The Walking Dead Season 5

[DarthTom]

Going back to the previous episode for a moment, why couldn't Beth and that guy just go out a window down to the ground instead of through the elevator hellmouth into the zombie basement? Going through that basement really didn't seem like the better option in any scenario.

Back to the current episode, Eugene doesn't even strike me as being smarter than... well, anyone except possibly Abraham and Apocalypse Barbie. They should have made him come across a little more competent, because it's entirely unbelievable that intelligent people like Glenn and Maggie wouldn't see that he's full of shit right away.

Also that the Human Genome project was completed in 2003

 

[Kosh Naranek]

Apocalypse Barbie!

I am glad Eugene's BS is out in the open. I was wondering if any of the survivors had a lick of sense. Granted they do stupid stuff on a weekly basis, but his continuous verbal spewing had to give someone pause.

I was mostly bored by this episode. Sorry I passed on the Talking Dead as it sounds as if this past ep was fun.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

That's almost a trope we have to roll with when it comes to this series and genre. The episode where Bob died Tyrese uses Sasha's pocket-knife to stab into Bob's brain, through his temple. This is when Bob has *just* died so we can't hand-wave any decomposition. Stabbing through the skull with a pocket-knife I can't imagine would be very easy.

That was no pocket knife. That blade can cause major damage. check out some YouTuber's compilation @ 43 seconds:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kEsCHON0o0

Here, we are dealing with walkers who've been rotting for the better part of 2 years, and though we've been told the decomposition is very slowed with the walkers compared to a "normal" corpse, it's still occurring.

The series has never been consistent with decomposition. Zombie Sophia was missing for sometime short of two (in-story) weeks, and though her facial features changed to a degree, she was not suffering from severe decomposition. On the other hand, Merle had not been a walker for more than a couple of hours at best (before Daryl found him), yet Merle's face exhibited much decomposition / gnarled skin, like someone exposed to the elements for a considerable amount of time.

 

[Corran Horn]

They left out a part of Abraham's story.

Spoiler: From the comics

Prior to meeting up with the survivors, Abraham was living with his family in a community of locals in a grocery store, hiding from the undead. One day after returning from a scavenge mission at the local depot, he discovered his wife and daughter had been raped by the rest of the community and his son had been held down to watch. Abraham killed the culprits with his bare hands, practically turning one boy inside out, while his family watched. His family ran away from him that night, terrified of Abraham. The next day he found their eaten bodies and the undead body of his daughter, whom Abraham shot in the face.

After the on-screen final chapter of Joe's gang, this backstory would have been too much, too soon for audiences.

yeah, that's distasteful to show onscreen for multiple reasons.

I wasn't quite sold on how freaked out his family would be particularly what the 'new normal' was in that society but different people would've handled it different ways. My heart sank seeing him confronted with their remains.

 

[Trekker4747]

That's almost a trope we have to roll with when it comes to this series and genre. The episode where Bob died Tyrese uses Sasha's pocket-knife to stab into Bob's brain, through his temple. This is when Bob has *just* died so we can't hand-wave any decomposition. Stabbing through the skull with a pocket-knife I can't imagine would be very easy.

That was no pocket knife. That blade can cause major damage. check out some YouTuber's compilation @ 43 seconds:

Regardless, stabbing through bone with a knife isn't as easy as Tyrese did it.

 

[auntiehill]

So, how long until Eugene dies? His face sure got smashed up pretty badly. If his injuries don't kill him, someone else probably will see to it--one way or another.

 

[Corran Horn]

That's almost a trope we have to roll with when it comes to this series and genre. The episode where Bob died Tyrese uses Sasha's pocket-knife to stab into Bob's brain, through his temple. This is when Bob has *just* died so we can't hand-wave any decomposition. Stabbing through the skull with a pocket-knife I can't imagine would be very easy.

That was no pocket knife. That blade can cause major damage. check out some YouTuber's compilation @ 43 seconds:

Regardless, stabbing through bone with a knife isn't as easy as Tyrese did it.

I'll have to watch it again but it seemed to me it was angled such that he could have gone through the eye.

 

[bbjeg]

The episode was fine though they could have joined it with another story.

After Eugene's outing, when he said "I'm smarter than you", I thought to myself "Knock him out Abe" just as he did.

It would suck if on their way back to rejoin with Rick and company, they miss them due to them detouring to save Beth.

 

[Mojochi]

I have to say, of l the unrealistic stuff on this show, that stretches beyond belief, a couple or few oddballs having less than top notch skills and experience is way at the bottom of my list of gripes. With the complete lack of back story on the Wacky Shackie and the apparent monastic isolation of the reverend, I'm much more incline to suspend disbelief, than with... say... a group of military people convincing our veterans to buy into a hillbilly claiming he's a government scientist. That's way more in your face

We don't have a back story with Eugene, but too many (even those who know nothing about the comics) dismiss Eugene as a fraud, and Abraham as a moron for supporting him. We have no idea how or why Abraham believes Eugene---what was said or revealed to make two ex-soldiers risk their lives to protect him.

Somehow, some find it easy to dismiss a man who (at least) rattled off some explanation for the cure, but accept the improbability of two men living in the woods (crawling with walker hordes) having no experience fighting and/or killing walkers after two years into the ZA.

The Wacky Shackie was living in a shack with a dead dog carcass. Now he's either completely insane, which would explain why he's spouting on about calling the cops, or he's been completely cut off from society, but neither of those things suggest he is not familiar & capable in dealing with Walkers. He seemed to grasp the concept when the subject was brought up. I tend to think he was just nuts, the fact he had the stench of death around him was probably enough to keep the walkers somewhat at bay. We don't know anything about him other than that. So yeah, I can buy his existence, a year into the ZA without too much fuss

So it's really just one guy that's been on his own & still inexperienced, & he hasn't been in the woods. Gabriel is in a somewhat deserted town. He had a stash of supplies that kept him inside that church for almost this entire time. He admits to only having been out a few times to scavenge. It's thin, but not altogether completely beyond belief.

Shut-ins are a valid aspect to the show, even if we are getting long into the time frame. It's not like every new person is like that. The prison had shut-ins. Tara was a shut-in. Hershel's whole family were shut-ins. People inside Woodbury & Slabtown & Terminus. It's been consistent throughout the show. Some people have gotten by without being hardened executioners. Seems petty to start objecting now. It hasn't been too long since these other occurrences.

Abe's not stupid. He's blind & desperate. He's actually been smart enough to organize the entire party that's kept Eugene alive this whole time. His gullibility is explained in this week's episode, but there's no equivalent reason for any of our regulars to be that gullible & unquestioning anymore, not when they grill almost everybody now. They ARE hardened executioners & survivors. We've watched it happen

 

[Mojochi]

Meh, besides the reveal & it's impact on Abe, the episode was pretty weak. Plus, the walkers' skulls would have to be the consistency of warm jello for a high pressure hose to rip through them like that. I don't even think their bones could support the weight of a human body if they were that soft

That's almost a trope we have to roll with when it comes to this series and genre. The episode where Bob died Tyrese uses Sasha's pocket-knife to stab into Bob's brain, through his temple. This is when Bob has *just* died so we can't hand-wave any decomposition. Stabbing through the skull with a pocket-knife I can't imagine would be very easy.

Here, we are dealing with walkers who've been rotting for the better part of 2 years, and though we've been told the decomposition is very slowed with the walkers compared to a "normal" corpse, it's still occurring. (Though suggest maybe it's stayed off if the walkers stay "fed.") Maybe these walkers were trapped in the firehouse for a long enough time. "unfed", they were sufficiently decomposed for the pressure of the fire-hose to pose a "lethal" threat to them. Their body structure being "strong" enough for them to walk and stand but only *just* the hose was enough to push them over the line.

Think of a very thin cracker, cookie, sheet of candy, ice or something along those lines. You handle it delicately enough and it remains intact. You might be able to balance it on something or balance it upright and so long as the forces acting on it to keep it standing/balanced doesn't surpass it's limits it'll remain intact. Test those limits and it crumbles/shatters.

The pressure on those hoses is, however, very, very, very strong. Though I'm sure it requires the engine of the truck running in order to operate the pumps that provide the pressure and means to expel the water through the water-turret.

Meh, you don't have to justify it to me. There really is no logical rationale or physics to apply to these creatures. I just felt like this one really pushed the limits of absurdity. At this point, there's no reason to suggest that a big guy like Abraham or Tyrese couldn't just barehandedly one-punch straight through a walker head. In fact, didn't the Gov. rip one's head right in half, in a pit last season? Eh... whatchyagonnado...

Hell, Hardwick even called them on it in the after show. Said they must be made of cheese, and he's required to kiss their asses, which he did shortly thereafter by calling it cool

 

[J.T.B.]

Plus, the walkers' skulls would have to be the consistency of warm jello for a high pressure hose to rip through them like that.

Well, if you can buy the deck gun putting out that stream with the engine, and thus the pump, shut off...

 

[Silvercrest]

^Yeah, I decided not to question that one.

So, how long until Eugene dies? His face sure got smashed up pretty badly. If his injuries don't kill him, someone else probably will see to it--one way or another.

I noticed when his face hit the ground they used one of the "skutch" sound effects generally reserved for walker kills.

Meh, besides the reveal & it's impact on Abe, the episode was pretty weak. Plus, the walkers' skulls would have to be the consistency of warm jello for a high pressure hose to rip through them like that. I don't even think their bones could support the weight of a human body if they were that soft

Hell, Hardwick even called them on it in the after show. Said they must be made of cheese, and he's required to kiss their asses, which he did shortly thereafter by calling it cool

I'm serious! The zombie virus softens your head! It explains everything!

So it's really just one guy that's been on his own & still inexperienced, & he hasn't been in the woods. Gabriel is in a somewhat deserted town. He had a stash of supplies that kept him inside that church for almost this entire time. He admits to only having been out a few times to scavenge. It's thin, but not altogether completely beyond belief.

Water.

 

[Mojochi]

So it's really just one guy that's been on his own & still inexperienced, & he hasn't been in the woods. Gabriel is in a somewhat deserted town. He had a stash of supplies that kept him inside that church for almost this entire time. He admits to only having been out a few times to scavenge. It's thin, but not altogether completely beyond belief.

Water.

As in where did he find some? He mentions a stream right by his church, and who knows, maybe he's got a stash of holy water stockpiled. Lol

 

[Silvercrest]

Arrgh! I knew the holy water thing would come up!!


Seriously, I didn't remember the stream.

 

[Trekker4747]

He also had the sacrament wine and there could have been wine or other things available in the food-bank stuff he had on hand.

 

[Silvercrest]

Even apart from the question of keeping clean, there's no way he could have enough wine stored for long-term survival. Assuming the human body could survive on one cup of liquid a day (laughably low, but bear with me), that means a one-quart/liter bottle would last for four days. Two gallons (eight bottles) a month. Enough to last a couple of years... just how big of a wine cellar does that that church have????? You need some kind of external source.

Hershel's farm had wells and pumps. I like to think Woodbury, the prison, the hospital, Tara's family, etc. had some sort of rainfall collection system spread out on the roof. The church obviously didn't have anything like that. But a nearby stream is good enough.

That's right... when they first met Gabriel I believe he said it was the first time in quite a while he'd gone beyond the stream, didn't he?

 

[DarthTom]

That's right... when they first met Gabriel I believe he said it was the first time in quite a while he'd gone beyond the stream, didn't he?

Father Gabriel said he had looted all of the stores in the small town except for the Goodwill store because the Walkers were there.

 

[Trekker4747]

The prison did have rain-collection systems set-up as well as an aqueduct running between a nearby stream and the perimeter fence.

Gabriel was obviously getting water from somewhere, I don't recall saying where and the episode is no longer on the DVR but a nearby stream seems likely.

 

[kitik]

So are we to assume that the huge herd of walkers at the farm was there to eat some livestock? And after they did that, they've just been standing still for the past year and a half? Shouldn't some noise from somewhere or the other have gotten their attention at some point over that time?

Or am I understanding that scene wrong?

 

[sojourner]

I think we can safely assume that the herd at the farm moved on to other noises that attracted it.