The Walking Dead -- TV Series Thread

[stevew]

From what I understand, they do revisit the neighborhood at some point in the books, but it's also been roughly a year. Hard to say if they would still head back.

[Draft Dodger]

they do in the books and I hope they do on the show

[stevew]

Rewatching the episode.

Absolutely loved the part when Rick gives the elaborate speech of holding in formation, and then all the prisoners run off prison riot style and bum rush the first group of walkers. Possibly one of the best moments of the show yet to date.


Also really thought that Tomas guy looked like he was something that would have been drawn in a comic book or something. Perfect casting.

[JonInMiddleGA]

First alternate location/case episode of the show I guess, necessary if not as compelling as our usual cast of characters.

I'd been dreading this episode all week, didn't turn out as bothersome/ disappointing as I had feared, so that's a good thing.

I understand -- even if I'm disappointed by it -- the decision the writers had Michonne make with regard to her friends. From a technical standpoint that was going to be an issue, I was happy they got across several points of information from the little scientist at least.

Thought they actually handled getting across the Gov's character & brand of insanity pretty well. But was that a twinge we saw from Merle with the NG troops, is the Gov too brutal even for our favorite sociopath?

I think I figured out why this aspect isn't as interesting to me: it's an entirely human drama storyline, the zombies are just the Indians/Gang Members/Aliens that represent some threat same as hundreds or thousands of other shows/movies.

On the one hand, I get that being a big part of the point of the show; the notion that even in a world filled with zombies, people don't actually change all that much. On the other hand, I don't find that as interesting a subject to explore as I do surviving & adapting in a world filled with zombies.

Did not like the constant shots of Michonne scowling & brooding. We get it, she's a dangerous & private person with trust issues. But right now she's so one-dimensional that she's only interesting with a kitana in her hand. Until she gets it back, she's just a waste of screen time until they do something to develop her character.

[Grover]

I counted 21 heads in the tanks.

[hoopsguy]

Interesting that he mentioned rescuing three people the previous night - two of who are not all that interested in sticking around and the third who now has their head in a fish tank.

If any of the folks in the town did a head count (only 73 in town?) then they might start asking what became of the third person. But I get the sense that people don't ask the Governor all that many questions ...

[Swaggs]

I kind of feel like they have made (or are trying to make) Merle into some type of cult hero-type character, and I mostly just find him annoying at this point.

I'm kind of wondering if the black guy, that they kept showing close ups of, might end up playing a big role (and end up being one of the favorites from the GN).

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Swaggs

I kind of feel like they have made (or are trying to make) Merle into some type of cult hero-type character, and I mostly just find him annoying at this point.

I was actually shocked at the "new" Merle. He seems almost sane, certainly more controlled, than the guy we first met. Question is whether that's an act, or how much of it is an act anyway.

I'm kind of wondering if the black guy, that they kept showing close ups of, might end up playing a big role (and end up being one of the favorites from the GN).

That was my guess throughout the episode. They certainly made a major point of making sure we saw him.

[DanGarion]

Originally Posted by Swaggs

I'm kind of wondering if the black guy, that they kept showing close ups of, might end up playing a big role (and end up being one of the favorites from the GN).

Same thing my wife And I were thinking.

[Radii]

I liked this one, three really solid episodes in a row IMO. I agree w/ Jon that the emphasis on Michonne and her distrust and independence felt a little over done. We don't know enough about her (at least for those of us who haven't read the graphic novel) to know whether that is just good spidey sense with the Woodbury community, or if she's just a broken down person incapable of trust. Since we don't know and they aren't interested in telling us yet, most of the stuff with her was not interesting to me. Not a big deal and something that can be remedied in a few seconds of dialogue/actions if they want at any point.

I generally enjoyed the introduction of the Governor and what they did to try to show us about his mindset and leadership of the community, and his insanity and ruthlessness.

Does it seem like a bit much for the entire community to just buy the fact that the army guys couldn't even survive a single day with all their training, weapons and vehicles, as the Governor explains it? Or for that not to be a red flag for at least Andrea (or a selling point from Michonne on why they need to get the hell out?). For some reason that scene felt just a little off to me, I think all I needed was a very slight look of distrust from any single person there to be ok with it... not a big deal by any stretch, I get what they wanted to convey with that scene, but it just felt a little bit off.

[Simbo Klice]

Originally Posted by Radii

I liked this one, three really solid episodes in a row IMO. I agree w/ Jon that the emphasis on Michonne and her distrust and independence felt a little over done. We don't know enough about her (at least for those of us who haven't read the graphic novel) to know whether that is just good spidey sense with the Woodbury community, or if she's just a broken down person incapable of trust. Since we don't know and they aren't interested in telling us yet, most of the stuff with her was not interesting to me. Not a big deal and something that can be remedied in a few seconds of dialogue/actions if they want at any point.

I generally enjoyed the introduction of the Governor and what they did to try to show us about his mindset and leadership of the community, and his insanity and ruthlessness.

Does it seem like a bit much for the entire community to just buy the fact that the army guys couldn't even survive a single day with all their training, weapons and vehicles, as the Governor explains it? Or for that not to be a red flag for at least Andrea (or a selling point from Michonne on why they need to get the hell out?). For some reason that scene felt just a little off to me, I think all I needed was a very slight look of distrust from any single person there to be ok with it... not a big deal by any stretch, I get what they wanted to convey with that scene, but it just felt a little bit off.

I liked that part. I felt it did a good job of showing him using fearmongering and how all the people not affiliated with his hit squad are drinking the kool-aid because they want to feel safe, and how that also resonates with Andrea. I did have a bellyful of Michonne scowling and watching a bunch of hicks successfully ambush a platoon of soldiers with no casualties felt pretty ridiculous.

[stevew]

Originally Posted by Grover

I counted 21 heads in the tanks.

Talking Dead said 24

Are they trophies or is it an experiment in starving.

[Blackadar]

That was a pretty decent introduction to Michonne and The Governor. There wasn't much action, but given that the past two episodes were jam packed with zombies, it was a nice little break. I liked the little "Stepford Wives" town they have going there.

My only complaint was the lack of anything from Michonne besides "gimmie my weapons" and glaring at everyone. We don't know this character yet and it got annoying after a while. Even Xena, Warrior Princess showed character depth, but Michonne's performance was lacking. I'm hoping we get to see a bit more of her personality before we have to deal with Glowering Warrior Woman again.

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by Simbo Klice

watching a bunch of hicks successfully ambush a platoon of soldiers with no casualties felt pretty ridiculous.

That stuck out to me too. The idea that trained military personnel would be so completely careless, especially in a world full of zombies around every corner, that a bunch of civilians playing solder could get the jump on them like that is just terrible writing. The rest of the episode was solid, but it felt like the writers just phoned it in for that scene.

[Honolulu_Blue]

So far, so good in Woodbury.

The guy playing the governor is great. The right amount of charm, presence, menace and absolute craziness.

It will be interesting to watch things shake out.

I am not too concerned about the Michonne glower. Besides a few minutes in Episode 1, this is really her first full episode. A big part of her character is her reluctance to trust anyone, talk about her past, etc., so I don't think we can expect a swift bit of character development, especially in her current situation. Unless they T-Dog her, her development should come over time, sort of like Daryl's. Her line about "never losing her shit" was great. My second favorite of the night after the governor's eerie, "Never." If she doesn't move past glower phase soon, however, it will get a bit tiresome.

I wasn't too bothered by the ambush. Military outfits get ambushed all of the time. It happens. Here, you have a group of national guardsmen (?), who have been holed up for most of what's gone down. Shit falls apart and they venture out. They think the biggest threat is walkers, so that's what they are ready for. Walkers don't ambush or shoot at you, they wander out and are easy to deal with. The Govenor rolls in waving the flag, mentions their guy by name, they relax and... ambush.

Last episode showed the difference between Rick's zombie-hardened crew and the prisoners who sheltered from it. Rick's group was much more deadly and effective having lived in this world for so long. You could say the same thing about the Govenor's people. This very likely wasn't the first time they ambushed some group of people and this unit of men had been largely holed up until just recently. Who knows if they had ever really had much combat experience. Throw into the mix that they're likely tired, hungry, strung out... Ambush.

[gi]

Agreed with the ambush HB. The writers also showed us Merle's accuracy earlier. Highlighting that, to survive in this world, you have to hit small targets. Throw in that these NG guys were stressed and most likely had limited sleep, not to far a stretch for them to go down like that.

[Honolulu_Blue]

I also liked the creepy scientist guy.

He reminded me a bit of an creepy, evilish Gale Boetticher.

[PackerFanatic]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

I also liked the creepy scientist guy.

He reminded me a bit of an creepy, evilish Gale Boetticher.

Oooh, I like the comparison and I can totally see it.

[DanGarion]

[flounder]

I think there's an interesting juxtaposition of Rick's actions towards the prisoners and the Governor's actions towards the NG troops. Morally, are they really that much different? Sure, Rick sort of gave the prisoners a chance to cooperate, but the inmates didn't really get much choice in the matter. Rick saw a threat to the group (and his leadership) and removed it. In a survival situation, how many times do you give strangers a chance to co-exist before you just start skipping straight to the removal of a potential threat?

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by flounder

I think there's an interesting juxtaposition of Rick's actions towards the prisoners and the Governor's actions towards the NG troops. Morally, are they really that much different? Sure, Rick sort of gave the prisoners a chance to cooperate, but the inmates didn't really get much choice in the matter. Rick saw a threat to the group (and his leadership) and removed it. In a survival situation, how many times do you give strangers a chance to co-exist before you just start skipping straight to the removal of a potential threat?

It certainly felt different.

Even before that one guy tried to kill Rick not once, but twice, during the zombie fight when he opened both doors, instead of the just one as told to, it was clear that he was a complete liability that had to be put down. The soldiers were a potential threat, sure, but they hadn't done anything that could possibly be construed as a threat.

It's like the difference between self defense (what Rick did) and pre-meditated murder (what the Govenor did). They might have committed these acts for the same reason - protect your own - but did so under a very different set of facts and circumstances. Now, when Rick locked that one guy outside with the zombies... A little sketchier.

Rick is certainly no saint, but he's not quite at the Govenor's level.

[stevew]

I was just happy we got a week with no Lori in it.

[DanGarion]

Originally Posted by flounder

I think there's an interesting juxtaposition of Rick's actions towards the prisoners and the Governor's actions towards the NG troops. Morally, are they really that much different? Sure, Rick sort of gave the prisoners a chance to cooperate, but the inmates didn't really get much choice in the matter. Rick saw a threat to the group (and his leadership) and removed it. In a survival situation, how many times do you give strangers a chance to co-exist before you just start skipping straight to the removal of a potential threat?

I think what we are seeing is what Rick could become if he continues to follow the path he is starting to go. The Governor has already become what he is.

[stevew]

If you survive a world full of zombies, obviously god does not exist and I'd be merc'in everyone for stuff. No reason to leave heavily armed soldiers alive when you can use their supplies.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by stevew

If you survive a world full of zombies, obviously god does not exist and I'd be merc'in everyone for stuff. No reason to leave heavily armed soldiers alive when you can use their supplies.

So, the only reason not to kill people is because you're afraid to go to some mythical place called "hell"?

Weird.

[stevew]

If Zombies exist, sure.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

So, the only reason not to kill people is because you're afraid to go to some mythical place called "hell"?

Well, you've got that and you've got civil law.

In the absence of those, gracious, I'd be a one man depopulation device.

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by flounder

I think there's an interesting juxtaposition of Rick's actions towards the prisoners and the Governor's actions towards the NG troops. Morally, are they really that much different? Sure, Rick sort of gave the prisoners a chance to cooperate, but the inmates didn't really get much choice in the matter. Rick saw a threat to the group (and his leadership) and removed it. In a survival situation, how many times do you give strangers a chance to co-exist before you just start skipping straight to the removal of a potential threat?

With Rick, he only started offing them when they made it clear that they were a threat (the one did try to kill him). The NG troops hadn't made themselves out to be a threat. That was more of a preemptive strike. Plus, I'm guessing (I have not read the GN nor read any summaries of them so this is just a pure guess on my part) that he has other motives in doing what he did.

[GoldenEagle]

I would bet the governor is on a power trip and would be afraid of bringing in strong, well-trained men into his camp. If civilization, does rise again, he is going to be the leader.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by GoldenEagle

If civilization, does rise again, he is going to be the leader.

... even if he has to kill most of the followers to get/keep the job

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by GoldenEagle

I would bet the governor is on a power trip and would be afraid of bringing in strong, well-trained men into his camp. If civilization, does rise again, he is going to be the leader.

Yeah, I agree.

It makes sense to kill the national guardsmen and take their stuff. You can't bring in a large, decently trained and relatively cohesive unit of people into a place like that. They could cause too much trouble. If they didn't like the way things were going, they could rally and overthrow the balance of things, because there are many of them and they are bad asses.

My view of how the Governor's crew works overall is that they take in people who they think they can control or handle. If you pick up one or two people, you bring them in, talk to them, get information out of them and if you think they can be good citizens, you let them live. If you think they are a liability or a potential threat, you kill them (or if they are already badly injured). Based on the conversation between the Governor and the scientist guy, they obviously think that Andrea has some information about Darryl and/or Rick's group and they think that info could be valuable. So, that's reason enough to keep them around and not kill them on sight.

[bulletsponge]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

Yeah, I agree.

It makes sense to kill the national guardsmen and take their stuff. You can't bring in a large, decently trained and relatively cohesive unit of people into a place like that. They could cause too much trouble. If they didn't like the way things were going, they could rally and overthrow the balance of things, because there are many of them and they are bad asses.

My view of how the Governor's crew works overall is that they take in people who they think they can control or handle. If you pick up one or two people, you bring them in, talk to them, get information out of them and if you think they can be good citizens, you let them live. If you think they are a liability or a potential threat, you kill them (or if they are already badly injured). Based on the conversation between the Governor and the scientist guy, they obviously think that Andrea has some information about Darryl and/or Rick's group and they think that info could be valuable. So, that's reason enough to keep them around and not kill them on sight.

plus you can never have enough single women who are easy on the eyes

[Easy Mac]

Originally Posted by stevew

Talking Dead said 24

Are they trophies or is it an experiment in starving.

I think they're all the people that have died in the settlement (plus the Michonne zombies).

[stevew]

Were the military guys only out there for 1 day? I didn't understand all of that.

[Radii]

Originally Posted by stevew

Were the military guys only out there for 1 day? I didn't understand all of that.

They had only been in that specific location for a day, maybe that's all they'd been out at all, I forget. The story as I remember it... big group of military guys is holed up at a base somewhere, its going ok til someone gets bit, the place turns into chaos and that group flees. Helicopter guys try to scout ahead to figure out where to go when heli crashes. I am not clear (and maybe just don't entirely remember all the dialogue) if there was much time that passed between fleeing the encampment/fort they were at and the heli scouting & accident.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by stevew

Were the military guys only out there for 1 day? I didn't understand all of that.

I think it was longer than a day. It sounded like they left whatever fort they were at, drove around for a while and then decided to send the chopper up to scout around.

I am not exactly sure how many days in total.

[GoldenEagle]

I think they got blocked on a highway, probably similar to what happened to Rick's group in season 1.

Were his wife kids in the aquariums? I couldn't tell.

[Mota]

Originally Posted by stevew

If you survive a world full of zombies, obviously god does not exist and I'd be merc'in everyone for stuff. No reason to leave heavily armed soldiers alive when you can use their supplies.

Remind me not to trust you if we're on the same server in DayZ one day.

[Grover]

Originally Posted by GoldenEagle

Were his wife kids in the aquariums? I couldn't tell.

Heh, heh.

I have the feeling they're substituting the tanks for something from the GN, but you've made me laugh with this comment.

[CrimsonFox]

I was just watching the Yahtzee Crenshaw review of the Walking Dead game. Didn't know it was a decision based adventure game and not an action/adventure/survival Horror game at all. Am still intrigued but it makes me not want to buy it until supersuper sale.

I mean if there is no actual game and is all choose your own adventure stuff...

[Grover]

Originally Posted by CrimsonFox

I was just watching the Yahtzee Crenshaw review of the Walking Dead game. Didn't know it was a decision based adventure game and not an action/adventure/survival Horror game at all. Am still intrigued but it makes me not want to buy it until supersuper sale.

I mean if there is no actual game and is all choose your own adventure stuff...

What's wrong with point and click decision games?

Didn't you ever play Sam and Max Hit the Road or Day of the Tentacle or Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis?

Man, I miss the early 1990s...

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by CrimsonFox

I was just watching the Yahtzee Crenshaw review of the Walking Dead game. Didn't know it was a decision based adventure game and not an action/adventure/survival Horror game at all. Am still intrigued but it makes me not want to buy it until supersuper sale.

I mean if there is no actual game and is all choose your own adventure stuff...

I have never really been that into choose your own adventure stuff, but this game is excellent.

To be honest, it's not too terribly different in playing style (and, in fact, better) than "Heavy Rain" and I loved "Heavy Rain."

[PackerFanatic]

I played through the demo of ep. 1 when it was out and it was not enough to really get into it...but I have heard really good things about it. I want to try it more.

[CrimsonFox]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

I have never really been that into choose your own adventure stuff, but this game is excellent.

To be honest, it's not too terribly different in playing style (and, in fact, better) than "Heavy Rain" and I loved "Heavy Rain."

well heavy rain had definite gameplay. But from the sound of his review there wasn't any actual gameplay at all. I mean it's a zombie game. I wanna like you know kill some stuff?

[CrimsonFox]

Originally Posted by Grover

What's wrong with point and click decision games?

Didn't you ever play Sam and Max Hit the Road or Day of the Tentacle or Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis?

Man, I miss the early 1990s...

As previously stated Sam n Max is in my all time top 10 and Day of the Tentacle is way way up there too. BUt this is zombies. THose were straight comic adventure games. This is zombies, man. ZOmbies. I wanna kill and junk.

[CrimsonFox]

and actually sam n max and tentacvle were straight adventure games and nothing to do about decisions. THis is more "let THIS guy die or THAT guy die....do THIS or do that....and let the torturepron begin :P wash and rinse.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by CrimsonFox

well heavy rain had definite gameplay. But from the sound of his review there wasn't any actual gameplay at all. I mean it's a zombie game. I wanna like you know kill some stuff?

You kill plenty of zombies.

Also, like I said, I have played both, so, no offense, but I reckon I am in a better position than you are to decide how similar they are or are not.

There isn't the crazy sequence-type stuff, hit X then O than D than L1 and all of that. It's slower paced on that end, but there are still some quick-timey events and zombie killing. The game is much more about the characters and writing and emotional impact than action and zombie killing. In that vein, it's a thousand times better than "Heavy Rain."

If you just want to run around and kill zombies, go play "Left 4 Dead", "Dead Rising", "Dead Island" or any other countless games where you can kill zombies.

[CrimsonFox]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

You kill plenty of zombies.

Also, like I said, I have played both, so, no offense, but I reckon I am in a better position than you are to decide how similar they are or are not.

[ republican ]
No you aren't. YOu are a liar. Everyone saw you lie. You never played that game. Two years ago you were arrested for drug dealing and you went to prison. Now you inflated the price of games by 2 trillion dollars this year alone. Is this the kind of person we want telling us what game to play? I think not...
[ /republican ]

There isn't the crazy sequence-type stuff, hit X then O than D than L1 and all of that. It's slower paced on that end, but there are still some quick-timey events and zombie killing. The game is much more about the characters and writing and emotional impact than action and zombie killing. In that vein, it's a thousand times better than "Heavy Rain."

And Heavy Rain is pretty damn good. I love the action sequences. Really intense!

If you just want to run around and kill zombies, go play "Left 4 Dead", "Dead Rising", "Dead Island" or any other countless games where you can kill zombies.

I don't want to do that. Because...well...they suck.
I want story and atmosphere and creeps and shivers and yet I want to be in control too. ANd yes killing a zombie would feel good. RUnning like hell from them too...


and thanks for the feedback and info!

[cody8200]

Anyone figure out how the Governor's crew surrounded those military guys without them knowing about it? That seemed like a plot hole out of Lost to me.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by cody8200

Anyone figure out how the Governor's crew surrounded those military guys without them knowing about it? That seemed like a plot hole out of Lost to me.

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

I wasn't too bothered by the ambush. Military outfits get ambushed all of the time. It happens. Here, you have a group of national guardsmen (?), who have been holed up for most of what's gone down. Shit falls apart and they venture out. They think the biggest threat is walkers, so that's what they are ready for. Walkers don't ambush or shoot at you, they wander out and are easy to deal with. The Govenor rolls in waving the flag, mentions their guy by name, they relax and... ambush.

Last episode showed the difference between Rick's zombie-hardened crew and the prisoners who sheltered from it. Rick's group was much more deadly and effective having lived in this world for so long. You could say the same thing about the Govenor's people. This very likely wasn't the first time they ambushed some group of people and this unit of men had been largely holed up until just recently. Who knows if they had ever really had much combat experience. Throw into the mix that they're likely tired, hungry, strung out... Ambush.

.