Louisiana of course). I had to have the imagery to accomplish the desired "offense" with the scene that I was going for.

[bigbarada]

What was gutsy to put on TV, BigBarada? I'm quite desensitised and as a writer, I'm always trying to come up with something that challenges levels of appropriateness all the time.

Usually anything that involves graphic violence against children is pretty gutsy to put on television. It's even rare for an R-rated horror movie to cross that boundary.


Eh, religion is hypocrisy to me.

I was simply pointing out what Southern Baptist's believe for accuracy purposes, not making a commentary on religion. However, I do agree with this statement; but true Christianity has nothing to do with religion.

Anyways, I liked this week's episode. It's good to see some new characters getting introduced. I actually found myself caring more about the welfare of Rick's son than seeing any zombies.

[OC47150]

Other than last night's ep, I'm finally caught up. The producers have geared up the action and gore so far this year, and I like that.

The herd of zombies wandering the highway was unnerving.

[Tycho]

The Well Walker was so creepy.

I bet it's a family member that those on the farm are keeping secretly.

Maybe the doctor is experimenting on captured Zombies? (To cure them if it's possible.)

And maybe's he's also holding Sophia to feed her to them?

All is not what it seems on that farm I'd bet.

But at least Glenn banged the hot farmer's daughter!

Do you guys watch "Talking Dead" after the shows? It's worth viewing regularly.

[JEDIpartner]

I'm really enjoying the show this year and I'm glad that, despite a lesser role from Darabont, they are carrying on quite well.

I want to create a really boring show called The Walking Deaf. :highly_amused:

[bigbarada]

So was that it for season 2? Usually the new episode is available on iTunes by now but I haven't seen anything on there yet. If that is the end, then the second season wrapped it up on a very powerful note. This is definitely the best show on television right now.

I thought the whole "are they zombies or just sick people?" debate was very thought provoking and can totally understand Hershel's stance on it. Especially since he's been pretty sheltered from the horrors of the apocalypse up until now and isn't going to be too eager to put a bullet in his wife's brain just because someone on TV tells him she's turned into a monster.

[OC47150]

Gotta wait til February, BB. As much as we love zombies, they aren't warm and cuddly at the holidays.

It will be hard to top this ending, though.

[Tycho]

I think in this case, Shane was right: kill them.

You can't cure them even if you find a vaccine for the virus (for bites).

1) the walkers are decaying, dead people. How are they going to regenerate and live normal lives if something can be done to fight the disease? They can't. Maybe Herschel's walkers are pristine and not missing limbs and parts of their faces - maybe. They had to be turned into zombies and when that happened, they were clearly wounded by being chewed on. The human body does not recover from that. We don't have bacta tanks (and Luke couldn't grow a new arm, even with one).

2) They are a violent threat to bite and dismember and even devour healthy people they encounter. So you can't do anything with them - and they're a threat. It's cruel to leave them in that undead state. Shane is right.

I think Herschel would eventually have seen that for himself, but Shane made it easier for him.

And no, I don't always like the way Shane handles things (I guess) - for instance abandoning the search for Sophia before they knew what happened to her, but he's practical.

I took the poll on AMC's website and it identified which character I'd be and I got Rick. Maybe I should re-take that test?

[bigbarada]

Thinking about it from the perspective that these are "real" events happening to "real" people, then I could definitely understand Herschel's point of view. I don't trust news networks to tell the truth on everyday matters, so why would I suddenly believe some CNN reporter when he tells me that my family has turned into flesh-eating monsters and I need to put a bullet in their brains?

The reality and enormity of the situation simply hadn't set in for Herschel yet.

Also, I took that personality test as well and I guess I'm Dale.

[Tycho]

I might do what Herschel did (if I were in his position - settled in other words) - but as soon as I observed them decaying and becoming irrecoverable for certain, I'd probably put them down.

He might have been waiting for them to decay and terminate by natural causes. But that might take longer than his lifetime - assuming Herschel would die of natural causes. He'd have to realize that before he became an invalid. Then there's no garauntee that his extended (living) family members would keep the walkers "alive" as pets either. They're dangerous!

Meanwhile, from Rick's perspective - he woke in the hospital in the middle of this and it was kill or be killed.

Shane was busy rescuing people he cared about - which obviously turned to rescuing Laurie and Carl - prompting me to wonder if Shane had an affair with Laurie before Rick was shot and in the hospital (way before the zombie appocolypse). Obviously Rick suspected and decided it was only natural for Shane and Laurie to make the mistake of believeing him to be dead and carrying through with it. But it'd be another story if he learned that it started before he was ever shot and the world was normal - or worse - that Carl is actually Shane's biological son. (Rick would never have had reason to have a paternity test back in the day - but I don't think Shane purposely missed the 2nd shooter in the traffic chase. Walking Dead showed the incident where Rick was shot and it seemed Shane did everything he could to back Rick up - so I DO believe Shane is Rick's best friend. Yet the affair with Laurie could have and at least eventually did happen).

But in any event, Shane was out in the open having to kill walkers too - in order to protect Laurie and Carl (and himself) at the very least.

We've only seen this so far of Shane's past as the appocolypse happens:

- he was on the road in a traffic jam with Laurie and Carl and they saw military helicopters fire-bomb Atlanta.

So they must have been evacuated by the authorities before they had much zombie contact.

So how fast did it spread?

How many were amongst the first walkers?

You had to have some lag time between when those attacked die the first time, or get the fever and eventually die the first time - and the time they awake - the zombie population having grown.

So how did Shane and the rest of Rick's family end up with Dale, Andrea, T-Dog, Meryl, etc? They haven't flashed back to show that.

I would assume that in that traffic jam, somebody felt like Herschel and had a sick relative with them who turned and started biting others. But that individual would've been killed the 2nd time. And again, the future walkers would need some time to incubate their disease before they'd come back - so the living people could easily get away from them.

Maybe that's where survivors including Shane banded together. Well yeah. They sort of showed that happening when the family met Sophia and her mom and abusive dad. But there should have been more living people and not THAT many walkers at that point. So what happened?

Maybe the military didn't have enough transports and Shane and others elected to stay behind and be the last ones evacuated but the military never came back?

Could a military base be overrun by zombies anyway? They have more than enough ammo especially since it'd only take one bullet carefully shot - and the zombies can't shoot back.

Then as evidence would be obvious - they'd shoot the bitten and infected as policy. Shane and friends managed to do it with only a few armed personnel when they opened the barn. A military base should be very safe, right?

[bigbarada]

Well, there are a lot of problems with modern zombie stories that don't really align with how things would work in the real world. There is an article on Cracked.com that describes 7 reasons that a zombie apocalypse would fail before it even started, however I can't link to it from here because of the language.

To sum them up:
7. Too many natural predators: dogs, cats, crows, buzzards, hawks, flies, maggots, lions, bears, coyotes, cougars, panthers, wolves, hyenas, rats, mice, worms, ants, bacteria, etc. - animals that have no problems eating dead flesh (in fact some of them prefer it) would be lining up to feast on any zombies that crossed their path. And that's not even counting all the animals that could gore a zombie just by walking by (or on) them: cows, horses, deer, buffalo, elephants, rhino, etc.

6. They can't take the heat: high heat causes dead bodies to putrefy much faster than normal which causes bloating (from the gases created by flesh-eating bacteria) up to twice their normal size and eventually will cause all of the dead bodies to start exploding spontaneously.

If the zombies are in a dry desert heat, the flesh will dry out and, without the ability to replenish the moisture, they will begin to mummify and simply fall over unable to move within hours. The sensitive tissue of the eyes would dry out first leaving the zombies completely blind within minutes.

5. They can't take the cold: in weather that is below freezing, all of the zombies will simply be frozen solid. There is no way for a dead body to replenish body heat and, since human bodies are mostly water, that water will freeze almost instantly in temperatures below 32º F. There is also the problem of freezer burn, which is caused by water molecules migrating out of meat after it has frozen. This causes the meat/flesh to dry out and completely destroys it, making it 100% useless even after it has been thawed out.

4. Biting is a Terrible way to Spread a Disease: rabies is a disease that can only spread through bites and look how easy that is to avoid. If you see a guy, 50 feet in front of you, getting bit by a rabid dog, are you going to let that dog (or that guy) get anywhere near you? The really dangerous diseases spread quickly because they are airborne. Even blood and body-fluid transmitted diseases (like AIDS and Herpes) are relatively easy to avoid.

Also, a very important fact (that isn't mentioned in the Cracked list) is that human teeth are incapable of biting through cloth. Not even healthy human teeth can bite through a t-shirt and that's not even factoring in the rotting teeth and gums of a zombie. So just put on a pair of jeans, some shoes and a longsleeve turtleneck and 95% of your body is zombieproof.

3. They Can't Heal from Day to Day Damage: without a central nervous system to warn your brain that your body is taking damage, even the most minor paper cuts can eventually turn into an amputation. This is why leprosy is so dangerous. People simply rub off their extremities (fingers, noses, ears, feet, genitals, etc.) because they can't feel the damage being done and it tends to build up day after day and get infected until you would end up with a bunch of limbless, faceless zombies writhing around on the ground. In fact, it would happen even faster to a zombie because their bodies wouldn't heal.

2. The Landscape is Full of Zombie Proof Barriers: rivers, mountains, cliffs, bridges, staircases, etc. - these are things that would be tough for zombies to avoid during the day and nearly impossible for them to avoid at night. Without the ability to heal or feel pain, it would only take one minor fall off the front porch to permanently incapacitate any zombie. So unless you spend the entire zombie apocalypse in an empty parking lot, you're pretty much safe wherever you are. Especially people in cities who live in buildings with security doors designed to keep out the living.

So just lock yourself indoors and take out the zombies with your gun or whatever furniture you can fit through the window. Speaking of guns...

1. Weapons and the People who Use Them: if human beings have proven anything about themselves, it's that we are really, really good at killing stuff. In 2004, there were 14 million people hunting with a license in America alone. That's not including the police and our military (who would also have access to machine guns, grenades, rocket launchers, det cord, Claymore mines, tanks, and that little thing called the Air Force).

That's also not including all the registered gun owners that don't hunt and all the illegal gun owners. And even if you are idealistically opposed to guns, you would still have no shortage of weapons like kitchen knives, baseball bats, crowbars, Molotov cocktails, and cars (that I'm sure people would more than happily use to mow down a few walking dead).

Realistically, the idea of a zombie apocalypse is really laughable. So I wouldn't be spending too much time on the hows and whys of the epidemic itself. The only thing the zombies would have in their favor is the very powerful human emotion known as denial. People might be so busy telling themselves, "Zombies don't exist, so that can't be a zombie, because zombies don't exist," that they might hesitate long enough for the zombie to get close enough to bite them.

The other thing that zombie movies and TV shows never mention is the smell of dead bodies. If you've ever been within 100 feet of a dead animal, you will know it. So it would be completely impossible for a walking horde of zombies to sneak up on any person with a functional sense of smell. Not even taking into account the swarms of flies surrounding the zombies and the birds of prey circling overhead (which would would betray any zombie about 5-10 miles out during the day).

Also this adds credence to Herschel's opinion, since he is a rancher and a veterinarian; so he would be very familiar with the effects of death on flesh. So when he sees "dead" bodies still walking around after a few days, then the only conclusion that he would draw is that they are not dead, because that would be impossible. In other words, his intelligence would be working against him in this situation.

[JEDIpartner]

I merely thought that, by mid-season, the season has been "fine". I think the first half felt like a lot of "nothing happened" to me. I felt that the story could've spanned four episodes rather than the seven that aired. There wasn't very much character development for me and it seemed like they actually just plugged the characters into roles that were too defined. I still think it's a great show and compelling television even at worst. Season one was a 10/10 for me and this season has been about a 6/10 at this point.

[Tycho]

BB: thanks for that awesome analysis. I think I'll include that in my memory of my all-time favorite posts by you. That was really informative and well thought out. I think I can finally stop sleeping with my gun under my pillow on Sunday nights. All thanks to you. ;)

Meanwhile, I think it would be really tough for a FICTION writer to write their way around these facts you illustrated, just to make the show even more realisitc. I doubt that happens. But it's just good 'ol plain fun anyway.

JP: I think I really disagree with you on this one. As I've been discussing the FICTION behind a Zombie Appocalypse with BB above, that's hardly what makes this show. It's very strong character development and the human story - about the survivors' decisions - like the contrast between Herschel and Shane's approach to things (Rick's somewhere in the middle - like John Kerry between Dennis Kucinich and Dick Cheney).

[JEDIpartner]

I thought the character development was terrible in that it took too long to deconstruct what they had built up. The characters became too black and white to me. There wasn't enough grey area. The funny thing is that I think I even read that someplace. I will have to see if I can dig that up. This show, overall, is like Battlestar Galactica (reboot) in that the whole convention and setting is merely a space for character development and how people deal with adversity and whatnot. I don't think that we see this as differently as you think. I just think that what they did was rather poorly done and over more episodes than they needed. I think the mid-season finale was possibly the best episode since the season opener. My issue was there was too much repetition in each episode and nothing was really offered that couldn't have been offered in fewer episodes.

Oh... here was something that I read after the finale aired and it echoed my sentiments...
'The Walking Dead' and 'Pretty Much Dead Already': A cheap thrill-kill, or new life for the season?

(http://watching-tv.ew.com/2011/11/28/walking-dead-season-2-episode-7-sophia/)

[bigbarada]

BB: thanks for that awesome analysis. I think I'll include that in my memory of my all-time favorite posts by you. That was really informative and well thought out. I think I can finally stop sleeping with my gun under my pillow on Sunday nights. All thanks to you. ;)

Meanwhile, I think it would be really tough for a FICTION writer to write their way around these facts you illustrated, just to make the show even more realisitc. I doubt that happens. But it's just good 'ol plain fun anyway.

Well, you know the motto of Hollywood, "Reality is no excuse for bad fiction." ;)


I thought the character development was terrible in that it took too long to deconstruct what they had built up. The characters became too black and white to me. There wasn't enough grey area. The funny thing is that I think I even read that someplace. I will have to see if I can dig that up. This show, overall, is like Battlestar Galactica (reboot) in that the whole convention and setting is merely a space for character development and how people deal with adversity and whatnot. I don't think that we see this as differently as you think. I just think that what they did was rather poorly done and over more episodes than they needed. I think the mid-season finale was possibly the best episode since the season opener. My issue was there was too much repetition in each episode and nothing was really offered that couldn't have been offered in fewer episodes.

Oh... here was something that I read after the finale aired and it echoed my sentiments...
'The Walking Dead' and 'Pretty Much Dead Already': A cheap thrill-kill, or new life for the season?

(http://watching-tv.ew.com/2011/11/28/walking-dead-season-2-episode-7-sophia/)

I tend to prefer slower character development and I don't really mind it when shows take their time building up to something big. It's one of the major benefits that a television series has over a 2-hour movie - they get more time to lull the audience into a sense of security and then drop a sudden bomb on them. I don't think the mid-season finale last week would have had nearly the same impact without all the episodes building up to it. It seems that the incidences of zombies have been fewer and farther between so far this season, but I think it really just helps to underscore that this show is not about the zombies.

Of course, that's not to say that every episode is a winner (I think the ending of episode 206, where Lori confessed her relationship with Shane, kind of fell flat); but overall I still love this show. I don't have cable (or even basic TV reception), so I have to buy each episode individually off of iTunes; but this is the only television show I care about, so it's the only one I'm interested in watching and actually paying for.

Also, I don't think I've ever read an Entertainment Weekly review that I've actually agreed with. Sometimes I think they just criticize stuff because they think they are supposed to.

[OC47150]

I merely thought that, by mid-season, the season has been "fine". I think the first half felt like a lot of "nothing happened" to me. I felt that the story could've spanned four episodes rather than the seven that aired. There wasn't very much character development for me and it seemed like they actually just plugged the characters into roles that were too defined. I still think it's a great show and compelling television even at worst. Season one was a 10/10 for me and this season has been about a 6/10 at this point.

Stretching the search for Sophia out was a bit much. One or two eps could've been trimmed down.

I think Herschel's intentions are good, but he's not thinking in the present time. I wouldn't say he's delusional but just in the wrong mind.

[Tycho]

I don't have anything new to really add, but in reading what others have posted, I'm finding myself strongly agreeing with BigBarada in this discussion.

[JEDIpartner]

And you're allowed to do that, Tycho. I just found the Sophia thing to just be a couple episodes too long. OC apparently, agrees. Two sides.

[OC47150]

And you're allowed to do that, Tycho. I just found the Sophia thing to just be a couple episodes too long. OC apparently, agrees. Two sides.

I realize, in the scheme of the show, the search was probably just two or three days, at most.

[bigbarada]

I realize, in the scheme of the show, the search was probably just two or three days, at most.

It had to be more than 3 days, I think. They spent at least a day, maybe a day and a half, on the highway before even making it out to Herschel's farm. Then the whole thing with Carl's surgery, he didn't recover from that within just a couple of days. Plus, Shane mentioned how, before the zombies, they would stop looking for a living child and begin looking for a body after the kid had been missing for 3 days. He said that about 2-3 episodes ago.

I'd have to rewatch the entire season to be sure, but I just assumed that the search for Sophia took at least a week, maybe as long as 2 weeks.

[JEDIpartner]

I was going to say that Carl's recovery was coming along if it had only been a couple days. I think it was longer than a couple days.

[OC47150]

I'd have to rewatch the entire season to be sure, but I just assumed that the search for Sophia took at least a week, maybe as long as 2 weeks.

A week at the most, I'd say.

But again, the first entire season of Lost took place in a month's time.

[Tycho]

What I'm sure everyone else is wondering, is will Herschel's chicken population now start to recover since Zombies are no longer eating them?

[OC47150]

What I'm sure everyone else is wondering, is will Herschel's chicken population now start to recover since Zombies are no longer eating them?

Good question! I think Herschel's zombies were eating better than Rick and his crew.

[Tycho]

Why do zombies eat? Chicken or other animals, especially?

On one hand, I've heard they bite to spread their disease.

That's why the half-body zombie (bicycle girl) in the first episode wants to bite Rick. She has no stomach to digest food with!

If animals can't get the disease (that we know of) - what's the point in eating Rick's horse (first episode)?

OK - dogs bite and eat anyway. So if a dog or higher predator, like a zoo tiger got bit, and it attacked and ate people, it wouldn't be shocking. Right?

Now here's an idea: if an herbovore like Rick's horse got the disease and started attacking and biting people - that'd be freaky! A carniverous horse! How about a mass of hamsters from a pet store that attack in swarms? Or cows chasing and eating people?

Maybe an animal gets bit but the zombie is killed or interrupted, and the animal survives, gets the disease (or a mutated strand), and starts attacking?!

[bigbarada]

I do think the zombies bite to eat, but it's not driven by a hunger that can be satisfied. In other words, no matter how much they eat, they are always going to want to eat more. In fact, the drive to eat is probably so all-consuming (no pun intended) that it overrides all other brain activity... or... all other brain activity is dead except for the instinct to eat. However you want to look at it.

It has to be something about living flesh, otherwise the zombies would just eat each other. Maybe it's something about warm blood and once the organism dies and the blood cools, then it is no longer desirable to them.

[Tycho]

Yeah. Zombies are weird. They're just not normal people like everyone else.

Obvious? Well Herschel doesn't get it.

[bigbarada]

If you look at zombies as having a severe brain disease, then everything makes sense. You can't really assign logic to the actions of an insane person, and I think that would work with zombies as well.

[Tycho]

Severe brain disease - probably - but they are also decaying dead bodies with no functioning circulation.

And some of them don't even have complete bodies (like bicycle girl).

As they rapidly consume flesh, nothing is digested either. I guess a well-fed zombie just gets bigger and bigger? (except bicycle girl - and man would watching her feed ever be gross!)

On Talking Dead, the guests discussed whether we'll ever see a snapping, severed head. They said it's possible.

[Tycho]

I can't believe no ones talking about this after the major changes to the cast that happened this past 2week's weeks! It was way awesome.

[OC47150]

I like a show that's not afraid of killing characters off.

I've been told by a bigger fan that the actor playing Dale wanted out. Shane has a starring role in the new La Noir on TNT. I figured he'd disappear but not this soon.

It's making an opening for some new characters.

Also like the progression from summer to fall on the show.

[Tycho]

Also like the progression from summer to fall on the show.

What do you mean? When it airs or the seasons in the fiction of the show?

Meanwhile, Shane was a great character! The conflict he provided will be missed.

[sith_killer_99]

Shane outlived his comic book character, so I wasn't surprised to see him go.

It looks like they picked up a couple extra episodes for next season, 16! I was originally told 18 :upset: but hey, 16 is better than 13. :biggrin:

[OC47150]

Seasons on the show. The trees are starting to turn, and the folks are wearing coats. Makes me wonder if season 3 will be set during the winter months, which would add some more challenges.

[Tycho]

As to the actor who plays Dale wanting out, why would he?

Another role?

Or did he actually not like being on the show.

I did not like his obstructionist character, but the audience wasn't supposed to - save for those that might have felt like he did.

Dale was just a little less naive than Herschel before the zombie barn appocalypse changed him. (Now I like Herschel a lot better).

By the way, I'm glad Randall's dead. I never trusted him. YES, I did feel sorry for him. But he was too big of risk to the women and the resources on that farm, should he bring back others from his survivor group.

Another interesting point - I think that Merryl - the (now) one-handed, angry brother of Darryl could have been the leader of the other group. That would have been interesting to see Darryl go against his own brother and side with Rick (mostly because of Darryl's new not-quite-love interest (Sophia's mom).

That would have been an interesting way to go.

Now they still could -but someone would have to talk about Randal because as far as survivors (that escaped the town with Herschel's bar) know - Randal died on that fence. Unless of course they come across his body. But the group is going to have to vacate the farm now for sure - with all those zombies coming. Wonder if that was "the herd" that we saw on the highway out of Atlanta? It didn't look like THAT many - but it was enough.

I wonder if they''ll ever find out what walkers actually are - and what causes them to occur?

Even after the group knows - there's still plenty of story to tell.

I know comic books can go on forever before that reveal. But TV is different. They have to move the show along faster and thus far they are doing it.

[OC47150]

As to the actor who plays Dale wanting out, why would he?

Another role?

Or did he actually not like being on the show.

From what I've read, Jeffrey DeMunn is good friend's with Darabont, had made a couple of movies with him (Shawshank, the Mist), and since Darabont wasn't with the show anymore, DeMunn wanted to be written out.

I think there's some ill-feelings between the cast and producers about the Darabont fallout. The cast wasn't allowed to speak about it at last year's ComicCon, and when the subject did come up, they offer specific answers.

[Tycho]

I was at Comic Con but I think something else was a schedule conflict.

[sith_killer_99]

What a finale!

Fun fact, Dale's RV is the same make and model as the RV from Spaceballs! lol

I can't wait 'til next season! Michonne has arrived! That was so bad arse!

The beginning of the Ricktatorship!!!

[OC47150]

It was a good ep. I liked Herschel's one-man stand on the farm.

Next season will be interesting and highly anticipating. I might have to buy the boxed sets of 1 and 2 this summer.

[Tycho]

OK, spoilers are open season!

The season ending was terrific!

I'm sorry to see Shane die but the way he went out - in the confrontation with Rick - was awesome. And it made Rick man-up! (Carl too)

Now they can't stay out in the open like that. It's going to get interesting.

The helicopter suggests there are humans operating somewhere. I've heard chatter about the prison and "the Governor" (of Georgia?) holed up in there running a dictatorship? Then Rick comes knocking.

Meanwhile, Michonne: her zombies on chains have slack in their lines. Why don't they come at her? I don't get that. Zombies don't know that she cut off their arms and their lower jaws. I guess she's using them as trackers to find survivors? What other use could they be? Though I've also heard the zombies she keeps leashed are her brother and boyfriend's corpses. Still, they wouldn't know her any longer. Zombies don't know anything - like how to climb a fence at Herchel's.

That brings up a point: Herschel will now be a new member of the cast. I heard on Talking Dead that he was supposed to die, but with Dale leaving the show and audiences liking Herschel - the actor suddenly found himself with a longer term job. That's good. I like his character. I didn't always agree with the old Christian Herschel, but the new one is more representative of a man who recognizes reality and he's not so whiny about it the way Dale was.

Andrea having been trained by Shane and now possibly Michonne will become deadly! Just something about Laurie Holden though - she always looks like she's smiling and a hardened Linda Hamilton look from Terminator would seem to be more appropriate for how I imagine the character. Remember the smiling Princess Leia on the Speederbike 12"? I didn't even buy that on clearance for $12.

Now - so they're all infected. Could this be a government weapon gone wrong or a fall-out from a terrorist attack? It's the perfect weapon: the dead rise and kill the living, and keeps killing them until the living survivors die and become the walking dead as well. Maybe this was some kind of extreme population control measure and the people in helicopters know all about it?

[OC47150]

The helicopter suggests there are humans operating somewhere. I've heard chatter about the prison and "the Governor" (of Georgia?) holed up in there running a dictatorship? Then Rick comes knocking.

Of everything in that ep, the helicopter intrigued me the most. A die-hard WD comic fan told me the it was a news chopper and that it crashes at the prison. We'll have to wait and see if that's still the case this fall.

[bigbarada]

It seems that something snapped in Rick's head when he confessed to killing Shane and his wife pushed him away at the end of the episode. Even though she was the one who originally warned him of what Shane was really capable of. I wonder if Rick now thinks that she was really in love with Shane.

Of the current group, I think I might relate with Herschel the most. However, I didn't like his comment about Christ promising the resurrection of the dead and somehow equating that with the zombie invasion. I think the writers put that in because they thought it would be funny, but it's not something a true Christian would say. I do like the idea of Herschel taking Dale's place as the moral center of the group.

It's just too bad that we have to wait so long to see what happens next.

[sith_killer_99]

Of the current group, I think I might relate with Herschel the most. However, I didn't like his comment about Christ promising the resurrection of the dead and somehow equating that with the zombie invasion. I think the writers put that in because they thought it would be funny, but it's not something a true Christian would say. I do like the idea of Herschel taking Dale's place as the moral center of the group.

I looked at it VERY differently, more like showing human nature, questioning his own faith, trials and tribulations, etc. Our faith is tested, plain and simple and that line speaks to the issue, at least for me.

[bigbarada]

I looked at it VERY differently, more like showing human nature, questioning his own faith, trials and tribulations, etc. Our faith is tested, plain and simple and that line speaks to the issue, at least for me.

Well, as preacher he would know the exact conditions that Christ described for the Resurrection of the Saints and the zombie apocalypse is nothing even close.

As it is, though, I can chalk it up to a moment of weakness, since he had come to accept the death of his wife, had just lost his farm and he didn't know if any of his other family members had survived up to that point. I just hope that the writers tone that kind of thing down a bit in the future. The whole "preacher who lost faith when he saw how terrible the 'real world' is" thing has been done to death.

[Tycho]

On Hell on Wheels, the Preacher losing his faith is also being done.

That's 2 AMC shows. The Preacher on HoW lost his faith because he tried to stop the Indians from being massacred by the US Army at the behest of the railroad vying for territory. He wanted everyone to "get along." Now the war with the Cheyene is "on!" (But that show follows the course of actual history.)

On Walking Dead, I think that they are showing religion is open to interpretation. Yeah. The Dead have arisen as supposedly set to happen in the End Times.

First, prophesy can be made to resemble whatever is happening so as to lend religion more power when it's convenient.

For example, the Japanese tsunami and Texas tornado, followed up with a big fire and an earthquake this year, could have folks yelling that the Mayans were right and suddenly a lot of people converting to appease the Mayan gods if some charismatic "Mayan" medacine man does a good job preaching it. (I think faith should be found within oneself, not by having someone led to it by a guide, such as a religious leader, all of whom I have questions about their motivations - though I'm sure some could be good guys. Is there good in the (ficticious example of my modern) Mayan Medacine Man?

Second, if prophesy comes to be true, it's not necessary what everyone wants or expects. An example is in Star Wars. Anakin would bring balance to the Force. With the Dark Side rising, this sounded like a good thing, right? Well, he balanced the Force alright. All Jedi dead (mostly), the Order broken, and 2 Jedi (Obi-Wan and Yoda) and 2 Sith (Vader and Sidious). Next it's down to only 1 on 1: Luke vs. Sidious and Anakin/Vader settles that one, doesn't he? Well, I'm sure Mace would have preferred the prophesy to have been fulfilled somewhat differently. But we actually never learned what Jedi thought about how the prophesy would manifest itself.

Revelations is prophesy. It is about what is to come to be. Most of the Bible (both testaments) is about what has already happened.

So, someone, maybe not in the immediate cast of WD, could interpret the Walking Dead, as "the arisen." And in the twisted world, maybe the saints are the sinners. As if the interesting people were the ones chosen to be brought back: such as thieves, adulterers, and murderers. WD is full of twists and turns and man doesn't really know what God wants: preachers that have a gift to talk TELL us what God wants, and group-think repeats it. It's backed up by Bible INTERPRETATION from which there is cause to doubt.

I think Herschel is an excellent character for this role, btw. His keeping the Walkers "healthy" in his barn was great writing and a classic example. I do not know if that was ever in the comics, but it is brilliant writing! I loved that idea and how Shane settled the question. I'm going to miss Shane, btw.

[Tycho]

So what a season 3 opener!

I watched Talking dead and I'm curious to see more of Michonne and learn about her. I'm not a comic book reader.

As to the live guys they found in the prison? I wonder how they'll get along. Rick has to protect the women and children. Remember the guys he shot in the bar?

I think that place is going to be hell for them!

[bigbarada]

I was pretty happy with the season premiere. I loved how Rick's group had turned into a well-oiled, zombie-killing machine over the winter. And I especially liked how Carl is regarded as just one of the troops now and not the kid that is constantly being hidden from danger.

I'm looking forward to learning more about Michonne also. I wonder if they are going to explain more about the zombie-slaves and I wouldn't mind seeing some flashbacks to establish how her and Andrea became so close.

I think the prison is going to be their home base for the duration of this season at least. I don't read the comic books either, but I've been deliberately avoiding them to keep from having the story spoiled.

[Tycho]

If Michonne's zombie pets fall over, with no arms, how do they get back up? Does she set them right side up?

I understand it provides cover for her so other Walkers can't sniff her out, but are they really practical?

[bigbarada]

If Michonne's zombie pets fall over, with no arms, how do they get back up? Does she set them right side up?

I understand it provides cover for her so other Walkers can't sniff her out, but are they really practical?

LOL, I had never thought about that. Maybe if they fall down, she just makes new ones.

I think it's something that looked great on a comic book page, but I'm not sure how practical it would be in reality. I'll give it some time to see if they explain how the work.

One thing I didn't like about the premiere was that the writers seemed to take for granted that the audience automatically knew who Michonne was. Hopefully, they develop her enough onscreen and don't assume that everyone watching the show has read the comic.

[Tycho]

Michonne wouldn't like to get new Zombie pets for a very specific reason.

I don't know if it really spoils anything, because when she explains it, the scene will be somewhat powerful anyway.

But I can tell you if you'd like. I heard it on Talking Dead - the follow-up show AMC puts on after the encore presentation of Walking Dead, so it is "factual and verified" by creater Kirkman since he was the guest on the show who said it.

Like I said, I don't think it spoils the intrigue about Michonne at all - just makes you anticipate this bit of juicy dialogue.

So I'll tell you if you want to know.

[bigbarada]

If it's just related to the identity of those two zombies, then I might already know. Are they former family members?

This will be the first season that I watch the Talking Dead. I didn't have cable last year, so I was buying all of the Walking Dead episodes off of iTunes and didn't get to see all of the supplemental programming.

[OC47150]

If it's just related to the identity of those two zombies, then I might already know. Are they former family members?

Interesting theory, one I hadn't thought of. That's a possibility. Convenience of not carrying heavy backpacks is what I initially thought.

[Tycho]

Michonne's zombie pets are the corpses of her brother and boyfriend.

In that sense, they're not replaceable AND she has never let go of who she was before the Zombie Appocalypse.

I heard Kirkman explain it on Talking Dead.

I think it will be a powerful moment for the actress explaining that to Andrea (? - she probably already knows by now) or some other character.

In a sense, we saw this with Herschel already, but he kept his family members that were turned in his barn.

Michonne's a little bit more creative. She cut off their arms and their jaws. Seeing exactly how she managed that would've been interesting. But maybe she did it when they were still dying, before they reanimated? While they were lying there it would have made it easier.

i suspect the men could have been bitten while defending her, so she kept them around for protection?

However, eventually, they'll decay and fall apart - legs coming off or whatever.

[bigbarada]

As to last night's episode, I didn't like that Tomas guy anyway. He seemed like he was going to be trouble right off the bat. I think the other prisoner that Rick locked outside with the zombies might weigh heavily on Rick's conscience in the future, however.

I think I remember something about Michonne's zombies being "zombie repellant" to some degree. Which makes sense. They established in the 2nd episode that zombies are attracted to the living by smell, so having 2 zombies with you would overpower the smell of just one living person... at least from a distance. Obviously, it wouldn't work once you added a second living person.

[OC47150]

I just kept waiting for one of the inmates to say, hey, Cactus Bob is a zombie!

I didn't notice Tiny getting bitten at first. I thought the zombie just felt him up.

The darker Rick is interesting, as well as the grown up Carl. It will be interesting to watch this season play out for them.

[jonthejedi]

I don't think the acorn will fall from the tree when it comes to Carl. Certainly the little boy is gone, obliterated.

[bigbarada]

I don't think the acorn will fall from the tree when it comes to Carl. Certainly the little boy is gone, obliterated.

That's true, but I guess it's to be expected in a world like this. I would guess that if Sophia had survived season 2, then she would be right alongside Carl with a gun.

I'm just glad that the show's writers aren't afraid to portray a kid as a ruthless killer. Of course, I think young kids are more likely to become cold-blooded killers if placed in those kinds of situations, because kids don't have as firm of a grasp of the consequences of their actions. An adult would understand the consequences more fully and would be more likely to hesitate in taking a life for the first time.

[bigbarada]

I liked last Sunday's episode, but it almost felt like I was watching a pilot episode for a completely new TV series. It will be interesting to see what the Governor's motivations are and how he and Rick will inevitably knock heads.

[OC47150]

I liked last Sunday's episode, but it almost felt like I was watching a pilot episode for a completely new TV series. It will be interesting to see what the Governor's motivations are and how he and Rick will inevitably knock heads.

Funny that you mentioned that, but a buddy told me more or less the same thing the other day. It's like two separate shows right now.

The Govenor is like Shaft: one bad motha. I don't know much about his background; it will be interesting to see how things play out this season.

I also told my buddy that the fall break should be coming up here in another 2 - 3 weeks.

[Tycho]

It will be interesting to see .......how he and Rick will inevitably knock heads.

Did you mean like heads in jars, by that comment, BigB? :D

[bigbarada]

Did you mean like heads in jars, by that comment, BigB? :D

Well, Rick's fallen a bit behind on his heads-in-jars collection, so that might not be for a while. :p

Anyways, last night's episode felt like a punch to the gut. Not to give anything away, but I wouldn't have expected an episode like that until the season finale. It makes me wonder just how intense the rest of this season is going to be.

[OC47150]

Anyways, last night's episode felt like a punch to the gut. Not to give anything away, but I wouldn't have expected an episode like that until the season finale. It makes me wonder just how intense the rest of this season is going to be.

I agree. Intense episode indeed!

I do think the scenes with the Govenor could've waited until another ep. Broke the flow just a bit, IMO.

I met the actor who plays T-Dog at a con this summer. Very nice guy.

[Tycho]

I am waaay caught up on Walking Dead as of tonight's show.

Awesome!

Did the zombie Rick killed in the boiler room get bloated from consuming Lori? Did they recover her body? Who was placed in the graves? T-Dog? Did they get his body? And was there an empty grave for Carol? We didn't see her get killed or a body. She could still be alive, though I doubt it since the group would go looking for her if they didn't have evidence. Look at what they did for Sophia - and Glenn went looking for Rick...

So I guess the baby turned in Lori's wuomb? So it had to be delivered C-section or it would die, and then turn, and then eat Lori inside out. That would have been awesome to see. A great show for the governor's arena.

On that note, I don't think that fit his pattern. Maybe Meryl's - but not Mr. Rodgers with his dead daughter in the closet.

I really hated him killing the troops. What the hell for?

[OC47150]

I am waaay caught up on Walking Dead as of tonight's show.

Awesome!

Did the zombie Rick killed in the boiler room get bloated from consuming Lori? Did they recover her body? Who was placed in the graves? T-Dog? Did they get his body? And was there an empty grave for Carol? We didn't see her get killed or a body. She could still be alive, though I doubt it since the group would go looking for her if they didn't have evidence. Look at what they did for Sophia - and Glenn went looking for Rick...

So I guess the baby turned in Lori's wuomb? So it had to be delivered C-section or it would die, and then turn, and then eat Lori inside out. That would have been awesome to see. A great show for the governor's arena.

On that note, I don't think that fit his pattern. Maybe Meryl's - but not Mr. Rodgers with his dead daughter in the closet.

I really hated him killing the troops. What the hell for?

Too many questions, Tycho!

I thought the same thing about the zombie Rick killed. Very pausible, indeed. The zombie did feast well.

You'd think they'd make a show of recovering TDog's body, but maybe not. Don't know what's up with Carol. She could still be running/hiding in the prison, but you'd think she'd shown up by now.

It was Thunderdome with a Lynard Skynard soundtrack!

Michonne has a withering stare. Looks like she wants to slap the white off Andrea.

But I think this was a turning point for Andrea. She realizes not all is well in Happy Town.

Merle is a good fit for Happy Town, too.

[bigbarada]

I'm really bothered about the Carol thing. Where did she go and why does everyone in the prison just assume that she's dead? Although the preview for next episode seems to suggest that they find evidence she's still alive. My thought is that she ran out the door and whoever it was that was watching her practice the C-section on the zombie kidnapped her for some reason. Maybe they assume she is a doctor and can help them in some way.

Otherwise, lots of wonderful brutality in this episode. :thumbsup:

I didn't really see the zombie-gladiator games as out of character for the Governor, it reminded me of a UFC event with a zombie twist and I know a lot of otherwise very clean cut guys who love the UFC.

[Tycho]

I agree, Carol was not shown dead or even injured, so odds are she could still be alive.

I watched Talking Dead with the director and producer or the show. The Zombie Rick killed that was bloated, had entirely consumed Lori. That's why it couldn't move to get up after Rick. They put some of Lori's hair hanging out of its mouth they said - but it was too dark for me to really pick up on that detail. But the zombie consumed her whole. Gross.

Better yet, a half-naked zombie Lori with her c-sectioned guts hanging open would have been an fx site to see. They had to have discussed doing that - if the bullet meant that Carl couldn't shoot his mom. The kid's 1000 yard stare could have also meant that.

Still, that post-surgery Lori could come back if it's decided that Rick assumed the zombie ate Lori but it actually ate someone else. Hard to imagine since she died in that boiler room and who else had that the zombie would have gorged on?

Why do zombies eat anyway? I hope that one day we'll find out what this whole mystery has been about, but I'd like all these disgusting possibilities explored by the FX department, too.

The thing with the zombie UFC fight was there was plenty of women in the audience watching, I think. Girls do not like that stuff that much and I'm not sure how much it would change (even with the desire for revenge) in the post-zombie-appocalypse world. If you wanted revenge, you'd hang out atop one of the walls and shoot walkers all day. I could see someone like Michonne (almost - but she's more practical than that) doing such a thing.

[bigbarada]

The thing with the zombie UFC fight was there was plenty of women in the audience watching, I think. Girls do not like that stuff that much and I'm not sure how much it would change (even with the desire for revenge) in the post-zombie-appocalypse world. If you wanted revenge, you'd hang out atop one of the walls and shoot walkers all day. I could see someone like Michonne (almost - but she's more practical than that) doing such a thing.

Female UFC fans are just as devoted, in some ways even more devoted, than male fans. Most women I know who are interested in the UFC consider the fighters to be the ultimate male sex symbols. It's the same reason that gladiators in ancient Rome were seen as sex symbols by the women of their day.

Female fans actually tend to be more loyal than male fans as well. So they're not as likely to abandon their favorite fighter just because he's lost a couple of fights.

[bigbarada]

I was wondering how long Rick and the Governor could stay oblivious to each other's existence. Looks like that's going to change pretty soon.

I found myself cursing at the TV at certain moments of tonight's episode and cheering at other moments. I also found myself really rooting for Michonne for the first time, as we finally got to see what she was made of. I think she was being dragged down by Andrea too much (when she wasn't just wandering around Woodberry looking creepy) in the earlier episodes for us to get a good idea of what she is really capable of.

So was there really nobody on the other end of the phone? By the end of the episode, I got the impression that Rick had just been talking to himself the whole time.

Oh yes, and the whole question of "what the heck happened to Carol?" has finally been answered.

[OC47150]

I was wondering how long Rick and the Governor could stay oblivious to each other's existence. Looks like that's going to change pretty soon.

I found myself cursing at the TV at certain moments of tonight's episode and cheering at other moments. I also found myself really rooting for Michonne for the first time, as we finally got to see what she was made of. I think she was being dragged down by Andrea too much (when she wasn't just wandering around Woodberry looking creepy) in the earlier episodes for us to get a good idea of what she is really capable of.

So was there really nobody on the other end of the phone? By the end of the episode, I got the impression that Rick had just been talking to himself the whole time.

Oh yes, and the whole question of "what the heck happened to Carol?" has finally been answered.

No mystery about Carol. Glad to see she's survived.

I, too, was glad to see a little Michonne action. Even with a bum leg, I was hoping she'd jump in and help Glen and Maggie.

As for Rick, I thought the calls were real...until names were mentioned. Then I realized it was his imagination kicking in.

Don't know what to think about Andrea. Thought she saw the light last week with the zombie fights, but apparently not.

[OC47150]

We're promised some fireworks in the mid-season finale!

Just wanna slap Andrea. Is she the dumbest white girl around? No, wait, that's Lindsey Lohan.

[bigbarada]

Yeah, definitely looking forward to next week's episode. According to the previews, Daryl learns that Merle is alive; but I honestly have no idea how it's going to play out when they meet again. I don't really see Daryl leaving Rick's group, but Merle doesn't look like he's ready to forgive Rick anytime soon. Also, I highly doubt Rick or any of the others would welcome Merle into their group after what he did to Glenn.

Speaking of Glenn, he really impressed me in this week's episode.

[Tycho]

Maggie's really sexy and those scenes titilated as well as played out as violently wicked with the Governor. Would have been great if the show was on HBO in that they would have showed us "more." ;)

So now the series will become a human-war between the residents of Woodbury and the Prison for a little while.

Though fewer in numbers, Rick's rangers have the edge.

From next week's preview, I think Michonne will take care of the Governor's daughter.

Cool to see Mr. Coleman as a freshly turned walker with no sign of decay or injury. I like the experiment with his memory, but we all already knew the outcome. I'm surprised Woodbury would be suprised at anything less.

In any event, we don't need too many walkers like Coleman, because part of the show is seeing blood and gore :evil:

*Oh and another thing: the residents might like zombie-fight-nights, but what if some zombie they catch turned up to be somebody's turned relative. I don't think it would be as much fun to watch your family member's re-animated corpse turn up in there.

That should happen one "fight-night" when a member of the audience yells out, "Hey! That's my uncle Wilbur! and Granny? Now Governor - you just wait one minute!"

[LTBasker]

The thing I actually found most interesting about the episode was actually the title. "When the dead come knocking." Because, I don't know if it was intentional, the title really seemed like a reference to the previous time they really focused on the ideals behind the experiment, with zombies possibly remembering their former lives. I'm referring to the season 1 episode in which the black guy's wife was shown to routinely come to the door of their house, stand there for a little while, and eventually start trying to get in. Of course she didn't literally come knocking, so it only applies in a figurative sense, but still. I find it an interesting connection.



From next week's preview, I think Michonne will take care of the Governor's daughter.

Nope, it's gotta be Rick. It's the one job he does well on the show: killing little zombie girls. And, we mustn't deny him the trifecta!

[bigbarada]

It stinks that we have to wait two months for the next episode. I really don't have any idea how this is going to pan out. Obviously Rick's team is going to want to rescue Daryl, but they can't do that without rescuing Merle as well and I definitely don't see Glenn, Maggie, or Michonne wanting to help Merle in any way.

Also, what's Andrea going to do now? Is she going to hold a grudge against Rick's group for "abandoning" her? After what she's seen with the Governor, I don't know how she could continue to stay with him, but it wouldn't really surprise me if she finds a way to justify staying in Woodberry.

[OC47150]

It stinks that we have to wait two months for the next episode. I really don't have any idea how this is going to pan out. Obviously Rick's team is going to want to rescue Daryl, but they can't do that without rescuing Merle as well and I definitely don't see Glenn, Maggie, or Michonne wanting to help Merle in any way.

Also, what's Andrea going to do now? Is she going to hold a grudge against Rick's group for "abandoning" her? After what she's seen with the Governor, I don't know how she could continue to stay with him, but it wouldn't really surprise me if she finds a way to justify staying in Woodberry.

The rescue is more for Daryl; Merle is baggage that tags along.

Just wished Michonne jabbed that shard of glass a little deeper into the Gov's eye.

I start my Monday mornings with a cola and the Walking Dead. Now I need to find a new show until February.

[bigbarada]

Man, I am not happy about the situation with Derryl and Merle. Hopefully, that's not a permanent thing.

Plus, Rick is totally losing his mind now too. If he doesn't get his marbles back, then I don't see him being much of an effective leader anymore. Also, I don't really get why he's pushing Michonne away.

Oh yeah, on Talking Dead, Kevin Smith referred to Carl as "Wyatt Twerp". :D

[OC47150]

Good ep. Rick going off the deep end will play heavily into the remainder of the season, I think.

Darryl will be back; it's just a matter of time. He's too popular of a character.

Wyatt Twerp, I like that. Quick Draw McGraw would be a good one.

I made the mistake of not watching the previous one to reaquaint myself the prior events.

[Lord Malakite]

Something to drool over. The upcoming Season 3 Limited Edition Blu-Ray set.


27157

[OC47150]

Too cool!!!

[Tycho]

Talking Dead had a great discussion about how Rick is pushing everyone else who is strong, away from him.

Darrel will be back. He's a regular cast member like Andrea. They'll have their side stories going on in each episode in the meantime.

Merle is a regular cast member too. I think he'll be killed off, but don't count on it happening to soon.

The consensus was that Glenn should kill him, or Darrel will have to shoot his own brother.

As to the Governor? Talking Dead's conference over that matter suggested Maggie should kill the Governor.

Would be interesting. Andrea is also a good candidate for that.

But many think Andrea will temporarily become the new Governor of Woodbury.

Though the same writer does both the comic and the show (the creator of Walking Dead - on Talking Dead next week btw) he has stated on Talking Dead that the show does not follow his own comic books. There are similarities and in general patterns it will go that way, but he wanted to be free to do something new with his storyline and characters and though there's a huge overlap of viewers and readers, the show also has a non-reader audience that has made their own favorite character preferences known. Plus, he wants to do new things to surprise his reading audience.

That keeps the show unpredicatable and he hoped enjoyable for comic book readers, so they don't know what will happen next.

I think Herschel is going to learn the martial arts from Michonne and put a giant sword in his stump leg and do flying leap kicks over walkers and kill them with his Kung-Fu Herschel roundhouses!

[OC47150]

Depending on how many eps are in this part-two season, I could see Rick falling deeper into despair/depression/mental instability, but some event will make him realize he's needed. I'm not expecting more than 6 eps. So one down, at least 5 left.

But I could be wrong.

[bigbarada]

Something to drool over. The upcoming Season 3 Limited Edition Blu-Ray set.


27157

That's pretty amazing. Too bad it's for the Blu-Rays. I bought the Blu-Ray version of season 2 and I was really disappointed that the show doesn't seem like it's actually been filmed in hi-def. The image was VERY grainy and there was no discernible difference between the season 2 Blu-Ray picture quality and the picture quality on my season 1 DVD.

[bigbarada]

Awesome way to end the show tonight. Hopefully Rick has snapped out of his crazy.

Also, I was wondering what was going to happen if Carol and Axel got romantically involved and then Darryl returned; but I guess that's not going to be an issue anymore.

I see lots and lots of friction at the prison with Merle and Darryl back and Michonne seemingly going nowhere, but I'm thinking everyone will mesh into a pretty effective fighting unit when they need to.

[OC47150]

Also, I was wondering what was going to happen if Carol and Axel got romantically involved and then Darryl returned; but I guess that's not going to be an issue anymore.

I see lots and lots of friction at the prison with Merle and Darryl back and Michonne seemingly going nowhere, but I'm thinking everyone will mesh into a pretty effective fighting unit when they need to.

I was wondering that, too. Poor Axel. Never had a chance with Carol.

I kept thinking, was it a good idea for Rick to be wandering the woods with an automatic rifle in his current state? The answer is, yes.

Read where the last ep airs on March 31, so 5 - 6 more eps.

[Tycho]

It is war now. Rick needs to kill the governor and take over Woodbury

[bigbarada]

It is war now. Rick needs to kill the governor and take over Woodbury

Yeah, I'm pretty sure 90% of Woodbury's population wouldn't have a problem with the Governor getting assassinated if they knew what he was really up to. However, I'm betting the situation with the Governor isn't going to be resolved anytime soon.

I wonder if Andrea would have stayed at the prison if Shane was still alive?

[OC47150]

I think the Gov's core group, like Martinez, would put up a stiff fight if something happened to the Gov, but not the general population.

Have we reached the turning point for Rick? Maybe?

[Tycho]

Martinez and his "protector ilk" will have to join Rick or die.

Dealing with him will be like dealing with Shane all over again, except Martinez won't be messing around with Laurie.

I thought about the group just taking a boat and seeds to harvest crops and living on some island, but hurricanes, etc...

If they kill Walkers and survive. It's probably best to stay where they are.

I wonder how much of the world is affected by the Zombie Appocalypse?

[bigbarada]

I wonder how much of the world is affected by the Zombie Appocalypse?

Maybe they could make a couple of spin off shows that follow the zombie apocalypse from different locations around the world? Of course, it would be a blatant milking of the concept, but I would still watch the shows if they were well done.

Kind of like all the different CSI and Law & Order shows.

I'd be surprised if this idea hadn't already been brought up at AMC at some point.

[Tycho]

There's A lot of potential depending upon the cause of the zombie apocalypse.

If A geo political thing to do to a experiment or attack on the United States, then other countries may not be affected and may not accept Rick and survivors

[Tycho]

there would probably be places in the world so isolated that the zombie apocalypse was not caught there.

If this occurred by an alien invasion then it might or might not be world wide spread.

If not other countries would give trouble to Americans like Rick. Especially where people did not fly or travel to because there is not common travel there. Those people would not be exposed to the disease.

If there is a religious reasons behind this like God's punishment it ought to be world wide spread. Or Satan's doing something like that.

Then there truly be no escape.

Unless Rick got a spaceship and became lost in space. Then he could discovered that the Geonosian Queen was behind all this

[Tycho]

Superheroes like the Hulk and Spiderman were created by genetic manipulation. They were made to soldiers could fight on healing themselves. Perhaps that experiment went wrong and revive the dead instead of making it so that they would be soldiers?

[OC47150]

there would probably be places in the world so isolated that the zombie apocalypse was not caught there

There's probably parts of darkest Africa and remote islands in the Pacific that aren't overran with zombies. At least I'd like to think so.

[bigbarada]

If not other countries would give trouble to Americans like Rick. Especially where people did not fly or travel to because there is not common travel there. Those people would not be exposed to the disease.

I would imagine that if other industrialized nations were not affected at all by the zombie plague, then they'd start firebombing large sections of the United States just to wipe out as many zombies as they could.

[bigbarada]

I've been wondering what happened to Morgan although it's sad to see what his fate ended up being. I'm actually a bit surprised that he didn't go with Rick, but maybe just having Rick see someone who is crazier than he is will help him step up and be a leader to his group again.

It was definitely good to see Michonne earning Carl and Rick's trust. I never really understood why Rick was so hostile to the idea of allowing her to stay.

Did anyone actually feel bad for that hitchhiker?

[OC47150]

The conversation between Herschel and Milton about Herschel's leg was priceless.

[bigbarada]

I liked how everybody seemed to be getting along except for Rick and the Governor. Makes me think that if someone just assassinated the Governor they could all move in to Woodbury and live happily ever after. But of course that's not going to happen.

[Tycho]

they discussed the hitchhiker on talking dead.

He could be part of a group like Randalls. They have limited resources at the prison.

[OC47150]

I was so hoping Andrea would make it. And I was hoping the Gov would've got in the warehouse, but I knew that wouldn't happen.

[Tycho]

Andrea make what? The killing of the Governor?

Yeah - there's great development there:

Michonne wants to kill him.

Glen wants to kill him for what he did to he and Maggie.

Maggie *should* want to kill him.

For Andrea it's personal to want to kill him now as well.

Actually, Rick does not necessarily have a personal agenda against the Governor. He's just a threat to Rick and has to be removed.

This reminds me of my favorite Star Trek's situation with Gul Dukat.

Dukat killed Jadzia Dax and held Kira's mother as his concubine.

Thus Worf and Kira have extremely strong motivations to take him out - for a very passionate climax - like When Worf cut Duras' head off in ST: TNG - for killng Key'lehr.

But Sisko takes down Dukat (kind of since he's the captain and star - like Rick is in Walking Dead).

What I'm getting to is that it's a more powerful impact and passionate story if Maggie kills The Governor for example

I'd take Maggie, Glen, or Andrea killing him OVER Michonne or Rick. If one of the latter two do it, they rob the first 3 of satisfaction from their vengeance.

Maggie is probably the best choice, since she's the most unlikely and least thought capable (except that he has no need for vengeance on the Governor, having Carl kill the Governor fits in with this as well).

Now Merle or Darell could do it and just be like "That's the way you get it done." But it's hardly the emotional impact of say like Ashley Judd's kill in Double Jeopardy.

Now Glen and Andrea are both killers - but the Governor got in Andrea's head and part of her used to be in love with him. It's a good personal story for her to avenge herself (Andrea) too. But Maggie would be the most surprising.

It would truly show the Governor reaping what he sowed.

[bigbarada]

I really felt bad for Andrea at the end of the last episode and I think she's now at the top of my list of people that I want to see kill the Governor.

I'm actually hoping that they resolve this situation with Woodbury and not drag it out for another full season. I don't want to see the Governor continue to cheat death over and over again just because the series needs a strong, central villain. I think if that happens, then I might start to lose in interest in the show.

If the Governor dies during the season 3 finale, then I will be satisfied. If he survives into season 4, then I'm fine with that as well, as long as all the other characters stop acting like there is any other option to solve their conflict outside of killing the Governor. If the Governor survives season 4, then that will greatly depend on the circumstances surrounding his survival. As long as he doesn't continue to walk unharmed through barrages of gunfire or survive being swarmed by zombies. The show will start to lose a lot of credibility with me if the writers keep that up.

[OC47150]

Anyone else notice the transition to fall in the last ep? Leaves on the trees are turning, coats are coming out.

Good points, Tycho. With only two eps left, gotta wonder if some of the major/obvious plotlines will be wrapped up or carried over to next season.

[Tycho]

I'm okay if the governor survived the season as in like some type of cliffhanger where he comes back for the early part of fourth season.

If Woodbury falls it will turn into something awful bloody mess!

[bigbarada]

Maybe Randal's group could show up and Woodbury would find itself in the middle of a war on two fronts with the prison on one side and Randal's group on the other.

Now that I think about it, after they took so much time establishing the Governor as a villain this season, it would feel a bit premature to kill him off before season 4. Now that everyone is starting to turn against the Governor, including Milton, it will be interesting to see the Governor's support structure crumbing around him.

[bigbarada]

Sad to see Merle go and I never thought I'd say that. It's been a while since we've seen a recurring character turn. I think maybe Shane was the last one.

I'm sure it's going to affect Darryl negatively in some way, but in the long run it's best if he isn't divided between the group and his brother.

I'm looking forward to the season finale.

[OC47150]

Great ep last night. Will miss Merle. He knew how to stir the pot. I kinda think Darryl will go on a revenge kick.

Gotta wonder, with several loose plotlines floating around, how much of the storyline will continue over to next season. BB is right: too much time and great effort has been spent in developing the Gov. Although we want to see him take a bullet to the head right before the credits roll, I don't think it will happen. Starting to think more of a cliffhanger.

[sith_killer_99]

Best show on TV right now. I loved the last 2 episodes, especially with Andrea trying to take out the Gov. then Merle and their ultimate fates. Wow, I just love it, seems the Gov. lives a charmed life.

[bigbarada]

Really blown away by the season finale. I think the way they handled it with the Governor was pretty awesome. Now there is no doubt in anyone's mind that he's a sociopath. I think I was most disgusted with Martinez and that other guy, because they just stood there while the Governor shot down all those people and then they jumped in the truck with him and drove off.

Too bad about Andrea and Milton, though. Awesome to see Tyreese and his wife rejoining Rick's side and I'm guessing they cleaned out Woodbury. Time will tell if all those people will be a benefit or a hindrance to Rick's group.

Also, I think Rick really, really needs to spend some father/son time with Carl next season. He's been an absentee father for too long and it's really starting to take its toll on his son.

[OC47150]

I came away with an unsatisfied feeling. That's it? After such a great season and that's it? I wanted more. Not enough resolution for me, but hey, that's just me. I do want to see this ep again, maybe this week, maybe in a few months, to see if it's more satisfying.

I wanted to see Martinez get it just as bad as the Governor. The Gov is a psychotic egomaniac who can't come back from the edge of insanity after shooting his 'soldiers.'

Really bummed out about Andrea, but wasn't it kinda expected? Such a fighter to go out like that? If it weren't for the stab wound, I kinda expected Milton to take notes about the transformation.

The rest of Woodbury coming back to the prison was natural. Taking them in was the right thing to do.

I agre: Rick needs to be more of a father to Carl next season. When Carol ran off at the end, I half-expected to see him standing next to the fence and get bit.

Now to wait six months.

[bigbarada]

I was really bothered at the beginning of the episode when it looked like Rick's group was abandoning the prison, so I guess my relief in learning that they had no plans to leave the prison overshadowed any possible disappointments. The show seemed to have a trend going. At the end of season 1 they were forced out of the CDC. At the end of season 2, they were forced to abandon the farm. So I'm glad they weren't forced to leave the prison, because it would have started to make the show feel too predictable. Now that I've just typed all that out, I realize that the writers were obviously playing off of that audience expectation.

Also, the one character I was really beginning to dislike through season 3 was Rick. He started out the season as an oppressive jerk. Then went crazy when Lori died and started alienating people left and right; so he started to become a liability to the group (Oscar died as a direct result of Rick's hallucinations). But now it seems that he's snapped out of it and is starting to go back to the character that I had so much respect for in seasons 1 and 2.

The only thing I wish we had seen was some kind of hint about where the Governor went after gunning down all of his people, since he obviously didn't got back to Woodbury right away. I really hope we get to see his reaction when he returns to Woodbury and it's a ghost town.

[Tycho]

I might have stayed in Woodbury if I was used to that. If you lived there why would you want to abandon that and come to live in the prison?

Now if I were already living at the prison and made it my home, I'd stay there.

They didn't explain something. Maybe it's a temporary evacuation of people who fear the governor will return?

[OC47150]

The Governor is definitely coming back next season.

http://tv.yahoo.com/news/walking-dead-four-actors-promoted-series-regulars-season-015818478.html

[bigbarada]

I might have stayed in Woodbury if I was used to that. If you lived there why would you want to abandon that and come to live in the prison?

Now if I were already living at the prison and made it my home, I'd stay there.

They didn't explain something. Maybe it's a temporary evacuation of people who fear the governor will return?

Well, if the place is being run by a murderous sociopath, who cares how comfortable it is? It's possible that some of them also had loved ones who had just been gunned down by the Governor; so, I don't see any reason why they would want to stay.


The Governor is definitely coming back next season.

http://tv.yahoo.com/news/walking-dead-four-actors-promoted-series-regulars-season-015818478.html

I didn't know Sasha was supposed to be Tyreese's sister, I just assumed it was his wife. Maybe I missed a bit of dialogue somewhere? Also, I thought Beth was already a series regular.

Anyways, it's not the most shocking bit of news, but it's good to see that it's official.

[Tycho]

I didn't gather that the Governor is coming back to Woodbury.

Obviously he is coming back to the show - but even that doesn't mean he's going to re-settle in Woodbury.

I do think you are correct: some people don't want to stay there for fear he'll return or because he killed their loved ones.

Two school busses would not transport all of Woodbury's residents to the prison though.

Meanwhile, they should not just open Woodbury to walkers (biters in their terms) and abandon it. It's too nice.

If you could somehow barricade your own (hopefully pleasant) neighborhood in the Zombie Appocalypse, you might prefer staying at home versus moving into a yucky prison.

However, the prison is safer and more secure. I really wonder how they are keeping (even backup generator) power and water running. They should visit a nuclear power plant or something in some episode. Maybe a water district building.

Or talk about shower rationing or toilet usage - not to mention drinking water aquisition.

It'd actually be amusing to see an armored truck delivering Arrowhead or Sparkletts.

[bigbarada]

I think they said in one of the episodes that there were 70 people in Woodbury. 5 were killed in the raid to rescue Glenn and Maggie, so that's 65. Then 8 more where killed by Merle's attack. So that drops it down to 57, or 56 if you count Merle. Then subtract Andrea and Milton: 54. Then the Governor, Martinez and that third guy that ran off after the massacre: 51.

Then subtract the number of people that the Governor (and Carl) gunned down after the prison attack and there were probably only about 30-40 people left in Woodbury at the most. A school bus can hold up to 65 children, if everyone is sitting three to a seat; but that's not counting how many people you can sit on the floor.

So, I think it's completely plausible that they could have fit the remainder of Woodbury inside the vehicles they had available.

[OC47151]

A teaser pix and article from season 4, now filming in Georiga.

http://tv.yahoo.com/news/-walking-dead--season-4-sneak-peek--look-out-behind-you--rick---photo--195842606.html