AMC's The Walking Dead Season 1 Discussion & Spoilers

[PsychoPere]

As foolish as it was, the Atlanta survivors were hoping for rescue if any military / government agencies were still functioning and fighting back. To slightly legitimize that line of thinking, Rick did, after all, see a helicopter flying over Atlanta when he first arrived. Granted, it may have been an hallucination but we'd had no prior indication to suggest that Rick was starting to hallucinate.

As far as ransacking stores goes, what do you think Glenn and the others were doing when Rick joined up? Of course they were looking for supplies. But after Rick's arrival, other situations started taking precedence: returning for Merle, returning for the guns, the attack on the camp. They haven't had time to go back into Atlanta a second time since Rick joined the group, and they have deemed it too dangerous to do so anyways.

You mentioned Rick's hat in your post in the TVM thread. He's only "found" it once and that was thanks to Glenn grabbing it along with the bag of guns. Not sure about gunshots, though, and why zombies find that sound particularly interesting as opposed to other sounds.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Yeah I forgot about the copter. Shouldn't that have made the military base the better option vs the CDC? Rick didn't even mention it.

 

[PsychoPere]

I edited the above post to reply to a couple of your other thoughts, too.

Glenn, Amy, Andrea, and so on didn't believe Rick's story about the helicopter, so he may not have mentioned it to anyone after getting back to the camp; he may have come to believe they were right that he imagined it. Shane did argue initially that they should head for a military base instead of the CDC, but 1) they said the closest base was Fort Benning, which one of the characters remarked was something like 100 miles away; and 2) the CDC facility, being right there in Atlanta, seemed a more likely possibility to yield treatment for Jim. Considering Jim didn't even manage to make it to the CDC facility before requesting to be left behind, he definitely wouldn't have made it to Fort Benning, even if Rick had been behind that idea in the first place.

After their stint at the CDC facility is over, maybe they will get back on the road to head to Fort Benning - or maybe Jenner will know something about Fort Benning's status that will force them to improvise again.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Maybe the success of TWD will inspire more shows written for grownups? But that requires that TV producers realize that what's making this show successful is that it doesn't insult the audience's intelligence, instead of everyone suddenly liking zombies.

There might be some producers who think like that, but I'd be shocked if many network execs have that much insight.

I also wondered why they were living in tents so close to a heavily populated area. Why not roam around till you find a heavily-fortified, off-the-grid country estate built by some reclusive, paranoid whack-job? I'm sure there are plenty of options all over America.

I've thought about this for years; I'd head for the Castle In The Clouds in New Hampshire and hope that nobody else gets there first.

Rick did, after all, see a helicopter flying over Atlanta when he first arrived.

I've been waiting for the payoff on that; they must have shown it for a reason. I'm hoping it plays a part in the finale.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Okay we have one nominee for Ideal Zombie Fortress: Castle in the Clouds. Any other nominations?

I think I'd go for something in the desert, as long as there was a good water supply underground. All those trees make me nervous - I'd want barren landscape so I could see what was sneaking up on me. The downside of the desert would be that the zombies might survive in that environment for a very long time before disintigrating.

Here's another option, assuming the zombies can't swim or walk on the bottom of the ocean: find a sizeable island that you can clear the zombies from. Something like Santa Catalina might be a good choice because the landscape is desert-scrub rather than tall trees and it's easy to get a good view, but with the tourism and permanent residents, I think the problem might be that the zombie infestation would be too heavy.

So the other Channel Islands might be the better option: less infrastructure, fewer visitors. There are only 4000 residents listed in the 2000 census for all the islands, and the northern islands are effectively unpopulated, being part of a national park.

 

[PsychoPere]

Producer Gale Anne Hurd says that the writing staff was not fired. In addition, she expects the series to return in October 2011 and that Darabont & Kirkman will start mapping out the second season early next year.

 

[Cutter John]

Keep in mind though that us viewers have the advantage of having watched a dozen or more zombie films, so we have some idea on what to do and what not to do. These folks are on their own.

 

[Silvercrest]

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.

I just watched that again. Dale looked like he couldn't believe what he was seeing. I think most of us would react the same way and after thinking a minute, would say, "Naaah, he couldn't have been aiming at his partner (could he?)." That's why he didn't say anything.

 

[RJDiogenes]

^^ Difficult subject to broach if you're not sure.

Okay we have one nominee for Ideal Zombie Fortress: Castle in the Clouds. Any other nominations?

Ahhh, almost makes me wish for a Zombie Apocalypse.

Here's another option, assuming the zombies can't swim or walk on the bottom of the ocean: find a sizeable island that you can clear the zombies from.

Something like Palmyra Island would be very safe, and a comfortable place to live; but difficult to survive on without a means to resupply. Also, the Principality of Sealand would be a good bet. This is why I always wanted to see a Dawn Of The Dead anthology series; it would be cool to see how people all over the world are dealing with it.

Keep in mind though that us viewers have the advantage of having watched a dozen or more zombie films, so we have some idea on what to do and what not to do. These folks are on their own.

Yeah, apparently there have been no Zombie Apocalypse movies in this AU; maybe George Romero was never born.

 

[Aeon]

Loved seeing the sister wake up as a zombie.

It was eerie. Almost like watching someone being born. Very strange and also incredibly bittersweet.

That's an apt observation since she rose as a zombie on her birthday.

Stupid me! I didn't realize that! That actually makes the scene very poetic.

 

[PsychoPere]

I just watched that again. Dale looked like he couldn't believe what he was seeing. I think most of us would react the same way and after thinking a minute, would say, "Naaah, he couldn't have been aiming at his partner (could he?)." That's why he didn't say anything.

Yeah, I suppose that makes sense.

It also presents the single biggest change from the comics so far.

Spoiler: In the comics

In the comics, Dale wasn't present during that scene. It was Carl, who shot and killed Shane before Shane could shoot Rick.

 

[Canadave]

Here's another option, assuming the zombies can't swim or walk on the bottom of the ocean: find a sizeable island that you can clear the zombies from.

Something like Palmyra Island would be very safe, and a comfortable place to live; but difficult to survive on without a means to resupply. Also, the Principality of Sealand would be a good bet. This is why I always wanted to see a Dawn Of The Dead anthology series; it would be cool to see how people all over the world are dealing with it.

I feel I need to plug World War Z once again here, because that's essentially what it is.

 

[Galileo7]

Here's another option, assuming the zombies can't swim or walk on the bottom of the ocean: find a sizeable island that you can clear the zombies from.

Something like Palmyra Island would be very safe, and a comfortable place to live; but difficult to survive on without a means to resupply. Also, the Principality of Sealand would be a good bet. This is why I always wanted to see a Dawn Of The Dead anthology series; it would be cool to see how people all over the world are dealing with it.

I feel I need to plug World War Z once again here, because that's essentially what it is.

Would a cruise ship or naval vessel filled with hundreds of zombie come near the island? The Dead Boat.

 

[Silvercrest]

I just watched that again. Dale looked like he couldn't believe what he was seeing. I think most of us would react the same way and after thinking a minute, would say, "Naaah, he couldn't have been aiming at his partner (could he?)." That's why he didn't say anything.

Yeah, I suppose that makes sense.

It also presents the single biggest change from the comics so far.

Spoiler: In the comics

In the comics, Dale wasn't present during that scene. It was Carl, who shot and killed Shane before Shane could shoot Rick.

Was it this early?

 

[RJDiogenes]

I feel I need to plug World War Z once again here, because that's essentially what it is.

I didn't realize that. I'll put it on my list.

 

[PsychoPere]

I just watched that again. Dale looked like he couldn't believe what he was seeing. I think most of us would react the same way and after thinking a minute, would say, "Naaah, he couldn't have been aiming at his partner (could he?)." That's why he didn't say anything.

Yeah, I suppose that makes sense.
It also presents the single biggest change from the comics so far.

Spoiler: In the comics

In the comics, Dale wasn't present during that scene. It was Carl, who shot and killed Shane before Shane could shoot Rick.

Was it this early?

Yep, exactly the same timing in terms of issues vs episodes, because it occurred in issue five, which was the penultimate entry in the first six-issue arc.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

I feel I need to plug World War Z once again here, because that's essentially what it is.

I didn't realize that. I'll put it on my list.

Terrific novel! Can't wait to see the movie version (even if I don't quite get how they're going to translate it onto the screen.)

 

[McCoy]

To those who have wondered why they don't just come out and call them "zombies", I recall one of the characters in the comic said that they felt kind of stupid using the word.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

If I ever get into a zombie apocalypse situation, I'm gonna call them "Zach."

 

[Kimi3013]

I think is was an issue in the 20s before someone said the 'Z' word. I remember it seeming out of place, for the way the setting is it felt off when they said it. The word 'Zombies' is kinda cheesy and doesn't fit. 'Walkers', 'Roamers' and 'Biters' are far better for the feel.