# The Walking Dead; 5.11 "The Distance" (open spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 23, 2015, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-5-11-the-distance-open-spoilers/713377 "2015-02-23T00:35:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![SykoSkotty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@SykoSkotty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SykoSkotty)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2015, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-5-11-the-distance-open-spoilers/713377/41 "2015-02-23T16:03:28Z")
> [@Cyros](#): > > Rick needs to ditch the beard. I’m finding that staring at the carpet growing on his face is getting distracting. Razors, scissors, shaving cream and running hot water aren’t really available anymore, no? I’m sure it’s easier for men to just let their beards grow. I mean, none of them have probably showered in weeks so facial hair falls pretty far down the list of priorities. Heck, they can’t even find any water to drink, let alone wash or shave. ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2015, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-5-11-the-distance-open-spoilers/713377/42 "2015-02-23T16:04:25Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > That’s sort of what I was thinking. The whole thing with no people in the pictures was weird. That part was strange to me as well. He said something about not being able to get the aperture right. Uh, ok, but unless the photo was totally white or black you still could have gotten something out of it to show people. Something’s not right about this group. How are they a good 60 miles south of DC and happen to come across the group? And to “clear” all of a road in Virginia for that kind of distance was just odd too. ---
**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:** [February 23, 2015, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-5-11-the-distance-open-spoilers/713377/43 "2015-02-23T16:58:56Z")
> [@Edward\_The\_Head](#): > > That part was strange to me as well. He said something about not being able to get the aperture right. Uh, ok, but unless the photo was totally white or black you still could have gotten something out of it to show people. > > Something’s not right about this group. How are they a good 60 miles south of DC and happen to come across the group? And to “clear” all of a road in Virginia for that kind of distance was just odd too. Aaron said they found an old camera (implying it was their only one), that he screwed up the exposure (implying that he’s not a skilled photographer) and that he developed the pictures himself. It’s not hard to imagine that he goobered up the people pictures beyond the point of usefulness. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2015, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-5-11-the-distance-open-spoilers/713377/44 "2015-02-23T17:00:42Z")
> [@Edward\_The\_Head](#): > > That part was strange to me as well. He said something about not being able to get the aperture right. Uh, ok, but unless the photo was totally white or black you still could have gotten something out of it to show people. > > Something’s not right about this group. How are they a good 60 miles south of DC and happen to come across the group? And to “clear” all of a road in Virginia for that kind of distance was just odd too. Both groups are extremely suspicious of the other. Neither side wants to put all of their cards on the table, and for very good reasons. The photos show some of the wall and some of the compound, which a good selling point. For security/safety reasons, it may have been decided by the residents of the Alexandria safe zone (actually, the writers) not to show the faces of the residents but should have included long shots or side or rear views. But that seems to be a minor point. There are still many unanswered questions about Aaron, Eric, and Alexandria. Leave your weapons at the front gate? Not likely. When Aaron said that they had cleared a road, I assume he meant they had cleared the road of obstacles, not walkers. Walkers can appear anywhere, and at any time. Considering Rick’s groups driving record, if there was stalled vehicle in the road, they would have hit it and overturned. (hehehe) ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2015, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-5-11-the-distance-open-spoilers/713377/45 "2015-02-23T17:06:28Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > When Aaron said that they had cleared a road, I assume he meant they had cleared the road of obstacles, not walkers. Walkers can appear anywhere, and at any time. Considering Rick’s groups driving record, if there was stalled vehicle in the road, they would have hit it and overturned. (hehehe) He was also talking about a different road that Rick refused to take. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2015, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-5-11-the-distance-open-spoilers/713377/46 "2015-02-23T17:19:22Z")
> [@SykoSkotty](#): > > As far as hearing the kids playing when they pulled up to the gate, I thought that was a really well done moment in the episode. Rick and Michonne’s previous conversation about what they heard when they came to Woodbury and Terminus (“nothing”) was very observant. Something I hadn’t noticed before, so when you could hear the kids playing, it was quite a relief. I found it odd that they could hear kids playing from outside the compound. Judith has proven that kids making noise attracts walkers. While in the shed, Aaron indicated that Judith would have a safe place where her cries wouldn’t endanger the group. Allowing kids to playing next to the front gate seemed unusual. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2015, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-5-11-the-distance-open-spoilers/713377/47 "2015-02-23T17:23:34Z")
Getting back to Rick being an asshole, why? There was absolutely no reason for Rick to be so uncivil and mean. I want to like the character, but the writers sure are making it hard. I’m sure the writers think they’re making a point about Rick becoming more savage, but it’s a stupid point. ---
**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:** [February 23, 2015, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-5-11-the-distance-open-spoilers/713377/48 "2015-02-23T17:28:41Z")
> [@Spoke](#): > > Getting back to Rick being an asshole, why? There was absolutely no reason for Rick to be so uncivil and mean. I want to like the character, but the writers sure are making it hard. > > I’m sure the writers think they’re making a point about Rick becoming more savage, but it’s a stupid point. How is it stupid? While I thought Rick’s actions were largely unwarranted, I understood why he was acting that way. After the Governor, the Claimers, and especially Terminus, he’s deeply traumatized. The entire group is. It’s believable that he has become more than a mite paranoid. ---
**Author:** ![SykoSkotty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@SykoSkotty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SykoSkotty)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2015, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-5-11-the-distance-open-spoilers/713377/49 "2015-02-23T17:30:19Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > I found it odd that they could hear kids playing from outside the compound. Judith has proven that kids making noise attracts walkers. While in the shed, Aaron indicated that Judith would have a safe place where her cries wouldn’t endanger the group. Allowing kids to playing next to the front gate seemed unusual. I guess I see it differently. Allowing kids to play near the front gate shows that the perimeter is totally secure. They trust the walls that much. Also, since this is a walled community that is (or so we’ve been told by Aaron) thriving, with doctors and homes and such, I would have to believe they have armed sentries on the walls, and several patrols doing sweeps to keep the nearby areas cleared. I recall Aaron also saying they had cleared Route 16 (can’t recall the exact number) which tells me they are organized and have the firepower to secure anything they need to. ---
**Author:** ![Cyros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@Cyros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyros)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2015, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-5-11-the-distance-open-spoilers/713377/50 "2015-02-23T17:39:30Z")
> [@SykoSkotty](#): > > Razors, scissors, shaving cream and running hot water aren’t really available anymore, no? I’m sure it’s easier for men to just let their beards grow. I mean, none of them have probably showered in weeks so facial hair falls pretty far down the list of priorities. Heck, they can’t even find any water to drink, let alone wash or shave. Eugene and Abraham don’t seem to have too much of a problem with their facial hair. I think the inconsistency is maybe what fuels the distraction. Rick looks like he has been living hard and tracking through the woods for months with no access to personal grooming. The other men in the group, not so much. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2015, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-5-11-the-distance-open-spoilers/713377/51 "2015-02-23T17:51:11Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > How is it stupid? While I thought Rick’s actions were largely unwarranted, I understood why he was acting that way. After the Governor, the Claimers, and especially Terminus, he’s deeply traumatized. The entire group is. It’s believable that he has become more than a mite paranoid. Not trusting Aaron was not unwarranted, the random brutality sure was though. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2015, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-5-11-the-distance-open-spoilers/713377/52 "2015-02-23T17:58:45Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > Not trusting Aaron was not unwarranted, the random brutality sure was though. Exactly. And even Aaron was understanding of the distrust. As I said before, you can be cautious without being an asshole. ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2015, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-5-11-the-distance-open-spoilers/713377/53 "2015-02-23T18:45:40Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Aaron said they found an old camera (implying it was their only one), that he screwed up the exposure (implying that he’s not a skilled photographer) and that he developed the pictures himself. It’s not hard to imagine that he goobered up the people pictures beyond the point of usefulness. My point is that even if the exposure is all screwed up something would most likely come out. He got photos of the walls and such to come out, even if one couldn’t see faces and such the shapes of people should have come out. > [@doorhinge](#): > > Both groups are extremely suspicious of the other. Neither side wants to put all of their cards on the table, and for very good reasons. The photos show some of the wall and some of the compound, which a good selling point. For security/safety reasons, it may have been decided by the residents of the Alexandria safe zone (actually, the writers) not to show the faces of the residents but should have included long shots or side or rear views. But that seems to be a minor point. For me it says there might not be anyone there at all. Photos of walls and buildings without a hint of anyone else around is way strange. > [@](#): > > When Aaron said that they had cleared a road, I assume he meant they had cleared the road of obstacles, not walkers. Walkers can appear anywhere, and at any time. Considering Rick’s groups driving record, if there was stalled vehicle in the road, they would have hit it and overturned. (hehehe) Ok, that makes some sense, the way he said it to me was they had cleared it and there would be no problems with walkers and such. Still seems like a ton of work for 50 miles of one road to clean it of cars and such. I’m still trying to figure out about where they were at, I can’t really think of any longer roads from Richmond to DC that parallel each other and connect back and forth. Those kinds of things don’t bother me though, more interested then care. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2015, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-5-11-the-distance-open-spoilers/713377/54 "2015-02-23T18:51:45Z")
> [@Edward\_The\_Head](#): > > Ok, that makes some sense, the way he said it to me was they had cleared it and there would be no problems with walkers and such. Still seems like a ton of work for 50 miles of one road to clean it of cars and such. I’m still trying to figure out about where they were at, I can’t really think of any longer roads from Richmond to DC that parallel each other and connect back and forth. Those kinds of things don’t bother me though, more interested then care. [fanwank] Could be that they were “cleared” like when SWAT or the US Army “clears” a room. Walk in, no baddies, shout “Clear” to announce that the room has been cleared, even though they don’t physically move anything. So it could be that they drove down 23 cautiously, noted mentally that there were no major obstructions or zombie hordes, and declared the route “cleared.” [/fanwank] But yes, that bugged me too, especially since they said they were routes 16 and 23, which are nowhere near the Richmond/DC corridor. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2015, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-5-11-the-distance-open-spoilers/713377/55 "2015-02-23T19:01:56Z")
Seems like it’d be easier to use a generator or something to charge up a digital camera, and print the photos on a printer. There should still be tons of usable electronics laying around. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2015, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-5-11-the-distance-open-spoilers/713377/56 "2015-02-23T19:03:31Z")
Aaron’s reaction to getting punched bugged me too. He was all “No problem, bro, I get where your head’s at.” I think any normal person would have responded more along the lines of “What the hell is the matter with you?! I am offering you food, water, and shelter, and you punch me in the fucking FACE? Because it’s not enough that you’ve got four guns and a crossbow aimed generally in my direction? Jesus, just forget it!” The writing on this show makes no sense sometimes. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2015, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-5-11-the-distance-open-spoilers/713377/57 "2015-02-23T19:10:03Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > Kids playing right by the gates with zero guards on the walls or anywhere else is pretty suspicious though. And those impregnable walls did not look as tough as Aaron made them sound. Nor were they as soundproof as he implied. ---
**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:** [February 23, 2015, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-5-11-the-distance-open-spoilers/713377/58 "2015-02-23T19:11:11Z")
> [@Cyros](#): > > Eugene and Abraham don’t seem to have too much of a problem with their facial hair. I think the inconsistency is maybe what fuels the distraction. Rick looks like he has been living hard and tracking through the woods for months with no access to personal grooming. The other men in the group, not so much. Not all men have thick beards. After two months without shaving, I would be as hirsute as Rick; my oldest brother would be as scraggly as Daryl. Abraham bothers me, though. Too sculpted. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2015, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-5-11-the-distance-open-spoilers/713377/59 "2015-02-23T19:12:45Z")
> [@SykoSkotty](#): > > I guess I see it differently. Allowing kids to play near the front gate shows that the perimeter is totally secure. They trust the walls that much. Also, since this is a walled community that is (or so we’ve been told by Aaron) thriving, with doctors and homes and such, I would have to believe they have armed sentries on the walls, and several patrols doing sweeps to keep the nearby areas cleared. I recall Aaron also saying they had cleared Route 16 (can’t recall the exact number) which tells me they are organized and have the firepower to secure anything they need to. At the very end of the show, after Rick’s group had entered the gate of Alexandria, I didn’t see or hear any children playing. I didn’t see or hear anyone. Still plenty of suspicion to go around, but there’s hope. However, I’m assuming that Alexandria, Aaron, and Eric are good guys. Rick will have a (at least temporarily) safe place to raise his two kids, and Daryl will chafe at the idea of having to use indoor plumbing. 😃 ---
**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:** [February 23, 2015, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-5-11-the-distance-open-spoilers/713377/60 "2015-02-23T19:12:47Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Nor were they as soundproof as he implied. I don’t think he said the walls were soundproof; rather, that Judith would have a safe place to cry because the walls were impregnable to roamers. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-5-11-the-distance-open-spoilers/713377.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-5-11-the-distance-open-spoilers/713377.md?page=4)