The Walking Dead: Discussion Thread

[Ann_SS]

Wait, so that was Carol's farewell? Fitting.

Chris thanks his guests for being lucid. LOL!

Edited November 4, 2013 by Ann_SS

[ChitHappens]

What?! That's it for Carol?

[Ann_SS]

This Jericho guy and chick are much better guests.

[Ann_SS]

Great episode of TD so far!

[Ann_SS]

I have to think about Rick's decision. Maybe he should have taken her back, put her on trial, and lock her in a cell. On the other hand, what she did was horrible and her lack of remorse makes her dangerous.

[ChitHappens]

Yes, I'm really enjoying it. Haven't liked an eppy this much since Yvette Brown.

My mouth is still on the floor. Did we know MM was leaving? I am in complete and utter shock!

[Ann_SS]

I did like the Daryl and Michonne's interaction.

Nope, we did not know. I did not even see any spoilers about this. TWD does a great job about killing these departures quiet.

I don't agree with Jericho, but I am enjoying his thoughtful comments.

[Ann_SS]

What I love about TWD is the deep debates that result from the situations that our survivors encounter. I love it!

I see a lot of speculation on TWD forums that Carol will be back.

Gawd, Hershel is dooming himself with this exposure to the virus. Great preview!

Edited November 4, 2013 by Ann_SS

[Ann_SS]

Oh Chris, antibiotics do not work on viruses. Oh Carol, killing quarantined people with symptoms of a virus does not stop it spreading. It really does scare me how little real life people and fictional characters know about infectious diseases.

Looking at the beginning of the episode again, it is clear that Rick was considering what to do about Carol. I think if she had shown any remorse, he might have made a different decision. Even at the end, she could have decided to go back to prison to face her judgment. I have to think about this some more.

Edited November 4, 2013 by Ann_SS

[quartermainefan]

Rick was ridiculous tonight. Carol, agree or disagree with her, is a charter member of the group who was with your wife and son while you were still in a coma, and the woman has cared for your baby for an entire season and change, and she deserves some loyalty over these relative strangers. There is no putting her on trial because there is no law, she is either on your team or she isn't and she is on your team. The whole thing is just stupid, and especially from Rick who killed shane, went insane and whose poor decisions has gotten many a cast member killed or injured. Everyone cut him slack when he didn't abandon that stranger in season 2 that wound up getting Herschel's leg cut off in an incident that was a direct result. And Shane told him not to take the guy to the school/wherever that was that Shane got trapped on the bus and almost got killed. But Rick did anyway and no one told Rick he had to leave the group from any of these things.

Meanwhile, there is Tedious Tyrese up to his usual BS but the drunk doctor is interesting. I really can't deal with this character. What was he upset about this week, still the off camera love affair that was with some day player that we don't even know her name? Michonne and Daryl have potential as Mr and Mrs Kickass. The drunk has potential too. I didn't miss all the people who were not on.

[Vee]

I think Rick was wrong about Carol. Whether or not he agreed with her, she isn't a sociopath or the Governor, and she isn't Shane. She cared about what she'd done. And no one had to know, IMO. Even if it did seem to me as though she deliberately sent those two kids out there, knowing they might not make it back and it would leave the prison with less mouths to feed. I doubt this is the end for Carol. We may not see her again right away, but I think we absolutely will see her again.

Great episode, though. Incredible scenes between Andrew Lincoln and Melissa McBride, and good stuff with the other group too. Really good, quiet, thoughtful stuff all around. Though I suspect the show is building a Daryl/Michonne/Tyreese triangle - there's nothing wrong with any of that, but I'd still rather Rick be her man.

[Ann_SS]

I am still conflicted about Rick's decision. Carol's calm rationalization was scary and Shane-like, but maybe he should have taken her back to the prison to face everyone's judgment. However, there was no way that Rick could have kept Carol's actions a secret because Tyreese is not going to let Karen's murder go. He would push until Rick told the truth and besides, Rick's subsequent lack of trust of Carol would have given it away. I am interested in the survivors' reactions when Rick tells them, particularly Daryl. And if banishment is Carol's punishment, what is Bob's?

One thing perplexes me, is Bob saying that the walkers with the flu were contagious. Is that really possible?

Edited November 4, 2013 by Ann_SS

[Juliajms]

I don't even see how something dead could have the flu in the first place, never mind being contagious. I guess the answer is that in a world where the dead can walk anything is possible. That doesn't mean Bob is right though.

Not sure how I feel about Carol. If Rick had let her stay, I think it's true that TY would have killed her or demanded her death or banishment anyway. Even if Rick could have kept the secret it might have come out another way. I would have liked Carol to be on the show longer, but I'm ok with how she's leaving. Maybe she'll be back down the road. I hope she does find another group and show people how to survive.

I like how many loose canons are on the show. Rick, Bob, Ty all have compromised judgement. God knows what they are going to do moment to moment. Bob is probably more dangerous than Carol, so it's going to be interesting to see what comes from that.

[DRW50]

This was a week I very much wanted to see a producer (not Kirkman) on Talking Dead. The woman from Community seemed uneasy when she had to move beyond quips. Chris Jericho was so in love with the sound of his own voice that he repeated the same points a dozen times and drained the life out of every conversation. And Chris Hardwick seemed to give up on discussing the actual plot of the show and instead kept saying strange things like Rick is jealous of Carol because she's so awesome, and insisting that Lizzie is perceptive and normal, when the script has repeatedly, explicitly said Lizzie is disturbed.

[DRW50]

A number of people, including Carol, were vocally against Rick for his decisions in season 2. It got to the point where Rick told them to leave if they wanted to leave, because he wasn't changing. They chose to stay.

I don't think what happened with Shane or with his instability last season compares to what Carol did. Shane was extremely dangerous by the time he was murdered. Most of Rick's instability last season just meant people weren't getting the best leadership. He didn't go around killing innocent people and justifying it. The person Rick left behind was not a member of the group, so the group wouldn't have a problem with it.

This is what bothers me about Carol's choices:

- they're incredibly stupid (anyone with half a brain would know that killing two people out of a cell block full of people is not going to stop a disease from spreading)

- she gives no real reason for these choices beyond "I'm strong." That means she doesn't care about explaining her decisions. That means she will do them again.

If you let her back in that prison, how long will it be before she kills someone again?

I don't know what Carol would become. I don't care that much if the decision is hypocritical, because if it stops her from going in and stabbing people to death, for the sake of the group, then he's made the right decision.

I really have a serious complaint about how much they have taken Carol into the sociopath mode. I didn't feel this from even just a few episodes ago. I know it was building but not to what we saw last night. I feel like they went this far for conflict, but I don't know if it was worth the sacrifice.

The part that worked best for me was her talking about her marriage to Ed. That and her scene with Lizzie, where she said not to call her "Mom," in such a dead voice. Melissa McBride got to me there. I had to pause the scene.

Michonne being so flirty with Daryl seems somewhat rushed. I don't like Daryl's flirty/romantic scenes. He just seems too stunted for those.

The scenes with Michonne/Daryl/Bob/Tyreese, I couldn't get into them. They mostly felt like people talking at each other, although the faceoff between Bob and Daryl was very tense.

I don't hate Tyreese but he seems very superfluous at this point.

Edited November 4, 2013 by DRW50