# The Walking Dead; 1.04 "Vatos" (open spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 22, 2010, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-1-04-vatos-open-spoilers/561500 "2010-11-22T01:25:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-1-04-vatos-open-spoilers/561500/21 "2010-11-22T06:42:34Z")
It sounds like any common household or gardening tool (knife, pick axe, sharpened pointy stick) stuck though an eye would do the trick. They mentioned a few episodes ago, when they macerated the zombie corpse to smear on the two guys as a disguise, not to get any infected tissue on exposed skin. They have, of course, ignored their own rule repeatedly, but that implies that the zombifying is caused by an infectious agent. And, just because it tickled me, I’ll share with you that apparently “zombifying” is a perfectly cromulent word for my spellcheck. 😃 (But cromulent isn’t.) ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-1-04-vatos-open-spoilers/561500/22 "2010-11-22T06:47:29Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > A bullet or something sharp through the skull into the brain renders them “unviable”. There’s no need to take the added step of burning them, a mass grave would be sufficiant. And neither makes any sense if you’re abandoning the area and moving on. They need to cut their losses & run. They were way to close to the city; especially since they were basically living _outside_without even a fence surrounding them. Yes but does their flesh and rotting remains still contain the plague? That is the question… they took great cares not to get infected when smearing zombie guts on them to escape the city the first time. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-1-04-vatos-open-spoilers/561500/23 "2010-11-22T07:01:23Z")
“I remember why now, I was diggiing the holes.”, that sets up a juxtaposition between this weeks digging holes and next weeks burning. Does he have prescient dreams? ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-1-04-vatos-open-spoilers/561500/24 "2010-11-22T07:19:10Z")
We haven’t bothered to pay for cable in years. Is this available online somewhere? ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-1-04-vatos-open-spoilers/561500/25 "2010-11-22T08:29:14Z")
> [@devilsknew](#): > > Yes but does their flesh and rotting remains still contain the plague? That is the question… they took great cares not to get infected when smearing zombie guts on them to escape the city the first time. Which also sets up dissonance as to why I see Daryl Dixon wiping infected arrows on his jeans. ---
**Author:** ![Hallucinex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ba9def/32.png) [@Hallucinex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hallucinex)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-1-04-vatos-open-spoilers/561500/26 "2010-11-22T10:26:05Z")
> [@devilsknew](#): > > “I remember why now, I was diggiing the holes.”, that sets up a juxtaposition between this weeks digging holes and next weeks burning. > > Does he have prescient dreams? I really hope not. I’m happy to accept it as just having been a sense of impending doom or something (shortly followed by said doom) - that something terrible was bound to happen sooner or later. I was finding it a bit nerve-wracking at the end when they were alternating between closeups of Andrea and the dying Amy [“Shit! Your face is way too close! She’s about to turn! Your face is way too close! She’s about to turn!!!”] ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Ed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Just\_Ed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Ed)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-1-04-vatos-open-spoilers/561500/27 "2010-11-22T14:15:37Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > They mentioned a few episodes ago, when they macerated the zombie corpse to smear on the two guys as a disguise, not to get any infected tissue on exposed skin. They have, of course, ignored their own rule repeatedly, but that implies that the zombifying is caused by an infectious agent. > [@devilsknew](#): > > Yes but does their flesh and rotting remains still contain the plague? That is the question… they took great cares not to get infected when smearing zombie guts on them to escape the city the first time. > [@devilsknew](#): > > Which also sets up dissonance as to why I see Daryl Dixon wiping infected arrows on his jeans. Remember that it was Rick who cautioned them (“Don’t get any on your skin or in your eyes.”), and he’s just out of a coma with no experience of the onset of the apocalypse. So that can be attributed to being reasonably over-cautious about exposure with no real experiential data to support it. I do agree the thing with the hunting arrows would bother me, but it’s also possible Daryl uses one set for hunting food and a different set for killing zombies. > [@Hallucinex](#): > > I was finding it a bit nerve-wracking at the end when they were alternating between closeups of Andrea and the dying Amy [“Shit! Your face is way too close! She’s about to turn! Your face is way too close! She’s about to turn!!!”] Yeah, I was wondering about that too. We’ve heard the bitten-living get a fever that burns through them and results in zombification (and that takes some time), but I don’t think we’ve seen yet how quickly the newly-dead become newly-zombies. One of the most interesting things about this show is we appear to be learning details at the same time as the characters. There’s a lot they don’t really know, there’s speculation, and they’re making mistakes as they go. As **acsenray** alluded, there are details we don’t know because _they_ don’t know. It’s quite an effective storytelling technique. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-1-04-vatos-open-spoilers/561500/28 "2010-11-22T14:44:13Z")
> [@Just\_Ed](#): > > One of the most interesting things about this show is we appear to be learning details at the same time as the characters. There’s a lot they don’t really know, there’s speculation, and they’re making mistakes as they go. As **acsenray** alluded, there are details we don’t know because _they_ don’t know. It’s quite an effective storytelling technique. Exactly. In most movies and shows of this ilk, there is the Government Scientist Character that explains all the Why’s and How’s. We don’t have anything like that here. I agree it is a good choice. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-1-04-vatos-open-spoilers/561500/29 "2010-11-22T15:43:11Z")
> [@devilsknew](#): > > They cremate bodies everyday along the ganges in a day. Actually fuel (wood) is expensive along the Ganges and plenty of inadequately cremated bodies get dumped into the river. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-1-04-vatos-open-spoilers/561500/30 "2010-11-22T15:56:58Z")
> [@Just\_Ed](#): > > Remember that it was Rick who cautioned them (“Don’t get any on your skin or in your eyes.”), and he’s just out of a coma with no experience of the onset of the apocalypse. \ Ah, I see. Since I missed the first show, I assumed that they knew not to get infected stuff on their skin. Well, I guess they have the perfect opportunity to learn how it happens now. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![SykoSkotty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@SykoSkotty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SykoSkotty)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-1-04-vatos-open-spoilers/561500/31 "2010-11-22T16:34:06Z")
Absolutely loved this episode. I think this one had the highest levels of action and suspense. I’ve been trying (unsuccessfully) not to pick apart the storyline flaws too harshly, but one from last night’s episode really sticks out : the missing truck. So they walked back to camp? All the way from Atlanta? I mean, you can see the buildings in the distance, but I’m guessing it’s quite a few miles in distance. At least 10? ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-1-04-vatos-open-spoilers/561500/32 "2010-11-22T16:51:52Z")
Jeez, must we always nitpick? I’d say it was probably more like 20 miles, but I had no problem with that since they left in broad daylight and arrived at night. Leave at 3pm, walk at 4mph for 5 hours and show up at 9pm. If Merle had driven up and attacked and they managed to arrive as he was attacking, then yeah, nitpick away. But thankfully that’s not what happened. (I was bracing for that, and it would have annoyed me.) ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-1-04-vatos-open-spoilers/561500/33 "2010-11-22T16:53:40Z")
> [@devilsknew](#): > > Well, from the famous title shot of Mr. Grimes riding into Atlanta on a horse along an apocalyptic freeway? (I-75 maybe)… That’s actually [Freedom Parkway](http://www.betterphoto.com/uploads/processed/0839/0809221811181atl-1.jpg), which connects Atlanta with the Carter Center, and the residential neighborhoods surrounding it (just to the east of downtown). In the series, though, it is supposed to be passing for I-85. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-1-04-vatos-open-spoilers/561500/34 "2010-11-22T17:01:21Z")
Apparently, Bellwood Quarry, the location for these scenes, is within the city limits of Atlanta, about four or five miles from the center of the city. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-1-04-vatos-open-spoilers/561500/35 "2010-11-22T17:03:17Z")
> [@SykoSkotty](#): > > I mean, you can see the buildings in the distance, but I’m guessing it’s quite a few miles in distance. At least 10? Much less. The camp scenes are filmed at [Bellwood Quarry](http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=quarry+atlanta&go=&form=QBIR&qs=n&sk=#focal=fa59fcb71a90956fe5a265b27d5fcb62&furl=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia1.px.yelpcdn.com%2Fbphoto%2FXb7CaDv5TRjvAHiR9yZkWw%2Fl), which is actually only [a few blocks northwest of downtown](http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&biw=1024&bih=578&q=beltline+map&gbv=2&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=il). (Although yeah, the series suggests they are heading out of town on I-85, which would imply a greater distance.) ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-1-04-vatos-open-spoilers/561500/36 "2010-11-22T17:12:21Z")
Oops. [Bellwood Quarry on Google maps](http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=900+Lois+st,+atlanta&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=31.922255,56.513672&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=900+Lois+St+NW,+Atlanta,+Fulton,+Georgia+30318&t=h&z=16). ---
**Author:** ![Annie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/858c86/32.png) [@Annie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-1-04-vatos-open-spoilers/561500/37 "2010-11-22T17:12:55Z")
> [@SykoSkotty](#): > > So they walked back to camp? All the way from Atlanta? I mean, you can see the buildings in the distance, but I’m guessing it’s quite a few miles in distance. At least 10? Average human walks @ 3-4 MPH; a bunch of healthy guys, so call it 4- they could do that in three hours. It did take them from daylight to dark to do it. > [@Just\_Ed](#): > > Yeah, I was wondering about that too. We’ve heard the bitten-living get a fever that burns through them and results in zombification (and that takes some time), but I don’t think we’ve seen yet how quickly the newly-dead become newly-zombies. > > One of the most interesting things about this show is we appear to be learning details at the same time as the characters. There’s a lot they don’t really know, there’s speculation, and they’re making mistakes as they go. As **acsenray** alluded, there are details we don’t know because _they_ don’t know. It’s quite an effective storytelling technique. It’s a technique that depends on a thoughtful audience that is patient enough to allow the in story rules to be revealed as the story demands it. It strikes me as quite different from _The Event_, which I stopped watching after 4 episodes because the pacing and reveals seemed to be dictated by the creators wanting to tease out enough info to keep people interested yet still have unexplained elements to keep them interested. It’s like they didn’t trust the audience; or maybe, didn’t trust their story was interesting enough on its own. ---
**Author:** ![lisacurl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/41988e/32.png) [@lisacurl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisacurl)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-1-04-vatos-open-spoilers/561500/38 "2010-11-22T17:32:02Z")
> [@devilsknew](#): > > Well, that is a bit stilted. You don’t need to burn the bodies to complete ash… only until they are unviable… there are half bodies and heads stilll moving around but Merle’s hand is still inanimate. They cremate bodies everyday along the ganges in a day. I was assuming they’d want to cremate in a funereal manner until the body was, erm, respectfully disposed of… not just unable to zombify. I looked up the [http://crestoneendoflifeproject.org/](http://crestoneendoflifeproject.org/) which does open air cremations in Colorado… it takes a half-cord of wood. I actually thought it would be more than that, but still, I wouldn’t want to saw it up. I add this fun fact to my trove of trivial knowledge and hope to win Jeopardy one day with a gruesome cremation-related question. ---
**Author:** ![Palooka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/palooka/32/2902_2.png) [@Palooka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palooka)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-1-04-vatos-open-spoilers/561500/39 "2010-11-22T17:52:24Z")
I’ve been hating on this show, but this episode was better than the last two. It wasn’t as good as the first, but it was better. I thought the latino gang stuff was kind of dumb and groaned when the matron broke up the stand off. That was lame. At least a bunch of characters are dead. That’ll help. It had way too many. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2010, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-1-04-vatos-open-spoilers/561500/40 "2010-11-22T22:06:52Z")
Excellent episode! They didn’t go for the quick payoff of the crazy murderous gang! It makes sense that at least some groups would have a lot of elderly and kids hanging around them. Even gangbangers have grandmas. Such a thing would be harder to explore in a film because presumably the filmmakers don’t want to spend 20 mins of a 90 min film talking about old people and watching them play bingo. Another reason why I’m happy this is a TV series! 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-1-04-vatos-open-spoilers/561500.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-1-04-vatos-open-spoilers/561500.md?page=3)