Just another sunny day in the New Normal.
Late last night, in a fit of despond, I Tweeted the following:
Call me a pessimist if you will, but I must confess to a sinking feeling that things are not going to get better on “The Walking Dead”…
I mean, have you been watching this show lately? We thought things were as bad as they could get in the very first episode of the first season, but now? It’s almost like the makers of the show are daring us each week to keep watching. Recently on Netflix, I called up an episode from the first season — the one in which the survivors find temporary refuge at the CDC — and I was struck by how clean and relaxed and sane everyone was, even before they got access to the hot showers. Over the next two seasons, you can observe the decline of hope in the characters along with the layers of dirt and dried zombie blood encrusted on them.
Rick's just not inspiring a lot of confidence these days.
This show raises a lot of questions. For instance — if the only “life” in walkers (as demonstrated by the researcher at the CDC) was a trickle of activity at the very base of the brain, then how come a blow to anywhere on the head will put them down? Looked to me like the target area would be about the size of a walnut, and well shielded. And once you suspend your belief enough to ignore that, how are we to believe that humans with no firearms experience before the zombie apocalypse can hit a moving walker in the head at forty yards with a pistol, every time? That would be a toughie for the members of Seal Team 6, I suspect.
But set all that aside, and let me get to my epiphany. Last night, as I looked on Deputy Rick covered in zombie mess, sitting there on the floor of the prison out of his mind with grief over the loss of someone dear to him, I got this sinking feeling that nothing was ever going to get better. Based, you know, sort of in the fact that this is the third season, and nothing ever DOES get better. Everybody was just going to keep scraping by, day to day, adjusting as well as they can to this new reality that seemed permanent…
And it hit me how much that felt like our economic situation since September 2008 (the show premiered in 2010, as we were realizing that our economic woes were the New Normal, and not a short-term thing). Only without everybody being covered in zombie blood.
Is that what it’s about? Does that cause us to identify with these people enough to keep watching? Does it cheer us up, because unemployment and underemployment aren’t nearly that bad? Are the choices presented to the characters like our political choices? Is “the Governor” supposed to be Mitt Romney, presenting an idyllic suburban Republican sort of vision of what life could be? Deputy Rick seems to have the same pitch for holding on to leadership that President Obama used: No, I haven’t led you out of this, but without my leadership, things would have been worse.
Maybe not. But I’m trying to come up with a socially-redeeming excuse for why I keep watching. Because I do, and will. Right now, I can’t wait to find out who was on the other end of that ringing rotary-dial phone…
And I’m supposed to believe this kid can hit a moving walker in the head, at 50 feet, from a tower, with a pistol as big as he is?
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Hey, they had all that target practice on the farm …
Yes, and in all those months between the farm and the prison (between seasons), we’re to believe that their combat skills were honed to a fine edge.
But still. I would expect even a trained deputy like Rick would miss a good bit even with his scoped rifle — since the walkers are moving. And even the best marksmen in the world would have trouble with pistols. In fact, the best-trained people wouldn’t waste the ammunition trying at anything less than arm’s length — sort of a last-ditch weapon when the walker’s about to bite you.
I’m embarrassed to admit that I’ve thought about this, but the way to clean out that prison, instead of everybody shooting at the walkers at a distance, would have been to herd them through a narrow gate and take them out one by one with edged weapons. It wouldn’t have been as dramatic, but it would have worked, and wouldn’t have wasted ammunition. And of course, as you can see by the weapons in the picture at the top of this post, that IS how they got a lot of them.
The one with the right idea is Daryl. I fully believe he’s that good with a crossbow, and he always retrieves his ammo. He might not be much of a conversationalist, and you REALLY wouldn’t want to talk politics with him, but he’s the one I want on my side when the Zombie Apocalypse comes.
Zombies = Occupiers?
Of course, things could be worse. There could be FAST-MOVING zombies like in the coming feature “World War Z.”
I don’t even want to see that. I mean, everybody knows zombies don’t move like that…
Sure, the walkers are moving, but not very fast . . . they’re just shambling. Because they’re zombies!
You’re right, though, Rick and his crew are improbably good marksmen. However, that’s not what I think about when I watch the show. Rather, I think, “My God, when will those poor people get a chance to shower all those zombie guts off them!”
Turns out Daryl has a knack with babies, too!
Yeah, how about that? I didn’t see THAT coming. I mean, I want Daryl on my team and all that, but he’d be the last in the group I would have picked to put in charge of a newborn…
Speaking of which… SPOILER ALERT HERE…
Seriously, if you haven’t watched the series, and think you might, SKIP THIS COMMENT! Or at least don’t follow the links, since I just decided not to use names.
Here’s my question…
Did we lose this character? I remember what happened to this one, and of course to this one, but did they get THREE members of the group in Episode Four? I ask this because I didn’t see that character in Episode Five, and a reference was made that caused me to wonder.
It can be hard to keep track of what’s happening when you’re in a melee with a herd.
I’m not going to have to watch it again, am I?
He has a tender side. Remember him giving the rose to Carol, for Sophia? [sigh]
I love this show. I would much rather talk about it than about politics . . .
OK, I Googled the topic, and it turns out I’m not the only person mystified as to what happened to that character…
Is this filmed in South Carolina? I saw a recent Facebook post where Florencen County had a 141% voter turnout.
SC Attorney General Alan Wilson and SC Governot Nikki Haley are right! We have zombies in South Carolina!
I think I’d head for the coast and try to find a small sea island, and maybe blow up the bridge (or barricade it) behind me. You think the zombies can swim?
As someone who shoots, all the shooting accuracy is a little silly, but hey, it’s a zombie show.
On the question as to whether it gets better, I wonder how the show will end. You think it has an uplifting end where they finally eliminate all the zombies? It could be something darker, where everyone dies.
I’ve heard one theory going around that the show will end with RIck waking up from the coma that he came out of when the show started. That would be very unsatisfying.
As for the politics, don’t force it. You’re trying to put a round peg in a square hole.
Samurai black girl can take care of them all. BTW, she waxed several zombies this week without touching their heads.
By the way, just so y’all know my observations are not just supposition, I have experience in this field. I’ve played the Nacht der Untoten level of Call of Duty: World at War quite a few times.
And you never, EVER win. The longer you survive, the more Nazi zombies keep coming at you. Why Nazi zombies? Just in case you have a problem with shooting zombies, or with shooting Nazis, the makers of the game assume NO ONE will have a problem with shooting Nazi zombies. Not even Hershel, back in the earlier days at the farm.
Have you seen “Attack the Block”?
Yes! It’s awesome.
It was actually one of the freshest movies I’ve seen in awhile. Very inventive…