"The Walking Dead": Any fans here?

[PrincessLeppard]

They don't have to say "the dead are rising and eating people," but the mom could at least tell her daughter that people are behaving weirdly outside and it's best if she stays in. She might want to get a bit more specific re: the violence, but you've got a willful teen with a sick boyfriend and if you don't want her running out into the night to visit the boyfriend who will eat her face off, you're going to have to tell her something.

And I love how they are planning to meet "in the desert." Where? By the cactus?

I'm not saying they have to act totally rationally, but why leave the food behind? Why not ask sick boyfriend what happened? How did Dad know to look for a bite? Why didn't boyfriend tell girlfriend what happened?

 

[snoopy]

Why not ask sick boyfriend what happened?

Maybe because they are trying to do this in only 6 episodes but they are skipping parts - not only the boyfriend, but how did the school principal get turned? And then the bf seemed to know things wouldn't turn out good if she stayed. How did he get clued in so fast?

I did like epi 2 better than epi 1 thought. they have sympathetic characters.

 

[rfisher]

They don't have to say "the dead are rising and eating people," but the mom could at least tell her daughter that people are behaving weirdly outside and it's best if she stays in. She might want to get a bit more specific re: the violence, but you've got a willful teen with a sick boyfriend and if you don't want her running out into the night to visit the boyfriend who will eat her face off, you're going to have to tell her something.

And I love how they are planning to meet "in the desert." Where? By the cactus?

I'm not saying they have to act totally rationally, but why leave the food behind? Why not ask sick boyfriend what happened? How did Dad know to look for a bite? Why didn't boyfriend tell girlfriend what happened?

because maybe like most teenagers, she'd have run outside just to show her mother she didn't have to listen to her.

I assumed maybe they had a place in the desert to run to? As for the refusal to believe disaster is happening until it's too late, that's what humans do. I looked at a lot of studies when I wrote my dissertation on the response to drought and people don't start migrating out of an area until they start dying like flies because they cling to the belief that it will get better, even in spite of overwhelming evidence to the contrary because they don't want to upset their lives. By the time they come to the realization that it's not going to get better, it's too late. Plus, nobody wants to believe the conspiracy theorists because they're crazy, right?

 

[PrincessLeppard]

Well, at least they are trying to get "to the desert," so they recognize that they should get out. But they don't seem to have a clear plan beyond that.

I'm hoping they have a cabin or something in the desert, or I wonder if they're just going to camp in the truck or something.

I like Tobias. I hope that kid lives. And his skin clears up.

 

[rfisher]

At least he's smart enough to know he's going to need food and not to go looking when one hears dragging footsteps.

He's toast.

 

[sweetsparky]

I love "the desert" as a meeting point Seriously, I also hope it means that they have some kind of place there they were referring to.
I guess she was in shock but I was really annoyed the mother wouldn´t explain anything to Alicia.
: Matt aka Randy in The Wire.
I couldn´t prevent laughing when Tobias ("so now you know I was right") asked for his knife, more like stiletto or nails cleaner, back. I am sure he now owns a machete.

 

[viennese]

"Fear The Walking Dead" airline zombies: http://www.ew.com/article/2015/08/28/walking-dead-airline

Yikes. And here I thought Brad Pitt had faced the the worst of airline terrors in WORLD WAR Z.

 

[viennese]

Re: meeting in The Desert. !!
Yeah. I hope *they* know where they're referring to out in The Desert, like somewhere they went hiking, or stayed on vacation. Because I started laughing every time they said Desert.

And you're all right, no one has to say to the others, Zombie zombie zombie, the dead are rising.

Can they not, for the sake of clarity, say, "A rabies-like pathogen is making people go on vicious, murderous biting attacks - stay indoors or away from anyone who looks like they've got rabies."

They're teachers! Make an analogy!

 

[viennese]

I like Tobias. I hope that kid lives. And his skin clears up.

I like spotty face Tobias, too. So informative.

I'm not sure why he'd make a special trip back to school to reclaim what looked like a very ordinary knife. Do they not have a full set of kitchen tools at the Tobias house?

If he hadn't been there, though, Madison would not have had anyone to talk to and then rescue.

 

[PeterG]

Sorry I am being impatient

I get that. But with the ratings being so high, it looks like this show will be around a long time. Plenty of time for them to get to the story we're dying to see. I'm already getting impatient for the spin-off of Fear The Walking Dead (Cheer The Walking Dead??) so we don't have to go months without a weekly zombie fix!

How to survive a zombie apocalypse? Stake them before they bite you.

Doesn't that only work if you know that you are in the middle of a zombie apocalypse? If people around you are coughing and calling in sick to work, are you going to start staking people in the face...only to find out it was just a widespread bug going around? (I'll organize an FSU gift basket to send to you in prison...)

When I went to throw it out he reminded me that "things like that are going to be important when the zombie apocalypse comes". That has become a standard reply. He also tells people who he sees as lazy about doing stuff such as minor car repairs (i.e. checking your oil), that "you will be one of the first to die in the zombie apocalypse".

Aww...what a sweet-talker!

Okay, sorry for double post, but WHY DOESN'T THE MOM TELL THE DAUGHTER WHAT'S HAPPENING? AND WHY DID THE MOM APPROACH THE PRINCIPAL WHY IS EVERYONE ON THIS SHOW SO STUPID ZOMG.

Why would you not approach a co-worker of many years who might need your help? She knows something is wrong, but she doesn't know many details...if any details at all. It's not like she's watched five episodes of The Walking Dead like all of us have!

 

[rfisher]

Keep a stake in your pocket and as soon as the eyes glaze, stake em. Better proactive than dead.

 

[PrincessLeppard]

Why would you not approach a co-worker of many years who might need your help? She knows something is wrong, but she doesn't know many details...if any details at all. It's not like she's watched five episodes of The Walking Dead like all of us have!

She's already seen one person make that noise and try to eat her husband. When he didn't respond after the second time she called out, she should've left. Screw that. You know there's a giant can of pudding in that kitchen. Grab that and Tobias get the eff out.

I read that the character has a "dark" past and that's why she's been so reticent. Note to show writers: I DON'T CARE. Write me a compelling character, throw in zombies, and I'm there. I don't need a Very Special Zombie Apocalypse.

 

[Marco]

This second episode is better. And yeah, a lot of stupidity involved. But still, at least more action. Why weren't they stocking up on supplies other than meds?

The police was smart to stock up water for himself.

 

[PeterG]

^That's what I couldn't understand; why the hell wouldn't you tell your daughter that PEOPLE ARE EATING OTHER PEOPLE? I know they still don't get what is happening, but this is not the time to keep secrets. Or at least that shouldn't be a secret.

Because the writers want the daughter (Alicia) to have a big dramatic moment the first time she sees a zombie eats somebody's face off. If the mother told Alicia everything right now, that dramatic moment from an upcoming episode would be lost. The Walking Dead has a history of characters not sharing important information so that a dramatic moment can happen later in the show.

Also, wouldn't it be easier to try to wean your kid off of drugs before you leave for the desert? I don't get this mom.

I think the Mom is planning to wean her son off the drugs. But she and her husband Travis feel it's most important to get away from the danger of the city panic rather than waiting until their son has completed the withdrawal from the drugs.

They don't have to say "the dead are rising and eating people," but the mom could at least tell her daughter that people are behaving weirdly outside and it's best if she stays in. She might want to get a bit more specific re: the violence, but you've got a willful teen with a sick boyfriend and if you don't want her running out into the night to visit the boyfriend who will eat her face off, you're going to have to tell her something.

Maybe Mom is thinking Alicia already has enough to deal with? 1. Care for your brother by doing a health care pro's work by helping him go through withdrawal. 2. Deal with the fact that your boyfriend is probably going to die. 3. Said boyfriend is going to die in some weird-ass way that none of us understand and you (and all of us) are helpless with what he is about to go through 4. Everything is going to hell and we don't know why or how...sorry about that, daughter. Maybe Mom thinks that's enough and since Mom doesn't really know what's going on, she's trying not to burden her daughter any further. I agree that Mom could/should be giving some potentially life-saving info to her daughter, but I think she's freaked out by all of that and isn't thinking as calmly as people sitting at home watching a TV show from the comfort of their couch.

I'm not saying they have to act totally rationally, but why leave the food behind? Why not ask sick boyfriend what happened? How did Dad know to look for a bite? Why didn't boyfriend tell girlfriend what happened?

Do you mean the food at the high school? Mom didn't want food, she wanted drugs for her son Nick. The student Tobias was the one who wanted food. Madison was only dealing with food at the school because she was helping Tobias with what he wanted. And maybe partly out of guilt for Tobias catching her stealing drugs from the school.

Your other questions fit in with what I said above about how The Walking Dead's characters always leave out important info that should be shared to create greater drama in upcoming episodes. We just have to accept that with this show. When Travis checked out the boyfriend, I don't think he was specifically looking for a zombie bite, but looking to see if there were wounds from a fight...or a rash....or....whatever might help him understand what the heck is going on.

I did like epi 2 better than epi 1 thought. they have sympathetic characters.

I love the writing of the brother and sister (Nick and Alicia). So lacking in cliché's we usually see in teenagers, how they get pissy with each other but nothing else. We keep seeing Alicia having conflicting feelings about her brother...anger about his addicition, but love for the brother he used to be. I hope as the sh** hits the fan more and more, various characters will lean on each other more and more and we'll start to bond with all of them as they work together to try to make it through this catastrophe.

 

[Marco]

This episode gets me so frustrated. Why don't teenagers listen?

 

[Japanfan]

I do. People deny, deny, deny until the truth is biting their neck. The brain doesn't want to accept the reality and when it does, they panic and do stupid things. The showrunners actually said this show is about how and when the characters finally accept the new world they live in.

However, it's pretty clear that dead people are turning into zombies. The word has existed for a long time and informing people that there are zombies out there could save their lives.

I wondered why Tobias didn't just stay with Maddy. And also, why he didn't recover his cart of supplies after the principal was finally killed. They spent a lot of valuable time collecting that cart of stuff and bringing along supplies to the desert is critical to surviving in the desert at any time, not only in the zombie apocalypse.

Your other questions fit in with what I said above about how The Walking Dead's characters always leave out important info that should be shared to create greater drama in upcoming episodes. We just have to accept that with this show.

That hasn't been one of the flaws I've identified in TWD. It's true that Rick didn't share the fact that everyone on the planet had the virus, which he learned from the guy at the CDC. But that information wouldn't really have helped matters at the time.

I agree that Mom could/should be giving some potentially life-saving info to her daughter, but I think she's freaked out by all of that and isn't thinking as calmly as people sitting at home watching a TV show from the comfort of their couch.

But if you saw a zombie, that would be at the very forefront of your awareness. I would think that even though one would be highly agitated and freaked out, one would nonetheless instinctively want to warn everyone you met.

But oh well. I'm so used to glitches in TWD that this one thing won't bother me too much.

 

[Marco]

I wondered why Tobias didn't just stay with Maddy. And also, why he didn't recover his cart of supplies after the principal was finally killed. They spent a lot of valuable time collecting that cart of stuff and bringing along supplies to the desert is critical to surviving in the desert at any time, not only in the zombie apocalypse.

Exactly. Tobias really wanted the food, so why didn't he take them with him?!

And Maddy was saying how they should get some supplies. But when she saw a wall of cans, decided not to take any. Doesn't make sense. It's not like she already went to the supermarket or something. All that they got packed was CLOTHES.

 

[PeterG]

Well, at least they are trying to get "to the desert," so they recognize that they should get out. But they don't seem to have a clear plan beyond that.

What else could a plan entail? I think they just want to get away from the highly-populated area where all the problems are happening and find safety. Then figure out what to do when they're in a safer location. What would your plan include? You're scaring me because I'm thinking you have this great detailed plan and my plan would be, "RUN!!!"

Can they not, for the sake of clarity, say, "A rabies-like pathogen is making people go on vicious, murderous biting attacks - stay indoors or away from anyone who looks like they've got rabies."

Very good point. But by the time Madison got back from the school she had:

1. Been informed her son had been hit by a speeding vehicle and was now in the hospital
2. Saw that her son was still struggling with drug addiction and the police thought things were extreme enough that BOTH his hands were cuffed to his hospital bed.
3. Returned to the hospital to find that her injured, drug-addicted child was.....gone....
4. Witnessed an abandoned, dirty, grimy church...where her son had been living - and also saw blood in numerous places, realizing her son could have seen murders commited - or could have been murdered himself
5. Saw her son's best friend change from a human being into what looked like some kind of monster
6. Watched her son run over and murder his best friend
7. Had to search for her daughter and then found her holding her boyfriend...who might have a contagious, deadly disease. Then abandoned that teenager to possible die all alone
8. Watched her husband leave her family when they were experiencing crisis...for his other family
9. Had to leave her struggling son dealing with withdrawal and find medication for him...but having zero assuredness that she would be able to acquire the necessary medication
10. Watched a marginalized student get attacked by a grown adult who seems to have gone crazy
11. Had to murder that adult by smashing him in the head, over and over again, with a fire extinguisher...oh, and that adult was her friend and co-worker of x number of years

It is possible by this point, she is in shock and her communication skills are not at peak level.

I like spotty face Tobias, too. So informative.

I'm not sure why he'd make a special trip back to school to reclaim what looked like a very ordinary knife. Do they not have a full set of kitchen tools at the Tobias house?

I never thought he went to the school to get his knife. Instead, he went there to stock up on food. He happened upon Madison and asked uncertainly if he could have his knife back. The knife might have been a gift or something from a grandfather, so he wanted it back for sentimental reasons, not for zombie-killing.

 

[PrincessLeppard]

What else could a plan entail? I think they just want to get away from the highly-populated area where all the problems are happening and find safety. Then figure out what to do when they're in a safer location. What would your plan include? You're scaring me because I'm thinking you have this great detailed plan and my plan would be, "RUN!!!"

If it's just me, "RUN" or "go the desert" is as good a plan as any. But she and the family are split, so those options suck. "Meet me at the Conoco station on Route 66 right outside of Small Town X" is a better option.

 

[AliasJohnDoe]

I'm in a good position for the zombie apocalypse. Living in the country/back mountains away from the city, we get harsh winters. So I have a generator(plus a backup), basement of stocked can goods, garden, snow mobiles/motor bikes and lots of guns left here by my brothers for hunting season (I hate guns). Oh....and a barn with old-time scythes and sickles.

 

[snoopy]

I don't remember if it was discussed here or not but there was some article published awhile back pointing out that portions of Colorado were the best place to be in a zombie apocalypse. It was an area that was somewhat remote and hard to get to because of the mountain passes - and thus easily defended.

 

[rfisher]

I'm in a good position for the zombie apocalypse. Living in the country/back mountains away from the city, we get harsh winters. So I have a generator(plus a backup), basement of stocked can goods, garden, snow mobiles/motor bikes and lots of guns left here by my brothers for hunting season (I hate guns). Oh....and a barn with old-time scythes and sickles.

Hmmm....adding AliasJohnDoe to the GPS data. PL is useless. All she has are 2 cats and they'll try to eat her as soon as the food runs out.

 

[PrincessLeppard]

I live in a high rise, though. And I have keys to all the other condos so I can raid their food stores after they get eaten. Cuz they'll totally panic and stuff, leaving me the lone survivor.

 

[sweetsparky]

I prefer not to think in my surviving chances in the Zombie Apocalypse At least I live close to one of the two bridges for exiting my city so I guess my plan of run fast to the traffic panic jam would work.

 

[rfisher]

I live in a high rise, though. And I have keys to all the other condos so I can raid their food stores after they get eaten. Cuz they'll totally panic and stuff, leaving me the lone survivor.

Problem: all the floors above and below you are filled with hungry zombies (those poor souls who panicked and stuff).
Solution: ?

 

[PrincessLeppard]

No, in my plan, they get eaten elsewhere. Also, I have a baseball bat. And I can put my never used giant meat knife on it.

 

[Marco]

I am so dead if I am stranded at home. With a nutritionist background, I don't eat canned foods or instant noodles. All I have in the fridge is frozen pineapples, mint leaves and lemons.

 

[BigB08822]

I apologize if this has been discussed but I haven't had time to read through since Sunday's episode.

Did the mom get the Oxy at the school? That is absurd, if so. I don't remember them stopping at a pharmacy, I assumed she got it from the school. Anyway, schools do not carry any schedule 1 narcotics like Oxy. Even if a student needs it, they would not be allowed to handle it. So she would not have those kinds of drugs locked up. Even if they confiscated it from students, it would be turned over to the police or disposed of, not locked in a cabinet with other medical supplies and other drugs.

Hoping I missed something because that is really stretching it and shows a total lack of research on the part of the writers.

And Tobias seems to be the character of reason on the show but then he insists on going out on his own at the end. I can only assume he has a plan because he is clearly the smart one so far but that decision was a little crazy. You would think he would have explained to her that his family was waiting for him and they were leaving or sheltering in place, etc.

 

[PeterG]

This second episode is better. And yeah, a lot of stupidity involved. But still, at least more action. Why weren't they stocking up on supplies other than meds?

I'm wondering if they think the problem is a Los Angeles problem, not a worldwide problem. So they are leaving problematic L.A. and everywhere else will have full supermarkets and safety...so need to stock up on anything.

The police was smart to stock up water for himself.

I took that scene to mean that law enforcement was now not caring about doing their job of serving and protecting the community, but instead thinking only of themselves. Another reason for Tobias to get his family out of L.A.

However, it's pretty clear that dead people are turning into zombies. The word has existed for a long time and informing people that there are zombies out there could save their lives.

Yes, but if our husband came home one day and screamed, "EVERYBODY'S TURNING INTO ZOMBIES"...would you jump off the couch and start enacting your Zombie Apocalypse Action Plan? Or would you smile and say, "one too many pints at the pub, honey"?

I wondered why Tobias didn't just stay with Maddy. And also, why he didn't recover his cart of supplies after the principal was finally killed. They spent a lot of valuable time collecting that cart of stuff and bringing along supplies to the desert is critical to surviving in the desert at any time, not only in the zombie apocalypse.

Because there has to be a set-up for either a reunion of counsellor and ostracized student...or an attack by zombified Tobias and a sobbing Madison having to kill him. I didn't realize they abandoned the cart of food, thought I saw them wheel it to Madison's vehicle. I guess after the attack on Tobias where he was almost killed and Madison's first murder...they both wanted to get the hell out of the school.

But if you saw a zombie, that would be at the very forefront of your awareness. I would think that even though one would be highly agitated and freaked out, one would nonetheless instinctively want to warn everyone you met.

Agreed. But The Walking Dead always does stuff like people standing facing one direction for a too-long period of time while a zombie herd approaches them from behind. And people going off on their own when they should always be travelling in groups. Plus people sharing information which would wreck an upcoming very-cool scene means the character has to sit their quiet when the entire audience is thinking, "tell her that ___________________!!!!" Such is the life of a viewer of the walking dead world!

 

[Japanfan]

Did the mom get the Oxy at the school? That is absurd, if so. I don't remember them stopping at a pharmacy, I assumed she got it from the school. Anyway, schools do not carry any schedule 1 narcotics like Oxy. Even if a student needs it, they would not be allowed to handle it. So she would not have those kinds of drugs locked up. Even if they confiscated it from students, it would be turned over to the police or disposed of, not locked in a cabinet with other medical supplies and other drugs.

Hoping I missed something because that is really stretching it and shows a total lack of research on the part of the writers.

I entirely agree that this was a serious oversight. It is true that schools' would not keep confiscated Ocy on hand. But also, Ocy is stronger than heroin and quite expensive on the street I think. Some pharmacies don't even stock it because drug dealers/addicts will break in steal it.

Giving it to the kid will only rekindle his addiction, and he'd still have to go through withdrawal all over again. He sure did brighten up when he saw that mom had brought him Oxy!

Usually valium type drugs such as atavan or the members of the pam family are given to heroin addicts who are going through withdrawal. It gets them through the horrible early stages and they are unlikely to develop a new addition to those drugs in just a few days.

Maddy might have been able to find drugs like that in teachers' personal lockers. I'm not sure they would be held in the med room either, as people might be likely to steal them.

It might have made more sense to find an open pharmacy and break into one, unless Maddy actually knew of a teacher who kept valium type drugs in her/his locker.