# The Walking Dead; 4.12 "Still" (open spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 3, 2014, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-4-12-still-open-spoilers/682722 "2014-03-03T01:33:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**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:** [March 6, 2014, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-4-12-still-open-spoilers/682722/101 "2014-03-06T02:46:05Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > ETA: The bit about making a fire with a lens really was ridiculous. There would still be tons of matches everywhere, and barring that, get a flint from a sporting goods store or something. Or from any high school chemistry lab. They did leave in a bit of a hurry, and we hadn’t seen them anywhere they could have picked up supplies. Sure, you could argue that they should always be walking around with survival supplies on them - but the prison was looking pretty much like a forever home, so I don’t know if I would always have my fire kit on me. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-4-12-still-open-spoilers/682722/102 "2014-03-06T03:03:57Z")
> [@Folacin](#): > > They did leave in a bit of a hurry, and we hadn’t seen them anywhere they could have picked up supplies. > > Sure, you could argue that they should always be walking around with survival supplies on them - but the prison was looking pretty much like a forever home, so I don’t know if I would always have my fire kit on me. Yeah, I assume it’s still just a few days or so since the prison attack, and they haven’t hit a Walmart yet. Also, using sunlight and glass to make fire makes perfect sense during the day. I’d save my matches for night-time or emergencies. ---
**Author:** ![Alba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ea666f/32.png) [@Alba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alba)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-4-12-still-open-spoilers/682722/103 "2014-03-06T08:34:17Z")
At one point you can also see Daryl trying to fit a gold (looking) bowl into the rucksack, but it doesn’t fit. Carrying around a bowl that is supposedly heavier than a plastic bowl doesn’t make a lot of sense. I agree with **Hentor** , and others, that the episode was made to show the difference in class between the two. Even though they look all of the same class to us nobles. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-4-12-still-open-spoilers/682722/104 "2014-03-06T12:22:14Z")
> [@Alba](#): > > Carrying around a bowl that is supposedly heavier than a plastic bowl doesn’t make a lot of sense. You can’t boil water in a plastic bowl. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-4-12-still-open-spoilers/682722/105 "2014-03-06T12:31:59Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > You can’t boil water in a plastic bowl. Yes you can. Hell, I’ve boiled water in a Dixie cup, and no microwave was used. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-4-12-still-open-spoilers/682722/106 "2014-03-06T12:40:53Z")
> [@Alba](#): > > At one point you can also see Daryl trying to fit a gold (looking) bowl into the rucksack, but it doesn’t fit. Carrying around a bowl that is supposedly heavier than a plastic bowl doesn’t make a lot of sense. I think that was supposed to show him dumping the tip bowl into his bag, and not necessarily trying to steal the tip bowl altogether. At least, that was my interpretation at the time. ---
**Author:** ![flaming\_yawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/cab0a1/32.png) [@flaming\_yawn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flaming_yawn)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-4-12-still-open-spoilers/682722/107 "2014-03-06T12:59:08Z")
what was in the frame Darryl smashed? anyone know or have a theory? ---
**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:** [March 6, 2014, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-4-12-still-open-spoilers/682722/108 "2014-03-06T13:15:18Z")
> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > I just went back and rewatched it, and they explicitly show a shot of Daryl putting cash and jewelry into a black bag. Beth says “Why are you keeping all that stuff?” Daryl just glares at her without speaking. > > Why is Daryl grabbing jewelry? Jewelery could actually be worth something for trade. We’ve already seen one Woodbury, it’s conceivable they could find another stable group of survivors where trading might occur. > [@](#): > > Why doesn’t Daryl say “cash is good for burning” in response to Beth’s question? Do you know what is behind Daryl, all over the floor while he’s stuffing jewelry and cash into a pack? **Newspaper, magazines and cardboard boxes.** > > The idea that he’s seeking fuel for burning is pure wankery. It doesn’t make a lick of sense and is completely undermined by everything else in the episode. The reason he is explicitly shown burning the cash at the end is as a coda to the stupid “class warfare” episode. Your interpretation that he wanted the cash for its value as currency is so stupid it defies belief. He doesn’t say “cash is good for burning” because he’s Daryl. He doesn’t talk. The cash isn’t for fuel for a fire; there’s plenty of wood all around. It’s for starting a fire. And it’s way more convenient than newspapers and cardboard. This is not the first episode they’ve shown using currency for starting fires. But sure, cling to the idiotic idea that Daryl wanted the cash for its currency value and then claim **the show** is the one with the stupid idea. ---
**Author:** ![Sauron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Sauron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sauron)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-4-12-still-open-spoilers/682722/109 "2014-03-06T13:49:46Z")
Correcting something I said earlier … in the scene with the fire-hole, they did show a second hole. So, they were using a Dakota Smoke Hole, and I retract my complaint about the fire setup. It’s not their fault I’m not well-versed in survivalist stuff. But since the money-grabbing conversation won’t die, I’ll fan the flames again. (See what I did there?) **Ellis Dee** , I understand where you’re coming from, but I think you’re having to contort yourself into weird positions to justify this. The whole point of the episode is to show contrast between Daryl’s life and Beth’s, and with the old life of privilege they found at the country club. Come on, man – Daryl’s grabbing jewelry for trading purposes? Seriously? Even if the idea _might_ occur to one of our intrepid band of dumb survivors, Daryl would be the last person to consider that. Daryl doesn’t want to trade with anybody, and even if he did, he’s got the best currency going in this society: mad hunting/tracking/survival skills. Any group he encountered would value him. He doesn’t need pearls or gold bracelets, and we’ve never seen him express any interest in these things before, to my knowledge. This was a ham-handed way to show Daryl as a dirt-poor redneck who never had anything. Suddenly he had access to wealth, and he jumped at it. The kicker is, that scene would have worked just fine at the beginning of the apocalypse. It would make perfect sense for Daryl to go bananas over cash and jewels then. Now we’re, what, two or three years into this? He knows that stuff is worthless at this point. And burning the cabin at night is something Daryl just wouldn’t do, period. They burned it at night so it would have greater impact on camera. It makes no sense to burn your shelter, attract zombies, and then have to tromp through the woods in the dark. I LIKE Daryl. To me, he’s by far the most impressive character. And to see him caricatured like this bugs the heck out of me. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-4-12-still-open-spoilers/682722/110 "2014-03-06T13:51:30Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > Jewelery could actually be worth something for trade. We’ve already seen one Woodbury, it’s conceivable they could find another stable group of survivors where trading might occur. > > Your interpretation that he wanted the cash for its value as currency is so stupid it defies belief. > > He doesn’t say “cash is good for burning” because he’s Daryl. He doesn’t talk. The cash isn’t for fuel for a fire; there’s plenty of wood all around. It’s for starting a fire. And it’s way more convenient than newspapers and cardboard. > > This is not the first episode they’ve shown using currency for starting fires. But sure, cling to the idiotic idea that Daryl wanted the cash for its currency value and then claim **the show** is the one with the stupid idea. Clearly suggesting that _The Walking Dead_ has stupid writers causes you some… consternation. You should try some decaf. But look, the idea that cash has some clear and obvious preference as fuel is so dumb that even Beth, _who lives in that world and has lived with Daryl for years_, stops to ask him why he is taking that stuff. Even if you wank away the jewelry, having a character in that world question another character’s motives shows how dumb it really is. Beyond that, you have to think about why each element in an episode is important to the creators of the show. The show is actually written - it isn’t a documentary. And they only have so much time, so they tend to have to select among things they are going to write, stage, film and leave in after editing. So, does it make much sense that they spent so much narrative real estate in this episode showing Daryl collecting fuel for fire? Does it make sense that they would have Beth use one of only about 20 lines of dialog for her character in the whole episode asking why he is collecting fuel for fire? Does it make sense that they would edit together the scene to get Daryl’s reaction shot “just because that’s Daryl being Daryl”? Does it make sense that they would bother to write, stage, film, and edit separate scenes of Daryl gathering jewelry and cash, gathering tip money, and trying to open a cash register because they wanted to show him gathering fuel for fires? No. None of that makes any sense at all. Showing him gathering fuel for fires makes no narrative sense for this episode. The story they wanted to tell with this episode was about class conflict. Gathering fuel for fires has nothing to do with class conflict. It has everything to do with the use of money and jewelry as representations of class differences. They use a stack of cash (wealthy) to burn down a ramshackle house (poor) at the end of the episode because they are trying to ram home the message that the past (both personal history and in terms of societal class structures) doesn’t matter anymore. Yes, Daryl gathering objects for their (former) monetary value makes no sense and is both stupid and a violation of his established character. YES, it comes entirely from the writers. NO, you should never call me stupid. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-4-12-still-open-spoilers/682722/111 "2014-03-06T14:08:17Z")
> [@VunderBob](#): > > Yes you can. Hell, I’ve boiled water in a Dixie cup, and no microwave was used. All you had to do was click “Like”, I’ll warrant. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-4-12-still-open-spoilers/682722/112 "2014-03-06T15:45:36Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > … > ETA: The bit about making a fire with a lens really was ridiculous. There would still be tons of matches everywhere, and barring that, get a flint from a sporting goods store or something. Or from any high school chemistry lab. Your note at the end is one of my pet peeves. In seasons past they showed the group pillaging pharmacy’s, bars, convenience stores etc but never a sporting goods store or a large Walmart type store. You would think that all those people, after living with Daryl for a few years would, would highly value a crossbow and would risk their lives just to pick up bows, arrows and hunting supplies etc from any sporting goods type store they could find. But aspirins and peaches seem to be more their speed. ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-4-12-still-open-spoilers/682722/113 "2014-03-06T17:09:27Z")
> [@BubbaDog](#): > > Your note at the end is one of my pet peeves. In seasons past they showed the group pillaging pharmacy’s, bars, convenience stores etc but never a sporting goods store or a large Walmart type store. You would think that all those people, after living with Daryl for a few years would, would highly value a crossbow and would risk their lives just to pick up bows, arrows and hunting supplies etc from any sporting goods type store they could find. But aspirins and peaches seem to be more their speed. Yeah, nice projectile-launching weapons would be very useful. Also, any long-hafted bladed weapons would be great zombie-killers. Keep 'em at a distance! ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-4-12-still-open-spoilers/682722/114 "2014-03-06T17:40:08Z")
> [@gytalf2000](#): > > Yeah, nice projectile-launching weapons would be very useful. Also, any long-hafted bladed weapons would be great zombie-killers. Keep 'em at a distance! We’ve seen them with makeshift pikes a few times, but it’s completely clear that the premium personal weapon in that world would be a well-made pike and basic training in its use. Silent, effective, can’t jam, needs no ammo, requires no close-combat skill or grappling, should be usable by even weak or small people. A team of better-trained, reasonably strong and agile zombie hunters could clear whole brigades of walkers with pikes. But no, they just keep fucking around with rocks, sticks, bowie knives, branches and Civil War-era pistols, then freaking out and compounding their problems with automatic weapons. I am really starting to hate this show. I’m buying it one ep at a time and every time I feel a little cheated of my $2. I doubt I will take it up next season. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-4-12-still-open-spoilers/682722/115 "2014-03-06T17:51:23Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > All you had to do was click “Like”, I’ll warrant. :dubious: BZZZZZZZZT! It was a Boy Scouts fieldcraft exercise. So long as there is liquid water on the other side of the paper, it won’t burn. The top of the cup did burn away, because there was about 1/2 inch at the top where there was no water. ETA: I’ll even do it this weekend when I light my grill and film it for you. That way you can press the ‘Like’ button when I show it can be done. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-4-12-still-open-spoilers/682722/116 "2014-03-06T18:23:26Z")
I’ll warrant that is how Daryl makes o’possum stew. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-4-12-still-open-spoilers/682722/117 "2014-03-06T18:42:29Z")
> [@Granny](#): > > Jed, you can’t make possum stew in a paper cup! I rest my case. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-4-12-still-open-spoilers/682722/118 "2014-03-06T18:53:05Z")
> [@flaming\_yawn](#): > > what was in the frame Darryl smashed? anyone know or have a theory? I thought it was a map. Man, was he stoned on Talking Dead or what?? 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-4-12-still-open-spoilers/682722/119 "2014-03-06T20:34:41Z")
I agree they were trying to do a class conflict thing, but collecting jewels and gold could be a good idea. Even if you think it shouldn’t be worth anything in the ZA there’s probably enough goldbugs out there to make it worth your while. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-4-12-still-open-spoilers/682722/120 "2014-03-06T20:57:03Z")
> [@marshmallow](#): > > I agree they were trying to do a class conflict thing, but collecting jewels and gold could be a good idea. Even if you think it shouldn’t be worth anything in the ZA there’s probably enough goldbugs out there to make it worth your while. Why is Daryl sulking around like it’s all over? He hasn’t said “well, too bad our friends died, let’s go find some new ones.” It looked to me as if Daryl had basically checked out. No plans; just survive. I could see him grabbing tradable valuables if he were actually planning on interacting with other humans, but is he? Or was he, prior to his and Beth’s mutual therapy session? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-4-12-still-open-spoilers/682722.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-4-12-still-open-spoilers/682722.md?page=7)