The Walking Dead

The zombie apocalypse isn't that old in the show. It's not like he's went through season after season of hunting and built up new habits.

I know that for me, the first rule (checking load status) is pretty much an automatic response when handed a weapon. I've been doing it for 20 years. I don't even have to think about, "Do I need to check to see if it's loaded?" anymore. That response is not going to disappear over night, nor should it. Same should go for the other good hunter responses.

Which is kind of where I am as well. Even though I've read the comics, there have been enough changes that the comic storyline doesn't necessarily mean anything at this point. The writers can decide to change directions any time they want. In other words, any explanation in the comics isn't automatically the explanation here.

I'm curious on how many episodes they spend at Hershel's farm. Based on the comic, they spent 6 issues dealing with Rick's awakening and reunion, and the next 6 issues meeting a new group and then arriving at Hershel's. Either they are shortening those 6 issues to get to the next major location, or the Hershel plot points will be stretched out.

OK, I've now rewatched the episode for myself.

First of all the Doctor, after laying Carl in the bed tells Rick to get a pillowcase and apply pressure to THE WOUND, singular. There was only ONE wound regardless of the number of fragments in question.

A few seconds later we see the Doctor apparently glancing at the SINGLE wound and saying (somehow magically) that not only did the bullet not "pass through the deer cleanly" but that he knows, for certain, there are SIX bullet fragments. How he knows that six distinct fragments passed through the same bullet wound is apparently a question we're not supposed to wonder about.

Then later we see they had put a bandage over the single wound and we see only one spot of blood, not six.

Then later we see the Doctor digging around in Carl's belly where there's only ONE obvious wound and manages to dig out one bullet fragment. At this point the Doctor dramatically says something like "one down, five to go" further stressing he knows for an absolute fact there are only 6 pieces in question.

Then later the Doctor mentions that he needs a respirator to go further because pulling the pieces out could kill Carl otherwise. Once again how on earth would he know HOW MANY other pieces there were if he wouldn't even dare to poke into him further to find out?

Basically the elements of this extended scene simply don't add up. Once again I'll make the point that the whole idea of mentioning SIX specific fragments was not only completely impossible to support given what the Doctor could see or do but I would submit that the writers of this show didn't even have to toss out ANY specific number of fragments and still retain the believable dramatic tension of the scene. In effect the idea that the Doctor was able to magically count 6 fragments deep inside the kid's gut made the scene "less than cool" for me. *shrugs*

I would simply suggest that you, like I did for the Doctor scene, rewatch the scene when Carl gets shot. I find it hard to believe you wouldn't accept that there's at least a -chance- that Otis could have seen the deer but not the boy in this scenario.

There were plenty of trees and bushes between Otis and the deer even accounting for the few square-foot "clearing" the deer and boy were supposedly standing in. Sure Otis might have been able to tell the deer was looking at something. But if we accept that Otis did not see the boy then there's no reason to think that the deer was looking at anything weird. As you've pointed out many times it's virtually impossible for Carl to have been able to stand so close to a wild deer. Otis, being a hunter with possiblity 20 years of experience just like you, would naturally fall back on the FALSE ASSUMPTION that there couldn't possibly be a boy standing right behind the deer so to Otis' mind it would have been perfectly safe to shoot at the deer. Thus the accident.

On this point I would ask whether you're purposely trying to be obtuse and arguing for the sake of arguing. I believe your real world hunting experience is clouding your ability to simply accept the silly situation for what it was. Yes Carl standing next to the buck was a stupid pretense to get them to the farm - but given the silly situation Carl getting accidentally shot was completely within the realm of believability.

It's entirely possible the Doctor is wrong and is just guessing, or going off some obscure bit of 'knowledge' that he's heard before. Maybe last time he did it there was six pieces and he just assumes that's normal.

He is after all, only a vet.

/headdesk again

What are you going to do? Apply pressure to six individual holes that are clustered together or apply pressure to the area of the injury?

And no, there was not "one wound". There were multiple holes. If you look at the scene where the extraction takes place, there are at least two other darker patches than the spot that he pulled the fragment from.

He did not say for certain that there were six fragments. He spent approximately 10-15 seconds looking at the entry spot. How long do you need to count to six? The closest he comes to saying it is, "One down. Five to go." when he pulls the first bit out.

*******, but you are going to long distances to avoid saying, "I was ******* wrong.".

You do know that when blood soaks into a bandage, it tends to make for a wider area, right? When Rick gives Carl the first transfusion, there are clearly two darker patches on the bandage (a long one and a satellite wound) with blood soak around. Later on, that same bandage is more soaked so it's obscuring the extra spots. We don't actually see the underside of the bandage, only the top.

YOU are the one calling it absolute fact. He is the one basing his statements on the earlier presumption that he counted six fragments and/or entry wounds.

He knows there's at least one more in there, given the fact that Carl is, you know, bleeding internally.

They only don't "add up" to you.

What part of "I count six" is in any way a definitive statement? I could count a dozen zombies in a herd, but that doesn't mean I can't have missed a few hiding behind a car or crawling along.

If the deer is looking at something, then there's a decent chance that there is something there. If there is something there, then it behooves Otis to look for it. If only to make sure that there isn't a zombie there that'll get his fat *** when he goes down to get the deer.

It might not be a kid, it might not be a zombie, but something, maybe a mountain lion. Maybe a squirrel. But it takes little effort and time to make sure.

Is it possible that he truly couldn't see him? *shrug* It's possible, but not probable. He had a clear enough line of sight to drop a deer in its tracks with a single shot, and a clear enough line of sight to see Carl on the ground ("I didn't see him till he was on the ground), but not able to see him ten feet from a deer when Otis is potentially on higher ground?



In other words...LET IT GO. This is not the first time that you've done this, iirc. Better yet, stop watching the show since it apparently bothers you so much.

Portable emergency generator? Wind generator? Solar cells?

Same way the church had the electricity to play the artificial church bell. It's a miracle.

Wrong. I myself have been within 12 feet of a 10 pointer who just looked at me then looked around and ambled away. I've been within a few feet of does and fawns too. I've talked to them and had them glance at me then continue doing whatever they were up to before I so rudely interrupted them.

If you live in an area where they aren't hunted then they have zero fear of humans unless you charge them or yell and wave at them.

Do you really think with zombies around, i.e. the smell of death, that that buck wouldn't be spooked to holy hell and back?

And do you really think that area hasn't been hunted regularly? The show takes place in Georgia. A State with deer hunting seasons. Presuming they are still in Georgia, of course. And that area was pretty good for archery hunting, at the very least.

Edit - I'm willing to accept that larger specimens would show less fear. After all, if the buck can turn him into gooey paste, the little human isn't much of a threat, so not a reason to run. The closest I've come to a wild buck (or at least a buck that has become used to our scent and willing to enter our garden) is about 10 feet and that was only because I was in a tree blind above said animal.

I think it's more that we've managed to retain the forumites that enjoy arguing.

You take that back!

*throws chair*

You know, with how many guest appearances she makes, I wouldn't be surprised if this were true.





It isn't, is it?

Yah...Felicia Day and ol Napolean Dynamite.

Well, you have to also remember that Rick isn't completely oblivious to everything. He clearly knows there's a degree of tension between Lori, Shane, and himself (The scene when he inquires how Shane received the scratches on his neck or the "breaking habits" scene)

When the topic arose in the comic, Rick didn't want to know about Judith's paternity. In fact, he specifically dismisses the conversation. Citing that he couldn't handle it.

To bring it back to the show (and in the comic to a lesser degree), Rick runs from his problems. One of the reasons I really dislike the character in the show currently. He's constantly "doing the right thing", when he's often just being cowardly (Going back to Atlanta for Merle when he should have 1) Been with his family and 2) hash things out with Lori for example). If Jenner had told him that his wife was with child, he wouldn't want the confrontation of "Did you sleep with my wife?" with Shane.

Until maybe in season 3. Or maybe a cliff hanger for season 2.

If the whisper was about being infected, why would Jenner release them at all? He clearly believed that no more research was being done elsewhere. And if he believed that there was that chance, I think he would have left with the other survivors.

Ultimately though, the whisper could have blank in script 6. Based on the commentary, the director claimed that the scripts were often changed. So it could have "the series is finished, so it'll be them being infected" or it could have been "the series is going to another season, let's change it to something to continue the series"

I picked up the blu-ray "special edition" release last night of season 1. I was a little surprised to hear that, based on the conversation in Episode 6 (?) that the Governor is being considered for the show. Which was strange because a buddy of mine was saying it (the Governor being in the show) would be an interesting way to bring Merle back just the other night.

edit - whoa TLDR

I like a lot of what you say in your post, but......

One of the aspects that I enjoy in both the novel and show is that there are a diverse set of personalities and they are human enough to "enjoy". I even dug Merle's character because yeah zombies and all doesnt mean a person is going to stop being a jerk...actually a person would probably be more of an a$$hole due to stress. Human in the sense that people are so different from one another and even people that seem to be the best that a generation has to offer can have some minor/major character flaws, while others that you may initially find a waste of life sometimes have real merits and strengths. Examples - JF Kennedy, some say one of the greatest presidents ever with superb qualities, but 'allegedly' quite the womanizer. If true, the kind of guy you want to invite over for dinner, but not have around your attractive wife. More contemporary - Steve Jobs, world famous inventor/visionary. Authorized biographers claim that he had the ability to be a class A jerk (parked in handicap parking spots, screamed at waitresses etc the list goes on). While his products are hot, maybe not the person you would want to spend any significant time with socially. Thats what I mean by being truly human.

Id need more convincing about the cowardly act equals going back to Atlanta versus staying with his family concept. I understand that family comes first, especially when the zompacolypse happens, but to me, it would have been easier to stay behind during the return to Atlanta operation. In real life, selfless/heroic acts are rare to come by since self preservation is such a strong behavioral drive. Ask anyone who works in what I like to call the "Civilization Officer" fields (cops, firemen, emergency medical personnel, military etc). I find myself doing the "right thing" more times than not, but not because I think about, just because certain lines of work tend to push you in that direction and after awhile it can become second nature...Rick is law enforcement.

None of this means you are any better with dealing with relationships or handling disappointing news from relationships. Coming back from Iraq, I had a handful of soldiers that felt/knew their pregnant wives had cheated on them...some confronted their spouses while others spoke to a Chaplain and let it go. Most of these guys went on daily foot patrols/engaging in firefights, stood guard outside the wire at traffic control points for days at a time inspecting vehicles (waiting to get ambushed or blown up) etc basically seeing the worst of it all.

Just b/c I think its smarter to confront a friend/coworker about his involvement with my wife doesnt mean the next guy would and I dont think I can necessarily attribute that to cowardice. Or maybe youre right and Rick is a big fat coward...the great thing about different perspectives.

A lot of characters have died already, or at least been grievously injured. I think that's more than most shows already.

Except for all of that "attempted ****" business.

But okay, I do agree with you. I think the writers regret including that at the end of last season, because now they're seemingly back-pedaling and trying to keep him alive and make him more likeable. When he and Rick were having their heart-to-heart talks at the farm, I thought he was going to confess to him about Lori during their shared moment.

Many things: Deus Ex Daryl is hilarious. Did you coin that?

I thought that's where T-Dawg was going as well. I do think he was in self-preservation, fever-induced mode though. I mean, just last episode he agreed with Dale about stalling for time for Sophia. T-Dawg is a good person, I think they're just trying to build reasons for him to start trusting Dale.

"the mundanes" - Tell me you didn't intend this to be as condescending as it sounds.

I like all of your thoughts. But also, a poster on another forum I frequent reported that Dale (I think his real name is Norman Reedus) was asked about his brother returning and he said that he will be, but specifically said that he won't be the Governor. This was at something called ZomBCon. So take that hearsay with a grain of salt.

actually it was a Dodge Charger and not a Mustang.... I should know I have watched the first season a couple times now.....

The last image on that site does kind show just how much underbrush Otis was shooting through to hit the deer. And the fact that Carl was walking around a corner, such that the deer would have been blocking most of him the entire time he was behind it from somebody on the exact opposite side of the deer. And he was wearing a dirty-brown jacket, not exactly screaming "high visibility" to me.

I thought that rather, it was how he truly felt because of what he saw in the car where he got the pack of smokes. Either he identified the car seat by the seat, the toy that was attached to it, and where it was attached, or it simply reminded him of someone (most likely his kid or a family member of sort). But then again, I may just be reading too much into how they shot that little scene. But it did seem to bother him quite a bit.