Fear the Walking Dead Season 1 discussion and spoilers.

[TREK_GOD_1]

No walkers this week, as noted, but I think the series is still going a long nicely and staying interesting. Though it feels like we missed something somewhere on how the city was "evacuated/abandoned" and we're in martial law territory now.

Yeah--with no true passage of time, it seems like a story jump just to get to the "evil military" plot.

God, with his pseudo-Sunset Boulevard opening

Hey--don't knock it! they're going for "real" Emmys next year!

I knew this episode was really going to push over the edge with Nick and, sure enough, it did. How are we really supposed to take and accept this character? It's one thing to take the rough, red-neck, anger-filled, character that was Darryl in TWD:TOS and turn him into the Zombie Apocalypse, Internet Legend, Batman and to even give his even more red-neckier brother a decent redemption but how are they going to do this with some weaselly little opiate-addicted asshole who breaks into a neighbor's house, takes his morphine drip (he needs to be pain-free due to whatever his condition was) and injects it between his damn toes?!

Because it is an entertainment industry conceit (and reflection of their own values) that there's anything sympathetic about a middle class drug addict, no matter how conniving and criminal he is. If he were black and poor, he would be seen as a menace / dead body on some cop show, but Nick is "different." He's just "struggling" (never mind he brought it on himself).

Like that propaganda TV series called Intervention, FTWD sells the idea that Nick can do no wrong, as he is very much like the pampered-turned-criminal children among the entertainment business set. Notice how his dealer (black) was portrayed: a cutthroat, would-be killer, yet Nick is fine leeching a sick, bed-ridden elderly man's IV to feed his addiction.

He's worthless.

He's beyond redemption now, as far as I'm concerned. Survival Rating now in negative numbers, he's going to get his flesh eaten when he sees a walker with a tourniquet around it's arm and the needle syringe still in.

Unfortunately, I still think the addict is going to return. If the previews mean anything, a bunch of untrained civilians mount some kind of Dirty Dozen rescue mission, so you can guess angry power mouth Meredith will turn into a world-class ass-kicker....against the army.

I'm not as bothered by Madison as everyone else seems to be, she seems to be learning pretty quickly.

It's not believeable--but typical of modern TV; she is just a mouth with a bad attitude, and should not be able to go marching through some dead zone without training or a weapon. If this series has any desire to play it real, that has to backfire on her big tie...but i'm not counting on it. She has to be the "Overnight Andrea" of this series.

Travis is slipping big time, his survival rating is going back towards to low-end of the spectrum is naivety is going to be his undoing if he doesn't wise-up quick, maybe seeing the light will help?

He has all of the pressure on him, while his wife constantly barks at him, the step-daughter keeps playing that "you're not one of us" crap regarding the worthless addict, and his son contributes nothing--other than thinking he--in Diary of the Dead fashion--is tasked with chronicling the story of man's downfall. Travis--if he had any sense at all--would pack himself, the barber and his daughter in a car and leave.

Daughter? Meh. I'm guessing she was tatt-ing her BF's Sharpie Rose?

I think so. Considering the conditions being less than sanitary, she should develop a serious infection...but that will not happen, either.

Money on the hole in the fence Madison made being the breach point that'll let some walkers in to see the fall of this safe zone?

...and Meredith will not pay a single price for that.

And, again, fuck Nick.

X 100,000.

BTW, the sinister, uncaring leader playing golf? Oh, dear--where have we seen that before?

 

[sojourner]

Man, you bring some heavy baggage to your view of the show.

 

[Admiral2]

Had to catch it this morning.

The Good News: Mama idiot finally gave Drug Boy the beatdown he so richly deserved. No matter how you feel about either of them before or after, that one scene made viewing worthwhile.

-Doctor Gummint is at least experienced with resurrections, being a vet of Resident Evil and The Returned and all...

-I don't care if it doesn't last, I got to see Drug Boy get dragged off. Another scene that was worth it.

The Bad News: Travis is still fugging delusional! The idiot had to sit on his roof and watch a long distance gun battle to get the hint that "Gorsh! Maybe there's a problem!" And he's jogging! And letting Evil Army Guy use him as a puppet!

-Text Girl is tattooing herself. I'm done. I want the bitch offed. And maybe she'll take Ophelia and Protest Boy with her.

-Okay, so if Drug Boy won't stay gone can Ex-Wife at least stay gone?

I'm committed to the full six episode run of this, but last night I skipped the first half just to watch Liv And Maddie, so you can tell how much I'm actually into it.

 

[Nerys Myk]

I'm committed to the full six episode run of this, but last night I skipped the first half just to watch Liv And Maddie, so you can tell how much I'm actually into it.

It's a TV show, not a relationship. Just stop watching.

 

[Scout101]

But we already bought a dog together...

 

[Admiral2]

I'm committed to the full six episode run of this, but last night I skipped the first half just to watch Liv And Maddie, so you can tell how much I'm actually into it.

It's a TV show, not a relationship. Just stop watching.

I will when Disney Channel doubles up on Liv and Maddie episodes.

 

[Scout101]

Also, only 6 episodes this season? what the hell? Started slow, was JUST starting to head towards interesting material, and I get the "only two episodes left this season" commercial already? makes even Game of Thrones seem long

 

[Nerys Myk]

I'm committed to the full six episode run of this, but last night I skipped the first half just to watch Liv And Maddie, so you can tell how much I'm actually into it.

It's a TV show, not a relationship. Just stop watching.

I will when Disney Channel doubles up on Liv and Maddie episodes.

I've no idea what Liv and Maddie is. Perhaps you could fill the time some other way.

 

[Trekker4747]

Man, you bring some heavy baggage to your view of the show.

Indeed.

I'm still liking the show, though I think this was the "weakest" of the episodes to this point. And, goddamnit, I officially hate Nick beyond all reason now. I was willing to give him some benefit of the doubt of him wanting to "get better" or having some sense of awareness of the dire situation they're in, but him breaking into a suffering old man's room to steal his morphine so he can inject it in between his damn toes is just the rock bottom. He doesn't want to get off, he wants go get high and nothing else. Utter idiot. How long before he's walker chow?

 

[crookeddy]

Man, you bring some heavy baggage to your view of the show.

Indeed.

I'm still liking the show, though I think this was the "weakest" of the episodes to this point. And, goddamnit, I officially hate Nick beyond all reason now. I was willing to give him some benefit of the doubt of him wanting to "get better" or having some sense of awareness of the dire situation they're in, but him breaking into a suffering old man's room to steal his morphine so he can inject it in between his damn toes is just the rock bottom. He doesn't want to get off, he wants go get high and nothing else. Utter idiot. How long before he's walker chow?

The bad thing (for you) is that I am pretty sure Nick is the protagonist of this show...

 

[Ryan8bit]

Yeah, for those cheering on him being taken away, he's probably going to be one that actually reunites with the group.

Also, I get it if you don't like a character, that seeing them get slapped can be refreshing, but I didn't really feel that way, despite not caring much for Nick. Maybe it's because the reason they're in that situation is because of her shitty parenting? Something about slapping around your kid, regardless of what he's done, just doesn't strike me as a positive thing. I get that resources are limited on detox therapy at that moment, but I dunno, that scene just made me dislike both characters even more. I'm not big on people abusing their children.

 

[auntiehill]

Having lived with a drug addict in my family, I can tell you that the urge to slap the shit out of them is pretty strong. To me, that seemed like EXACTLY what a person might do in that situation.

 

[Admiral2]

It's a TV show, not a relationship. Just stop watching.

I will when Disney Channel doubles up on Liv and Maddie episodes.

I've no idea what Liv and Maddie is. Perhaps you could fill the time some other way.

Last Ship is off the air for the season. That was my go-to at nine on Sunday.

 

[Nerys Myk]

I will when Disney Channel doubles up on Liv and Maddie episodes.

I've no idea what Liv and Maddie is. Perhaps you could fill the time some other way.

Last Ship is off the air for the season. That was my go-to at nine on Sunday.

Read a book. Listen to some music. Watch an old movie.

 

[Admiral2]

She only gets one credit: for slapping the shit out of the worthless addict. He steals scarce meds for a truly ill man to get his fix. Everyone in that neighborhood needs to sign up for that slapping duty.

[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0GW0Vnr9Yc[/yt]

 

[RJDiogenes]

^^ I love that movie.

Well, this was an interesting episode. Not a single Zombie in sight. Are they all massing in the inner city? All the corpses outside the fence were shot in the head, so the army knows what to do at this point. They even shoot the living in the head so they won't come back.

Nick definitely lost a few points by stealing the old man's morphine. His mother's reaction was interesting, though, as was her behavior afterward. Are we learning that the reason for his drug addiction was that he was abused?

It's looking more and more like Griselda won't be in season two. Now four of our characters have been taken away to the government facility, but I don't see either Nick, the barber, or the ex-wife dying, so something will have to happen to bring them back together. Given the way they're portraying the military, playing golf and telling everybody how lucky they are and so on, it's pretty obvious that conflict between the soldiers and civilians will be what allows the dead to wipe out the safe zones. The last scene of the season finale will undoubtedly be the Zombie horde emerging from the inner city to overrun everything.

 

[Tzenkethi]

I expect the series to end with a horde just walking right through that flimsy excuse of a fence, then through the suburbs taking out all resistance and having the group take to the road.

 

[hux]

Episode 4

More dull crap.

I thought the point of this prequel was to show how events unfolded. Maybe see how the government responded, what the scientific community were doing and then maybe the military but instead we've simply got WD:LA.

They've just skipped ahead to the apocalypse. We've gone from a couple of days of confusion and no zombies to the entire city being dead apart form a few protected zones. Umm what happened in-between? What is the rest of the world doing? How and why did they rustle up a safe zone in a nothing suburb of LA so quickly? What's going on elsewhere in the city?

This is just so bad. Worse than what I expected. I mean I knew they'd probably just throw more walking dead at us and count the money coming in but I honestly thought they'd at least try putting something original into this. And of all the actresses they could have found for this, they went with one who reminds us of the most painfully annoying character from the parent show.

Two more episodes left. They're simply setting up a new apocalypse show. Nothing more. And we fell for it.

 

[Admiral2]

Also, I get it if you don't like a character, that seeing them get slapped can be refreshing, but I didn't really feel that way, despite not caring much for Nick. Maybe it's because the reason they're in that situation is because of her shitty parenting? Something about slapping around your kid, regardless of what he's done, just doesn't strike me as a positive thing. I get that resources are limited on detox therapy at that moment, but I dunno, that scene just made me dislike both characters even more. I'm not big on people abusing their children.

Nick definitely lost a few points by stealing the old man's morphine. His mother's reaction was interesting, though, as was her behavior afterward. Are we learning that the reason for his drug addiction was that he was abused?

I'm just going to come out and say it. We need to knock off the abuse talk.

There's a difference between abuse and discipline, and just because you may not believe in corporal punishment doesn't automatically make every instance of it abuse.

If Nick were simply walking around acting like a dumb teen - like his sister and his stepdad's son- then yes, Madison's treatment of him could be considered excessive.

He isn't just tattooing himself and mooning over a boyfriend. He siphoned the morphine away from a dying senior citizen just to get a fix. And he complained about his mother giving his drugs to a hurt old lady because it denied him his fix. He is a typical, unrepentant hype, concerned only with his next score, and in the developing situation that could get him and his family killed if he doesn't come to his senses, sooner rather than later. And if he needs to have that sense pounded into him, so much the better.

Discipline, not abuse.

 

[theenglish]

Also, I get it if you don't like a character, that seeing them get slapped can be refreshing, but I didn't really feel that way, despite not caring much for Nick. Maybe it's because the reason they're in that situation is because of her shitty parenting? Something about slapping around your kid, regardless of what he's done, just doesn't strike me as a positive thing. I get that resources are limited on detox therapy at that moment, but I dunno, that scene just made me dislike both characters even more. I'm not big on people abusing their children.

Nick definitely lost a few points by stealing the old man's morphine. His mother's reaction was interesting, though, as was her behavior afterward. Are we learning that the reason for his drug addiction was that he was abused?

I'm just going to come out and say it. We need to knock off the abuse talk.

There's a difference between abuse and discipline, and just because you may not believe in corporal punishment doesn't automatically make every instance of it abuse.

If Nick were simply walking around acting like a dumb teen - like his sister and his stepdad's son- then yes, Madison's treatment of him could be considered excessive.

He isn't just tattooing himself and mooning over a boyfriend. He siphoned the morphine away from a dying senior citizen just to get a fix. And he complained about his mother giving his drugs to a hurt old lady because it denied him his fix. He is a typical, unrepentant hype, concerned only with his next score, and in the developing situation that could get him and his family killed if he doesn't come to his senses, sooner rather than later. And if he needs to have that sense pounded into him, so much the better.

Discipline, not abuse.

I would go further though. Nick is an adult and even with his injuries would be very capable of defending himself. Child abuse ceases to be "child" at that point.