That's what makes me think this Eugene arc is going nowhere, because he was introduced as a person who knows how it all began. They're never going to pinpoint the thing that closely. So, his current backstory is a red herring, & it will likely come out that he was just some sorry slob who knew he stood zero chance of surviving this thing without more competent survivors to protect him, and it sounds as though it hasn't always been lollipops & roses I feel a little sorry for the bum, if that's the case, because he does seem like he might have some semblance of conscience. Then again, he might have just been playing the odds, going back for Glenn. Glenn is now a hard ass survivor, & the current tally of hard ass survivors in Eugene's group is clearly at an all time low. By the end of that episode, Eugene went from 2 protectors to 7. I'm thinking he won't get very far with that "I'm smarter than you" shit with anybody else but Abe though
Oh, and BTW, thanks to all who pointed out Denise Crosby. I knew I recognized her, but, couldn't place her, until her name was mentioned here. So, thanks
Glenn not interested in the cure / not sharing the CDC trip: yes, that is incredibly glaring, since Glenn could be one of the last humans to share/learn anything of value from an official source. Eugene's mission--real or not (well, at this point, Glenn cannot tell the difference) Unfortunately, that is the soap opera shaping of Glenn: yes, he loves Maggie, but as long as the ZA runs rampant, every hour could be his last, so he needs to make the hard decisions and get priorities straight. Maggie: same character flaw--she has a sister out there, does not know what happened after she left the bus, but seemed to think--inexplicably--that sick Glenn would be alive? When she last saw him, Governor firefights were still going on, and Glenn was in no shape to haul butt like others, yet as you point out, she assumes Glenn is alive. That says much about her faith in her little sister. Maybe Maggie sees her just as Beth described herself to Daryl: "just some dead girl," which would be terrible on Maggie's part. It may be tribal, but to become obsessed with hunting a stranger--who may be a supreme danger--is suicidal. No one is THAT badassed, that they just think everyone else can be handled. Or maybe that will be Joe's undoing.
Interesting to think about. Sometimes I wish the show was more varied in location, like maybe following groups in different parts of the country or world. I am sure getting tired of bumfuck Southern woods that all look the same.
Like I said, it may be that Romero-zombie fiction exists in such a small niche in TWD that only uber-geeks have ever heard of it. Eugene, clearly being an uber-geek, could have run across it. If so, he'd think that qualified him to handle the disaster. Everything else we've seen would follow as mentioned in my post. Whether he's correct is a totally different question.
Robert Kirkman addressed this in an early episode of The Talking Dead Joe sized up Daryl and realized they were alike (if Joe is to be believed). From his conversation, I am guessing, like Daryl, Joe's way of life was not by choice. Daryl, due to his background, resorted to a life of crime because of following Merle and for not having much of a choice. I think the conversation with Beth spoke volumes, while the others guessed that Daryl had some sort of bad-ass job, he just did what he had to survive. Including stealing (and God knows what else, though given Daryl's characterization, I'd imagine it was nothing horrific). Doesn't make what Joe and his gang do right, but they were used to doing what was necessary to survive before the outbreak. And Joe seems to have made peace with who he is, which is a nice contrast to Daryl, who seems to regret his past. In other words, I wouldn't expect the noble acts that Daryl has done to be something Joe would be willing to do.
I think as far as everyone is concerned with their missing/dead relatives or friends...they have compartmentalized their emotions. I think if Rick were to find out that Judith really was dead, he would lose it...maybe not to the extent he did with Lori, but he would still lose it. Same with Maggie and Beth. I don't think Maggie thinks Beth is dead, but she had to push that away, knowing that yes, Glenn was sick at the prison when she left, but he was alive, versus Beth whom she didn't know whether she was or not. I also think that on the road, Rick and Carl dealt with their loss over Judith to an extent...everyone deals with grief differently, and since this world is completely different, we don't know when or how they will deal with it.
In short - just like in Trek where the turbo lifts take just as long as the plot requires - people's emotional reactions to situations in TWD follow the plot requirements just as precisely.
So, what do you say the going odds are that the special of the day on the Chez Terminus menu is or could soon be... barbequed Beth Greene?
70/30 in favor of it, as much as I would hate that end for her character. As mentioned in the WD/death thread, it would be too predictable/cheap shot to kill off the one person speaking of faith in the ZA world. She should be seen proving that she's more of a survivor than even she realized---but not to the point her values are completely compromised. All other characters are at varying stages of dark, and how appealing is that if it continues? Beth dying would just mean the we can guess will just mean pouring on nihilistic behavior among the main cast, which is a producer's "do it just because we want to seem hard," not because it is necessary.
Is there the potential of a more positive character coming on? And/or an older person? They kinda did that with Dale/Herschel.
Maybe, but it isn't hitting home enough yet. Hershel had a way about him that made people immediately think about their inner goodness, & Beth sort of did that with Daryl recently
So far, I do not see anyone coming as full of faith as Beth. The rest just seem to "let's just try to survive," but do not see the potential for good somewhere in the world. Bob just seems to be positive about finding a surrogate family (the prison group), but not extending faith in humanity--or good people--to the world like Beth (in her various statements to Daryl).
With the hints at alcoholism (which, he does share in common with Hershel) and the mystery around him prior to our group finding him, not to mention his "sad-sack/everyone I've been with dies" mentality prior to the destruction of the prison, it's certainly not the same. I like Bob, but I don't fully trust him, either. Something still seems off about him. Granted, with his whole "They can come back" and squaring off against Rick throughout season 2, it's not like Hershel was as likable as he is now. I think we're discounting Dale, who seemed to have that same effect on others Hershel did, though it didn't quite work with Shane.
Personally, Dale is my favorite "old wise one" of the series. I'd rather be beside him in a zombie world then Hershel. Though, Mary (Denise Crosby) may take that spot if she's not the cannibal everyone thinks she is.
I think the reason people don't fully take to Bob is because of his confessed history. It's pretty forthright of him to share that with these new people. That would be highly unlikely of someone in his situation. Your history before Zombieland might not matter all too much anymore, but your history in the aftermath kind of does, if you're to be travelling with people and counting upon them That's the thing. The audience knows about many of the other characters' aftermath history. We know what Michonne & Tara had been doing, & we watched Daryl, Rick & Carol go through the things that got them here But we don't know anything about how Bob managed these past 2 years, except that everyone he ever travelled with is dead. It's tough to put stock in a guy who had that happen, when you don't know how it relates to him, what culpability he has in it, if any, or if he had to make hard choices like we're seeing people make among our older characters Let's face it, we've all debated, at one time or another, the conduct of characters who've been there from the beginning, & in this guy's case, we got nothing to go on to measure his character