# The Walking Dead; 8.02 "The Damned" (open spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 29, 2017, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-8-02-the-damned-open-spoilers/800190 "2017-10-29T22:39:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2017, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-8-02-the-damned-open-spoilers/800190/21 "2017-10-31T15:40:37Z")
This was 15 minutes of story told over an hour. At best. ---
**Author:** ![MoonMoon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonmoon/32/2959_2.png) [@MoonMoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MoonMoon)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2017, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-8-02-the-damned-open-spoilers/800190/22 "2017-10-31T16:24:03Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > I used to enjoy _Talking Dead_, but both episodes so far this season were duds. The first one was completely unwatchable for anyone who isn’t a raving, teenage fan or something, and this last episode was just plain boring. They kept claiming that they needed to keep Negan alive because the plot demanded it, but that’s nonsense. Creative writers can easily take the storyline in a different direction. This seems more like laziness imposed by the producers-- _Hey, we have the cast in place for this season, so make it work._ I’ve always hated Talking Dead, because I would rather punch myself in the face than watch Chris Hardwick do anything, but I think the fact that those fact that those raving, easily pleased fans still exist is the reason the writers don’t feel like they need to try particularly hard. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2017, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-8-02-the-damned-open-spoilers/800190/23 "2017-10-31T16:49:07Z")
I thought this episode and the first one were awesome! I waited a week to watch the premiere because I heard it wasn’t that good, but I really enjoyed it. After an entire season of Neegan and his people just pointlessly being brutal, I was so glad to see Rick and crew kicking ass. I don’t really care how unrealistic some of the gun fights were because Rick and crew kicking ass! ---
**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:** [October 31, 2017, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-8-02-the-damned-open-spoilers/800190/24 "2017-10-31T17:16:02Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > I voted ‘hated it’. Bad writing, cliches everywhere, impossible to follow what was going on, crazy plot armor for the main characters, etc. I hated it too, and it’s making me wonder if I want to keep watching it or not. ---
**Author:** ![SuperNelson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@SuperNelson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuperNelson)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2017, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-8-02-the-damned-open-spoilers/800190/25 "2017-10-31T17:35:39Z")
> [@Telperion](#): > > One of the Saviors threw a grenade towards them in the last episode. I guess it was the same guy who got eaten by Shiva. At the end of the last episode, we saw that the locked door to an urgent care facility was shaking, implying that there were a bunch of walkers shut in and trying to get out. As one of the last saviors prepared to cut and run, he appeared to have set off a grenade or maybe booby-trap that knocked everyone down, blew the door open, and created a big cloud of smoke. At the end of the scene, everyone was on the ground, stunned, surrounded by smoke and the sound of walkers shuffling out of the urgent care facility. ---
**Author:** ![rainy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@rainy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rainy)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2017, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-8-02-the-damned-open-spoilers/800190/26 "2017-11-01T20:02:38Z")
I was really hoping Morgan was going to walk out there where Jesus had all the Saviors held prisoner and just start shooting them, then Tara and other’s sharing her mindset would have joined in. Then when they are all dead, Jesus just pouts. ---
**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 1, 2017, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-8-02-the-damned-open-spoilers/800190/27 "2017-11-01T20:54:01Z")
I thought Jesus was supposed to weep. Maybe that’s just the baby Jesus… ---
**Author:** ![CannyDan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cannydan/32/548_2.png) [@CannyDan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CannyDan)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2017, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-8-02-the-damned-open-spoilers/800190/28 "2017-11-01T23:49:52Z")
The ‘crisis of conscience’ theme is valid in this type of literature. But given the circumstances of an ongoing battle that can easily still be lost, Jesus’ insistence on accepting surrender and keeping the enemy combatant alive just looks really, really stupid. Just as stupid as wasting hundreds of rounds on window glass. Or splitting up to explore the top floor. Or… Well, all kinds of stupid decisions the writers force us to swallow. Really, these people are the _survivors_ for pity’s sake! You don’t survive the zombie apocalypse by making stupid decisions, especially repeating the same ones. Oh, and does anybody else remember back when it took a genius (Eugene) and a full machine shop to make a single cartridge? And now they’re squirting them out on full auto! What happened?!? Writers forgot their own plot device? Or are we actually the stupid ones? ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2017, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-8-02-the-damned-open-spoilers/800190/29 "2017-11-02T00:19:19Z")
But…what about the baby Gracie?? ---
**Author:** ![Telperion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telperion/32/509_2.png) [@Telperion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperion)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2017, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-8-02-the-damned-open-spoilers/800190/30 "2017-11-02T00:48:59Z")
> [@CannyDan](#): > > Oh, and does anybody else remember back when it took a genius (Eugene) and a full machine shop to make a single cartridge? And now they’re squirting them out on full auto! What happened?!? Writers forgot their own plot device? Or are we actually the stupid ones? That plot device was specifically because Negan took all the guns and ammo from Alexandria. The Kingdom still had all of their guns, and Rick’s crew later got a pile of guns from Oceanside. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2017, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-8-02-the-damned-open-spoilers/800190/31 "2017-11-02T01:06:56Z")
I kind of feel like the Saviors remind me a bit of the Others from Lost. When we first meet them, there are a few odd skirmishes and infiltrations hinting at some much larger organized group, then the have an almost supernatural ability to stalk and outmaneuver our heroes, then they are portrayed in this sort of normalizing, almost sympathetic light. Presumably (since they aren’t going to massacre the survivors), they will be integrated into the group to fight some other foe later on. Which is not a terrible way to portray them. I don’t think it would be interesting at all if the Saviors were all a bunch of one dimensional post-apocalyptic Mad Max lunatics. We have to assume they have children and non-combatants too and Rick’s going to have to figure out what to do with all them. > [@Beckdawrek](#): > > But…what about the baby Gracie?? I still think she’s suspect. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2017, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-8-02-the-damned-open-spoilers/800190/32 "2017-11-02T03:10:16Z")
Well, now I am worried! ---
**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 2, 2017, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-8-02-the-damned-open-spoilers/800190/33 "2017-11-02T13:38:53Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > I kind of feel like the Saviors remind me a bit of the Others from Lost… I’ve had the same feeling many times. Except Ben was one of the most interesting characters on TV while Negan is one of the least interesting. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2017, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-8-02-the-damned-open-spoilers/800190/34 "2017-11-03T03:03:47Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > I kind of feel like the Saviors remind me a bit of the Others from Lost. When we first meet them, there are a few odd skirmishes and infiltrations hinting at some much larger organized group, then the have an almost supernatural ability to stalk and outmaneuver our heroes, then they are portrayed in this sort of normalizing, almost sympathetic light. Presumably (since they aren’t going to massacre the survivors), they will be integrated into the group to fight some other foe later on. > > Which is not a terrible way to portray them. I don’t think it would be interesting at all if the Saviors were all a bunch of one dimensional post-apocalyptic Mad Max lunatics. We have to assume they have children and non-combatants too and Rick’s going to have to figure out what to do with all them. > > I still think she’s suspect. TWD and Lost (which husband and I are watching on DVD, his first time with Lost) seem a LOT alike. Basically the same story (The Hero’s Journey), lots of shooting, a bad enemy, horrible injuries, dirty/tired/sweaty people giving speeches during the slow parts, the search for food/water/HOME. Husband is loving Lost, but won’t even be in the same room when TWD is on. (shrug) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-walking-dead-8-02-the-damned-open-spoilers/800190.md?page=1)