AMC's The Walking Dead Season 1 Discussion & Spoilers

[RJDiogenes]

I can't wait to see them explain how a virus can animate dead tissue with coordination and intent.

Like most of sci fi (HAH! )

This is exactly why the Sci Fi Channel rebranded to SyFy: "Science Fiction, Horror, Paranormal, Wrestling-- like, whatever, dude."

No, it was because they couldn't trademark a generic term like Sci Fi. Do you honestly think skiffy cares about safeguarding the precise definition of sci fi? They had all that non-sci-fi crap long before they changed their name.

Exactly. Their name devolved to meet their low standards. You should be against low standards, not perpetuating them.

 

[SicOne]

But Shane doesn't even exhibit any signs of guilt that he screwed Rick's wife. I realize he's only human and he can't completely turn off his feelings that he might have developed for Lori, but it had to have been less than a month that Rick was gone or he would have starved in the hospital. He developed feelings for her that are that strong in such a short time that he suddenly hates Rick? There's no joy that his supposed best friend is alive and wasn't killed? No embarrassment that he was nailing his wife? There should be some conflicted feelings shaping Shane's behavior toward Rick as opposed to mere confrontation. There's no good to go along with the bad. Shane couldn't have loved Rick very much if this is how he's acting now.

Shane is not a good guy. He must have always been jealous of him.

We don't know how long Shane and Lori might have been screwing. It could very well predate the zombiepocalypse.

I'd have to dig the comics out of storage, but IIRC in the comics they didn't start screwing until after the dead began walking, when neither of them thought he was still alive.

 

[SicOne]

You'll have to pardon me if these questions have already been asked, as I don't have time this morning to drift through 20-odd pages of discussion, but...

(1) Are the characters of Merle and his brother in the comics?

(2) How about the Vatos?

(3) In the comics, did they ever go by the CDC to check things out? Or did they just leave Atlanta as soon as they could scrounge some supplies?

(4) Have we seen what became of Merle? Last I remember seeing, he had cauterized his wound and driven off with their truck.

 

[MilleniumLance]

You'll have to pardon me if these questions have already been asked, as I don't have time this morning to drift through 20-odd pages of discussion, but...

(1) Are the characters of Merle and his brother in the comics?

(2) How about the Vatos?

(3) In the comics, did they ever go by the CDC to check things out? Or did they just leave Atlanta as soon as they could scrounge some supplies?

(4) Have we seen what became of Merle? Last I remember seeing, he had cauterized his wound and driven off with their truck.

ok im up to issue 56 now to answer your questions
1.No made up for the show
2.No made up for the show
3.No CDC in the comics, after the attack and some other "events" the pack up camp and leave and find a gated community of homes and stay there for a night but not til morning they find out out the community isnt safe. Them leaving Jim against the tree is straight out of the comic though.
4. As said before Merle is character made for the tv series.

 

[Tom]

It's great the plot is not completly spoiled by those who read the comics.

 

[MilleniumLance]

the tv series kinda feels like filling in some of the blanks, cause in the comics days and weeks can go by between issues, oh and the scene with Amy was straight out of the comic too..but moved much more slowly

 

[PsychoPere]

ok im up to issue 56 now to answer your questions

While the show isn't charting the exact same course as the comics, I would highly suggest using spoiler code when answering questions about the comics because we don't yet know what events will be adapted.

 

[Nicholna]

Is this all a ploy to get us all buying comics again. I called my local comic store (just discovered existed in my neighborhood) and he quoted me a price of 2.99 per issue. Called again today and the price went up to 3.99 per issue because of the demand. I mean seriously? He quoted me 10.99 for a book or something. I haven't read a comic book in about 15 years.....but I am going to now. I just want to compare what we see vs. what is in the book.

BUT in defense of all the critics, during the initial interview Robert DID SAY that they will always stay true to the comics.....they will stray away and take different paths, but everything in the comics will happen.

Spoiler: they do stay true in my opinion.....

Michonne, the Governor, Hershel's farm, how the plage was started by man as a weapon, we'll see morgan again in Washington, DC. . . . and everything else I hear you all discussing.will be upcoming.....

even tho they make take a round about way of getting there.

 

[PsychoPere]

^ If you're interested in getting collections, rather than single issues, I outlined the available options in this post, and recommended a website where they could be purchased for at least 38% off MSRP.

 

[Mike Farley]

Also, starting in January, Image will begin re-releasing the series in single issues as THE WALKING DEAD WEEKLY.

 

[SG-17]

Huh, Wildfire is the name of the secret biological facility where the alien lifeform was being studied in The Andromeda Strain.

The Zombie Virus is an extraterrestrial virus intended to wipe out mankind, it was "sent" to earth in a mock crash that occurred in Roswell 1947. Basically the Zombie virus is written to earth human physiology and has genetic code to re-write the brain to turn the infected into disease vectors. It is written to be only blood borne so when the aliens arrive to take over in a decade they don't have to worry about an air borne virus and it will have burned itself out.

The virus reprograms the body to use itself as energy and will keep doing so until it is consumed. Eating living flesh is just a directive programmed into the brain by the virus to help it's spread as a vector, but notice they only eat living or freshly killed flesh that is to prevent your disease vectors from wiping each other out.

Seriously though, what if the virus is alien in origin? Not malicious intelligent alien kind of stuff, but brought in on a meteorite or with a returning shuttle or something.
I guess it wouldn't really make a difference, just might be harder to cure.

 

[Zachary Smith]

Huh, Wildfire is the name of the secret biological facility where the alien lifeform was being studied in The Andromeda Strain.

The Zombie Virus is an extraterrestrial virus intended to wipe out mankind, it was "sent" to earth in a mock crash that occurred in Roswell 1947. Basically the Zombie virus is written to earth human physiology and has genetic code to re-write the brain to turn the infected into disease vectors. It is written to be only blood borne so when the aliens arrive to take over in a decade they don't have to worry about an air borne virus and it will have burned itself out.

The virus reprograms the body to use itself as energy and will keep doing so until it is consumed. Eating living flesh is just a directive programmed into the brain by the virus to help it's spread as a vector, but notice they only eat living or freshly killed flesh that is to prevent your disease vectors from wiping each other out.

Seriously though, what if the virus is alien in origin? Not malicious intelligent alien kind of stuff, but brought in on a meteorite or with a returning shuttle or something.
I guess it wouldn't really make a difference, just might be harder to cure.

There is no "virus". At least there shouldn't be. Viruses, no matter HOW powerful, can NOT effect dead tissue.

I've got a better explanation than a "virus" (which is a cop-out IMHO).

 

[SG-17]

Well I was using virus as a general term. I guess a parasite would be more plausible an option, no?

 

[RJDiogenes]

^^ That's certainly better. It would have to have some sort of group intelligence, though; and there would still need to be an explanation of why "ya gotta shoot 'em in the head."

This was another great episode, with some very touching moments. The woman waiting for her sister to rise from the dead just so she'd have a moment to apologize before she killed her. The poor guy who was bitten desperately saying "I'm okay" over and over. Glenn demanding that the dead be buried.

I don't understand why they would just leave the bitten guy to die, though. Why would he (or they) want him to be a Zombie? I somehow suspect he will turn up again later as a Walker.

And Shane was seriously considering taking out Rick for a few seconds there. And the old guy wasn't fooled a bit.

The CDC definitely had a bit of a Lost vibe. This should be interesting. It's a shame there's only one more episode left.

 

[danellis]

Nitpicks:

- ...Also why do they assume Merle took the truck? Could be anyone, they are parked quite a bit off from the building Merle was In. Merle could have easily taken one of the hundreds of cars lying around also.

Do they even discuss it in the episode? I thought it was us assuming it was Merle, or did I miss something?

dJE

 

[PsychoPere]

I don't understand why they would just leave the bitten guy to die, though. Why would he (or they) want him to be a Zombie? I somehow suspect he will turn up again later as a Walker.

If they continued to take Jim with them, he could have presented a threat to those in Dale's RV. Since Jim had accepted his death, why not abide by his wishes and leave him? In the comics, he was in fact left just outside Atlanta, so that zombie-Jim could "return to his family," as he stated he wanted in "Wildfire."

Given the destruction of the tissue samples Jenner was working on, I'm expecting that Jim will return in next week's finale, "TS-19," approached by Rick to become Jenner's new test subject.

I'm particularly looking forward to seeing how this CDC angle plays out since it's entirely a creation of the tv series; I don't already know the end result of this part of the story!

And Shane was seriously considering taking out Rick for a few seconds there. And the old guy wasn't fooled a bit.

I'm rather surprised Dale didn't say anything to Rick later about that.

Nitpicks:
- ...Also why do they assume Merle took the truck? Could be anyone, they are parked quite a bit off from the building Merle was In. Merle could have easily taken one of the hundreds of cars lying around also.

Do they even discuss it in the episode? I thought it was us assuming it was Merle, or did I miss something?

Yes. When they notice the truck is missing, Glenn remarks "Who would take it?" and Rick responds "Merle." When they were first entering the city and planning their course of action, it seemed like Merle's building wasn't terribly far from where they entered, so they probably figured that Merle took that route heading away from the city. It does seem to be Glenn's "favorite" route in and out of Atlanta, after all.

 

[watermelony2k]

ratings for episode 5: it got 5.6 million viewers total, and adults 18-49 it scored 3.7 million viewers.

This is higher than the ratings for the premiere. It's impressive.

http://www.deadline.com/2010/11/walking-dead-hits-another-high/

At this point, it's generating higher ratings than the majority of NBC's programming...

 

[Landed]

I know that this show really gets to me because every Sunday night, after watching it, I have nightmares about the zombie apocalypse.

Anybody else?

 

[SPOCKED]

I know that this show really gets to me because every Sunday night, after watching it, I have nightmares about the zombie apocalypse.

Anybody else?

I only watch it in the daytime. No way I could sleep an hour after "Guts"

 

[SicOne]

I would be remiss if I didn't take this opportunity, mods allowing, to shamelessly plug Comic Book Supermarket, where you can pick up Walking Dead and all of your favorite comics at 35% off every day, and they bag and board them for free...I don't know how much shipping costs, though.