# I've given up on The Walking Dead. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 24, 2010, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-given-up-on-the-walking-dead/561801 "2010-11-24T17:46:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2010, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-given-up-on-the-walking-dead/561801/21 "2010-11-25T00:13:24Z")
I don’t think there’s any way you can write a pseudo-science explanation for zombies that would hold up realistically. They are better left unexplained. Zombie stories are survival stories, not procedurals. ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2010, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-given-up-on-the-walking-dead/561801/22 "2010-11-25T01:01:12Z")
You pretty much have to assume that all dead bodies rise, even when not bitten. There’s no way this thing spreads across the world that fast, otherwise. It would have to have spread slowly from a single point if a bite was required. Unless it’s a bioweapon that was deliberately unleashed, I suppose. But that’s outside the purview of the show. They barely have the resources for survival. I’m sure many of them are asking “what happened? what caused it?” but they just don’t have any way to answer those questions. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2010, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-given-up-on-the-walking-dead/561801/23 "2010-11-25T03:43:44Z")
Ok haters; **fluiddruid, Diogenes the Cynic, JSexton, stegon66, RikWriter** I _dare_ you to watch 3 episodes of the new Survivors and tell me The Walking Dead is better. **drastic\_quench** , that’s called thread shitting and is frowned upon. **Spoke** ‘that is where I gave up on the OP’…at the last sentence. You are a fool and I am done with you. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2010, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-given-up-on-the-walking-dead/561801/24 "2010-11-25T04:19:00Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > **drastic\_quench** , that’s called thread shitting and is frowned upon. No, it’s apt criticism. Apt! ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2010, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-given-up-on-the-walking-dead/561801/25 "2010-11-25T04:21:15Z")
It’s okay to disagree, but please don’t resort to personal attacks on – or even just personal comments about – the people you disagree with. That includes junior modding as well; if someone posts something you think is out of line, report the post, don’t reprimand the person yourself. Thanks, **twickster** , Cafe Society moderator ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2010, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-given-up-on-the-walking-dead/561801/26 "2010-11-25T04:23:10Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > **Spoke** ‘that is where I gave up on the OP’…at the last sentence. You are a fool and I am done with you. Please don’t insult other posters (“you are a fool”) unless you’re posting in the Pit. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2010, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-given-up-on-the-walking-dead/561801/27 "2010-11-25T04:55:42Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > Has there ever been a zombie movie/book where they actually _cured_ everyone. Pretty much every zombie story I know of that has a “happy” ending involves just killing all the zombies. The closest thing I can think of was a South Park Halloween episode—this is a really interesting question by itself, actually. Would y’mind if I posted it as it’s own thread? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2010, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-given-up-on-the-walking-dead/561801/28 "2010-11-25T05:32:56Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > I’m about done too. I guess the original author/producers of the adaptation aren’t too interested in trying to find out how the plague got started and how it can be defeated? Keep in mind that the series you’re watching is based on the first six issues of a comic series that, currently, is up to around issue 80 or so. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2010, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-given-up-on-the-walking-dead/561801/29 "2010-11-25T05:50:27Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > **Spoke** ‘that is where I gave up on the OP’…at the last sentence. You are a fool and I am done with you. It’s nothing personal, **Sitnam**. I just don’t like a show you like. I’m sure you’re a fine person, and all. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2010, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-given-up-on-the-walking-dead/561801/30 "2010-11-25T06:23:20Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > Umm we have all these science crime shows, like CSI, NCIS, Bones, etc. that viewers eat up? CSI: Zombiepocalypse. Nope - that’s not what I signed up for. Zombie movies (and shows) are of a pretty specific genre and structure. No one really cares about the actual cause of the infection - it’s about survival and the decay of civilization from that point on. If you’re not interested in that - that’s fine. But if you thought a zombie TV series was going to be about a case of the week, I think you got the wrong impression somewhere down the line. > [@](#): > > my main issue with the series is that it is lacking any substantial \ dramatic meat, and I don’t see any sort of interesting destination/denouement in store. Since you’re quitting the show: In the comics in the first trade paperback, Shane (the other cop) starts going nuts, threatens Rick’s life, and Rick’s kid shoots him (they’ve all undergone tons of shooting practice after about a month out in the woods). I’d say that’s pretty dramatic, and introduces a whole hell of a lot of risks that normally don’t show up on TV. As for destination, the group becomes pretty nomadic. They find a farm house with a number of survivors, but they overstay their welcome. They then find a prison, and set up shop (along with 4 inmates, including one psycho that starts cutting people’s heads off). ---
**Author:** ![acetylene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@acetylene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/acetylene)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2010, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-given-up-on-the-walking-dead/561801/31 "2010-11-25T10:53:16Z")
Yeah, I gotta go with the OP on this one. I’m not quitting the show; I’ll watch the last two episodes, but man, I don’t care about any of these characters at all. That’s the one cardinal rule for a TV series: you have to make compelling characters. I watched every single episode of Heroes, even when it was really bad, because I liked the characters. This show should have been all kinds of awesome. I mean, it’s the zombie apocalypse. No way to make that dull, right? So let’s start with a guy waking up in a hospital alone to discover that the world has gone to hell. Never seen that before (28 Days Later, Resident Evil). I think the problem is the source material. I never read the comic, so I don’t know what’s coming up, but I don’t have very high hopes. ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2010, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-given-up-on-the-walking-dead/561801/32 "2010-11-25T11:54:11Z")
I do expect the characters to start dropping like flies at some point. We’ve really only had the first round of zombie attacks. Then there’s that crazy one arm guy that has to get to the camp. Somebody has to get killed then. It’s hard to develop short lived characters like that. There are about twice as many characters than there were in the books. I don’t know if they are planning a higher body count or switching the pick-up time for later characters. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2010, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-given-up-on-the-walking-dead/561801/33 "2010-11-25T13:29:23Z")
I don’t see what’s implausible about the cops being in charge. Someone needs to lead - most people aren’t very good at independent thought and action, especially in such a strange situation. And some people naturally take charge. Everyone is well aware that the badge is meaningless these days, but they still are socially conditioned to regard a police officer as a figure of authority, and if things go to shit, someone you should be able to rely on. And the same type of character traits that made Shane and, um… main protagonist become police are the sort of things that make them natural leaders in this sort of scenario. That isn’t to say that all police automatically make good leaders, of course - but those two are good examples of the sort that would. Certainly no one else has yet shown that they’d be a more willing and capable leader. ---
**Author:** ![acetylene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@acetylene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/acetylene)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2010, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-given-up-on-the-walking-dead/561801/34 "2010-11-25T14:13:56Z")
> [@JSexton](#): > > Seems like a reasonable course of events to me. Certainly better than, say, Luke Skywalker crash-landing within a quarter mile of the one life form on the entire freaking planet. It always seemed clear to me that Yoda knew he was coming and guided him to that spot. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2010, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-given-up-on-the-walking-dead/561801/35 "2010-11-25T16:28:36Z")
Thanks, **Munch** , those spoilers just confirm that this show isn’t my cup of tea. I guess I prefer dramas where redemption and deliverance are key tropes-watching the slow entropy death of human civilization just doesn’t interest me. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2010, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-given-up-on-the-walking-dead/561801/36 "2010-11-25T16:44:58Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > If I decided to dig holes and was handcuffed to a tree because ‘I was scaring the children’, that cop better not fall asleep…ever. He wasn’t digging holes. He was digging graves. He was scaring _everyone_. ---
**Author:** ![Patch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2010, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-given-up-on-the-walking-dead/561801/37 "2010-11-25T22:58:08Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > I don’t see what’s implausible about the cops being in charge. Someone needs to lead - most people aren’t very good at independent thought and action, especially in such a strange situation. And some people naturally take charge. Everyone is well aware that the badge is meaningless these days, but they still are socially conditioned to regard a police officer as a figure of authority, and if things go to shit, someone you should be able to rely on. And the same type of character traits that made Shane and, um… main protagonist become police are the sort of things that make them natural leaders in this sort of scenario. > > That isn’t to say that all police automatically make good leaders, of course - but those two are good examples of the sort that would. Certainly no one else has yet shown that they’d be a more willing and capable leader. In the graphic novels, Rick is a rather reluctant leader. He doesn’t really want to be in charge, but no one else does either and someone has to do it. He’s done fairly well with his decision making so far, and his group prefers having him in command. Given that the police academy isn’t known for attracting passive people, a police officer taking command of a group isn’t that far-fetched. ---
**Author:** ![Patch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2010, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-given-up-on-the-walking-dead/561801/38 "2010-11-25T22:59:22Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > He wasn’t digging holes. He was digging graves. He was scaring _everyone_. Especially since he may be digging graves for you. Who the hell knows what’s going on in his head? There’s more than a few insane people walking about in this series. ---
**Author:** ![Patch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2010, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-given-up-on-the-walking-dead/561801/39 "2010-11-25T23:02:37Z")
> [@WarmNPrickly](#): > > I do expect the characters to start dropping like flies at some point. We’ve really only had the first round of zombie attacks. Then there’s that crazy one arm guy that has to get to the camp. Somebody has to get killed then. It’s hard to develop short lived characters like that. There are about twice as many characters than there were in the books. I don’t know if they are planning a higher body count or switching the pick-up time for later characters. In the series they lost the most people when the prison fell. Before that I think they just lost people at the farm from the family who was keeping dead relatives in the barn. I should go back and reread the series. I’ve not read the earlier issues since I bought them. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-given-up-on-the-walking-dead/561801/40 "2010-11-26T00:11:05Z")
I haven’t actually watched any episodes yet but I’ve heard a friend whose tastes I trust describe it to me and as a fan of the comic series I can’t bring myself to see it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-given-up-on-the-walking-dead/561801.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-given-up-on-the-walking-dead/561801.md?page=3)