The Walking Dead

[Townhallsavoy]

Me.  I hate this whole thing.  I find it very hard to believe that a large group of previously civilized people could all snap so badly that they could get down with eating folks like a buncha damn Reavers.  One or two, fine, random psychos.  But a huge group?  No way.

Yeah I don't like it either, honestly.  I could see a large group succumbing to cannibalism if they were starving to death while also dealing with assholes messing with their group.  But their reaction to a few bad guys was, "Fuck this, we're eating EVERYBODY!"  Never seen that before in history or literature. 

[Catphish Tilly]

Yeah I don't like it either, honestly.  I could see a large group succumbing to cannibalism if they were starving to death while also dealing with assholes messing with their group.  But their reaction to a few bad guys was, "fudge this, we're eating EVERYBODY!"  Never seen that before in history or literature.

While I agree, the sociopathic personalities seem excessive. We've seen that from countless examples of popular psychology that people do messed up stuff to other people, when given the power. However, their initial modus operandi wasn't just to "eat everybody". I think they just realized they couldn't keep themselves going any other way. By this point, food and ammo are scarce in this world and the knowledge to produce it gone. So when it came down to dying or living, they gave those who found their way to Terminus a choice to become a part of them, and if they refused... well, they became a part of them in a worse way. TW alluded to trapping to survive and that's exactly what Terminus was, a funnel trap.

And based on the type of people there, it was the most effective they could muster. Its easy to talk about making spears, and rabbit traps and shit like that but the reality is, being consistently successful in both creating and using those primitive techniques to catch wild game is low even for a survivalist.

Now throw in Bob from IT, Jane the Bank Examiner, mom, dad, and 50+ other random folks... that's a lot of rabbits to throw rocks at.

BTW, knowing your opinion is already made, I'm not trying to change your mind. Its just fun to talk about.

[Snaggletiger]

You guys do realize you're on page 36 of in-depth analysis of a zombie show, right?  You do know zombies aren't real?

[djsimp]

You guys do realize you're on page 36 of in-depth analysis of a zombie show, right?  You do know zombies aren't real?

You just lost 25 cool points. Keep it up and we will eat you...wait a minute.

[wesfau2]

people do messed up stuff to other people, when given the power.

Stanford Prison Experiment.

[Saniflush]

Stanford Prison Experiment.

Exactly what I was thinking.

[Catphish Tilly]

You guys do realize you're on page 36 of in-depth analysis of a zombie show, right?  You do know zombies aren't real?

What is real? How do you define 'real'? If you're talking about what you can feel, what you can smell, what you can taste and see, then 'real' is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain.

Also, I will cut you. ($1 to Sna... woops.)

Exactly what I was thinking.

Word. We was thinking the same.

[wesfau2]

What is real? How do you define 'real'? If you're talking about what you can feel, what you can smell, what you can taste and see, then 'real' is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain.

[Tiger Wench]

SO - last week's show. 

Bob's laughing scene was EPIC.  Good for him, not going out with a whimper but with a hearty FUCK YOU.

I loved that Rick kept his promise, but wish he had taken it outside.  I have to say I agree with Father Gabriel.

Does anyone see those that left on the Eugene Machine as the spinoff we have been hearing rumors about? 

The whole Beth story line they showed in the trailer looks like it could be another cluster fuck.  She is not good as a main character.

I am curious as to who Daryl has hiding in the woods.  Unless it's Beth and the trailer was showing flashback...?

And I am ready for some Morgan.  Finally a black man besides Tyrese that won't be zombie bait right off the bat.  And we all know that mofo is nuts.

[djsimp]

SO - last week's show. 

Bob's laughing scene was EPIC.  Good for him, not going out with a whimper but with a hearty FUCK YOU.

I loved that Rick kept his promise, but wish he had taken it outside.  I have to say I agree with Father Gabriel.

Does anyone see those that left on the Eugene Machine as the spinoff we have been hearing rumors about? 

The whole Beth story line they showed in the trailer looks like it could be another cluster fuck.  She is not good as a main character.

I am curious as to who Daryl has hiding in the woods.  Unless it's Beth and the trailer was showing flashback...?

And I am ready for some Morgan.  Finally a black man besides Tyrese that won't be zombie bait right off the bat.  And we all know that mofo is nuts.

I enjoyed the episode. First thing I did is record it so I can catch up by fast forwarding through all the commercials. Sorry, that bugs me.

Bob is cool. He went out in style.

Although it does seem a bit over the top to have a blood bath in a place of worship, Maggie was right when she stated its just four walls in a roof. It has been that way since the priest locked his doors to the congregation as they were dying outside. Although, I agree with your reasoning as to have the bloodbath outside. I can't shake that feeling even though the show is going for that shock factor.

I'm thinking Rick and those left behind will catch up to the bus sooner or later but a spin off might make sense in order to get everybody some face time.

The Beth thing is confusing a little but I'm thinking that this is a flashback.

I think Morgan is with Daryl and Carol and they know where Beth is.

[Kaos]

I'm ready for the show to go completely off the rails.  These are the things upon which I ponder:

1) Where are the babies and kids?  Surely every dead person in the world was not grown to maturity.  I'd like to see zombie children, teens, babies and such dispatched in the same head smashing manner as all the adults that have been encountered.  Since the opening scene there hasn't been a zombie kid.  Need to come upon some. 

2) Starving?  Really?  What happens when people abandon an area in the south?  Deer turn it into an orgy of Caligulaean proportions.  They overrun it.  In reality there would be so many deer in the woods Rick and his crew could ride them around like ponies.  They have guns. They have arrows. Build a damn tree sand, put out some salt and eat well for days.  And where are all the cows?  The horses? 

3) Where are the dogs, cats, coyotes, raccoons, possums and turtles?  Where are the fish?  As abundant as the land in Georgia is?  Food everywhere.  But where ARE the dogs?  Did every domesticated dog in the entire US go to the rapture? 

4) WHY fuck around in the woods for years?  The Governor's plan was best.  Wall off a small city, put up sentries and start to gravitate back toward a civilized society.  Use the time you're not fighting zombies and eating pine cones to work on radios and communication devices.  See if there's anything out there. 

5) Why not get a tank or something like an armored personnel carrier.  Gareth and his pop gun would have been flattened in a heartbeat.  Drive around like Sherman heading to Atlanta.  If the entire place truly is covered in the undead, round up the people you like, find some women you'd like to impregnate and get to an island.  One way in and out.  That would solve the whole thing. 

[djsimp]

5) Why not get a tank or something like an armored personnel carrier.  Gareth and his pop gun would have been flattened in a heartbeat.  Drive around like Sherman heading to Atlanta.  If the entire place truly is covered in the undead, round up the people you like, find some women you'd like to impregnate and get to an island.  One way in and out.  That would solve the whole thing.

I think my stock value just went up.

[AUJarhead]

Does anyone see those that left on the Eugene Machine as the spinoff we have been hearing rumors about? 

Would be cool, but:

http://screenrant.com/walking-dead-spinoff-character-descriptions/

In the coming years, AMC will roll out spinoffs to two of its most successful TV series: Better Call Saul (the continuation of the Breaking Bad universe) and an untitled companion to The Walking Dead. While the former will feature a character previously introduced on its predecessor, the Walking Dead spinoff won’t be connected to the current show – other than existing in the same zombie-infested world.

Robert Kirkman, Gale Ann Hurd, and David Alpert of The Walking Dead will serve as executive producers on the new series, with Dave Erickson (Sons of Anarchy) as showrunner. The pilot script, written by Erickson and Kirkman, was well received by AMC, which gave the series the green light earlier this month. Now, new information about the companion’s six central characters has been released.

TVLine is reporting that the Walking Dead spinoff will focus on two small families as well as another character, comprising the six central figures in the spinoff series. There will be the Cabreras, a father and son; the Tompkins, a single mother with two teenaged children; and Andrea Chapman, who is reeling from her own personal tragedy.

Read the full character descriptions:

    SEAN CABRERA | A Latino male in his early 40s, Sean is a good man trying to do right by everyone in his life.

    CODY CABRERA | Sean’s whip-smart and rebellious teenage son. Known as the angriest kid in town.

    NANCY TOMPKINS | A thirtysomething single mom to two kids, Nancy looks like the girl next door, but there’s an edge to her.

    NICK TOMPKINS | Nancy’s screwed up teenage son. He’s too old to stay home, too scared to flee.

    ASHLEY TOMPKINS | Nancy’s mostly level-headed teenage daughter. Her ambition is in direct proportion to her older brother’s failures. She loves her mom but it’s time to get out of Dodge.

    ANDREA CHAPMAN | A somewhat wilted flower child, fortysomething Andrea — yep, another Andrea! — has retreated to the outskirts of the city to recover after a horrible marriage.

Although The Walking Dead can be considered a dramatic horror series, since it exists in a world filled with zombies, the show leans more heavily on its dramatic elements, such as character development. This has turned The Walking Dead into more of a character drama residing in a horrific world than a cut and dry horror series. It seems the Walking Dead companion will uphold the character-focused tradition by putting familial drama at the forefront of the series.

The combination of Sean and Cody Cabrera may be especially compelling for Walking Dead fans wondering what the character dynamic between Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Carl Grimes (Chandler Riggs) would be like if the latter were older. However, the Tompkins’ will not be without their own tension as it seems the two teenagers, Nick and Ashley, may have often butted heads even before a zombie plague descended on their world. Additionally, it will be interesting to see how Andrea interacts with the two families – as well as how they interact with each other.

Although some aspects of the descriptions for the Walking Dead companion may fall into the realm of tired television tropes, whether or not the finished product does will depend on the show’s development of these characters. We won’t know more until actors and actresses are cast for the roles and more information about the project is released.

The Walking Dead season 5 premieres Sunday, October 12th, 2014 @9pm on AMC. Stay tuned to Screen Rant for more information about the show’s companion series as it becomes available.

[Vandy Vol]

2) Starving?  Really?  What happens when people abandon an area in the south?  Deer turn it into an orgy of Caligulaean proportions.  They overrun it.  In reality there would be so many deer in the woods Rick and his crew could ride them around like ponies.  They have guns. They have arrows. Build a damn tree sand, put out some salt and eat well for days.  And where are all the cows?  The horses?

There are millions of zombies wandering around eating anything living, so I would imagine that the wildlife populations are being kept in check (if not drastically decimated), and that most remaining animals spend a lot of their time in hiding, not just openly frolicking about in fields because the humans no longer run the world.

[Kaos]

There are millions of zombies wandering around eating anything living, so I would imagine that the wildlife populations are being kept in check (if not drastically decimated), and that most remaining animals spend a lot of their time in hiding, not just openly frolicking about in fields because the humans no longer run the world.

A zombie can catch and kill a freaking deer?  I don't think so.  Why would deer be hiding?  They don't hide when humans aren't around now.  But anyhow...


The Bethisode

All about Beth.  And I don't care in the least. 

I was surprised.  Thought I liked Beth.  But she couldn't carry that entire episode.  And I didn't care in the least about any of the other people at that freaky hospital -- or their backstories.  It drigged, it dragged, drug. Please give me the farm again over this. 

Explain this to me.  Why is EVERY SINGLE OTHER GROUP Rick's crew encounters some kind of murderous band of freaks?  Except for Herschel, that is.  Would people in a world decimated by a zombie virus really retain the need to murder for the sake of power?  Maybe when some semblance of society was reconstructed then you start to worry about who runs what, but why does it seem that only megalomaniacs are surviving and slicing and dicing their little groups? 

[wesfau2]

Explain this to me.  Why is EVERY SINGLE OTHER GROUP Rick's crew encounters some kind of murderous band of freaks?  Except for Herschel, that is.  Would people in a world decimated by a zombie virus really retain the need to murder for the sake of power?  Maybe when some semblance of society was reconstructed then you start to worry about who runs what, but why does it seem that only megalomaniacs are surviving and slicing and dicing their little groups?

People are inherently weak and in need of leadership.  Nature abhors a vacuum and the ruthless fuckers are the first to start aggregating a power base.

Plus it's easier for the viewing public to digest a simple "we good, errbody else bad" storyline.

[Catphish Tilly]

It's only very recently that the ballot has overtaken the blade as the method of choice in validating who is in charge. Hell for a large part of of the world, it's still that way today.

As for the bethisode, I agree it wasn't the strongest but can appreciate the change of pace backstory episodes, like this, occasionally provide. I think it suffered mostly because Beth, as a character, isn't as fleshed out or a fan favorite as say a Maggie/Daryl/Rick etc. So a this character-centric episode is doubly affected. Then again, you need episodes like it in order to change that.

I just view it as the setup piece to the season's overall story arc that it is, and enjoy the scenery change from just folks walking amongst trees in the day/folks walking amongst trees in the night.

[Townhallsavoy]

A zombie can catch and kill a freaking deer?  I don't think so.  Why would deer be hiding?  They don't hide when humans aren't around now.  But anyhow...


The Bethisode

All about Beth.  And I don't care in the least. 

I was surprised.  Thought I liked Beth.  But she couldn't carry that entire episode.  And I didn't care in the least about any of the other people at that freaky hospital -- or their backstories.  It drigged, it dragged, drug. Please give me the farm again over this. 

Agree for the most part.  It was too rushed and poorly written.  The head girl was completely unbelievable.  Maybe she gets away with acting that way the first week of the apocalypse.  After that?  She's just another broad turned slave by the physically stronger men.  Two years later?  She's definitely not imposing her will on everyone. 

And where are the police getting their supplies?  Where are they getting their electricity?  How has the gas not run out yet?  If they're in Atlanta and surviving, wouldn't there be others surviving as well?  No conflicts?  Just three police officers and a doctor and a black slave nurse taking out all of the competition?

The doctor was interesting.  Should have focused more on him. 

Explain this to me.  Why is EVERY SINGLE OTHER GROUP Rick's crew encounters some kind of murderous band of freaks?  Except for Herschel, that is.  Would people in a world decimated by a zombie virus really retain the need to murder for the sake of power?  Maybe when some semblance of society was reconstructed then you start to worry about who runs what, but why does it seem that only megalomaniacs are surviving and slicing and dicing their little groups?

Don't forget that the virus is in everybody.  Bit, not bit, doesn't matter.  You die, you turn. 

I would imagine the good hearted people wouldn't want to stab their loved ones in the head right after death.  I'm sure most of the good people who did somehow survive wanted to mourn their losses.  Then their loved ones turned and thus was the end of the good people.

The loners, the sociopaths, the selfish folk - they didn't get caught up in funerals, caring for the sick, and rescuing people they cared about. 

[wesfau2]

Agree for the most part.  It was too rushed and poorly written.  The head girl was completely unbelievable.  Maybe she gets away with acting that way the first week of the apocalypse.  After that?  She's just another broad turned slave by the physically stronger men.  Two years later?  She's definitely not imposing her will on everyone. 

And where are the police getting their supplies?  Where are they getting their electricity?  How has the gas not run out yet?  If they're in Atlanta and surviving, wouldn't there be others surviving as well?  No conflicts?  Just three police officers and a doctor and a black slave nurse taking out all of the competition?

The doctor was interesting.  Should have focused more on him. 

Don't forget that the virus is in everybody.  Bit, not bit, doesn't matter.  You die, you turn. 

I would imagine the good hearted people wouldn't want to stab their loved ones in the head right after death.  I'm sure most of the good people who did somehow survive wanted to mourn their losses.  Then their loved ones turned and thus was the end of the good people.

The loners, the sociopaths, the selfish folk - they didn't get caught up in funerals, caring for the sick, and rescuing people they cared about.

There was some hinting that Dawn answers to someone else.

[Townhallsavoy]

There was some hinting that Dawn answers to someone else.

I missed that completely.