# The Walking Dead; 6.06 "Always Accountable" (open spoilers)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-6-06-always-accountable-open-spoilers/737658>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [November 16, 2015, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-6-06-always-accountable-open-spoilers/737658 "2015-11-16T00:09:12Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 6

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**Author:** ![duality72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duality72/32/3910_2.png) [@duality72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duality72)\
**Post date:** [November 18, 2015, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-6-06-always-accountable-open-spoilers/737658/101 "2015-11-18T17:30:31Z")

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> [@Joey\_P](#):
>
> I think it was just another “cool looking walker” they [creators/writers/FX team etc] thought up and wanted to show off.

Yes, just so they could show off the zombie suddenly falling apart and dropping off of the pole for no particular reason while Abraham happens to be standing there. :smack:

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**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:** [November 18, 2015, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-6-06-always-accountable-open-spoilers/737658/102 "2015-11-18T17:50:54Z")

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> [@solost](#):
>
> And I had a hard time picturing the scenario in which impaled soldier zombie managed to impale himself on the fallen over, horizontal fence. Was he trying to climb over it for some reason, got impaled, and the fence later fell over?

Seemed like the aftermath of a car crash to me.

> [@Edward\_The\_Head](#):
>
> I don’t remember if anyone said anything about low blood sugar or not, but there was a sticker on the cooler in the bag with Daryl’s crossbow. That, to me, was why he came back, to give them the cooler. Honestly I only remember the cooler because I rolled my eyes at the insulin still being good.

What you quoted was in response to this:

> [@carnivorousplant](#):
>
> What did the writers do wrong with insulin?

> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#):
>
> They showed them treating a low blood sugar with insulin.

> [@carnivorousplant](#):
>
> It was said by an actor that she had low blood sugar?

> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#):
>
> No, I don’t recall it being explicitly stated.

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**Author:** ![leftfield6](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leftfield6/32/18780_2.png) [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)\
**Post date:** [November 18, 2015, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-6-06-always-accountable-open-spoilers/737658/103 "2015-11-18T18:33:43Z")

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> [@duality72](#):
>
> Yes, just so they could show off the zombie suddenly falling apart and dropping off of the pole for no particular reason while Abraham happens to be standing there. :smack:

Actually, while there are lots of holes on the storyline to poke at, I disagree that this is one of them.

I think the soldier was impaled on the pole in the car accident that left the Humvee sitting on the bridge. He’s hanging out there, getting a little more rotten every day. His flesh is turning mushier everyday. Abraham crawls out there on the fence and begins violently shaking it up and down, which of course jiggles the hell out of the dead soldier. Abraham has his moment of Zen and crawls off the fence, lights up a cigar, and is just standing there. Meanwhile out on the fence pole, zombie/soldier’s upper body has now been violently shaken up and down, and now a tear is starting. Once it starts, he’s done, he is dropping.

Imagine picking up a blob of Jell-O with a toothpick. Toothpick will hold it for a while, but any agitation will hasten the eventual fall.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![duality72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duality72/32/3910_2.png) [@duality72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duality72)\
**Post date:** [November 18, 2015, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-6-06-always-accountable-open-spoilers/737658/104 "2015-11-18T18:48:51Z")

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If the zombie had started tearing off during the action, sure. But it didn’t. In fact, it got through that whole part of the scene with nary a slip or any indication that it was any worse off than the however many days it had already spent implausibly impaled on the end of a pole hanging over the side of a bridge. Then Abraham is just standing around and it’s just time to fall apart now and slide off the pole, which was the whole point of the contrived scenario. Sloppy.

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**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\
**Post date:** [November 18, 2015, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-6-06-always-accountable-open-spoilers/737658/105 "2015-11-18T18:49:46Z")

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> [@Dingbang](#):
>
> Kind of trivial, but was anyone else distracted by the hairstyle on Tina the Diabetic Girl?

(post shortened)

Tina the Diabetic Girl, and the other two, came from a larger and obviously well-organized group. They have trucks, fuel, arms, clean(er) clothes, food, some medical knowledge, and the ability to store (if not produce?) insulin. It’s not too much of a stretch to assume that they would also have a barber/hair stylist. Maybe that’s what the writers were going for? The residents of Woodbury and Alexandria were well-groomed, if not fashionable.

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**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\
**Post date:** [November 18, 2015, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-6-06-always-accountable-open-spoilers/737658/106 "2015-11-18T18:53:32Z")

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> [@leftfield6](#):
>
> Actually, while there are lots of holes on the storyline to poke at, I disagree that this is one of them.
> 
> I think the soldier was impaled on the pole in the car accident that left the Humvee sitting on the bridge. He’s hanging out there, getting a little more rotten every day. His flesh is turning mushier everyday. Abraham crawls out there on the fence and begins violently shaking it up and down, which of course jiggles the hell out of the dead soldier. Abraham has his moment of Zen and crawls off the fence, lights up a cigar, and is just standing there. Meanwhile out on the fence pole, zombie/soldier’s upper body has now been violently shaken up and down, and now a tear is starting. Once it starts, he’s done, he is dropping.
> 
> Imagine picking up a blob of Jell-O with a toothpick. Toothpick will hold it for a while, but any agitation will hasten the eventual fall.

Are you suggesting that he was catapulted up onto the fence from the truck, without the RPG launcher falling off his (single) shoulder? AND something also completely bent the fence over? Also, the Humvee isn’t point at the fence so whoever was driving it would have had to survive long enough to move it after the accident.

I don’t know. I’m still going with ‘neat trick the the Walking Dead Team wanted to show off’ and to hell with how he actually got there.

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**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\
**Post date:** [November 18, 2015, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-6-06-always-accountable-open-spoilers/737658/107 "2015-11-18T18:59:14Z")

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> [@Joey\_P](#):
>
> If that’s actually the case, then it’s just, yet another case of really, really shitty editing in this episode.

Why so? What is to be gained by showing them dig yet another grave? You’re assuming the scene digging the third grave was edited out, and maybe it was. But I suspect it was never filmed in the first place since it doesn’t add anything to the plot.

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**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\
**Post date:** [November 18, 2015, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-6-06-always-accountable-open-spoilers/737658/108 "2015-11-18T19:06:07Z")

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> [@John\_Mace](#):
>
> Why so? What is to be gained by showing them dig yet another grave? You’re assuming the scene digging the third grave was edited out, and maybe it was. But I suspect it was never filmed in the first place since it doesn’t add anything to the plot.

It’s not that they have to show them spending half a day digging three graves, but I saw two graves being dug, I assumed they were for two bodies. I think that’s a perfectly reasonable assumption. If they were going to be burying three people, find a way, via editing, to show three holes, or three people being buried. The whole scene would have taken seconds.

Maybe it doesn’t add anything to the plot. Maybe it was done on purpose because they didn’t bury Tina.

And yes, I said edited out, but they just have to bring in some equipment or extra crew to put a hole in the ground to grab a shot of three graves (like they did for the first two) or use SFX to put the third hole there. If they wanted to show three holes, they could have. So maybe they only had two graves for a reason.

ETA, one other thing I forgot to mention. They had three people, each person could have been digging. So it was specifically scripted that one person was sitting out for that scene. Does anyone remember what Sherry was doing? Was she in the shot?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [November 18, 2015, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-6-06-always-accountable-open-spoilers/737658/109 "2015-11-18T19:15:10Z")

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She was being a girl. Girls don’t dig graves, silly.

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**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\
**Post date:** [November 18, 2015, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-6-06-always-accountable-open-spoilers/737658/110 "2015-11-18T19:32:04Z")

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> [@Joey\_P](#):
>
> …ETA, one other thing I forgot to mention. They had three people, each person could have been digging. So it was specifically scripted that one person was sitting out for that scene. Does anyone remember what Sherry was doing? Was she in the shot?

The girl was sitting by the collapsed building. Standing guard would be my first guess. Takin’ a leak would be my second. Calling her agent would be my third choice. 😃

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**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:** [November 18, 2015, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-6-06-always-accountable-open-spoilers/737658/111 "2015-11-18T20:08:19Z")

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> [@Joey\_P](#):
>
> Are you suggesting that he was catapulted up onto the fence from the truck, without the RPG launcher falling off his (single) shoulder? AND something also completely bent the fence over? Also, the Humvee isn’t point at the fence so whoever was driving it would have had to survive long enough to move it after the accident.
> 
> I don’t know. I’m still going with ‘neat trick the the Walking Dead Team wanted to show off’ and to hell with how he actually got there.

It’s quite possible that there was a horde surrounding the truck, the solider wanted to get away and attempted to climb the fence and got grabbed and impaled on the pole. A fence on a bridge probably wasn’t put up all that well and it fell over, the guy dies, the walkers don’t want his now dead brains so leave. It’s not that hard to believe, but yes, they just wanted to show us a walker hanging on the fence.

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**Author:** ![Sauron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Sauron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sauron)\
**Post date:** [November 18, 2015, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-6-06-always-accountable-open-spoilers/737658/112 "2015-11-18T20:30:40Z")

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> [@Edward\_The\_Head](#):
>
> It’s quite possible that there was a horde surrounding the truck, the solider wanted to get away and attempted to climb the fence and got grabbed and impaled on the pole. A fence on a bridge probably wasn’t put up all that well and it fell over, the guy dies, the walkers don’t want his now dead brains so leave. It’s not that hard to believe, but yes, they just wanted to show us a walker hanging on the fence.

I didn’t see the rocket launcher on the zombie’s shoulder at first, and couldn’t figure out why in the world Abraham would crawl out onto a pushed-over fence in an attempt to kill one more zombie (who obviously wasn’t going anywhere).

Then, when I DID see the rocket launcher, I couldn’t figure out why in the world Abraham was trying to get the launcher without killing the zombie first. Honestly – what was the point of Abe trying to reach around a snapping zombie?

The first mistake was on me; I didn’t pay enough attention. The second mistake is on Abraham (and by extension, the writers / showrunners), because, ONCE AGAIN, a character took the most dangerous and stupid approach to solve a problem.

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**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\
**Post date:** [November 18, 2015, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-6-06-always-accountable-open-spoilers/737658/113 "2015-11-18T21:03:51Z")

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I dont understand why with limited food and having to move all the time you’d waste valuable energy digging a grave.

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**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\
**Post date:** [November 18, 2015, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-6-06-always-accountable-open-spoilers/737658/114 "2015-11-18T21:10:21Z")

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I wasn’t aware that U.S. Army units were issuing variations of Soviet RPG-7’s, or Chinese Type-69, anti-tank rocket-propelled grenades and rocket-propelled grenade launchers. I guess it’s a run-what-you-brung kinda ZA.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\
**Post date:** [November 18, 2015, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-6-06-always-accountable-open-spoilers/737658/115 "2015-11-18T21:11:15Z")

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> [@Laggard](#):
>
> I dont understand why with limited food and having to move all the time you’d waste valuable energy digging a grave.

So that your loved ones don’t become Walker Snacks.

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**Author:** ![oft\_wears\_hats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7993a0/32.png) [@oft\_wears\_hats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oft_wears_hats)\
**Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-6-06-always-accountable-open-spoilers/737658/116 "2015-11-19T00:52:21Z")

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> [@Laggard](#):
>
> I dont understand why with limited food and having to move all the time you’d waste valuable energy digging a grave.

Because

[QUOTE=Shepherd Book]  
How we treat our dead is part of what makes us different from those who did the slaughtering.  
[/QUOTE]

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Mole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc348/32.png) [@Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mole)\
**Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-6-06-always-accountable-open-spoilers/737658/117 "2015-11-19T04:19:30Z")

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> [@Dingbang](#):
>
> Kind of trivial, but was anyone else distracted by the hairstyle on Tina the Diabetic Girl?

Yes. I kept thinking “Kim Darby in _True Grit_”

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<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [November 19, 2015, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-6-06-always-accountable-open-spoilers/737658/118 "2015-11-19T04:29:39Z")

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> [@Sauron](#):
>
> I didn’t see the rocket launcher on the zombie’s shoulder at first, and couldn’t figure out why in the world Abraham would crawl out onto a pushed-over fence in an attempt to kill one more zombie (who obviously wasn’t going anywhere).
> 
> Then, when I DID see the rocket launcher, I couldn’t figure out why in the world Abraham was trying to get the launcher without killing the zombie first. Honestly – what was the point of Abe trying to reach around a snapping zombie?
> 
> The first mistake was on me; I didn’t pay enough attention. The second mistake is on Abraham (and by extension, the writers / showrunners), because, ONCE AGAIN, a character took the most dangerous and stupid approach to solve a problem.

I read it as even worse than that. Seemed like Abraham was intentionally toying with death, courting unnecessary engagement with zombies, until he had a cathartic scream in the face of the dead. Ugh.

Writers, we don’t need to see every single character have an existential crisis. We’ve done that bit over and over again. Sheesh.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\
**Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-6-06-always-accountable-open-spoilers/737658/119 "2015-11-19T12:54:50Z")

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> [@Joey\_P](#):
>
> It’s not that they have to show them spending half a day digging three graves, but I saw two graves being dug, I assumed they were for two bodies. I think that’s a perfectly reasonable assumption. If they were going to be burying three people, find a way, via editing, to show three holes, or three people being buried. The whole scene would have taken seconds.
> 
> Maybe it doesn’t add anything to the plot. Maybe it was done on purpose because they didn’t bury Tina.
> 
> And yes, I said edited out, but they just have to bring in some equipment or extra crew to put a hole in the ground to grab a shot of three graves (like they did for the first two) or use SFX to put the third hole there. If they wanted to show three holes, they could have. So maybe they only had two graves for a reason.
> 
> ETA, one other thing I forgot to mention. They had three people, each person could have been digging. So it was specifically scripted that one person was sitting out for that scene. Does anyone remember what Sherry was doing? Was she in the shot?

Is it really so hard to imagine that maybe they only had two shovels?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [November 19, 2015, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-6-06-always-accountable-open-spoilers/737658/120 "2015-11-19T18:02:26Z")

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> [@Shakester](#):
>
> Is it really so hard to imagine that maybe they only had two shovels?

In a largely depopulated world with thousands of abandoned stores?! They should have effectively _infinite_ shovels!  
Well, and ammo and canned food and bottled water and clean clothing and vehicles…

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