BYOAC's talking dead: The Walking Dead Season 4 (Second half)

[DaOld Man]

 

[shponglefan]

I'm really intrigued where this season is going to go; and especially how they will work Tyreese into the storylines now they (finally) brought that character on board.

I also hope they leave the Governor out of it, at least this season.  Bring him back for Season 5.

[boomerbrian]

This season will be make or break for me. Got turned off with the Governor plot line. Plus I am still in mourning that Breaking Bad ended.

[Louis Tully]

.

[macattack]

Watching it now, trying figure out how the old boy got his leg back or ?


WWW.Xtremepinball.com

[DaOld Man]

I was wondering that too. However he was walking with a limp so it must be a prosthetic.
Looks like they would have explained that.

[macattack]

I was wondering that too. However he was walking with a limp so it must be a prosthetic.
Looks like they would have explained that.

Yup, you see it about 10 minutes after my post


WWW.xtremepinball.com

[DaOld Man]

Yep, they pointed it out in "Talking Dead" don't know how I missed it.
Encore coming on now.

[boomerbrian]

Wasn't very impressed with the opening episode. Did not really understand the story line with Rick and the crazy lady. Just seemed like a bunch of filler.

Yeah...They showed his fake leg twice. Both times when he was talking with Rick. He actually had it off at the end when he was talking to him.

[DaOld Man]

Watching the encore now. Yeah, I was wondering about the part with the weird chick.
I hope it hasn't come to doing things like this.

[Rick]

Soooooo... does anyone think the pig sickness and the kid's death are somehow related?

[boomerbrian]

Theories
Swine Flu or the food is contaminated because they planted their garden where they buried zombies which is why is showed Rick unearth the gun?

[Alistair Keith]

I'm like a couple of seasons behind. Is it worth watching still?

[Rick]

Theories

I think you're right. There's a lot of hints to disease.

We keep focusing on the blind zombie. Reddit thinks this has something to do with the Ebola virus or similar.
The sick pig and the kid thanking Daryl for the deer. Animal sickness is always a possibility.
Daryl licking his fingers before the handshake, and the multiple focus on the water supply (i.e. dead kid showering at the end.)
The alcoholic guy commenting on how he watched an outbreak of disease.

[SNAAKE]

I just wanna say that homeland is terrible

[shponglefan]

Wasn't very impressed with the opening episode. Did not really understand the story line with Rick and the crazy lady. Just seemed like a bunch of filler.

Given that Rick was on the verge of going to crazy land last season, they seemed to be juxtaposing what he could have become with what he is now.  Basically just reminding the audience that he chose the sane path; I think it also shows he's not quite as jaded as he was previously, but still cautious.

[Vigo]

I think you are spot on, shponglefan, but I kinda wish it was a better done scene. I don't think even "crazy rick" could identify with this lady. She goes from desperate and sane, then randomly flips and trys to stab rick. Don't know why. Then stabs herself. Then goes to start a conversation with rick in the middle of her death scene. I get she is crazy, but she was just this weird random kind a crazy that makes it hard to group her with rick.

[Mikezilla]

See, I was impressed with it, I enjoyed it, for multiple reasons. Zombies, lots of Zombie action. No Lori. No Andrea. And no Governor. Shponglefan and Vigo hit the nail on the head. I think it just showed how far the lady had fallen, and that Rick was on that path. He saw visions of lori, and was "talking" to her on an imaginary phone etc.

Glenn is starting to get on my nerves though, he is kind of like the new Lori. It also bugged me that they didnt bring the sick pig to the attention of the FARM VETERINARIAN. Cmon, if the pig was sick, shouldnt a vet look at the damn thing? That kid got instantly sick, so maybe its a combination of things. I thought they were burning the zombies as opposed to burying them.

Also Tyrese is a sissy, sometimes I wish that I didnt read the comics.

Excited its back though! Greg Nicotero is a certifiable genius. 

[shponglefan]

Also Tyrese is a sissy, sometimes I wish that I didnt read the comics.

I keep hoping they are just setting things up to turn him into a total badass later (i.e. "What kept you?"  ).  Because otherwise, it seems odd to name him after the comic character, but have him be someone else entirely.

[jdbailey1206]

Mike-  I agree.  Usually if something is wrong and I know I have someone that close that can fix it I usually think to myself "Hey.  Maybe so and so can help me figure this out."  But the whole episode was geared to show how Rick is changing from what he was. 

• He is the only one who is seen farming.  10+ people and he's the only one who knows what a hoe is.  (huh huh.  Hoe.)
• He doesn't go out on 'missions'
• He doesn't kill the woman in the woods.  Old Rick would have drawn on her extremely fast.
• He tosses the gun he finds in the dirt.  This was a metaphor for Rick throwing away his old ways.

I could see how this episode would turn a lot of people sour.  But it was just to show how things had changed for everyone in the past months.  The pig intrigues me though.  Hopefully if they do a Contagion idea and show how animals were the cause they don't make it too cheesy.  Scott Gimple said on the Talking Dead that this episode was tame compared to the rest of the season and it really ramps up.  Here's to hoping.

[Ginsu Victim]

Greg Nicotero is a certifiable genius.

Hell yeah. The students (KNB) have surpassed the master (Savini).

[Vigo]

Glenn is starting to get on my nerves though, he is kind of like the new Lori.

I do see what you are getting at with Glenn. I hope they don't take him down the Lori path of pure "Please shoot this character in the face" aggravation.... 

It also bugged me that they didnt bring the sick pig to the attention of the FARM VETERINARIAN.

Best observation of the week.

He is the only one who is seen farming.  10+ people and he's the only one who knows what a hoe is.  (huh huh.  Hoe.)[/li][/list]

2nd best observation of the week. They picked up a bus of people who don't do anything but stab fence zombies, I guess. Makes me glad lil' Harry Potter keeled over in the shower at the end of the episode.

[Mikezilla]

Man its good to be back talking to people actually worth talking to. 

Yeah Vigo, lets hope that Glenn doesnt go down that path of "man when is he going to DIE". 

Also Tyrese is a sissy, sometimes I wish that I didnt read the comics.

I keep hoping they are just setting things up to turn him into a total badass later (i.e. "What kept you?"  ).  Because otherwise, it seems odd to name him after the comic character, but have him be someone else entirely.

See, I WANT to think that, but after the pathetic "I dont want to do this, I dont want to do that, I just want to see you" whiny BS makes me think there is no way, that soft pillowy, marhmallow of a man can be the carved out of rock, tough as nails badass in the comics. Heres hoping though. 

[Vigo]

I have a gut feeling they are trying to soften up everybody right now. They have Darryl getting all chatty and has his little fan club. They have Tyrese getting blubbery, they have Rick a gardening pacifist and Glen couldn't even manage one zombie in the dept store.

Other than Michonne, sadly, Carol right now is looking the most badass when she whipped out knives to teach the kids combat skills. Even then, they made a point to show that self defense was not being taught openly. It leads me to believe they are trying show the group is growing soft so they will get blindsided by the time the next big threat comes along.

[Drnick]

I wholeheartedly agree with the above 

[yotsuya]

Never seen an episode.

[Rick]

Never seen an episode.

It's good.

[yotsuya]

Enh.... I just don't get why zombies turn guys into their female/vampire-loving counterparts. 

[drventure]

Easy

I just don't get why zombies turn guys into their female/vampire-loving counterparts.

Easy. Piles more gore!

[shponglefan]

Other than Michonne, sadly, Carol right now is looking the most badass when she whipped out knives to teach the kids combat skills.

Thinking back to Season 1, I never would have thought "Carol" and "badass" would be used in the same sentence. 

[Mikezilla]

Vigo youre probably right. I dont know why they think they can just "relax" though, the Governor is still out there, along with hordes of the undead.

YOTSUYA! I am very disappointed in you young man. 

[DaOld Man]

Ok, the boar in the woods, the animal not the crazy lady, wasn't dead, but it acted like it was sick. At first I thought that it was caught in a snare, but it wasn't moving much at all, just grunting. I wonder if it was sick, the same sickness the pig in the camp has? Could it be a sickness starting in the animals? I have always wondered why the virus turns humans into zombies but don't seem to have any effect what so ever on any animals. Maybe the virus is mutating?

[jdbailey1206]

Some studies have shown that our genetic makeup is comparable to a pigs.  They have found that "pigs suffer from the same genetic and protein malfunctions that account for many human diseases, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and obesity."  (Delicious, Delicious obesity.)  I believe the writers are trying to explain in the Walking Dead universe how the disease has evolved.  I find this interesting.  To be honest how many seasons can you spend showing someone being whiny along with the group surviving baddies and zombies.  It gets old.  We as an audience need something to relate to.  As much as everyone here runs into zombies on a daily basis.   

I like the fact too how quickly it has taken over the colony suggesting until they find a complete cure for the issue at hand (zombie infection) the Walking Dead universe will never be back to what it used to be.  I, for one, am looking forward to this season. 

[Howard_Casto]

Sorry guys but this episode was great.  An interesting (albeit extremely predictable) conversation with a crazy lady.  Hershel is now 50% less gimpy, which means he isn't automatically zombie chow, and I'm just going to call it... Zombie pigs.  Even though it was kind of silly, the raining zombie sequence was pretty cool and unlike the prison break-in last season, it was theoretically possible. 

No plot holes, no bad acting, no stupid "out of character" characterizations, a very solid episode. 

Don't both with spoiler tags guys... in previous TWD threads the rule has always been you watch the show without missing an episode and you don't visit the thread until after you are caught up. 

[Rick]

Don't bother with spoiler tags guys... in previous TWD threads the rule has always been you watch the show without missing an episode and you don't visit the thread until after you are caught up.

If that's status quo then people should try and put that in their first post.

[boomerbrian]

No plot holes, no bad acting, no stupid "out of character" characterizations, a very solid episode. 

I understand why they showed Rick and the crazy lady but I found her character unbelievable and wasn't buying that Rick couldn't figure out her game based on her behavior. Found myself laughing when she stabbed herself. Very campy.

[Louis Tully]

.

[DaOld Man]

Bump.

New episode tonight.
At work, bets are that the animals are getting a mutated form of the virus. If it is, things could get very interesting.
How would you run from a zombie bird?

[Rick]

How would you run from a zombie bird?

You don't run. You fly.

[Howard_Casto]

Heh, I was kidding about the whole zombie pigs thing. 

This is just a typical side effect of a bunch of people living in a confined space... disease.  Us humans are filthy, filthy, creatures and the only thing that keeps us from killing ourselves just by living with each other are modern conveniences  like soap, working plumbing, medical equipment/medicines  and the national center for disease control.  So the people getting sick was a predictable development, but predictable in a good way.  If disease wasn't covered  this season considering their living conditions, you would have heard me complaining about it already. 

The reason the pigs were getting sick is the fact that pigs are so similar to us.

One thing I'm disappointed in is the fact that it's just episode 2 and they are already introducing a "conspiracy secret character" plot line.  We don't need that.  Problems with keeping the zombies off the fence and this upcoming pandemic are more than enough to keep the show interesting and I can't think of any logical reason why someone inside the camp would want to sabotage themselves. 
   

[Rick]

One thing I'm disappointed in is the fact that it's just episode 2 and they are already introducing a "conspiracy secret character" plot line.

I'm calling it: it's Herschel's daughter. She bonked 'em on the head, and then, ran 'em outside to burn 'em.

[Howard_Casto]

Well that makes no logical sense, but considering the show it's probably her. 

The logic flaws are already starting to flood in I'm afraid.  I know they are complacent right now, but the one good thing about living in a prison is that every room has a locking door.  Considering you are living in a world with mad-max-style bandits and flesh eating zombies roaming the earth why wouldn't you at least shut your door at night?  You wouldn't even have to lock it... zombies can't open locks so a bit of wire wrapped around to hold it shut would be enough.   

Also on talking dead one of the commenters made a good point and you could tell by Nicataro's face that the thought had never occurred to him.  (Which is a bad sign, dumb guys shouldn't be directors).  Hershel was a vet, as soon as the pigs started getting ill wouldn't he have looked in on them?  Unlike the people, Rick mentions that the one pig had been sick for a while.

[Rick]

Well that makes no logical sense, but considering the show it's probably her. 

I'm using the same TV logic I see on The Biggest Loser every week. "Oh look, we're focusing on rounding out this character this week. Hello, you're going home."

[Mikezilla]

Well, to Nicoteros credit, he isnt a writer, show runner etc, but yeah, I said that already regarding last weeks episode about the pig and the vet stuff.

What concerns me is how much Tyrese sucks. 

[shponglefan]

Eh, I was underwhelmed by episode 2.  It was one of those "the audience already knows everything that is happening, so we're just watching characters go through the motions"-type episodes. 

And the mystery pyro just harkens back to Season 2 (when the escaped prisoner mysteriously lets walkers into the prison)... I find myself not the least bit compelled to learn their identity.

^ And I agree, Tyreese does suck.  Not at all the same badass character, but I still hold out hope they'll fix him...

[Howard_Casto]

Well, to Nicoteros credit, he isnt a writer, show runner etc, but yeah, I said that already regarding last weeks episode about the pig and the vet stuff.

What concerns me is how much Tyrese sucks. 

No he's an executive producer as of last season and he directed the first episode this season.  He is a very talented special effects artist and he should stick to that.  SFX guys traditionally make bad directors/producers because they are mostly concerned with showing off some effect instead of progressing the story in a compelling manner.  Just as an example 20 seconds could have been cut from the "raining zombies" sequence to have a shot of Hershel examining the pig and saying something like "I'm not sure, without equipment, but it looks like some sort of flu.  I'll see if I can scrounge up some anti-biotics." There, plot-hole filled and it doesn't take much effort. 

It looks like Tyreese is the next character to get the "Andrea" treatment.  They are sucking all of the bad-ass out of the character.  Here's hoping we don't have him making dumb decisions and sleeping with the bad guy each season as well. 

[CCM]

One thing I'm disappointed in is the fact that it's just episode 2 and they are already introducing a "conspiracy secret character" plot line.  We don't need that.  Problems with keeping the zombies off the fence and this upcoming pandemic are more than enough to keep the show interesting and I can't think of any logical reason why someone inside the camp would want to sabotage themselves. 
 

My guess is that the young girl is the one feeding them (I don't remember her name).   She feels bad for them and in the first episode Carl tells her not to name them or treat them as pets.  So, I don't think it's sabotage, it's just a dumb kid.   Then again, I could be totally wrong.

[Vigo]

One thing I'm disappointed in is the fact that it's just episode 2 and they are already introducing a "conspiracy secret character" plot line.  We don't need that.  Problems with keeping the zombies off the fence and this upcoming pandemic are more than enough to keep the show interesting and I can't think of any logical reason why someone inside the camp would want to sabotage themselves. 
 

My guess is that the young girl is the one feeding them (I don't remember her name).   She feels bad for them and in the first episode Carl tells her not to name them or treat them as pets.  So, I don't think it's sabotage, it's just a dumb kid.   Then again, I could be totally wrong.

I agree with you about that. I think the kid was feeding the zombie as a pet, most likely luring them all in.

The other possible sabotage point is the torching at the end of the episode, but right now, I think that was self inflicted. My theory is the lady probably got bit by that guy that was reported as coughing. He probably died, turned, and attacked her. She probably killed him, but only after getting bit, so she dragged him outside and torched herself and the dead walker together in order to keep the everyone safe.

[jdbailey1206]

I don't think that anyone is trying to sabotage the prison itself.  What I think has happened is that Lizzie (the girl seen in 04:01 'Thirty Days Without Incident) is feeding the walkers.  She inadvertingly doesn't realize that it is doing more harm than good and it ends up biting the prison in the ass.  I believe this is why she can't kill her father when he is going to become a zombie.  She feels compassion for the undead. 

Now I may be going out on a limb with this next part but I think it would be interesting if they bring Thomas Richards into the fold.  He is from the comics and his bio can be read here.  It is probably unlikely and it was just someone that was afraid of the virus who burned the bodies at the end but I believe it would create a good sub plot to the story.  I guess we'll see in the coming episodes.

[ChadTower]

Herschel didn't know the pigs were sick.  He showed surprise when Rick told him.  It's not much of a stretch to think that Rick is keeping people away from his little operation so he can have his alone time.  Nobody is helping because he doesn't want the help.  And look at the crops.  He's not producing enough food to feed those people.  Those crops looked as sick as everything else.  I think everybody (except Carl and Michonne) is giving Rick his space and talking to him when he comes back to where the people are.  I don't want to assume that Rick is much better than he was at the end of Season 2.  That was the whole point of episode 1.  Did he really get to come back or is he just isolated from the things that trigger his visions?

[Vigo]

I'd agree with you, except they show that scene where Hershel is showing Rick how to tend to plants, and the other scene where Hershel was talking like Rick was his farming protege, the one where he told Rick he needs to grow a "farmer's ass". You'd think at some point Rick would casually mention a pig near death, especially when they are 10 feet away from the pen.   

[ChadTower]

I'd agree with you, except they show that scene where Hershel is showing Rick how to tend to plants, and the other scene where Hershel was talking like Rick was his farming protege, the one where he told Rick he needs to grow a "farmer's ass". You'd think at some point Rick would casually mention a pig near death, especially when they are 10 feet away from the pen.   

Well, they're also skipping around in time a lot, so it's hard to tell how much time passes from one scene to the next.  Maybe Herschel is helping Rick in Rick's visions?  Heh.  We do know that Rick didn't do anything at all to help the sick pig.  The only thing that makes any sense is that Rick isn't so much farming as he's just being kept busy or is keeping himself busy and the farm isn't any good because he's not well.

[jdbailey1206]

HI DR. CAROL!!!

[shponglefan]

^ Heh.

I think I'm a little bored with this season so far.  There's not much new going on other than the threat of disease... which isn't that interesting a storyline, imho.  And it looks like they tried to play ode to the "What kept you?" bit from the comics with Tyreese surrounded by walkers, left for dead, but re-emerging unscathed.  But the show's version was far more... bland.

The real issue is the lack of an interesting villain.  The Governor made last season worth watching.  This season, there is nobody like that to keep things compelling.  Even Carol's revelation wasn't overly dramatic, as she was just doing what needed to be done out of necessity, not megalomania.

[Howard_Casto]

No he didn't.  He made the season barely viewable because he made all the other characters, particularly Andrea (who thankfully is now dead) look like morons. 

Don't get me wrong towards the end he was fun to watch because he was outed, but the whole first half of last season he might as well have been twirling his mustache and laughing maniacally he was so stereotypically evil and yet nobody seemed to notice. 

The disease angle is a far more realistic and interesting storyline.  Don't worry though it's going to be resolved one way or another within the next episode or so.  They've only got 24 hours and I'm pretty sure Glen isn't going to die yet, so there you go.  Of course Tyreese will soon become "Shane Jr." over the totally rational disposal of those bodies.  So it'll be another one of those annoyingly long, drawn out pissing matches. 

The next arc will involve a certain scientist pretender and maybe later on Jesus.  That's what the radio signal was all about. 

[jdbailey1206]

I find the threat of internal strife more compelling than some dude with a couple of guys making idle threats at me from outside of a fortress where I live and kidnapping my people.  That is fixable.  A simple right and wrong that can be remedied.  Internal strife shows more of a human connection with the characters.  Not just good vs evil.

Tyreese didn't bother me until Sundays episode though.  I can understand if someone burnt my girl just for having signs of a cold.  Okay.  I understand your grief.  But if my sister came down with the same illness I think I would get ---my bottom--- in a car as fast as I could to go get medicine with an army officer, a samurai sword wielding chick and a dude that handles a crossbow with deadly accuracy to go and get her medication.  Not just sit and pout when my car ran into a horde of zombies.  You are only doing harm to yourself and those around you.  Then once I had the medication that could save my sister then I would go on a sadistic rampage to try and figure out who harmed my girl. 

My other problem is they are not doing a very good job of portraying Beth as a strong woman trying to hold her own.  Maybe it's just Emily Kinney's poor acting skills.  They need to portray her as being strong in one scene then showing her breaking down by herself in a scene later on but knowing that she has to pull herself together for everyone.  This 'I'm not gonna cry' crap is getting on my nerves. 

I will say this in the end.  No matter what way they go I hope they don't end up treating the show like the comics where it's just a lot of waiting for 5 minutes of action in every other episode.  That gets annoying.  Like 'Where is Carl?' annoying.   

[Howard_Casto]

I don't understand your points at all.  If by "internal strife" you mean the whole upcoming Tyreese  vs Rick thing, that is predictable, played out and absolutely won't be done well.  How do I know?  Well have you seen any of the previous seasons?

I think Tyreese understood in that car after seeing the thousands upon thousands of zombies in their path that their chance of getting to the meds and back in time was slim to none.  It made perfect sense to me for him to hesitate.  On the other hand the fact that he got out of that swarm un-scathed is ---That which is odiferous and causeth plants to grow---.  It's one thing to out fight a fixed number of zombies in an enclosed space (the thing that happened in the comics) but getting away from an unlimited amount of zombies seems a bit much. 

So Beth's a p**** for getting a little sad over the fact that her father might die?  Yeah she's just so weak.  Seriously you can't tell the difference between the love for a mere boyfriend (which going by that scene in the first episode, she didn't really care that much for anyway) and your own flesh and blood?

[shponglefan]

No he didn't.  He made the season barely viewable because he made all the other characters, particularly Andrea (who thankfully is now dead) look like morons. 

Don't get me wrong towards the end he was fun to watch because he was outed, but the whole first half of last season he might as well have been twirling his mustache and laughing maniacally he was so stereotypically evil and yet nobody seemed to notice. 

Yes, he did.  His portrayal in the early half of the season is not unlike many real-world leaders; charismatic on the outside, but capable of doing evil things in secret.  In the latter half of the season is when he became more stereotypically twisted and psychotic.

The next arc will involve a certain scientist pretender and maybe later on Jesus.  That's what the radio signal was all about.

Given how much the show deviates so much from the comics I've given up trying to predict things.

[Howard_Casto]

Don't you mean real world dictators?  Because again, it was so blatantly obvious that he was evil it wasn't even funny.  I'm not even talking about given everything we as the viewer were privy to.... I mean just the stuff the characters interacting with him knew about him. 

[Mikezilla]

ok so I missed last weeks episode becaue my DVR screwed up, so I watched both episodes back to back last night. The thing with Carol wasnt that suprising to me. It shows the evolution of the character, but Rick kind of contradicts himself by saying there is power in numbers, than ousting her.

Tyrese is straight up pissing me off, I want him dead now. He escalated to the new Andrea at ludicrous speed. The way he pouts in the car, not letting go of the walker trying to bite his face off, the fist fight with Rick, over what? A chick he knew for how long? Big freaking deal, and she of course had the disease. The disease thing to me also seems kind of weak, as shpong said, its just kind of boring. Like it could be avoided if you keep yourself isolated most of the time. It obviously isnt some enfluenza type disease either, you get killed in a matter of what, a couple days? Its worse than ebola. 

They already casted Abraham, so it will most likely be him. They will probably drag out Jesus/Negan next season. So far, this season is pretty boring. Everyone is to the point where I dont even care, except Rick and Daryl. 

[shponglefan]

Don't you mean real world dictators?  Because again, it was so blatantly obvious that he was evil it wasn't even funny.  I'm not even talking about given everything we as the viewer were privy to.... I mean just the stuff the characters interacting with him knew about him.

Not dictators.  More like a cult/religious/etc. type leader.

[shponglefan]

Tyrese is straight up pissing me off, I want him dead now.

Tyreese does get a bit emotional/irrational in the comics, but they've really elevated that to the point they are beating us over the head with it.  I can only assume they will temper his character over the course of this season.

[Howard_Casto]

Again, shponglefan, that just isn't the case.  The governor on the show was blatantly evil to the point of where he was creepy to listen to.  There wasn't an ounce of charisma or leadership ability in the guy, it's just due to poor writing, everyone around him acted like he had those qualities. 

Tyreese doesn't bother me one bit.  I need some sort of character development to be invested in a character and quite frankly, in both the comics and on the show, he's a throw-away antagonist that acts as filler between the major arcs.  Don't worry, he'll be gone soon. 

How does Rick contradict himself by saying there is power in numbers and then banish her?  His actions kind of confirm that point.  There aren't a handful in the prison at this point... it's around 70 people.  The original group is in the minority. 

Making her leave, even though it won't be a popular decision is one of the smartest moves he's done in a while.  Look back to Shane... that's how his evil started....  doing horrible things and justifying them as necessary for survival. 

I would also like to point out that nobody I know, nor did the panel on talking dead, address the elephant in the room.  Her killing those people early makes no logical sense... it doesn't hinder the spread of disease one bit.  First off, most illnesses are in their contagious phase before symptoms appear..... if they are hacking and coughing on death's door it's too late.... they've already infected anyone around them when they first caught it.  Secondly the two people had already been isolated from the group, and they would have been dead in a few hours anyway, even if it did spread while they were showing symptoms the likelihood of it spreading further was slim. 

Long story short, she made a bad call.  Now burning the bodies was smart, but murdering the people instead of giving them a fighting chance was extremely dumb.  Yeah it had an unbelievably slim chance of reducing the risk of infection, but think of all the other problems it caused.  That's some Shane logic she had going on. 

Then she gets those poor hippies killed.  It was obvious that they were worthless in a fight, but she saw them as expendable.  She's been acting weird ever since the season started, and if that's the path they are taking an otherwise interesting character, I'm glad they are removing her early.  The change in personality doesn't make any sense either.  The only thing bad that's happened to her recently was when she got trapped in the prison but that was EARLY last season.  She should have shown symptoms of a heel turn earlier on.

What's with this weird alcoholic angle they've shoe-horned in btw?  First off, we've seen this guy in two episodes, so we have no vested interest in him.  Secondly Daryl has known him only slightly longer so why does he care so much?  Lastly I think considering the world they live in being a drunk  would be the norm, not the exception. 

I mean I get what they are TRYING to pull off.  Both Daryl and Merle had substance abuse problems, it's established backstory.  The problem is it's backstory we never saw, so as viewers we can't relate.  I mean unless they do a flashback episode with Daryl getting someone killed due to his addiction to pills/meth/whatever, there isn't any emotional payoff.  Even then it's a played out cliché that they should avoid. 

The thing that has me interested right now is Hershel.  He's getting far too much screen time, so something bad is going to happen.  I don't think they are going to kill him off, but it could go either way honestly.  What has me worried is even though they have sick people that could die any minute all in one place they are STILL not locking this people in individual cells.  That's just sheer idiocy. 

[shponglefan]

Again, shponglefan, that just isn't the case.  The governor on the show was blatantly evil to the point of where he was creepy to listen to.  There wasn't an ounce of charisma or leadership ability in the guy, it's just due to poor writing, everyone around him acted like he had those qualities.

We'll  have to just agree to disagree on that point.

[jdbailey1206]

Again, shponglefan, that just isn't the case.  The governor on the show was blatantly evil to the point of where he was creepy to listen to.  There wasn't an ounce of charisma or leadership ability in the guy, it's just due to poor writing, everyone around him acted like he had those qualities.

We'll  have to just agree to disagree on that point.

It's hard to portray someone that isn't the main focus of the show in just one season.  The writers created the town to have such a blind following so when we see the darker side of the governor then we as the audience will start to question why the town hasn't figured this guy out.  Thus making him more of an antagonist.

It wasn't a poor job on the writers end.  It just wasn't needed.  You didn't need to show how charismatic the governor was.  You just needed to show how sinister he was and what a threat he was to the prison.    This, of course, was done through keeping his daughter alive, the heads in the tanks, the kidnapping of Maggie and Glen and at the end where Daryl had to kill Merle. 

[DaOld Man]

The banishing of Carol hit me like a freight train, was not seeing that coming.
It will be interesting to see how Darrel handles this. I figure he will take off to find her.
I figured tyreese would attack carol when he found out and someone would have to kill him, I agree that he is probably on the extinction list anyway.

Now, I am wondering when they are going to show the governor again. And who was feeding the rats to the zombies?

Not trying to change the subject, but has anyone watched the webisodes on the net? (Check out amc.com, I think.)
I came across them while surfing, I did not know they were on there.
They are some shorts, and the ones I watched seemed to be prequels of other people right after the turn.
Check them out when you have a few minutes to kill. One explains the chained hospital room with the zombies inside, when rick woke up (first season, episode)

[Howard_Casto]

I doubt we'll see the Governor this season.  I think he serves the plot better as this intangible threat that is always in the back of everyone's minds.  I think when they finally do catch up with him, he'll be dead or as good as dead.

The Eugene arc is up next, but honestly I don't know how they could pull that off given their side-trip to the CDC in the first season.

I think it's pretty obvious at this point that the little girl is feeding the zombies... she's off her gourd.  I get what she's saying, the zombies aren't necessarily evil and they aren't necessarily completely devoid of humanity.  On the other hand zombies are a lot like bears... I respect bears, I think bears have the right to live, but if it's me or the bear, I'm killing the bear and I was taught at a very young age not to feed bears!  The reason I say it's her is because no one on the inside, save a Governor spy (boy that would be lame), would have any motive to endanger their own home.  Only a crazy person would do it. 

jdbailey1206:

I completely agree that it wasn't needed, so long as you admit that he didn't have any charisma at all and all the people in the town were morons.  My argument wasn't that he needed to be charismatic, but that he needed to be believable as a leader that a town of people would blindly follow... quite frankly he wasn't. 

The very definition of bad writing is when you just suddenly declare that someone has traits and then never show any of those traits through the progression of the story. 

The comics did a far better job of this.  He was evil, almost comically so (pun intended).  On the other hand Woodbury was run by him and a gang of thugs and all the "normal" townsfolk followed him because they had to.  It was do what he said or die.  Considering the limited time frame it would have made far more sense to approach the arc that way, but they decided to get all artsy-fartsy and it fell flat. 

[ark_ader]

I doubt we'll see the Governor this season.  I think he serves the plot better as this intangible threat that is always in the back of everyone's minds.  I think when they finally do catch up with him, he'll be dead or as good as dead.

You will see him appear later on in the series.


I like the show, and it can be a bit depressing now and then, but there is no addressing the removal of the herds, considering how many there are.  I find myself thinking of ways to dispatch them, but there must be some sort of government still working in the USA with this in mind.  I will have to start reading the comics. 

[Howard_Casto]

Actually no.  Spoilers I guess but even though the comics have been going for 10 years there has never been any sign of a remaining government. 

This sort of thing in both the comics and the show is what takes me out of it.  I can buy that there are zombies, I can buy that they are such a problem that they remove most of the creature comforts of civilization, but I find it hard to believe that a nation with such a big military and access to so many guns wouldn't have at least taken a dent out of the problem by now. 

[jdbailey1206]

jdbailey1206:

I completely agree that it wasn't needed, so long as you admit that he didn't have any charisma at all and all the people in the town were morons.  My argument wasn't that he needed to be charismatic, but that he needed to be believable as a leader that a town of people would blindly follow... quite frankly he wasn't. 

He definitely wasn't charismatic.  But like I said it is easier to show how charismatic he is when you have the time to show it like they do in the comics.  That is hard to do when you have the limited space of a season and not much time to work with.  That's why they couldn't show a dramatic rise of the Governor.  We'd still be in that story line in season six.  Its easier to show the blind faith of people following one idiot.  We see that everyday in real life when people have no idea what to do so they blindly follow someone who they think has the right ideas.  The connotation would be easier for us as an audience just to assume the people find the Governor to be a charismatic person.  Waco, Jamestown....

There is no form of stable government in the world of the Walking Dead.  But I believe it is intentional.  If you watch any of the shows on History, Discovery, etc. you see that a 'stable' government would always be working behind the scenes when a major disaster struck.  Always hiding in their bunker, safe house, etc.  (Sorry for sounding like I wear a tin foil hat during this part.... ) but any government, like it or not, will save those who they deem the most important.  The shot callers.  Not because they are selfish but they do it for the greater good.  We elect these officials to do a job and that is to run the country.  They play it safe by hiding behind the scenes and keep themselves safe to solve our problems.  The only fault with this logic is that since they are working for the greater good we as individuals get caught in the crossfire.  Now I'm not saying this is what will happen in the books or the show but in the end this, in reality, is how it will be.  A few will survive and many will perish for the common good of the future of humanity. 

Take a look at this wiki.  Also this is what we should be doing globally.  In the end will I be agitated if I have to scrape and fight through an apocalypse?  Yes.  But knowing that someone is out there for the greater good of humanity will stem my anger.  Do I find it funny that the people that are elected to protect us usually end up getting us in the danger we are trying to prevent?  Yes.  But the past has shown us that they also are intelligent enough to prevent most of the turmoil.  (Cold War etc.)  This leaves us to portray what could happen in the entertainment venues and stuck in fiction leaving us to continue on with our boring lives and that's fine with me.   

[DaOld Man]

He's back!!

[opt2not]

Thank gawd, I was thinking "is the whole season going to be a SARS attack or are we going to see some Governor action?".

[jdbailey1206]

Sorry folks.  Host site took down "their gif".  Greedy ---daisies---. 

[CoryBee]

---smurfing--- pirate is back!

[Rick]

Be honest, now. What you really meant was:

"When are we going to see some Rick on Governor action?"

Hmm. That quip may not have worked out to my advantage ...

[jdbailey1206]

Be honest, now. What you really meant was:

"When are we going to see some Rick on Governor action?"

Hmm. That quip may not have worked out to my advantage ...

Gah Damn freaky fan fiction.   

[ark_ader]

That last episode must have been cheap to make.

[Howard_Casto]

Yeah expect a lot of talking... they probably can't afford to do anything much for the next few episodes.  It was totally worth it though.

Also notice where the Doctor told Hershel to make sure people kept their cell doors shut and he was promptly ignored, and it got a bunch of the people killed?  Maybe they should rename the show to "The Walking Brain-Dead"

[DaOld Man]

Yeah I have to agree Howard. You would think keeping doors shut would be a very basic routine.
I was wondering why they didn't keep the doors shut before harry potter turned. I would think a nightly lockdown would be what everyone would want.
I mean, the doors are bars so ventilation is not going to be blocked. And anyone can have a heart attack in their sleep then you have a walking dead among us.
After the harry potter rampage, a sane person would make sure the door was shut and probably locked before going to sleep. The point should have been driven home.
I really hope they either wise up or go back to the raw action to deflect the attention away from the stupid things these supposedly smart people keep doing.

[jdbailey1206]

Yeah expect a lot of talking... they probably can't afford to do anything much for the next few episodes.  It was totally worth it though.

Also notice where the Doctor told Hershel to make sure people kept their cell doors shut and he was promptly ignored, and it got a bunch of the people killed?  Maybe they should rename the show to "The Walking Brain-Dead"

It would definitley be a lot less entertaing if everyone was smart and did what was correct.  I can see it now..."This week on the Walking Dead, people lock their cell doors to keep the walkers away and Carl stays in one place.  This exciting episode will be followed by 55 minutes of commercials.  On a side note, Talking Dead is now cancelled."   

[boomerbrian]

I liked the twist of not letting Carol come back. Didn't see it coming and could make for an interesting story line.

I am getting a bit tired of the bird flu prison episodes so it was a nice change of pace.

I like the Governor plot line but I don't like the actor they casted. I just have a hard time buying into him and I thought the writing last year with the town and nobody able to kill the Governor a bit poor.

[DaOld Man]

Ok, last nights episode was different. Could the governor be painted as a nice guy? I doubt it but it looks like it is turning that way.
I am guessing here, but looks like the governor might be around for a while longer.
Im beginning to wonder why the big story about the super flu breakout in the prison? Unless it was to cull the cast members back down to a more manageable amount?
I would like to see the group (the good guys), take back on the road again.
The prison setting is starting to get stagnant (even though there were no shots of the prison group on last nights episode.)
This may be the reason the walkers are tearing down the fences, maybe forcing the story line to go back on the road.

[DaOld Man]

Just thought of something. What if Carol hooks up with the governors new group?

[ark_ader]

Well what come around goes around.

Nice to see the Gov have new purpose, replacing his little girl.

Seemed a nice retirement home.  Lots of medical supplies....

Nice idea to solve the herds, dig a ditch or how about a quarry with fresh meat in the middle?

The possibilities....

[Mikezilla]

Last weeks episode was so BORRRRRINNGGG....

[Vigo]

It takes talent to make an episode strictly about the governor boring.

The governor hobbles around the street.
Now the governor sits on a couch.
Ooh, the governor looks around a mostly uninfested building for a backgammon board. Exciting!

[ark_ader]

So those hordes we see earlier in the series will eventually rot away and we will see a new world order in Series 10?

I'm sure a body will decompose faster in warm weather and it is Georgia, so why all the walking biters so late in the series?

[jdbailey1206]

It takes talent to make an episode strictly about the governor boring.

The governor hobbles around the street.
Now the governor sits on a couch.
Ooh, the governor looks around a mostly uninfested building for a backgammon board. Exciting!

 

It definitely was a drawn out episode but I think if it was intertwined with a regular episode it would really get annoying.  By making an episode exclusively for the governor it showed how fast he had fallen from his perch at Woodbury.  If you will it was his final desent into madness where he essentially has nothing left.  And if everyone remembers from the comics Lilly is one who shoots him in the head.  So this can go one of two ways.  Either Meghan is the saving grace for the Governor or he ends up getting shot in the head.  I believe the latter is going to happen.  And I think this is why we are getting these episodes.  To show that the Governor wasn't  always a bad guy but he will get what he deserves in the end.  His saving grace if you will.

Ark they have so many walkiing biters this late to show that there is no real redemption for the humans and now it is just survival.  Because like you alluded to if no one was getting bit then there would be more people than zombies.  But that isn't the case.  You also have to take in the fact that there is that super flu going around also.  Which in the end may be the cause of it all. 

[Ginsu Victim]

^I always wanted Michonne to get ahold of him the way she did in the comics. Maybe she still will get a chance (since one story thread is about her looking for him).

[Vigo]

Yeah, I know it was a necessary episode. I just wished they would have spent a little more time on his downfall. I don't doubt this will be turning into a showdown between Michonne and the Governor.

[jdbailey1206]

Huh.  I came here expecting jokes like 'Golf Tips from the Governor' and there was none.  Oh well.  But seriously.  Why do they find it necessary to have a mid season finale? 

[Ginsu Victim]

Why do they find it necessary to have a mid season finale?

They have to leave us hanging while we wait for February. The wait from season one to season two was WAY too long, so they introduced the split season to help with that wait.

[ark_ader]

He (you know who) is going to join everyone up.  Have a nasty accident along the way and then everyone is going to have another flu epidemic and thin the numbers down.

Sounds familiar....

[DaOld Man]

I sure hope they do the next season (mid season, whatever) different from this one.
The flu breakout got boring pretty quick, then they wandered off to do a governor rebirth then revival.
I say kill the governor, he is getting stale, then the group take back on the road, maybe go into Atlanta.
I'd like to see Carol re join the group too.

[jdbailey1206]

Have you dabbled in the comics Old Man?

[DaOld Man]

I have not. Would like to though.

[jdbailey1206]

I have not. Would like to though.

Stayed tuned.  It's about to ramp up.  Hopefully they stick to the comics. 

[DaOld Man]

Wow. Best episode yet.
I guess the group or what is left of it, is back on the road now. Didn't think they would be forced back on the road like that though.
At the end, was one of the zombies the crazy lady in the woods that killed herself?

[CCM]

Wow. Best episode yet.
I guess the group or what is left of it, is back on the road now. Didn't think they would be forced back on the road like that though.
At the end, was one of the zombies the crazy lady in the woods that killed herself?

Definitely a great episode, but I will miss Hershel.   That was the crazy lady from the woods, they mentioned it on Talking Dead.

[Howard_Casto]

Yes it was, it was a little easter egg. 

You need to read the comics man.  All of the major plot arcs are very predictable because they are lifted straight from the comics.  I thought last years attack on the prison was a bit lame... they altered a lot of the plot and there wasn't any tank.  So apparently they "diverged from the plot" only to just re-do the whole attack scene closer to the way it was in the comics this season. 

I think they are burning through the comics waaaay too fast so what we are to expect from now on is a half season of filler with their made-up nonsense followed by a half season of the actual Kirkman plot. 

I liked the mid-season finale, BUT again I have logic issues with Hershel's death just like I did with Dale's.  Ok so how many people had a gun trained on the Governor?  When he starts pulling that sword back nobody shot?  Ok maybe they couldn't save him in time, but you can't tell me that immediately after that they all miss.  Yeah that's some over-dramatic b.s. right there.  Immediately after the swing he should have been full of holes one way or another.

Btw I was absent for it, but the whole "redemption of the governor" arc was lame.  The guy is almost cartoon-like in his evilness... if you fell for it then you must have had someone turn the show on for you, because you aren't clever enough to work the remote. 

The show frustrates me because they take really good actors and give them one-dimensional parts to play.  The actors think that they are giving depth to the roles, but it's a superficial depth due to a poorly fleshed-out character.  The very first episode featuring the Governor shoe-horned him into the villain category.  He goes and slaughters a bunch of army guys, steals their gear, and then goes back to his town and lies his butt off about it.  The was the end right there... he was a mustache-twirling bad guy from that point on and no amount of emotional speeches, flashbacks, or side arcs was going to change that. 

If you want him to have a moral journey then you have to leave that stuff a little vague. 

Am I being negative?  Probably, but that's my job and we've all got jobs to do.  (Because apparently that is a thing now as well?)

[ark_ader]

No you are not being negative Howard. 

If that was today in the same situation, it would go down the same path.  We kill.  That is in our genetic make up.

After so much horror, one can either be strong or weak.  Let's hope we never find out.... well until next episode. 

[ChadTower]

Yeah I have to agree Howard. You would think keeping doors shut would be a very basic routine.
I was wondering why they didn't keep the doors shut before harry potter turned. I would think a nightly lockdown would be what everyone would want.
I mean, the doors are bars so ventilation is not going to be blocked. And anyone can have a heart attack in their sleep then you have a walking dead among us.
After the harry potter rampage, a sane person would make sure the door was shut and probably locked before going to sleep. The point should have been driven home.
I really hope they either wise up or go back to the raw action to deflect the attention away from the stupid things these supposedly smart people keep doing.

Prison cells lock from the outside and they do so with giant electrical mechanisms.  Unlocking them individually requires keys, again only from the outside, and they probably don't have those keys.  Besides, if you were fighting for your life every day, would you submit to being locked in a jail cell under someone else's control?  On the surface the idea of locking the cells might make sense but the actual doors don't work that way.

[DaOld Man]

Prison cells lock from the outside and they do so with giant electrical mechanisms.  Unlocking them individually requires keys, again only from the outside, and they probably don't have those keys.  Besides, if you were fighting for your life every day, would you submit to being locked in a jail cell under someone else's control?  On the surface the idea of locking the cells might make sense but the actual doors don't work that way.

Very good point, however I think I would put a brick down so the door could not be completely shut (if I couldn't somehow break the locking mechanism), then at least tie the door shut with some rope or a belt. Zombies don't appear to be smart enough to even un buckle a belt, and if enough were at the door to break it, you are screwed anyway.
Also they do have keys to some of the doors. Carl was seen locking doors after a group left to explore the prison.

[shponglefan]

One thing I keep wondering is why they didn't dig trenches around the prison (either inside or outside the walls).  Seems like something that could decently slow down a zombie horde.

Moot by this point though...

[Howard_Casto]

Prison cells lock from the outside and they do so with giant electrical mechanisms.  Unlocking them individually requires keys, again only from the outside, and they probably don't have those keys.  Besides, if you were fighting for your life every day, would you submit to being locked in a jail cell under someone else's control?  On the surface the idea of locking the cells might make sense but the actual doors don't work that way.

Very good point, however I think I would put a brick down so the door could not be completely shut (if I couldn't somehow break the locking mechanism), then at least tie the door shut with some rope or a belt. Zombies don't appear to be smart enough to even un buckle a belt, and if enough were at the door to break it, you are screwed anyway.
Also they do have keys to some of the doors. Carl was seen locking doors after a group left to explore the prison.

Yup you can OPTIONALLY lock/unlock all cells at once via a em locking system, but they don't have power so....  These cell doors have keys, as you said, they were shown, and you sure can lock/unlock them from the inside... ever watched Andy Griffith?  You just reach around the bars.  Hershel (rip) actually does lock a few people in After they've turned.

Besides, I mentioned like you did that a "lock" for a zombie is subjective.  You just need a bit of wire or as you said a sturdy belt, or anything really as zombies can't open doors (yet). 

First off the population almost completely trusted the group... these are the Woodberry sheep after all and secondly you wouldn't be subjected to someone else controlling the locks.... you lock it yourself. 

As for trenches.... it's not a bad idea.... Adam Savage suggested it early on and then just by sheer "coincidence" they did that at the motor home camp several episodes later.  As good of an idea as they are, remember that digging huge ditches like that is hard work and you've got zombies wandering around while you are doing it.  You could use heavy machinery, but the noise would be so loud that your pit would be full by the time you dug it. 

That's another logic flaw....  did you see all those deep.... nice and square holes at the camp?  Did you see anything capable of digging those holes?  Keep in mind that to dig a 6 foot deep hole you have to have a machine with at least a 12 foot arm, probably closer to 20. 

[ChadTower]

You can dig holes like that with water.  People were doing that for hundreds of years before heavy machinery.  I've seen people use high pressure hoses and sumps to dig nice square deep holes.  Granted, if they hit a hgue rock, or shallow bedrock, it's game over that way.

Of course, I think it's very unlikely that they did it that way too.

[jdbailey1206]

I know we are splitting hairs here with the conversation about trenches but they found a tank and brought it to the camp.  That in itself would draw the walkers in.  I'm amazed how perfectly square they made the holes without wales, uprights and braces and an excavator.  Not even a transit.  Next thing you know The Governor will be able to cut off someones head in a hail of bullets and not get hit...Oh.  Wait.   

In all seriousness though did anyone else find it strange that The Governor used Michonnes katana to cut off Hershels head?  To me it wouldn't make sense for him to use the one thing that severed him from his daughter....

-Bailey

[ChadTower]

In all seriousness though did anyone else find it strange that The Governor used Michonnes katana to cut off Hershels head?  To me it wouldn't make sense for him to use the one thing that severed him from his daughter....

Made sense to me.  He was being as dramatic as possible.

[Howard_Casto]

Made sense to me, he's a mass-murderer and his pattern is to cut off the head of his victims. 

[Drnick]

Seemed in character to me,  First thing I would have done is take her sword for my own.  That's a nice looking sword    The tank Driver/Gunner looked like they needed a few hours on battlezone though,  They drove straight over all the fences that were going to be used for protection, then just started blowing bloody big holes outta the place they were planning on calling home.  Talk about dumb.  Go through the gates, people.  Its not like light firearms were going to dent the tank is it. I didn't see no RPG's.   Everyone behind the Tank walk the hell in there slowly.  Oh well, I suppose they needed to make sure that there was no way anyone was gonna be staying there for a while.  Now they have no Doctor they can bring a new character from the comics in I suppose.  Just gotta hold out till Feb.  Oh well I always got the Governors books to read.

[jdbailey1206]

I guess if I was the Governor I would kill Michonne with her own sword.  That would really strike it home.  I agree with you Dr. Nick.  Blowing everything up in sight was a bit of over kill.  But from a military stand point it makes sense to destroy the highest point in the prison.  That way you have taken away the high point advantage.  Snipers like their roosts for some reason.     In war it doesn't matter in what shape your enemy territory is in as long as it's taken.  Also knocking over the fence wasn't the brightest idea but if you start pouring people in to the gate ( a bottleneck ) it's easier for those in the actual prison to start picking people off at that bottleneck.  By knocking over the fence and hiding behind the tank you are essentially protecting your people until they are close enough to do sufficient and precise damage.  I really need to stop watching the History Channel.     And always remember...

During battle a sergeant yells at his men, "Fire at will!"  One of his men yells back,  "Which one is Will?"

[jdbailey1206]

 

[Ginsu Victim]

Glad to see Abraham, Eugene, and Rosita. I knew they were coming this season, just didn't expect them so soon.

I knew Carol was coming back, so no big shock there.

I had no idea Glenn was still at the prison! That was the big shock for me. Oh, and seeing Tyreese has Judith. Didn't see that coming.

[Howard_Casto]

I had mixed feelings about the season thus far.  The first episode was really good if not a little bit predictable.  Then it became apparent that they are going to spend half of what's left of this season gathering everyone back together.... ugh.  The Judith thing was a total cop-out.  Personally I wish they would have left her dead.  I mean it was tastefully done at mid-season's end and you know the poor tike is going to be zombie chow eventually.  And if she doesn't become zombie chow, man she's really going to slow the pace down.  It was one thing when they were staying in the prison, but running around with a baby in tow.... ugh.

I had the opposite reaction to the new trio appearing.  The fact that they are here is good, but the fact that they look like fans doing bad cosplay isn't.  I mean the first thing I thought when I saw them was that I was glad one of the Teutels survived the apocalypse... too bad it was senior.    I mean there is looking like the character and trying too hard to look like the character.  That red hair dye they've got him using looks like the wash in stuff you use for Halloween.  It's distracting to me, and I've only seen that one scene and a few previews of next week.  And dat mullet!  I know he wore one in the comics, but even Billy Ray Cyrus stopped wearing one at this point.  It's time to let it go. 

So I guess the little girl was the psychopath..... we pretty much knew that with the scenes of her feeding the zombies, but you know, nice to confirm. 

[lordnacho]

Hah totally agree.

I'm having trouble enjoying though while watching these supposed zombie apocalypse veterans do some of the dumbest things.  They should just make a character that's deaf, so they can always have one zombie sneak up on him.  Would be an interesting stat to see how many times each character had a single zombie sneak up on them.

[Rick]

I love watching a well-done show, but I really hate catching continuity errors. Watch when Glenn is first shown, and check out the chair propping up the door to the prison behind him. When he finally decides to walk inside, it's gone. An obvious mistake too. Someone should have caught that. Damn it.

[DaOld Man]

Glad to see this thread was picked back up, I didn't want to restart for fear of it becoming boring.

I thought first episode was a little slow, and I think too much attention was spent on Carl.
Good to see Michones story is starting to open up.
Who, besides me thought that Rick was turning into a zombie?

Second episode was better.
Glad to see Carol back, and it surprised me that the baby survived, I wonder whose blood was in the baby carrier?

I didn't catch the part about the chair Rick, I will be watching for that if they rerun it before the new episode Sunday night.

[Ginsu Victim]

Who, besides me thought that Rick was turning into a zombie?

No offense, but when watching that scene, I said to my wife, "I wonder how many idiots are actually mad right now because they think Rick is a zombie."

[Howard_Casto]

Who, besides me thought that Rick was turning into a zombie?

No offense, but when watching that scene, I said to my wife, "I wonder how many idiots are actually mad right now because they think Rick is a zombie."

Ditto.  Also with respect, the first episode was the good one.  It was slow and predictable, but at least it wasn't poorly written and riddled with continuity errors. 

[DaOld Man]

Who, besides me thought that Rick was turning into a zombie?

No offense, but when watching that scene, I said to my wife, "I wonder how many idiots are actually mad right now because they think Rick is a zombie."

None taken.

[ark_ader]

Two awesome episodes.  Looks like Glenn is waking up to a world of hurt...

[Howard_Casto]

Man I feel like I'm in a abusive relationship with this show.  It beats me down with it's crappiness and then it has those shining moments of awesome that make me think it could change and stop beating me.

Rick's whole bedroom adventure was pure awesome.  Words just can't describe so I won't bother.  Man those bikers must be real morons to just squat in a house without checking it out first though.

Carl and Michone's segment was pretty meh... nothing to complain about but not exactly anything interesting or unexpected going on either. 

But Glen and the new guys... their segments are just horrible.  I mean I read the comics, I know that this trio is a bit... ahem... extreme, but it's like they dropped three cartoon characters in the middle of a drama.  Professor white trash Eugene looks like he's hitting the Grecian formula a little too hard, Abraham must have got rejected from clown college with that red hair and Rosita..... well first off DAMN!  But from a more realistic standpoint, why is she clean, well nourished, has flawless skin, flawless clothing and pretty much unaffected by a year and a half of zombie land?

But the real problem is the dialog.  The acting is ok, but how can you make anything sound believable when you have to spew out garbage like that?  Some of the one-liners are taken directly from the comics and this is decidedly a bad thing.  I mean they are comics... not shakesphere.  Sometimes things that sound reasonable on paper are utterly ridiculous when uttered out loud.  I think this is the case here. 

Of course the big elephant in the room is Eugene and the deviations in the plot from the comics that makes his story even more ridiculous this time around. 

I mean they went to the CDC in season 1, the foremost global authority on disease control and the guy there basically said anyone that was smart enough to know anything about the disease was already dead, there was no cure, everyone was infected and they are essentially ---fouled up beyond all recognition---.  So this guy comes along and states that he's some sort of expert and knows how to fix it?  Ok let's give him the benefit of the doubt... except....... dat mullet.  Government workers don't have mullets.  Scientists don't have mullets.  He's obviously not a scientist!  It was stupid in the comics but in live action it's utterly ridiculous.  Even if we were to assume that he grew his hair out during the apocalypse, can you honestly tell me that a arrogant ---tallywhacker--- like that is going to intentionally choose a haircut that makes him look like a moron when he's spouting things like "I'm smarter than you"?

Their appearance is pure fan-service for the comic geeks at this point, which would be ok if most of the people that watch the show have also read the comics, but this isn't the case.

Also a minor nit-pick but something I noticed when I was waiting for this episode to start.  At the prison, they've distressed the fence to make it look rusty.  For the most part this is realistic, but they got it wrong as per usual.  The tension bars and linkage hardware was rusted almost completely over in the "cage" scenes.  Anyone who's been around chain link fencing knows that these are the few parts of a fence that almost never rust.  They are hot-dipped to prevent rusting and have this thick, nasty coating.  Either that or they are dipped in grease/oil depending upon the manufacturer.  My grandma has had a chain-link fence around her property for over 30 years.  While occasionally you'll get some minor rusting on the top-rails and if there has been heat damage, some on the fence itself.  The tension bars never rust though and the linkages have minor rusting (from scratches) at best.  The whole point of these fences is that they are virtually maintenance free... thus why they are a popular choice for prisons.  I mean maybe, just maybe, if you got the cheapest grade of fence imaginable you might run into that sort of rusting.  (Does Big Lots make fencing?)  In a prison though... nah you wouldn't see that.

Is this a huge deal?  Certainly not, this was a very minor mistake, but anyone with a fence that pays the least bit of attention is going to see that and go "that's a fake fence" and it takes you out of the story a little.  This is the kind of things I've been talking about all along.  If the premise of your show is as ridiculous as the dead walking the earth, all the mundane things in the world have to be as spot-on as humanly possible... or else you'll become detached from it.

[DaOld Man]

I see your points Howard, and though I have not read the comics so I don't know what is going to happen (or what could happen), but the appearance of Eugene just kinda made me think "this guy is a scientist? Yeah right. More like a clown posing as a scientist." Makes me wonder what the real scoop on this guy is.

I didn't notice the fence, but I suppose zombie blood could be reacting to it? (Daryl said earlier that the blood on the plant wasn't walker blood. How did he know?) But why even go there? Why take the extra time to make the fence rusty? Or maybe they just dug some old fence up from a junk yard to save money?

One other thing that I thought was not quite right.

The zombies coming out of that corn field just wasn't right. The corn was brown and no doubt past the age of usefulness, but it looked like it had been standing a couple months past harvest, not a year and a half. The weather and seasons around Atlanta are pretty close to what they are here in Kentucky. Changing. The field of corn would have looked a lot worse due to extreme weather changes, hot days, cold days, excessive rain, even high winds and hail would have flattened most of the corn stalks. Not counting mold and animals tracking around in the field looking for shelter and food. I just don't think the field would have looked so pristine after a year and a half of being left to nature.

But IMHO, this show is good. I try not to dwell on the little background mistakes and just remind myself that it is just a show.
And as long as the writers are listening to us, and don't do crazy off topic crap (Governor walking alone episode), then they will have me as a fan.

[Howard_Casto]

Really any corn should be gone at this point if you think about it.  Most corn crops can't reproduce on their own, they are sterile so you have to replant each season.  It's been 1 and a half years since the apocalypse. 

In regards to the rust, it wasn't even a natural rust... the entire bar was a solid rust color.  If it wasn't in hd I'd think they painted it brown.  So some idgit on the sfx staff has took a torch or something to it to rust it out.  But why do that and leave the rest of the fence almost new looking?  I mean unless the sfx guys really screwed up, I got the impression that it was supposed to be a relatively new prison.  Why age anything beyond the level of making it look abandoned?

That's what annoys me.  They seem to go to great effort on this show to add little touches and always miss the mark, running all the effort. 

They are more concerned with getting a good shot than thinking things through. 

It just brings me back to Dale's death every time.... so much physical impossibility in that scene.  I could have ignored it if it was a quick shot so it wasn't dwelled upon but they drew it out so long and they made such a point earlier to show how weak that particular zombie was. 

[Ginsu Victim]

Rick under the bed....I didn't expect this segment and was surprised how intense it was. True Detective was a bit slower last night, so I was shocked to see The Walking Dead be more exciting for once.

(If you aren't watching True Detective, you should be. It's only eight episodes long and they just aired episode six. Amazing mini-series!)

[Drnick]

Rick under the bed....I didn't expect this segment and was surprised how intense it was. True Detective was a bit slower last night, so I was shocked to see The Walking Dead be more exciting for once.

(If you aren't watching True Detective, you should be. It's only eight episodes long and they just aired episode six. Amazing mini-series!)

Gotta agree with Ginsu on this, Well worth a watch, You have to pay some attention to it, but I think it's worth investing the time. If you could ever call watching TV investing time 

[Howard_Casto]

Hey now!  Everything worth learning I learned via Sesame Street, Mr. Rogers, Star Trek and The Waltons.... oh and Andy Griffith.......  Some days you just get a goat with dynamite. 

[DaOld Man]

Good episode. But for a girl who never drank before, she held her moonshine pretty good. Must have been watered down moonshine.

[Howard_Casto]

I have about the same sentiment, good episode, but she weighs what 90 lbs?  And she drank at least a glass.

[Nephasth]

I thought it was a terrible episode...

[Howard_Casto]

I thought it was a terrible episode...

What didn't you like?  I've got to be honest, at the start I thought it was going to be pretty run of the mill, but towards the end where Darryl breaks down and stuff, that kind of made it for me. 

[Nephasth]

Just seemed like a pointless character development episode for an already well developed character. As for her, just like she said, she'll be gone soon... So what was the whole episode about? A booze run.

[Mr_Numbers]

+1 to filler episode.

[eds1275]

She handled that moonshine better than I did. And the whole build up to what Darryl was before the zombie thing? Build up to what everyone already guessed. I thought that the episode was just filler. It had some moments but was more like a slumber party gone wrong with a bunch of girls just crying and hugging.

[jdbailey1206]

Meh.  I gotta agree.  It was a good filler episode.  It did its job to show the 'growth' of each character.  Could this have been done in 5 minutes?  Most definitely. 

[yotsuya]

Never seen an episode.

I have some limited run comics, though. Anyone want them?

[Nephasth]

Never seen an episode.

I have some limited run comics, though. Anyone want them?

How much? Dmen's a comic guy.

[yotsuya]

Never seen an episode.

I have some limited run comics, though. Anyone want them?

How much? Dmen's a comic guy.

PM me, bro. I'll email you some photos. I have some rare alternative covers I got at a Comicon.

[Ginsu Victim]

Conversation at work today:
"Man, did you see what happened on Walking Dead?"
"Huh? Nothing happened."
"Oh, good, so it's not just me."

[Howard_Casto]

Sometimes I get the feeling you guys are watching the show for the wrong reasons. 

The reason it was a good episode was the last five minutes.  If you guys thought the revelation was that he was a shifty guy before the apocalypse boy did you miss the point.  The revelation was that he blamed himself for the events of the prison.  Every indication prior to this was that he had simply given up while in reality he was just incredibly guilty.  It's all about the feelings guys. 

Well at least it is when they focus on a character people actually care about portrayed by an actor that has some actual acting ability.

[DaOld Man]

I agree Howard, and I thought the burning down of the shack was a release for both Beth and Darryl.
However I did think they stole the idea from Forrest Gump (where Jenny threw rocks at her old house, where she was molested by her dad, and later Forrest bought it and tore it down.)
It was a symbol of releasing oneself from the past.

But I hope the writers don't decide to do this very often, because it is threading close to chick flick territory.

And the fact that Beth held her liquor so well, being it was her first drink and moonshine is usually very potent, kind of killed it for me. I wish they had just held back on her drinking it. However, there were hints that this was not really her first drink. She knew the drinking game and she said she used to watch her friends play it. Yeah right.

[Nephasth]

Sometimes I get the feeling you guys are watching the show for the wrong reasons. 

I watch any show to be entertained. The Walking Dead is doing that less and less for me. I'm glad Vikings is back on, True Detective is about to wrap up, and Game of Thrones will be back soon...

[ChadTower]

Burning a symbol of the past isn't something stolen from Forrest Gump.  It's a literary device that has been used thousands of times for centuries.  It's such a common device it's pretty much a cliche and I'm surprised they bothered to use it. 

I figured as soon as the little blonde got drunk she was going to start listing off other things she has never done and be all over Darryl.  She never actually got drunk, though, despite weighing about 80lb and drinking hard moonshine.  Not exactly great writing there.  She should have been lying on the floor in a puddle of puke within an hour.

[Ginsu Victim]

Sometimes I get the feeling you guys are watching the show for the wrong reasons.

Not at all. I'm there for the character development, I just didn't think they did enough with that episode.

[ChadTower]

They should be using more isolated closeups of eyes and noses.  There is not nearly enough of that in the last couple of episodes.

[Howard_Casto]

Sometimes I get the feeling you guys are watching the show for the wrong reasons.

Not at all. I'm there for the character development, I just didn't think they did enough with that episode.

Well we had 20-30 seconds of character development for Darryl.... unfortunately, for the scene to be effective it needed an hour of buildup.  That's the way it is sometimes, it can't be helped. 

All of the episodes thus far have been filler, so I can't seem to get why you guys disliked this one so much.  The only difference in this one and the others is there was less action.  Don't get me wrong, Rick's little bedroom adventure has been the best episode thus far by a huge margin, but this one isn't bad by any stretch... it just wasn't as good.

I mean the overall arc for this last half is botched anyway, like it has been for every single season thus far.  So we might as well be in it for the little gems.  I mean are we going to have to deal with the gang getting separated at the half season and spend 90% of the second half re-uniting every single time?

[ChadTower]

It looks to me like the whole thing is building up to Rick and Carl reuniting with Judith.

(I don't read the comics.)

[Ginsu Victim]

It looks to me like the whole thing is building up to Rick and Carl reuniting with Judith.

(I don't read the comics.)

That's nothing like the comic.
COMIC SPOILER because in the comic, Judith dies at the final prison battle along with Lori.

[Howard_Casto]

Yeah what he spoiled

Honestly I'm hoping part of the climax is that she ends up zombie chow because she just doesn't fit into the world at this point.  It was a mistake and a cop-out to keep her alive after the prison arc.

[Ginsu Victim]

Nice to see the show go as hardcore as the comic. Too bad they stole that defining moment from Carl.

[eds1275]

I hate Carl. I wish it was him at the other end of Carol's gun. Or if he died of dehydration, caused by diarrhea brought on by the pudding.

[Howard_Casto]

Eh Carl's fine now.  Now if you had asked me that at season 2....  I think the problem is I can't stand child actors.  Now if they can just get rid of the baby.

I guess this episode was supposed to be all emotional and stuff but I didn't care for it.  It wasn't really a shock....  been waiting for this to happen for over a season now.  I couldn't stand either one of the kids either or their arcs so good riddance I say.  I mean talking dead comes on afterwards and they were all weeping and stuff.  I laughed out loud.  I don't care if they are kids... without significant character development I can't be made to care. 

And Carol's secret is out of the bag, so that's a good thing.  I was afraid they would drag it out forever like they tend to do on this show and quite frankly we all knew Tyreese wasn't going to do anything since they've turned him into a giant ---Bad words, bad words, whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do when saint censors you?---.

**Edit**

Just for the record are Carol and Tyreese the stupidest people on the planet?  They left that baby un-attended for like 80% of the episode.  Also little miss psycho looks at them both dead pan and says "Now I know what I have to do."  and they don't see anything wrong with that?  I know in Kirkman's universe doesn't have zombie movies, but do they have ANY movies?  Because that's the line the lunatic always uses before they go a slaughter a bunch of people.

I sware it's "where's Carl?"  all over again.

[ark_ader]

I  think you will find that it is Carol who is the psychopath.  Leaving the kids alone at any time is bad judgement, the same where she let those two teenagers (the girl with the bad foot) loose to find food, and they ended up dead.

Actually pretty much everyone in that show should have severe mental problems by now.   

[DaOld Man]

I liked the last episode, however at first I was beginning to think they were going to keep developing the characters until it self-imploded.
I agree with ark, I think Carol is definitely a few bricks shy of a load. You got to remember that she was abused by her husband, lost her daughter, and then the little girl was reminding her of her daughter, and she lost her.
But in a world like that the only way to survive would be to loose any hope of sanity because it aint gonna last long anyway.
I think Tyreese handled the news pretty good, but he kinda looks like he could loose it at any moment too, so it may not be over yet.
Who do you think will be the next to die? Im thinking Beth.

[Howard_Casto]

Carol isn't particularly crazy, she's just a little bit evil.  She's fully aware of what she does and doesn't care or at least doesn't care enough to think what she does isn't justified.  Much more scary imho.  She's slowly becoming the new Shane.

No Maggie, Glenn and a few of the others seem to be pretty sound mentally and morally.  It's only the weak minded/hearted that fall apart. 

Beth's days are numbered, but so are Carols.... she's almost at full resolution in terms of her arc and whenever that happens they kill em off.  It's a toss-up really.  Then again drunky is the new T-dogg and there are only a few episodes left.... so we could just get another death of someone we don't really know/care about.

[Vigo]

No idea what is up with these hardened characters having a very false sense of security. Tyreese and Carol are both to blame for constantly leaving the girls alone. The earlier episode with Darryl opening the door of zombies, thinking it was a dog again. 

With Lizzie killing her sister, I was not making the connection that turned her from crazy zombie lover all the way to murdeer simply because she doesn't "get it". She was desperately trying to save her sister from zombies just a few scenes ago when stuck at the fence.

Carol isn't particularly crazy, she's just a little bit evil.  She's fully aware of what she does and doesn't care or at least doesn't care enough to think what she does isn't justified.  Much more scary imho.  She's slowly becoming the new Shane.

I agree. The whole decision to blow Lizzie's brains out simply because they were "worried about the baby" thing was not convincing to me. If a butcher like Carol and a tank like Tyreese can't protect a baby from a little girl, then something is way off. They can tie lizzie's hands together and problem solved. Carol was able to justify 3 murders to Tyreese, so I am guessing it will only be easier for her down the road. Makes me wonder if Carol will not return the baby to Rick because of what he did to her.

[Howard_Casto]

Lizzie was a psychopath, she would have been even without the zombie apocalypse.  Prior to this she had not only been feeding zombies, but multiple times she murdered and dissected baby rabbits for fun.  She also about smothered Judith to death just a couple of episodes back.  That's why I said I'm glad it was over and have been expecting this for over a year now. 

I don't think they were worried about the baby at all, but what would you do in such a situation?  It isn't like they can drop her at the nearest looney bin.  It's one of the few times I've actually agreed with her actions... that kid was koo koo for co co puffs and that's no way to live in the world they are in.  Carol's evil comes in when she won't let the kids call her mom, or when the one little girl says that she won't kill people and she jumps all over her... stuff like that. 

Living is more important than surviving.  If you are willing to do anything to survive then you are already dead.

[Ginsu Victim]

Yep, Lizzie was too much of a risk to have around.  There was no alternative....not in that world.

I told my wife they should just lock her and her soon-to-be-a-zombie sister in the same room together.  It would have worked itself out.

[Vigo]

Lizzie just randomly killing her sister one afternoon while sitting on the lawn is totally out of place. Something might have triggered her, but they failed to show it. I don't think that she was really smothering Judith the other episode, if they were trying to show that, they did it wrong because you could distinctly hear Judith inhale consistently to cry more.

Carol had a lot of decisions, and just blowing the girls brains out was an evil one. They can very well keep her tied up, or maybe even showing her sister dead might snap her out of it all. As far as they know, they only have to make it to Terminus until other people will be available to help deal with her. If Carol had to exact justice, how about banish her? If Lizzie doesn't see the threat of the zombies, then she won't be scared of them. Getting bit is what she wanted anyway.

The point I was making is that Carol is probably not worried about the baby at all, but it is exactly what she was using for justification of her actions. It is completely the Shane mindset. Kill somebody, and grasp on to some reason to justify it. The greater good. It is exactly what Rick saw in Carol when banishing her. Not letting the kids call her mom is not evil. She has her own personal baggage for not letting herself become to motherly of the girls.

[Ginsu Victim]

Lizzie just randomly killing her sister one afternoon while sitting on the lawn is totally out of place.

It wasn't random. She was out to prove a point the only way that crazy little ---smurfette--- knew how.

[Vigo]

Lizzie just randomly killing her sister one afternoon while sitting on the lawn is totally out of place.

It wasn't random. She was out to prove a point the only way that crazy little ---smurfette--- knew how.

Naw, she cared about her sister and understood her sister's fear of the zombies. Saved her sister from them just earlier. If she wanted to prove a point, she just would have let herself get bit (which she almost did).

[Ginsu Victim]

Are we even talking about the same show?

I think you should go back and watch that scene again, especially the part where she says she was about to kill Judith. When Carol said she couldn't even walk yet, Lizzie was like, "Oh, duh, good point."

[Vigo]

That is my whole point. The whole scene was completely out of place. Her character is normally off in crazy cloud, but at least cares about others and their well-being. If she didn't care about her sister, she probably would have just told her that everything would be alright when she was stuck in a fence with a zombie about to bite her. Pulling her away is not a normal reaction for someone who sees nothing wrong in getting bit by a zombie. Lizzie pulled her sister away, so she at least understands that her sister doesn't want to be bit and helps her sister. If Lizzie didn't care about Judith, she would have fed her to zombies like a mouse long ago, and especially in that scene when she was trying to silence Judith in the forest.

The murder scene just doesn't jive with the "Not a mean bone in her body" sentiment. Maybe something could trigger her to snap, but they didn't do anything to show that happening.

[Howard_Casto]

No it wasn't man.  She's been unstable since day 1.  I agree with Ginsu, you need to go back and watch the whole season again because you've obviously missed some stuff. 

I don't think you understand how crazy works either.  People with mental illnesses don't follow logic, not even their own.  They had all those previous scenes with her torturing animals so you would understand she is disturbed.  Pulling apart animals with no remorse or feeding live animals to something with no remorse in a child are both early warning signs of serial killers in the real world... look it up.

[Ginsu Victim]

I agree with Ginsu

Howard and I actually agree on something. That alone should be proof.

[Vigo]

feeding live animals to something with no remorse in a child are both early warning signs of serial killers in the real world... look it up.

  Ever met a snake owner? Her feeding rats to zombies was an act of compassion toward the zombies, not an act of cruelty towards rats.

They had all those previous scenes with her torturing animals so you would understand she is disturbed.

That's the problem. They just threw in tortured animals to draw a line that she is disturbed. It doesn't match her character on screen at all. Someone with no sense of remorse is not going to make the emotional attachments that Lizzie had. She was fully in touch with human emotions and communicated and cared for others quite normally. She was close and loving to Carol and her sister and interacted well with everyone else. She had a dislike of weapons and violence, and the line of crazy they drew in her acting was that she abhorred violence against zombies, as she saw zombies as still human. It doesn't draw any lines that she would wish harm on anyone unless it was necessary. She saved Tyreese and her sister's lives and it seemed her only demand was to try to live a normal life.

Those dissected animals just felt like bad, cliche writing. First, it was done by someone who knows what they are doing. Lizzie is not strike me as that smart or talented and you would have to be both to dissect an animal that well.  Not to mention, it is actually surprising that not more the kids were doing this sort of thing, given the daily trauma they were dealing with. Living in a moldy, infected jail in a post-apocalyptic world would probably lead to a number of similar creepy hobbies.

[Ginsu Victim]

Ed Gein loved his mother. Just sayin'.

[Vigo]

He was also a social outcast because of his mannerisms and his mother was equally bizarre.

[Vigo]

He was also a social outcast because of his mannerisms and his mother was equally bizarre.

Although, I suppose Carol is not quite a normal mother figure either. 

[ark_ader]

So with the latest instalment, "US" is it safe to surmise that Terminus is full of cannibals?

[DaOld Man]

Someone gave me a spoiler as to what happens to Beth in the comics. So Im thinking you may be right.

[Howard_Casto]

Well the comics aside, I saw a big bunch of steaks on that grill.... I didn't see any cows. 

[Vigo]

and were no zombies, no guards, no locks on the gate....almost too quiet....   

I am figuring it is cannibals too. The cannibal thing was pretty well done in the video game, and that lady was very over-welcoming in the same creepy way.

My back-up theory is is that it is some sort of re-population prison camp, taking off from the whole "Those who arrive, survive" slogan. It might be taking that survival attitude to a serious level where everyone is imprisoned in a community to help guarantee the survival of the human race. Possibly shipped to a secure location via steam engine.

[Rick]

The cannibal thing was pretty well done in the video game, and that lady was very over-welcoming in the same creepy way.

"That lady"?! I believe Ms. Crosby deserves a bit more respect than that!



Oh, and yeah - it's totally cannibals. Check out her 'guest appearance' on Dexter, and you'll see just how well she plays the "evil" role.

[Vigo]

  didn't even notice.

[Howard_Casto]

She was disguised pretty well. 

Back in the day I wouldn't have minded letting her..... nevermind....  too easy.

[Ginsu Victim]

"That lady"?! I believe Ms. Crosby deserves a bit more respect than that!

Look up her Red Shoe Diaries episode.... 

[DaOld Man]

I didn't know that was her. I knew the lady at the terminus place looked very familiar. I was thinking she could have been the lady who played the president on the new Battlestar Galactica, but now that you mentioned it I do think you are right. What was her name on STTNG? Tasha Yar??

[DaOld Man]

Good finale episode!
Looks like Ms Crosby has been eating very well. (I think we know what she has been eating.)

Anyone watch the Talking Dead after the show? Was that a Walking Dead arcade machine they showed right before the last commercial break?

[Howard_Casto]

I think it's apparent by that ending, that the as of now uncaptured Carol and Tyreese will play a crucial role in rescuing the group, resulting in some extreme awkwardness for Rick. 

Yeah it looked like they arcade-ified the facebook game.  So not nearly as awesome as you might think.

[RandyT]

I might as well throw my two cents in..... (don't read this if you didn't watch)


Lizzie:  No doubt she was screwed up.  But the reason she showed compassion to the zombies was because she viewed them through her own internal filter.  When she looked at them, she saw a similarity with some part of herself.  She did care about her sister, but saw her as weak and vulnerable.  Killing her so she would turn, made sense to Lizzie.  It would make her sister into something she could relate to more closely and remove her vulnerabilities.  She definitely had to go.  As for the scene with her and the baby, she was simply about to exercise some of what Carol had been teaching her, without the benefit of a moral compass.  BTW...shades of M.A.S.H. final episode

Terminus:  Lots of advertising, no customers, and meat on the barbie.  Gigantic red flag.  And the name "Terminus"?  They'd probably get more folks if they called it "Homestead" instead of using the latin word for "the end".  The meaning of "sanctuary" was also revealed.  Definitely a "shrine", based on the candles and names on the floor.  Of course there was also the statement by one of the inhabitants that the reason they welcome all comers was something to the effect of "they become part of us and make us stronger."  BTW, am I the only one who saw the stripped pile of skeletal remains they ran past?  If they were veiling the cannibalism aspect of the group, they did their best to make it easy to come to that conclusion.

So what's with the powdered milk?  The only food they had which wasn't them?

[Howard_Casto]

No we all noticed that line and the bones.  Obvious foreshadowing was obvious.  I didn't feel the need to point it out it was so obvious actually. 

The powdered milk thing is a bit iffy.  Potentially it could be foreshadowing an event where Tyreese and Carol arrived earlier and were eaten.  They have the baby and babies need milk after all.  Other than that it doesn't make a whole lot of sense.  If you were going to eat people you'd try to fatten them up first and powdered milk certainly wouldn't be enough to keep a grown person alive. 

I think the reason they aren't hiding the angle that much is just because anymore they take so much almost directly from the comics.  Many of the current plot lines are 5+ years old in the books, so with the prevalence of the internet, most people know what is going on.

As for the name, Terminus was the original name for Atlanta GA.  I'll agree though that it doesn't sound exactly welcoming.

[RandyT]

Heh.  Probably sounded less ominous in the context of the new railroad. 

I've never read the comics, but suspected cannibals about halfway through the season.  I also considered the "milk=baby" thing, but I couldn't see the reasoning behind sustaining her existence (obviously, from the perspective of the Terminus residents.)   The baby would have been removed from Carol's custody before they were put in the train car.  But then again, not doing so could be convenient to the storyline, so who knows.  The milk would tend to support the idea that they are already there in one form or another.

Now, I'm wondering whether they were recruited.  I don't know about Tyreese, but Carol seems pretty willing to do whatever it takes to survive.

Think everyone else in the car were fixed a plate upon arrival?

[Louis Tully]

.

[CCM]

When Ringleader and Archer were talking and he said, "You saw what I did to Tyreese." What was he referring to, I can't remember?

Rick was referring to when he went berserk at the prison and beat the hell out of Tyreese.

[Howard_Casto]

I thought that line was particularly out of place and poorly written. 

"Remember all those guys I killed, and all those people I let die and what not?  Yeah me neither.  I sure feel bad about the time I beat up the black guy though."

[Louis Tully]

.

[eds1275]

I thought that episode was entertaining but did not leave me hanging the way a finale should.

[Ginsu Victim]

I thought that episode was entertaining but did not leave me hanging the way a finale should.

How didn't that leave you hanging? They are in a tough spot, surrounded by cannibals. We have no clue where Tyreese, Carol, and baby Judith are (though I agree with Howard--they will probably help later).

This is not from the comics, though, so I have no clue what will happen. The only cannibals ate Dale's legs after he had been bitten, hence the "tainted meat" pic above. Otherwise, we haven't seen this play out.

[eds1275]

It just all happened too soon. Like they open the door and instantly guns and then credits. I mean it was exciting but just sort of tagged on the end of an episode. They have set the bar high for themselves and this just didn't have what I think it needed for a finale.

[Ginsu Victim]

You mean, for once, they didn't drag something out and somehow that's bad? I was happy we didn't have to wait for next season before finding out what we already pretty much knew.

[Drnick]

You mean, for once, they didn't drag something out and somehow that's bad? I was happy we didn't have to wait for next season before finding out what we already pretty much knew.

I'm with Ginsu on this 

[eds1275]

heaven forbid people disagree on the internet!

[Ginsu Victim]

heaven forbid people disagree on the internet!

We're having a discussion. No one took things too far. It's cool.