# The Walking Dead; 2.07 "Pretty Much Dead Already" (open spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 28, 2011, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-2-07-pretty-much-dead-already-open-spoilers/604298 "2011-11-28T01:30:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 17
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2011, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-2-07-pretty-much-dead-already-open-spoilers/604298/322 "2011-12-02T02:08:46Z")
> [@stegon66](#): > > …And this is covered in Romero’s Day of the Dead. I think it was estimated the zombies would last around eight years before being incapacitated by decay. TWD universe is similar so I imagine it’s about the same. That was in **Day of the Dead**. And IIRC it was 15 years in _Florida’s_ hot and humid climate. Then again Dr Logan had gone insane by the time he said that. > [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > It’s still pretty ridiculous. What should be happening is each walker is surrounded by a constant cloud of blowflies and whatnot, gradually scavenging their dead flesh down to nothing… The Zombie Survival Guide & World War Z explain away the greatly slowed decay by having everything from bacteria to buzzards avoid Solanum infected flesh. Humans are the only species that don’t automatically avoid zombies on instinct. ---
**Author:** ![palacheck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a88e57/32.png) [@palacheck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/palacheck)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2011, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-2-07-pretty-much-dead-already-open-spoilers/604298/323 "2011-12-02T03:00:27Z")
Jeez. Why are so many people in this thread essentially calling Otis a useless tub of lard? Ok, true, he weighed upwards of 300 pounds, and I don’t really think a guy that age and that overweight could run as fast or as long as he did with Shane(even at the threat of death by Zombie). However, let’s not forget that that “fat ass”: a.) was an EMT. b.) hunted for food for the group of survivors at the farmhouse. c.) wrangled any walkers that wandered on to Herschel’s land over to the barn(possibly by himself). d.) seemed to be the workhorse of that group, even being as out of shape as he was. and e.) was a nice guy. Sure, Shane is probably more all-around capable, and the best choice of the two to have survived the zombie siege at the school in the Walking Dead universe, but **he’s a fucking scary asshole with a hair-trigger temper.** Frankly, you’d think the older and doughier humans that gravitate to a message board like the SDMB(sorry guys) would tend to take the side of ol’ teddy bear Otis. Shane would be “making the tough decisions no one wants to make” with you guys in no time. Because in Shane’s world, a broken leg on a person he doesn’t want to fuck will quickly turn into a buck-shot wound to the face. I mean after he’s been “elected” leader, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2011, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-2-07-pretty-much-dead-already-open-spoilers/604298/324 "2011-12-02T03:15:05Z")
In TWD most of the walkers are missing the soft flesh around the mouths and eyes that would indicate that they were feed upon by carrion eaters at some point. So it may indicate that the WWZ rules may not full apply. I think for most of the dead the biggest threat would be crows, ravens or buzzards. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2011, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-2-07-pretty-much-dead-already-open-spoilers/604298/325 "2011-12-02T03:35:42Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > All plants and animals died, so only pockets of humans were left, and their only food was other humans. Super duper extra double-plus grim. Which is actually a nit I pick with it. NOTHING but puny, fragile human beings survive? Seriously? How in the world would WE go on living if the world was so completely devastated that no other lifeforms could tolerate whatever life-destroying conditions there were?? ---
**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:** [December 2, 2011, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-2-07-pretty-much-dead-already-open-spoilers/604298/326 "2011-12-02T04:17:17Z")
> [@Spoke](#): > > It’s interesting that post-Apocalyptic fiction has such an ability to fire our imaginations. I think we who are drawn to it like to imagine ourselves being among the 0.0001% who will survive, when, let’s face it, we will probably be among the 99.9999% who don’t. True enough, but what’s the fun in imagining that? “I got the superflu, I got really sick, and I died. End of story.” 🙂 > [@palacheck](#): > > \ > > Frankly, you’d think the older and doughier humans that gravitate to a message board like the SDMB(sorry guys) would tend to take the side of ol’ teddy bear Otis. \ We all imagine ourselves as Maggie and Shane/Rick, too. 😃 ---
**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:** [December 2, 2011, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-2-07-pretty-much-dead-already-open-spoilers/604298/327 "2011-12-02T05:21:19Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > Which is actually a nit I pick with it. NOTHING but puny, fragile human beings survive? Seriously? How in the world would WE go on living if the world was so completely devastated that no other lifeforms could tolerate whatever life-destroying conditions there were?? Can openers and thumbs. ---
**Author:** ![Inthewater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Inthewater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inthewater)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2011, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-2-07-pretty-much-dead-already-open-spoilers/604298/328 "2011-12-02T22:46:33Z")
> [@Lady\_of\_the\_Lake](#): > > I’m just surprised at myself as I find myself _actively disliking several of the women on the show (as does my husband, while watching he’ll occasionally mutter, ‘god I hate her.’_) Lori, Andrea and Maggie… > > I am really enjoying the show, but I admit I wouldn’t mind the addition of a Buffy type character, a woman kicking ass and not being all about drama, not manipulative, not bitchy and not whiny. She could pall around collecting ears with Darryl with nary a drama filled discussion in sight. 😉 There is always a chance they will add more characters, and I personally hope a few of the ladies change as the story progresses…as would happen over a long period of time in this world. There is already one character that was left out that would fit what you want well, and everything I have read from the producers and writers say this character will not be included. PM me if you’d like to know what I am talking about, as mentioning the source of this will likely cause another shit-storm. ---
**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:** [December 2, 2011, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-2-07-pretty-much-dead-already-open-spoilers/604298/329 "2011-12-02T22:58:27Z")
Well, I guess you could say Andrea is already changing. And Maggie changes about every two minutes. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-2-07-pretty-much-dead-already-open-spoilers/604298/330 "2011-12-03T23:35:39Z")
> [@simster](#): > > > [@TBG](#): > > > > I just don’t see how the timeline would fit. That’s way too much ground for a little girl to have covered in the timeframe between her going missing and Otis shooting Carl. Particularly if she was wounded at some point. > > I think there is more time then we realize - > > first episode - she gets lost - there is a night and a full nother day and night - then carl gets shot - then another night (otis gets shot) - > > Plenty of time for the events to occur - Was there another full day night cycle between her going missing and Carl being shot? I still don’t see her covering that type of ground (river to house, then house to Hershel’s lands) in either timeframe, 24hrs or 48. More likely she was bitten the first night, turned, wandered over directly to Hershel’s and got rounded up, after which Otis went hunting. The doll could’ve just floated downstream, and someone else must’ve holed up in the house at some point. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2011, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-2-07-pretty-much-dead-already-open-spoilers/604298/331 "2011-12-04T00:03:45Z")
Zombies are [useless flesh](http://scifi.icanhascheezburger.com/2011/11/29/sci-fi-fantasy-walking-dead-useless-flesh/). ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2011, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-2-07-pretty-much-dead-already-open-spoilers/604298/332 "2011-12-04T01:39:46Z")
> [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](#): > > Zombies are [useless flesh](http://scifi.icanhascheezburger.com/2011/11/29/sci-fi-fantasy-walking-dead-useless-flesh/). Haha! ---
**Author:** ![stegon66](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee59a6/32.png) [@stegon66](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stegon66)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2011, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-2-07-pretty-much-dead-already-open-spoilers/604298/333 "2011-12-04T22:27:17Z")
Re: Oslo’s post. And I thought my ex-wife had big ears. 😃 ---
**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:** [December 5, 2011, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-2-07-pretty-much-dead-already-open-spoilers/604298/334 "2011-12-05T04:20:04Z")
[Here’s another one from that site.](http://chzsetphaserstolol.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/sci-fi-fantasy-this-is-what-happens-when-shayne-doesnt-die.jpg) 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-2-07-pretty-much-dead-already-open-spoilers/604298/335 "2012-10-29T13:00:02Z")
We’re just catching up, so please excuse the, um, zombie thread. Anyway: The thing with Shane is that he’s a useful liability. On one hand he has no reign whatsoever over his own internal dramas, which leads to all sorts of explosive situations. On the other hand he’s a Southern Ninja, which makes him a deadly zombie killer. And the more he covets the whiniest woman in Zombieland, the worse it’s going to get. One thing I wondered with respect to the Otis sacrifice is whether Shane would have still done it if they’d been on a scavenging mission that didn’t involve saving Carl or anyone else. And the answer, I suspect, is yes. Dale is wearing on me at this point, and he’s starting to smell like zombie bait. No spoilers though! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Shooby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f475e1/32.png) [@Shooby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shooby)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-2-07-pretty-much-dead-already-open-spoilers/604298/336 "2014-08-17T16:18:46Z")
Zombification #2 (I’m just catching up as well)! One thing that annoyed me about this episode (and the last) is that TV never seems to let women go through with abortions, at least not characters they portray in a favorable light. For the so-called liberal media, it is astonishingly conservative in this regard. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-2-07-pretty-much-dead-already-open-spoilers/604298/337 "2014-08-17T20:39:34Z")
> [@Shooby](#): > > One thing that annoyed me about this episode (and the last) is that TV never seems to let women go through with abortions, at least not characters they portray in a favorable light. For the so-called liberal media, it is astonishingly conservative in this regard. Yes, there are probably a million films/books in which the message is “a good woman would never get an abortion” for every one in which the message is “it’s possible to be a good woman and still get an abortion.” The same is true for depictions of pregnant women being told that their pregnancy will kill them. Pretty much always, we get the message that a Good woman would never end that pregnancy (and perhaps give birth to many other healthy babies later in her life); a Good woman will say _‘then I must die so that my baby might live’_. A recent episode of HBO’s _The Leftovers_ took this “defining what makes a woman Good” thing even further. In a recent episode, the Big Moment of Suspense was: _will_ the teen girl protagonist shoot a flaming arrow at the store-bought plastic doll that’s been Dressed As Baby Jesus? Because, clearly, this was a test of her Goodness. The music built toward a climax as the tense face of the teen girl reflected her inner struggle … the close-up drew ever nearer, light reflecting off the beads of sweat on her furrowed brow… and … … Ultimately, she _refused_ to shoot a flaming arrow at the plastic doll-----thus proving herself Good. :smack: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-2-07-pretty-much-dead-already-open-spoilers/604298.md?page=16)