# The Walking Dead; 4.02 "Infected" (open spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 21, 2013, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-4-02-infected-open-spoilers/671766 "2013-10-21T00:34:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Human\_Action](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@Human\_Action](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Human_Action)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-4-02-infected-open-spoilers/671766/81 "2013-10-22T14:46:05Z")
> [@Grumman](#): > > Or perhaps the smart people just struggle harder. Perhaps an unassailable stronghold is just stage one; stage two is a deliberate campaign to deplete the surrounding area of first generation zombies (the “baby boomers” that died in the initial chaos) so you only have to worry about the slow trickle of new zombies from new deaths. That reminds me…I can suspend my disbelief enough to accept that zombies decay over time to the point where their skulls have the rigidity of month-old jack o’ lanterns. But in this episode, we saw a zombie that couldn’t have been more than a few hours old, since she was a product of the Cell Block D rampage, exhibit the same bone-into-foam rubber effect. How is that supposed to work? Instant calcium depletion? Or is everyone in TWD’s universe, living or undead, running around with an eggshell skull? It’s hard to take this show seriously. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-4-02-infected-open-spoilers/671766/82 "2013-10-22T15:59:52Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > Doesn’t really matter as it seems everyone was caught off guard. With closed doors the first zombie would have made more noise perhaps alerting some of his victims in time for them to fend it off. As for locking devices, they might be even simpler - close the cell door, then pass a pipe or plank between the last bar and the wall so it can’t slide open again, i.e. ```auto Cell with open door (B = Bar, W = Wall) B B B B WWWWWW WWWWW W W W W W W W W W W WWWWWWW Cell with closed door, wedged with plank (P) BPB B B WWWWWWP WWWWW WP W WP W WP W WP W W W WWWWWWW ``` Adding to this, make sure _every_ cell has a plank and a stabbing object, so someone forced to retreat can quickly find a safe place to kill zombies until rescue comes. And why teaching children how to use weapons would strike anyone as a bad idea baffles me. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-4-02-infected-open-spoilers/671766/83 "2013-10-22T16:48:09Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > As for locking devices, they might be even simpler - close the cell door, then pass a pipe or plank between the last bar and the wall so it can’t slide open again, i.e. > > -snip- > > Adding to this, make sure _every_ cell has a plank and a stabbing object, so someone forced to retreat can quickly find a safe place to kill zombies until rescue comes. Yeah, it wouldn’t have to be complicated at all. I honestly wouldn’t be able to sleep in the Walking Dead world if I couldn’t secure the room I was sleeping in, even if I knew it was safe. All it takes is one death, and the entire community could be wiped out overnight. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-4-02-infected-open-spoilers/671766/84 "2013-10-22T18:45:58Z")
Every cell should also have a 5-gallon jerry-can of drinkable water. At the very least, this means you can flush the cell’s toilet several times, and if you get trapped in an overrun, you’ll be able to last a couple of days until rescued. It might also be handy in case of fire to have water close at hand. So every morning you look around, then de-plank your cell door, and take your party-depleted jerry-can down to the pump room, and sometime during the day, it’s someone’s turn to top up all the jerries, and when you go back to bed, take a full jerry with you, plank your door, and sleep as soundly as a post-apocalyptic world-gone-mad will allow. ---
**Author:** ![Coup\_Fourre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@Coup\_Fourre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coup_Fourre)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-4-02-infected-open-spoilers/671766/85 "2013-10-22T18:49:43Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > Is it weird that the deaths on this show that have affected me the most are those pigs and the horse from the pilot? I am the same. Just said that to my husband last night. People/walkers? Meh. Piglets and horse? Tears. I had to look away when Rick was slitting their throats. ☹ ---
**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:** [October 22, 2013, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-4-02-infected-open-spoilers/671766/86 "2013-10-22T18:51:04Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > As for locking devices, they might be even simpler - close the cell door, then pass a pipe or plank between the last bar and the wall so it can’t slide open again, i.e. > > ```auto > > Cell with open door (B = Bar, W = Wall) > > B B B B > WWWWWW WWWWW > W W > W W > W W > W W > W W > WWWWWWW > Cell with closed door, wedged with plank (P) > > BPB B B > WWWWWWP WWWWW > WP W > WP W > WP W > WP W > W W > WWWWWWW > > ``` > > Adding to this, make sure _every_ cell has a plank and a stabbing object, so someone forced to retreat can quickly find a safe place to kill zombies until rescue comes. > > And why teaching children how to use weapons would strike anyone as a bad idea baffles me. I get it - basically what we do with the windows in our house - a piece of wood lying in the track of the window so it can’t move. Good thinking. I still don’t think the walkers are up to manipulating a carabineer, though - hell, half the time _I_ can’t work those things! Or a simple rope tied in knots with some soda cans with rocks in them on the line - when something tries to untie the knots, the cans rattle and wake you up. Then it’s stabby stabby time! ---
**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:** [October 22, 2013, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-4-02-infected-open-spoilers/671766/87 "2013-10-22T18:52:06Z")
> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > Walkers have never been shown manipulating anything like a knot or rope or a carrabiner clip. It would not be necessary to fully lock the doors to fasten them. True; it’s unlikely they have the fine motor skills for that. We’ve seen zombies trapped in cars, presumably because they can’t unfasten their seatbelts. > [@FXMastermind](#): > > …There may also be budget constraints. I suspect that is why we never see fire as a weapon. Burning zombies (and other stuff) cost a LOT more money than stabby stabby… Using fire against mobile zombies probably creates more problems than it solve. Since zombies don’t feel pain they’d just keep moving & setting their surroundings on fire until their muscles were damaged enough to render them immobile. Last season we saw a bunch of zombies trapped in a pit set on fire and IIRC one or two was _still_ moving a bit after the fire burned out. [QUOTE=Human Action] That reminds me…I can suspend my disbelief enough to accept that zombies decay over time to the point where their skulls have the rigidity of month-old jack o’ lanterns. But in this episode, we saw a zombie that couldn’t have been more than a few hours old, since she was a product of the Cell Block D rampage, exhibit the same bone-into-foam rubber effect… [/QUOTE] This is a pet peeve of mine. Way too many zombie movies go overboard with makeup on zombies that are only supposed to be a few hours (or even minutes old). IMHO makeup on fresh zombies should, barring injuries, be very subtle. It should be hard to tell the difference between living & newly undead until you’re (too) close and you’d have to rely a lot on behavioural cues. I really liked the zombie makeup in the 1990 remake of NotLD. ---
**Author:** ![Glazer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a88e57/32.png) [@Glazer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glazer)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-4-02-infected-open-spoilers/671766/88 "2013-10-22T18:55:02Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > As for locking devices, they might be even simpler - close the cell door, then pass a pipe or plank between the last bar and the wall so it can’t slide open again, i.e. > Adding to this, make sure _every_ cell has a plank and a stabbing object, so someone forced to retreat can quickly find a safe place to kill zombies until rescue comes. > > And why teaching children how to use weapons would strike anyone as a bad idea baffles me. One problem their doors swing closed. Has anyone seen the preview for next week from The Talking Dead? Looks like they really should have listened to us sooner about their defences. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-4-02-infected-open-spoilers/671766/89 "2013-10-22T19:00:05Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > This is a pet peeve of mine. Way too many zombie movies go overboard with makeup on zombies that are only supposed to be a few hours (or even minutes old). IMHO makeup on fresh zombies should, barring injuries, be very subtle. It should be hard to tell the difference between living & newly undead until you’re (too) close and you’d have to rely a lot on behavioural cues. I really liked the zombie makeup in the 1990 remake of NotLD. _Shaun of the Dead_ was good for this. The first zombie the protagonists meet (“Mary”) looks outwardly normal (“She’s so drunk!”). It’s only after Mary gets up following a spine-destroying injury that Shaun and Ed begin to grasp that something’s not right. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-4-02-infected-open-spoilers/671766/90 "2013-10-22T19:10:03Z")
> [@Glazer](#): > > One problem their doors swing closed. By gum, you’re right. Though that isn’t really a problem as such - it just means instead of one ridiculously simple and obvious securing mechanism, use another ridiculously simple and obvious securing mechanism, but use _something_. Heck, hang a large hook on the cell wall at ankle level and slip it around the bar at night. It’s the same hook-and-eye process that has secured bathroom doors since, like forever. For that matter, they said one guy (the sleepwalker) had been “locked in” for the night. How, and could it be replicated? Or did they mean his cell door was actually locked, which strikes me as a tad overkilly. Also, regarding the guy who rather passively got his throat bitten out, I note that he coughed, which is what caught the first zombie’s attention. Maybe he was already near-death from the infection, hence his lack of reaction. I also see the new doctor is up on his “English”, i.e. say something technical, then explain it “in English” with a painfully condescending metaphor about a shaken soda can. ---
**Author:** ![FXMastermind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fxmastermind/32/7289_2.png) [@FXMastermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FXMastermind)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-4-02-infected-open-spoilers/671766/91 "2013-10-22T19:13:55Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > Using fire against mobile zombies probably creates more problems than it solve. Since zombies don’t feel pain they’d just keep moving & setting their surroundings on fire until their muscles were damaged enough to render them immobile. For the ones outside the fence, good. Let em catch the other zombies on fire. But on Talking Dead this came up and the official word is they are more concerned about other people showing up than the zombies. So no fire. Fire bad. Which explains why they haven’t torched the woods around the prison yet. ---
**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:** [October 22, 2013, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-4-02-infected-open-spoilers/671766/92 "2013-10-22T19:49:16Z")
It’s also not worth the risk of being surrounded by an out-of-control forest fire. [QUOTE=Bryan Ekers] …Shaun of the Dead was good for this. The first zombie the protagonists meet (“Mary”) looks outwardly normal (“She’s so drunk!”). It’s only after Mary gets up following a spine-destroying injury that Shaun and Ed begin to grasp that something’s not right. [/QUOTE] Yeah, those zombies were pretty awesome. The naked housemate and Shaun’s parents were portrayed with only facial expressions (& I think contact lenses). ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-4-02-infected-open-spoilers/671766/93 "2013-10-22T19:59:09Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > The naked housemate and Shaun’s parents were portrayed with only facial expressions (& I think contact lenses). Yes, empty and sad… like a drunk who’s lost a bet. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-4-02-infected-open-spoilers/671766/94 "2013-10-23T03:23:01Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > It’s also not worth the risk of being surrounded by an out-of-control forest fire. And they’re hunting/trapping there. ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-4-02-infected-open-spoilers/671766/95 "2013-10-23T07:29:55Z")
> [@FXMastermind](#): > > Or, the writers would have to make the threats something smart people would struggle to overcome. Which requires much harder writing. Yeah. That ship sailed awhile back, didn’t it? Guess I’ve lost my anger at the stupid and just watch it unfold. It’s a lot more relaxing that way. Almost zen. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-4-02-infected-open-spoilers/671766/96 "2013-10-23T08:42:17Z")
Heh, you guys are complaining about what zombies _should_ look like? Who knows what zombies are supposed to look like? What are dragons and balrogs “supposed” to look like? ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-4-02-infected-open-spoilers/671766/97 "2013-10-23T09:00:54Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > Heh, you guys are complaining about what zombies _should_ look like? Who knows what zombies are supposed to look like? We do. _Duh._ ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-4-02-infected-open-spoilers/671766/98 "2013-10-23T10:54:07Z")
> [@Rushgeekgirl](#): > > The pigs’ squeals sound like screams. It bothered me too. That’ll do Pig. > [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](#): > > Let’s face it: any half-dozen of _ **us** _ could have secured the prison, selected better armor/equipment, enacted more sensible daily routines (lock yourself up, isolation period for new arrivals, etc), developed better offensive/defensive strategies, and culled the area damn near clean. That prison is damn near a paradise in a zombie apocalypse. You’d have to be an idiot to fuck that up. > > They HAVE to make the characters stupid, or the show will become a daily grind of tending crops, killing a few zombies, and finding ways to occupy your mind in the isolation and drudgery. In all fairness, Rick & Co live in a world where George A Romero, Zombieland, Shaun of the Dead, Left 4 Dead, Dead Rising, DayZ, Dead Island, so on and so forth don’t exist. So they haven’t been training for and discussing this their entire lives like we have. Then again, they have had several years of real world experience. Why wouldn’t you have a small hatchet or ice pick or other weapon on you at all times? Why teaching zombie-stabbing skills to small children even up for discussion? Is there a reason to not secure your cell at night? Do you have something better to do than farming, cleaning the prison, clearing zombies or going outside the wire to scavenge for supplies? ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-4-02-infected-open-spoilers/671766/99 "2013-10-23T11:01:40Z")
Given his experience with Sophia I don’t understand why Carl was so weird about teaching kids how to stab and slash the dead heads. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-4-02-infected-open-spoilers/671766/100 "2013-10-23T14:26:53Z")
> [@marshmallow](#): > > Given his experience with Sophia I don’t understand why Carl was so weird about teaching kids how to stab and slash the dead heads. There actually probably are valid reasons for not teaching kids to knife zombies: [ul] [li]They might inadvertently stab or slash each other.[/li][li]It gives them a false sense of security. Kids after all are small and generally don’t have the strength to jam a knife through a human skull.[/li][/ul] I don’t think Carl was weird about that though. I think he felt weird about being put in a position where he was asked to withhold information from his father. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-4-02-infected-open-spoilers/671766.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-4-02-infected-open-spoilers/671766.md?page=6)