# The Walking Dead; 5.02 "Strangers" (open spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 20, 2014, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-5-02-strangers-open-spoilers/701868 "2014-10-20T00:12:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**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:** [October 21, 2014, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-5-02-strangers-open-spoilers/701868/121 "2014-10-21T14:19:17Z")
My TWD world would have most everybody carrying an 8’ piece of rebar with one end made into a sharp point. And my forage teams would have at least two guys carrying 10’ rebar poles. Then the basement situation would have started with a short game of whack-a-walker. Lure walker, poke rebar through eye socket from a safe distance, rinse, repeat ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-5-02-strangers-open-spoilers/701868/122 "2014-10-21T14:41:30Z")
I liked Matt Jones’s comment on TALKING DEAD: They’re so concerned with killing zombies that nobody even thinks about things like staph infection anymore, which presumably can still be deadly. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-5-02-strangers-open-spoilers/701868/123 "2014-10-21T15:02:30Z")
Matt is hilarious. It’s weird to hear him talk intelligently as he’ll always be Badger to me. Although, they were dealing with a nasty flu in Season 3. But yeh, getting in that gawdawful water and not pegging the zombies one-by-one from above made zero sense. Shit, if I had to, I’d pull up more floor boards and the pull the shelves of food up using rope, leaving the zombies where they are. Maybe all this rolling around in zombie guts really elevates their immune system? ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-5-02-strangers-open-spoilers/701868/124 "2014-10-21T15:36:02Z")
There have been a few lines between mustachioed army guy and Lara Croft chick about waiting for the right moment. Was that all just about making the speech to try to convince everyone to come to DC with them, or was there something more? ---
**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 21, 2014, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-5-02-strangers-open-spoilers/701868/125 "2014-10-21T15:36:33Z")
> [@BubbaDog](#): > > My TWD world would have most everybody carrying an 8’ piece of rebar with one end made into a sharp point. And my forage teams would have at least two guys carrying 10’ rebar poles. > > Then the basement situation would have started with a short game of whack-a-walker. > Lure walker, poke rebar through eye socket from a safe distance, rinse, repeat Pole arms should really have made a major comeback by now. Incidentally, it looks like Carol has a trench spike. Is that recent? ---
**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 21, 2014, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-5-02-strangers-open-spoilers/701868/126 "2014-10-21T16:10:09Z")
> [@shiftless](#): > > And in the very next scene their clothing was clean and even wrinkle free. A miracle of modern fabric. Who, except for a complete idot, would jump into a pit of water with decaying zombies swimming around? Who, except for Rick, would order his whole team to jump in? I guess he knew a good dry-cleaner nearby so why not get dirty. > > The show doesn’t have to get all the details right. I’m willing to suspend some belief. But sometimes they seem go out of their way to be as absurd as possible. They had a room full of fresh clothing to wear on the main floor - I wouldn’t have had a problem with them getting cleaned up and getting fresh clothes after their adventures frolicking in zombie stew. But yeah, the show really glosses over stuff like that, like how Carol went from covered in zombie guts last episode to fresh as a daisy in her five minute walk from Terminus. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-5-02-strangers-open-spoilers/701868/127 "2014-10-21T16:15:35Z")
Little known fact: It rains off-camera almost all the time, cleaning our beloved characters spic n’ span, every time. ---
**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 21, 2014, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-5-02-strangers-open-spoilers/701868/128 "2014-10-21T16:19:34Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > Don’t forget Tara. :fistbump: Thanks. That makes it 31%, or pretty much spot-on for Georgia. > [@levdrakon](#): > > How many Brits and zombies in Georgia, 'cause I totally want my show realistic man! If you watch this show, surely you noticed that the depiction of black folks wasn’t too stellar for the first few seasons, right? Again, credit where it’s due, the show now is willing to depict black people and have them be actual characters with agency. It wasn’t always the case. > [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > And a gun store being picked clean - no problem. No one ever looked in the fridge while loading up the Remingtons? You know, for that other unobtainium? Which means now we’ll almost certainly get magically interchangeable, universal suppressors. ---
**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:** [October 21, 2014, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-5-02-strangers-open-spoilers/701868/129 "2014-10-21T16:28:01Z")
I’m not the only one who has pointed out, over and over, that this is a world full of unused supplies - clothes, cars, trucks and every tool imaginable. Fuel might be getting a little scarce. Food might be down to well-preserved stuff. Ammo might be running down outside of military dumps. But this is NOT, NOT I repeat, NOT I tell you three times a civilization that slowly declined and used up its resources - and the enemy doesn’t use any of them, so the AR-15 with the half-full clip is right where the zombie chow owner dropped it. The stashes of food and medical supplies and ammo are right where their disembowled collectors left them. So there is no reason, at all, for the tribes that haven’t completely lost it to be well-dressed, well-fed, well-armed, well-first-aided and even well-entertained and -groomed. None. No reason for them not to ride around in 4x4s, heavy vans and military trucks. None. No reason for them ever to try to video-game-craft weapons, running vehicles or splints, or so much as darn a pair of socks. And yeah, it’s obvious to anyone who’s survived a few months that a strong, lightweight pike or halberd is THE weapon of choice, backed by a big knife and a pistol, and a few sniper rifles. But you rarely see anything but the fortunately-grabbed stick or broom handle, or someone making a caveman-crude spear, which is never seen again. I am so tired of making these observations. I am so tired of what should be the most gripping and intense show on the small screen being a complete dipshit-fest. The idiots should have died off long, long ago, in a matter of weeks, leaving only those with enough forelearning or hard-earned experience to be doing it all a lot better. ---
**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 21, 2014, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-5-02-strangers-open-spoilers/701868/130 "2014-10-21T16:32:55Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > But you rarely see anything but the fortunately-grabbed stick or broom handle, or someone making a caveman-crude spear, which is never seen again. Yeah, the bad ass totally has to grab that whisk off the shelf, because she didn’t have even one spare knife. It’s comedy. ---
**Author:** ![brewha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@brewha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brewha)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-5-02-strangers-open-spoilers/701868/131 "2014-10-21T16:57:37Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > So there is no reason, at all, for the tribes that haven’t completely lost it to be well-dressed, well-fed, well-armed, well-first-aided and even well-entertained and -groomed. None. No reason for them not to ride around in 4x4s, heavy vans and military trucks. None. But who would watch an hour of well-dressed, well-fed, well-armed, well-first-aided and even well-entertained and -groomed people running over zombies in their well fueled 4X4’s? Doesn’t sound like entertainment to me. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-5-02-strangers-open-spoilers/701868/132 "2014-10-21T16:59:24Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > It was also done in in the film [Quest for Fire](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082484/?ref_=nv_sr_2), 1981 and the continuing TV show,[Hannibal.](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2243973/?ref_=nv_sr_1) Also in the Emberverse novels. It’s not something anyone in particular did before anyone else, it is just something anyone who puts any thought into how cannibalism would actually work could figure out. If you kill Bob he will rot before you eat all of him, this way he lasts longer. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-5-02-strangers-open-spoilers/701868/133 "2014-10-21T17:06:37Z")
> [@Human\_Action](#): > > If you watch this show, surely you noticed that the depiction of black folks wasn’t too stellar for the first few seasons, right? Again, credit where it’s due, the show now is willing to depict black people and have them be actual characters with agency. Not to mention great tasting. ---
**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:** [October 21, 2014, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-5-02-strangers-open-spoilers/701868/134 "2014-10-21T17:07:11Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Carol went from covered in zombie guts last episode to fresh as a daisy in her five minute walk from Terminus. Having had a child, she always carries a package of Moist Towelettes TM. ---
**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:** [October 21, 2014, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-5-02-strangers-open-spoilers/701868/135 "2014-10-21T17:22:13Z")
> [@faithfool](#): > > Trying again and jumping off from this… does anyone else think that Eugene is bullshitting everyone? The better question is: Does anyone NOT think Eugene is bullshitting everyone? > [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > But yeah, the show really glosses over stuff like that, like how Carol went from covered in zombie guts last episode to fresh as a daisy in her five minute walk from Terminus. That was shown in the episode. Carol smeared the zombie guts all over a poncho she was wearing. In the later scenes when she’s cleaned up, she’s no longer wearing the poncho. Unless you mean her face, in which case, fair point. ---
**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:** [October 21, 2014, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-5-02-strangers-open-spoilers/701868/136 "2014-10-21T18:08:37Z")
> [@brewha](#): > > But who would watch an hour of well-dressed, well-fed, well-armed, well-first-aided and even well-entertained and -groomed people running over zombies in their well fueled 4X4’s? > > Doesn’t sound like entertainment to me. They’re still in the middle of major fuck-me land with no good direction to go and nothing like a win even imaginable. They just don’t have to be stupid about it. The “let’s go snatch food from satan’s barf” scene could have been far more gripping and tense if they realized all the dangers - including staph and cholera - and still had to retrieve some of it. Traveling in a well-armed convoy doesn’t protect them from everything, especially not other humans who want to snipe them and take it away. Being dirty, hungry, dressed in rags and scavenging is just cheap, stupid, lazy reliance on post-apocalyptic tropes - script-borne “troubles” they can use any way they want even though most of it is completely contrary to their own story setup. Pathetic. Skip everything else. Where are the millions upon millions of weapons and billyuns and billyunds of ammo rounds in a world that (1) slammed to a stop in a few weeks (2) lost something like 90% of its population and (3) is dealing with an enemy that neither uses those weapons nor has any policy of destroying them? ---
**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:** [October 21, 2014, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-5-02-strangers-open-spoilers/701868/137 "2014-10-21T18:23:10Z")
Oh, and for this episode: What was with the repeated coming-over-a-rise shot? It must have been used ten times, a pair or group slowly walking towards the camera over a long rise. It was too deliberate to be accidental but if there was any meaning - rising from the debris/pit of Terminus? - it escaped me and any overt writing. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-5-02-strangers-open-spoilers/701868/138 "2014-10-21T18:41:24Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Oh, and for this episode: What was with the repeated coming-over-a-rise shot? It must have been used ten times, a pair or group slowly walking towards the camera over a long rise. It was too deliberate to be accidental but if there was any meaning - rising from the debris/pit of Terminus? - it escaped me and any overt writing. That’s one of the most used shots in film making. Every Disney cartoon has it. Hmmm… we’re long overdue for a Disney zombie musical. ---
**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:** [October 21, 2014, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-5-02-strangers-open-spoilers/701868/139 "2014-10-21T18:51:39Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > That’s one of the most used shots in film making. Every Disney cartoon has it. Sure. I’m pretty sure _Big_ has a shot like that near the opening (where Young Josh and Young Susan are walking hand in hand, talking about their days in business).\* But I haven’t seen any recent overuse of it. I certainly haven’t seen any single episodes where it was used ten times in a row. - Yes, I am a baaaaaaaad man. It’s actually Josh and his friend. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-5-02-strangers-open-spoilers/701868/140 "2014-10-21T19:00:29Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > I like the character development more than the sick stuff for sure at the moment, but I missed the dialogue between Rick and Michonne. Something about how she got good with the katana and where she got it? It went like this: 1. In an early zombie fight, Michonne reaches for her katana out of habit, realizes it’s not there, then proceeds to kick ass with her sharpened quarterstaff. Rick notices this in passing. 2. Later, as they are taking the provisions from the food bank back to the church, Rick asks her if she misses the sword. Michonne says no. The sword isn’t really her own, she adds; she acquired it after the zombie apocalypse began, and its true owner is dead. 3. Clearly surprised, Rick asks how she got so with it. Michonne replies that it was from necessity, when she was all on her own fighting zombies all the time–strictly on-the-job necessity. But that wasn’t a life, she says. A life is what they had in the prison; it’s what she has now, with Carl & Rick the the rest. Being all alone with her sword wasn’t a life. 4. “I miss Andrea,” Michonne says. “I miss Herschel. But I don’t miss that sword.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-5-02-strangers-open-spoilers/701868.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-5-02-strangers-open-spoilers/701868.md?page=8)