Fear the Walking Dead Season 2 discussion and spoilers.

[Crow T. Robot]

Depending on the sensitivity of the radar, how much debris is in the water (a lot, apparently), the height of the waves, and how much chop the yacht's kicking up in their wake, a tiny Zodiac like that probably could just blend into the background, especially if its mother vessel remained out of detection range. They probably used debris fields for cover until they got close, and then snuck up from astern using the yacht's wake to conceal their approach.

What debris? Everything was sparkly clear across the entire horizon in every single shot we saw. The "heroes" also didn't seem to have any trouble finding Strand, and considering he was pretty much just holding on to debris, so if the ocean was littered with it, it'd be a pretty hard pill to swallow that they'd find him as easily as they did.

As far as how they found the yacht, they were dialed in to their radio frequency since Alicia foolishly started an apocapodcast with her new pirate BFF, so when Strand started contacting Luis to set up the rendezvous, they might have been able to triangulate their signal again. Or they have a more powerful radar on a smaller boat which allows them to track the yacht while remaining out of range of the yacht's radar. If they took a small Coast Guard patrol/SAR boat or a Sheriff's boat that would be ideal.

I had no idea satellite phones worked on the same frequencies as radios.

And if they had a boat that powerful, it's kind of iffy why they'd be interested in such a small yacht anyway, especially one clearly already being manned. Again, there's plenty of fish in the sea as far as that goes. Chasing one relatively tiny boat across the region is... well, ridiculous is the best word I can think of.

Even if they didn't have the technical expertise to start one up that they found immediately, they could always just latch it on and tow it until they figured out a way to do so. Hell, just nudge it far enough into the sea, make sure it can't be boarded by mindless zombies who can't figure out ladders or steps, and you still have all the time in the world to figure it out. You even have an escort gunship (presumably; still assuming they're the same ones who inexplicably destroyed that other ship) with bad-ass super radar onboard to make sure other would-be pirates were seen and dealt well before they become a problem, all the while you have people on the yacht working on getting it going.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

I had no idea satellite phones worked on the same frequencies as radios.

They don't. I just misremembered and thought he used the radio.

 

[Servo]

When civilisation existed, those kinds of people had no choice but to steal from the living.

They now have the opportunity of simply head crushing zombies along the coast to get all the things they want but they're STILL going for the living?

I can buy this after a few months but after just one week, it seems entirely preposterous to me.

Firstly, they have no guarantee that the things they want haven't already been looted, or destroyed in the bombings, or are that deep in zombie territory that trying to get them is more trouble than it's worth. Secondly, as I said, they seem somewhat interested in taking people too, at least people they feel may be useful in some way. You don't get that by crushing zombie heads on the coast.

 

[hux]

It still seems unlikely that they would seek out boats. If they come across them, fine but actively looking for them with malicious intent just one week into an apocalypse they still don't know very much about?

Didn't TWD deliberately skip this period for good reasons? They wanted to get to the violent, every man for himself, post-apocalyptic society. FTWD seems to want the same thing but without the time jump.

 

[shapeshifter]

I actually want to see the period jumped over in TWD but I want it to not suck.

I realize it is a challenge to do but if they cannot do it in a way befitting the WD legacy then they should not have attempted going there.

Just skip it already, get to the more familiar, what they are good at doing. Stop waving crap under our noses, telling us it smells good.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

Luis.

I still find the whole idea of killer pirates hugely unrealistic. A month ago, these people were going to work and watching Frozen but now they're actively seeking out people to murder. Why do you even want their boat? Surely food and working out what has happened would be the priority this early into the zombie apocalypse.

That's part of the problem with FTWD; too many people are behaving like this is their second or third apocalypse. Madison already seems to know what Rick's group had to go to the CDC to find out.

In the FTWD pilot, we saw riots just as the ZA was unfolding, so you will always have opportunists using chaos for their benefit. Of course, after the numbers of zombies make opportunism dangerous / illogical (happened almost overnight in-series time), then people should just be in survival mode, not acting like the experienced Team Prison in TWD season 3.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

"Captive"--

Strand: So he informed Madison that Nick volunteers for errands. I guess he will get the blame in the event Nick is captured, beaten or killed.

Luis: Why is he listening to Madison?

Connor: Too easy to kill off. Moreover, once Reed was revealed to be a zombie, by now in the ZA, he should be hypersensitive and react the second he saw the zombified face.

Pregnant stooge: they're really working overtime trying to make her despicable.

Nick: He's better off with Strand. He has a purpose, and might end up a somwhat better character IF they drop the junkie subplot.

Travis: So, he thinks he's as "bad" as Strand. I guess he's no longer on the high horse.

Oh, please--he head butts a charging man while his hands are tied?

Alex: She blames Travis for being abandoned. Interesting.

Chris: So he's the becoming the uncontrollable member of the group. He had Carl season 3 doubts about not acting, but now shoots Reed to death. I doubt the guy was going to turn, and Ofelia and Nick know that.

Alicia: "We won't get caught" How does she know that? (to Jack about trying to find Travis).
The ZA is not even a good three month old, and after escaping, she's giving Jack the longing glance suggestive of some deep feeling? This was the girl who just lost the love of her life, and she's over that loss in only a few weeks?

Jack: He says everyone pulls their weight, but why is he trusting Alicia (aside from an obvious quest for a ZA booty call), after the conflict on the Abigail?

Madison: How does she know how to sail a boat? "I could have left you in the water" Who the hell is she? She's some high school employee--not some badass or tactician.

To Nick: "You're getting comfortable with that" (about loading the gun). Er....yeah, like that's a bad thing in a world overrun by zombies and predatory humans.

Daniel: Back to torturing again. The second Reed turned into a zombie, I just knew someone would use him as a ticking time bomb / ruse in the trade. BUT--since zombies all growl in a manner unlike any noise made by the living, who would fall for that?

Ofelia: About time she questions what Daniel's doing.

 

[sojourner]

It's a power boat. you increase the throttle and steer it. It's not rocket science.

So, cutting Alex and the kid loose did indeed end up biting Strand in the ass.

 

[jbny67]

When this show started I really had high hopes for it. I love The Walking Dead and didn't expect it to be as good but I thought it would, at least be well done and likable. Unfortunately, this is not the case.
The majority of the characters are just flat out unlikable. Especially Madison.
The writing leaves a lot to be desired as well. The totally forced relationship between Alicia & whatever his name is (that's a bad sign right there when I can't be bothered to learn or remember character names) is a perfect example of that.

I'm not giving up on it yet. But I'm still looking for something to keep me invested in it.

That being said, this actually wasn't a bad episode. But it should have been better.
It wasn't, primarily for the reasons I mentioned above.

Why, considering all they have seen, would they still expect whatever deal they have to cross into Mexico to still be in place.

 

[sojourner]

Nice black shirt, slicked back hair, Nick's gotten a bit of a makeover.

 

[auntiehill]

That was the least-believable hostage exchange ever. They don't try to gab zombie boy and yet the others don't hear the growling? Madison is the ONLY one who brought a gun? Huh?

This whole episode was pretty lame. It had "because the script said so" all over it. I don't believe in any of these characters so I really don't like or care about them.

 

[sojourner]

Yeah, Daniel should have been smart enough to duct tape zombie hostage's mouth before putting the bag over it's head. Would have been more believable.

 

[auntiehill]

Nice black shirt, slicked back hair, Nick's gotten a bit of a makeover.

He's turning himself into Strand's "mini-me."

 

[hux]

Pretty dumb stuff. The hostage swap required about ten things to conveniently happen in order for none of our guys to end up dead. And yup, all ten things did conveniently happen.

None of the bad guys have guns? And Alex is just hanging about aboard ship. Huh? Why would she blame Travis? He agreed to tow her (helping her but without putting his family at risk). Hardly a reason to request his presence.

I still don't understand Strand's plan. Has the zombie apocalypse not happened in Mexico?

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

When this show started I really had high hopes for it. I love The Walking Dead and didn't expect it to be as good but I thought it would, at least be well done and likable. Unfortunately, this is not the case.

It seems the producers used TWD name to explore a lot of ultimately poorly conceived or irritating characters and/or concepts that would never be allowed on the parent series. Without the buffer of Rick and the gang, there's not much in the way of character appeal, or stronger characters to act as an anchor.

The majority of the characters are just flat out unlikable. Especially Madison.

Agreed; she barks and threatens, has zero humanizing traits, zero combat or firearms experience, yet she's running around like a Navy Seal on a reconnaissance mission.That is an example of a series trying to force-promote a character to "strong badass" status without any believable journey for the character to get there.

That was the least-believable hostage exchange ever. They don't try to gab zombie boy and yet the others don't hear the growling? Madison is the ONLY one who brought a gun? Huh?

I mentioned the zombie growling earlier, and how Conner should have known what was up immediately.

About the lack of guns, that's called Plot Convenience 101, since no kidnappers would ever meet the enemy unarmed, but at the end of it all, the scene had to make Connor seem incompetent, in order for Madison to appear like the only one who could handle themselves.

This whole episode was pretty lame. It had "because the script said so" all over it. .

Pretty dumb stuff. The hostage swap required about ten things to conveniently happen in order for none of our guys to end up dead. And yup, all ten things did conveniently happen.

Including the pregnant baddie still trying to fight able-bodied people when she's clearly a walking liability to a kidnapping force.

I still don't understand Strand's plan. Has the zombie apocalypse not happened in Mexico?

Either that, or there's a bigger situation than anything they've seen before. Who knows--it might be some sort of trade/Terminus/Negan operation already taking advantage of everything.

 

[hux]

The only thing missing from the swap scene was the Benny Hill theme tune.

"Oh no, my boss is being attacked and bitten by a zombie. I'll wait here until it stops biting him so that I can then struggle with it"

 

[auntiehill]

^

Well, at least the Benny Hill theme would've been entertaining.

 

[Trekker4747]

I'm a week behind on the episodes, just watched last week's episode and have to say it was pretty damn good and really picked-up the pace of the series and made some nice reveals and moved along some plot lines (like the "Pirates") and gave us more information on Strand and his motivations. (And like I predicted, his motivations to get to his destination was due to family.)

Actually liked Nick in this episode, he's not "redeemed" for me but I liked him more. When he was walking around the housing development I was 90% expecting him to go seeking for drugs again. I

I knew the group coming towards the Abagail couldn't be trusted the way they were acting and our characters were too quick and easy to let them encroach onto the boat so easily and Madison taking the pregnant woman below was just stupid.

Props to Travis for what he was doing and leaving behind the crowbar.

Very good episode, I liked the "closed-in"/hostage theme in it.

Will watch the most recent episode tomorrow.

 

[Evil Twin]

Welp, that's the third time now TWD-verse has done the ol' hooded zombie prisoner exchange trick, the first during the Negan arc in the comics and the second during the final episode of Telltale's recent Michonne game.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

^While the hostage exchange was pretty badass, I love that the zombie was thrashing around while Madison and Salazar were loading him onto the boat, but he knew enough to be quiet and still until Connor got done talking so as not to arouse suspicion