That... was brutal.
I... wow. I expected some of it, based on clips shown in commercials, but it was still surprising. Very sudden, graphic and direct, had me on the edge of my seat for several minutes.
This was a damn good episode. Character development, make-up and CGI, pacing, shock, everything was right where it needed to be.
I LOVE THIS SHOW!
Cue J. Walter Weatherman from Arrested Development:
"And that's why you don't talk about birthdays during the Zombie Apocalypse!"
"Ben is short for Frank."
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I think it's time to break camp after brain bolting the casualties. To many walkers, to much cover.
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Without saying too much...yes, yes it is.|
Originally Posted by Father Xmas
I think it's time to break camp after brain bolting the casualties. To many walkers, to much cover.
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doG I hate this. Those of us who have read the comics know what is (in theory) coming, but can't discuss it! -.-
Their bad for letting their guard down, ESPECIALLY since they knew the walkers were moving higher up into the mountains now. Damn that was brutal.
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Yeah, I was wondering why the hell NO ONE was on guard duty!|
Originally Posted by Inazuma
Their bad for letting their guard down, ESPECIALLY since they knew the walkers were moving higher up into the mountains now. Damn that was brutal.
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Also: Amy should have a bullet through the brainpan already... this is SOP, people!
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"To die hating NCSoft for shutting down City of Heroes, that was Freedom."
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So... anyone else think that was WAY too many zombies all at once? Almost like someone brought, say... a whole moving van worth of zombies to the camp?|
Originally Posted by Inazuma
Their bad for letting their guard down, ESPECIALLY since they knew the walkers were moving higher up into the mountains now. Damn that was brutal.
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Note: I have not read the comics either, that's just speculation.
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Originally Posted by Genesis Man
So... anyone else think that was WAY too many zombies all at once? Almost like someone brought, say... a whole moving van worth of zombies to the camp?
Note: I have not read the comics either, that's just speculation. |
Yeah its either Merle got his revenge or those were walkers from Atlanta following the car alarm from last week.
I believe the whole Merle storyline is divergent from the comics (Ive skimmed through a TPB or two but havent read much) but I can see where he ties back in later.
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Even more blasphemy....you dont make moltov cocktails for zombies...WHOOSH!! congratulations, now you have burning, ambulatory zombie craving your flesh. So not only does he eat your neck as you burn too but you have to endure that smell.
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Originally Posted by Dark One
BLASPHEMY!
You don't use alkiehol for molotovs, you use gasoline like any red-blooded, redneck zombie fighter! |
The show continues to not disappoint. A fine episode.
- Excellent reveals regarding the circumstances of Merle's escape.
- Interesting tension around the survivors in town, followed by the very human and touching circumstances of their clinging to survival (and their comments about other survivors out there).
- The dinner showed a nice interplay of the characters - reminding us there was much going on off camera in terms of interactions and personalities.
- The brutal danger that the zombies represent, and maybe we had been lulled into doubting over the last couple of episodes...
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As the attack started, my wife and I hypothesized that Merle loaded up the truck with walkers and drove them up there on purpose for vengeance. Rethought that some after realizing he would get his brother ate in the mess... unless he scouted camp first.|
Originally Posted by Inazuma
Their bad for letting their guard down, ESPECIALLY since they knew the walkers were moving higher up into the mountains now. Damn that was brutal.
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(note: we haven't read the graphic novels at all so no idea whatever on what the story arc should look like - I think the books are coming from Santa though.
)edit: I see we weren't alone in our thought on Merle and providing a ready to eat meal for some passengers...
City of Heroes was my first MMO, & my favorite computer game.
R.I.P.
Chyll - Bydand - Violynce - Enyrgos - Rylle - Nephryte - Solyd - Fettyr - Hyposhock - Styrling - Beryllos - Rosyc
Horryd - Myriam - Dysquiet - Ghyr
Vanysh - Eldrytch
Inflyct - Mysron - Orphyn - Dysmay - Reapyr - - Wyldeman - Hydeous
Quote:
Well since this remark was probably directed at me as much as anyone I guess I'll jump in with a few trivial nitpicks for this latest episode:|
Originally Posted by ProcessedMeatMan
I'm amazed that some of you guys manage to enjoy any TV shows or movies at all... holy crap this is by the far the nitpickiest show review thread I've ever read on this forum
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1) I'm glad they took the time to "explain" what Merle probably did with the cutting off his hand scenario, right down to the prediction I made that he used his belt as a tourniquet to keep from bleeding to death. That cleared up most of the "it makes no sense" problem I had with episode #3. The only minor remaining nit I had is that apparently there was another doorway up to the roof that Merle used to get down. I guess we're suppose to assume he was lucky the zombies only tried to get to him via the chained door when he was cuffed and not try the other unchained way.
2) I just didn't buy that they jumped to the assumption that Merle was the one who found the moving van and drove away with it. Atlanta is a pretty big city and Merle could have stumbled off in any direction after he cut his hand off. The idea that he was the one to find and take that specific van seemed a bit contrived. I also don't give any "buy in" to the speculation that Merle would've loaded up the van with zombies to use them for "revenge" against the camp. Sure Merle might want to seek some revenge, but I doubt he'd round up some zombies to help him with that. I'm willing to wait to have the whole Merle deal better explained in a future episode.
3) While it's too bad the camp got attacked (and it's an interesting point to consider that there were too many zombies there at once to just be considered a "random" attack) it really was their own fault they got overrun. They already knew one zombie had stumbled into their campsite back in episode #3 - they should have been far more careful at that point.
I actually had very little trouble with the rest of the episode. In fact this episode was probably the best one since the first one for me. We pretty much knew something bad was going to happen to Amy at the end because they were hyping up that whole "got to wrap the birthday present" thing for her which seemed too nice and happy for it to end well. Here's looking forward to next episode.
P.S. I only bother to spend this much effort analyzing shows I actually "enjoy" watching. If I thought this show was complete crap I wouldn't be thinking of ways it could have been even better.
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Quote:
Lucky, or they followed the scent trail on the only stairway the living had used. Either way, it beat jumping or using a fire escape (|
Originally Posted by Lothic
I guess we're suppose to assume he was lucky the zombies only tried to get to him via the chained door when he was cuffed and not try the other unchained way.
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) where he wouldn't have left a nifty urban trail to track through the building showing his ingenuity and perseverance.Quote:
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Originally Posted by Lothic
I just didn't buy that they jumped to the assumption that Merle was the one who found the moving van and drove away with it. Atlanta is a pretty big city and Merle could have stumbled off in any direction after he cut his hand off. The idea that he was the one to find and take that specific van seemed a bit contrived.
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The real issue was the implication in the scene cuts that they ran back all the way... what, one of the dozens, hundreds, or thousands of other vehicles in the city weren't convenient enough?
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Originally Posted by Lothic
I also don't give any "buy in" to the speculation that Merle would've loaded up the van with zombies to use them for "revenge" against the camp. Sure Merle might want to seek some revenge, but I doubt he'd round up some zombies to help him with that. I'm willing to wait to have the whole Merle deal better explained in a future episode.
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In some ways I like the idea suggested above that a mini-horde kept following the car alarm and then the scent... or just wandered in after following for a while.
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Originally Posted by Lothic
it really was their own fault they got overrun. They already knew one zombie had stumbled into their campsite back in episode #3 - they should have been far more careful at that point.
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But fatigue of some sort would be a natural state to expect - stories of warfare are filled with plenty of examples of units giving in to a false sense of security - no matter how irrational it may seem. And the prospect of all that fresh fish probably led to a party atmosphere that broke down all logic. I accepted it as teaching the viewers (and our survivors) to never let our tense awareness drop.
Plus it whittled down the number of characters we had to pretend to be concerned about, and gave us our first direct experience of a moment of personal loss out of the collapse - which I thought was interesting given how far we are into things.
City of Heroes was my first MMO, & my favorite computer game.
R.I.P.
Chyll - Bydand - Violynce - Enyrgos - Rylle - Nephryte - Solyd - Fettyr - Hyposhock - Styrling - Beryllos - Rosyc
Horryd - Myriam - Dysquiet - Ghyr
Vanysh - Eldrytch
Inflyct - Mysron - Orphyn - Dysmay - Reapyr - - Wyldeman - Hydeous
I too thought Merle took the truck and loaded it with zombies. BUT that would mean there had to be a door on the fron tof the truck to seperate the passenger seats from the cargo area, which I don't remember seeing in the previous episode. That doesn't mean it wasn't there but I didn't see it.
I think that whole thing was to make us all believe Merle brought the zombies. Really the loud car probably attracted the geeks because it was stupid of them to drive it into camp. They should have ditched the loud car somewhere away from their camp and left it going. There was plenty of room for the driver in the back of the truck.
Also why did it seem like it took forever for the survivors to drive back to camp but they were able to run it in a short period of time? Super speedsters? LOL
All in all I still think this is a great show and can't wait for the next episode and will be super sad when the season ends.
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And how the episode or two before they were in danger of being trapped up there with another way down....all they had to do was chain the door and wait overnight???? No tension there.|
Originally Posted by Chyll
Lucky, or they followed the scent trail on the only stairway the living had used. Either way, it beat jumping or using a fire escape (
) where he wouldn't have left a nifty urban trail to track through the building showing his ingenuity and perseverance. |
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Originally Posted by Chyll
The real issue was the implication in the scene cuts that they ran back all the way... what, one of the dozens, hundreds, or thousands of other vehicles in the city weren't convenient enough?.
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Originally Posted by Chyll
It occurred to be because the implied mental state of our man Merle is quite likely 'around-the-bend'. So, yeah, it came to mind, and offers a marginally plausible explanation for the shear volume of the assault. (Though the cab wasn't sealed from the cargo area was it?... unless he took the time to place a barrier, one handed.)
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Originally Posted by Chyll
Too true. Sloppy sloppy.
But fatigue of some sort would be a natural state to expect - stories of warfare are filled with plenty of examples of units giving in to a false sense of security - no matter how irrational it may seem. And the prospect of all that fresh fish probably led to a party atmosphere that broke down all logic. I accepted it as teaching the viewers (and our surivors) to never let our tense awareness drop. Plus it whittled down the number of characters we had to pretend to be concerned about, and gave us our first direct experience of a moment of personal loss out of the collapse - which I thought was interesting given how far we are into things. |
Even the cops would likely succumb to this as they have never had to bunker up like this....Im reminded of a show a couple years back that put various military and para-military members together on a team and had a contest to take objectives with laser-tag like guns. I remember the SWAT guys always lagging on things the Spec Ops guys found routine and being voted off...until they came to room clearing and the one SWAT guy left carried his team to victory (because thats what he did every day) Cant remember the shows name though.
I didnt like the two seconds of stunned disbelief on the wifebeaters face. I thought it would be appropriate for him to take a swing at his zombie only to have the zombie bite his fist before succumbing, it being a femaleish zombie and all. I would think he's fought off a zombie or two at this point and wouldnt be flatfooted like that.
Oh well
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Yeah I just glossed over the idea that they ran like 10 miles back to camp apparently without trying to find another vehicle. Based on the passage of time we saw between it being afternoon and nighttime and how far they've shown the city buildings being from the camp it's vaguely conceivable they could have walked/jogged back to camp in say 4-6 hours.|
Originally Posted by Chyll
The real issue was the implication in the scene cuts that they ran back all the way... what, one of the dozens, hundreds, or thousands of other vehicles in the city weren't convenient enough?
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Originally Posted by Chyll
Too true. Sloppy sloppy.
But fatigue of some sort would be a natural state to expect - stories of warfare are filled with plenty of examples of units giving in to a false sense of security - no matter how irrational it may seem. And the prospect of all that fresh fish probably led to a party atmosphere that broke down all logic. I accepted it as teaching the viewers (and our survivors) to never let our tense awareness drop. Plus it whittled down the number of characters we had to pretend to be concerned about, and gave us our first direct experience of a moment of personal loss out of the collapse - which I thought was interesting given how far we are into things. |
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Originally Posted by Frogfather
I didnt like the two seconds of stunned disbelief on the wifebeaters face. I thought it would be appropriate for him to take a swing at his zombie only to have the zombie bite his fist before succumbing, it being a femaleish zombie and all. I would think he's fought off a zombie or two at this point and wouldnt be flatfooted like that.
Oh well |
I guess that was Zombie Apocalypse Karma at work.
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Quote:
Great point I hadn't considered.
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Originally Posted by Frogfather
I kinda figured he just lead them to the truck and drove slowly back
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City of Heroes was my first MMO, & my favorite computer game.
R.I.P.
Chyll - Bydand - Violynce - Enyrgos - Rylle - Nephryte - Solyd - Fettyr - Hyposhock - Styrling - Beryllos - Rosyc
Horryd - Myriam - Dysquiet - Ghyr
Vanysh - Eldrytch
Inflyct - Mysron - Orphyn - Dysmay - Reapyr - - Wyldeman - Hydeous
Quote:
I agree that'd be a "possible" way for him to have accomplished something like this.|
Originally Posted by Chyll
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I'm still just not buying the idea that he would put that much thought and effort into a plot for "revenge" like that. It's quite likely that Merle is now insane after his ordeal and he could very well want to kill everyone in the camp. But he just seems more like the type who'd grab a machete and try to personally hack people apart instead of being a "zombie wrangler" willing to lure a horde of zombies to the camp.
Actually what seems a bit more likely is that after Merle escaped the building he eventually got caught by the zombies and they zombied him. But because he had such an insane hated/drive against the campers he somehow managed to retain that motivation after death. That overriding lust for revenge allowed him to direct a horde of zombies to follow him to the camp. Just because we didn't see him during the chaos of the attack doesn't mean he's not among the zombies that were attacking the camp.
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Originally Posted by Lothic
Actually what seems a bit more likely is that after Merle escaped the building he eventually got caught by the zombies and they zombied him. But because he had such an insane hated/drive against the campers he somehow managed to retain that motivation after death. That overriding lust for revenge allowed him to direct a horde of zombies to follow him to the camp. Just because we didn't see him during the chaos of the attack doesn't mean he's not among the zombies that were attacking the camp.
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I personally at this point doubt he had anything to do with it.
Regardless, it should be interesting when he links up with them again.
City of Heroes was my first MMO, & my favorite computer game.
R.I.P.
Chyll - Bydand - Violynce - Enyrgos - Rylle - Nephryte - Solyd - Fettyr - Hyposhock - Styrling - Beryllos - Rosyc
Horryd - Myriam - Dysquiet - Ghyr
Vanysh - Eldrytch
Inflyct - Mysron - Orphyn - Dysmay - Reapyr - - Wyldeman - Hydeous
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Lothic
I agree that'd be a "possible" way for him to have accomplished something like this.
I'm still just not buying the idea that he would put that much thought and effort into a plot for "revenge" like that. It's quite likely that Merle is now insane after his ordeal and he could very well want to kill everyone in the camp. But he just seems more like the type who'd grab a machete and try to personally hack people apart instead of being a "zombie wrangler" willing to lure a horde of zombies to the camp. |
I think the car alarm scenario is the most likely....but whats more fitting than finding a few zombies along the way and leading them to the people that left you to be eaten. He probably lumps his brother in with that bunch (I only say that because the brother seems likable at this point and they probably wouldnt write him that way if he was just gonna run off with Merle). I think Merles feverish mind could hatch that plan. And I most especially dont think the zombies got him....in fact I think we all can agree Merle is going to be an antagonist through out this season.
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Yeah, I don't see a zombie attack as a Merle move.|
Originally Posted by Chyll
I personally at this point doubt he had anything to do with it. Regardless, is should be interesting when he links up with them again. |
They could have smelled the fish cooking. They could have been slowly following Glen's noisy car.
Good episode. I kept wondering at the beginning if the bite on the fishing line would be a zombie popping up out of the water so I was somewhat glad my suspicion was off base on that.
total kick to the gut
This is like having Ra's Al Ghul show up at your birthday party.
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Originally Posted by Chyll
I personally at this point doubt he had anything to do with it. Regardless, is should be interesting when he links up with them again. |
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Originally Posted by Frogfather
And I most especially dont think the zombies got him....in fact I think we all can agree Merle is going to be an antagonist through out this season.
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It's been suggested that the zombies might be moving out of the cities due to lack of food...
How long does it take for a zombie to starve? How does eating keep them going, anyway? The bottomless zombie in the first episode - anything it ate would just come sliding right back out. So how was it still going?
Yes, these things still ahem plague me in regard to this zombie invasion. I have no problem with *magical/supernatural* zombies (or even sword-weilding skeletons as seen in The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad) because, well, it's magic. But these guys...
What makes them tick, so to speak?
I doubt Merle would lead the zombies to camp on purpose. He wouldn't know that is brother was no longer there and would be risking Darryl's life. I don't even think he'd be in the right state of mind to hatch something like that. He is probably in the right state of mind to be careless and accidentally lead zombies there.
However, with the group of four running from Atlanta, you'd think they would see the van pulled off somewhere or on the road if Merle abandoned it. There were no stragglers (that we saw) on the road, so I don't they the geeks were lead to camp. I think they simply swarmed from all angles as a natural progression of moving out of Atlanta.
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Well, if that twist was to lull use into a false sense of security to blindside us with that...well done, show, well done.
"Ben is short for Frank."
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