Fear The Walking Dead

[flybynight]

I'm discussing FWD in another forum where people insist that because TWD said that the virus is everyone's brain, it must already be there in everyone's brain in the first episode of FWD (sigh).

It's amazing how little people understand about pandemics and virus propagation, and that at the beginning of a pandemic, the virus doesn't magically appear in everyone all at once.

Well, everybody who died in the first episode turned zombie. From the druggie girlfriend, the old guy in the next bed ( implied) , car accident victim, and Cal. Even the dead bodies in the church were gone when the church was revisited.

[RickOShea]

Well, everybody who died in the first episode turned zombie. From the druggie girlfriend, the old guy in the next bed ( implied) , car accident victim, and Cal. Even the dead bodies in the church were gone when the church was revisited.

Yeah, what did the Doctor say......"If we don't get a rhythm in 60, I want him downstairs....Too much we don't know." And then, "Okay, this Gentleman needs to be downstairs Now!"

[raistlin]

I'm discussing FWD in another forum where people insist that because TWD said that the virus is everyone's brain, it must already be there in everyone's brain in the first episode of FWD (sigh).

It's amazing how little people understand about pandemics and virus propagation, and that at the beginning of a pandemic, the virus doesn't magically appear in everyone all at once.

Well, everybody who died in the first episode turned zombie. From the druggie girlfriend, the old guy in the next bed ( implied) , car accident victim, and Cal. Even the dead bodies in the church were gone when the church was revisited.

That's different, though, than everyone in LA over that time period who died turned to zombies. That could be 150 to 200 people a day in LA. One would think there would be more news accounts than that one instance. People who died in accidents or in their homes and turned before emergency services arrived. People who died in violent shootings. Police and emergency services wouldn't know what to do with it, so they would end up like the shooting video in FWD, which seems to suggest the first public instance.

Realistically, a pandemic wouldn't normally start by having everyone instantaneously infected. It would have to be a biological attack (perhaps air release or water supply) to get most of LA infected all at once. Meanwhile, we don't know how it is transmitted.

Of course even though TWD was a gritty, realistic drama for the most part, everything about the zombie infection and how the pandemic began could be fantastical and defy scientific reasoning. The writers have had 5 seasons to think about the beginning and have a logical idea about how it began, so I was hoping for better than that.

So is everyone infected? Who knows? Seems unlikely. Or maybe it's just a plot hole.

[flybynight]

TWD never revealed what the cause was and I doubt FTWD will either. Since it is basically a science fiction/ horror story it could be pandemic virus or just as likely WMD. Heck it could be a naturally occurring toxin in the human body that is triggered by long term effect of elevated CO2 in the atmosphere. Kinda a don't mess with mother nature type failsafe to halt overpopulation.

[flybynight]

could be those bastard aliens. Can't trust those greys as far as they can anti grav. ET GO HOME

[Bubba Enfield]

I liked it. I thought the son's struggle to maintain sanity was well done, and I was very happy to see him pick up a weapon so early in the church. Folks in movies tend to wait too long to get strapped.

[kdalton]

If I remember the first season's TS-19 exposition from the CDC scientist, the new pandemic was declared, but then after a few weeks it suddenly went global. It sounds like the virus or whatever causes this mutated and changed how it attacked. That could explain how the disease went to reanimating everyone who died. Once it got out into the general population it mutated and became what it is. I know enough about epidemiology that there is precedent for that. And remember, we are looking at it from ground level mostly. The "Big Brains" had already figured out how to test for it, so they knew it was in everyone.

Even if it weren't, by the time of the events of TWD everyone would have been infected from constant exposure to the blood and gore in on their skin, in their mouths, etc. When someone is killed with blunt force a fine mist of blood is sprayed and if it lands on a mucous membrane the disease can get in that way.

And among all those rotting corpses the Walker Virus is just ONE biohazard consideration.

[MacWa77ace]

Well, everybody who died in the first episode turned zombie. From the druggie girlfriend, the old guy in the next bed ( implied) , car accident victim, and Cal. Even the dead bodies in the church were gone when the church was revisited.

Yeah, what did the Doctor say......"If we don't get a rhythm in 60, I want him downstairs....Too much we don't know." And then, "Okay, this Gentleman needs to be downstairs Now!"

This is what I was thinking and I think is similar to the Legacy film Night of the Living Dead. But in that film the virus also infected and reanimated the recently dead and buried too.

The virus infects everyone, but doesn't manifest itself until you die. No matter how you die, you've already got it and will reanimate unless your brain is destroyed. It doesn't spread by the Zombie's bite.

Just my guess.

I don't have a problem with there being no 'Zombie fiction' in the FTWD world or any fictional Zombie world, so that no one has a clue about Zombies. It'd probably be a short Zombie show/movie that occurs in a world where everyone immediately recognizes and neutralizes the threat.

It'd be like:
'We interrupt this program; a Zombie outbreak occurred in the Mall today but 2 astute college students recognized and decapitated the walker, which was of the type 'stage 2 runner', no one was injured. And now back to the boring LMN movie you were previously watching.

[raistlin]

I don't have a problem with there being no 'Zombie fiction' in the FTWD world or any fictional Zombie world, so that no one has a clue about Zombies. It'd probably be a short Zombie show/movie that occurs in a world where everyone immediately recognizes and neutralizes the threat.

It'd be like:
'We interrupt this program; a Zombie outbreak occurred in the Mall today but 2 astute college students recognized and decapitated the walker, which was of the type 'stage 2 runner', no one was injured. And now back to the boring LMN movie you were previously watching.

No doubt. And when the cops had that guy at the overpass and he wouldn't stay down, someone in the crowd would have been yelling, "Shoot him the head, you idiots!"

[RickOShea]

http://www.ew.com/article/2015/08/28/wa ... ad-airline

"EW has exclusively learned AMC is producing a half-hour special that will tell a stand-alone story following a group of passengers facing a walker attack on an airline while in flight. One character who survives that encounter will then join the cast of Fear the Walking Dead in season 2. So, yes: Zombies on a Plane."

[DJH]

Ok, I am digging this spin off simply based on it finally being something that shows the sh*t hitting the fan and not being something where it takes place after everything is already "over with". I really liked tonight's episode.

[Rokuke]

Man that party is duuumb, who would think its a good idea to have one during an outbreak? XD

Man all that trouble and they did not take the food. Why don't she take the crowbar with her? ><

[Stercutus]

Well it is week two and all the black folk are dead or undead. Who didn't see that coming?

[ineffableone]

Man that party is duuumb, who would think its a good idea to have one during an outbreak? XD

Man all that trouble and they did not take the food. Why don't she take the crowbar with her? ><

I have a feeling they will be going back to that school to get food at a later date.

Tobias seemed like he had a decent idea of what was going on and what to do, but he sadly is just a weak geeky kid, low probability of him surviving unless he attaches himself to a group with some strength that values his insight.

This episode was better than the 1st, not as slow. But I am still struggling to care about any of these main characters. Only one I actually like a bit is Tobias, and I don't expect him to actually last. He isn't in the list of the cast on the AMC FTWD site. And after his little helpful insights to Miss's C it is likely he wont be coming back unless it is as a zombie or gruesome death scene. Which is really too bad as I think he is the most compelling character so far. Knowledgeable and insightful, but not physically capable and just a kid. I think a ZPAW show following his character would be much more interesting than this family.

That said as DJH said I am enjoying following the collapse part that is starting to finally take place, it is interesting to watch the decline and see how the writers portray how things would fall apart. At this point I am treating this show like Day After Tomorrow, not expecting any story worth following, but good for showing the disaster in ways we will never get to see even if we live through one, because we can't get all the different view points etc.

Who knows maybe the story telling will pick up later, maybe the characters after a bit more time will grow on me a bit more. But right now, not really feeling overly excited about the story line. Just for the impending doom and to watch it unfold.

[Towanda]

Man that party is duuumb, who would think its a good idea to have one during an outbreak? XD

Man all that trouble and they did not take the food. Why don't she take the crowbar with her? ><

Because it's not common knowledge yet that you have to destroy the brain to make the zombie stay down.

Sent from my SGH-T999N using Tapatalk

[Rokuke]

Man that party is duuumb, who would think its a good idea to have one during an outbreak? XD

Man all that trouble and they did not take the food. Why don't she take the crowbar with her? ><

Because it's not common knowledge yet that you have to destroy the brain to make the zombie stay down.

Sent from my SGH-T999N using Tapatalk

I know But I'd give him the crowbar since it would be more useful in beating off attackers then the steak knife.

[dogbane]

Anyone notice whether any of those big cans Tobias was grabbing might have been pudding?

When the principal showed up, I thought they were going to brain him with a big can of Dinty-Moore.

[MacWa77ace]

What was mom doing looking in her purse while Tobias was getting attacked by the principal, right in front of her on the stairs ? She finally gave up looking for whatever and grabbed the fire extinguisher, but way to let your fireteam partner down. WTF.

Looks like if you get bit you get sick and probably die though. So standard Zed lore there.

Ok, I am digging this spin off simply based on it finally being something that shows the sh*t hitting the fan and not being something where it takes place after everything is already "over with". I really liked tonight's episode.

I was thinking the exact thing, this one is showing the progression of the outbreak where others use 'woke up', or flashbacks, or assumes.

True to life reality as civi's are DAF when it comes to making the right decisions.

Did you notice that they also threw in the standard horror movie ploy of 'OK there's danger and we know it, so lets split up, we can die faster that way'? If the sister had left for her boyfriends it would have been a perfect trifecta.

[KnifeStyle]

I'm truly half-asleep from the show thus far. A lot of quiet conversations, the characters aren't hitting me, and the action scenes could have been done better. A single zombie walking across a room slowly...Why not take advantage of them being newly dead and make them faster? Not a full sprint, but a rapidly shambling zombie would be a disturbing enough sight.

[RickOShea]

What was mom doing looking in her purse while Tobias was getting attacked by the principal, right in front of her on the stairs ? She finally gave up looking for whatever and grabbed the fire extinguisher, but way to let your fireteam partner down. WTF.

She was looking for the pry-bar she brought......but she left it on the table after she got the drug cabinet open.

[LowKey]

The virus infects everyone, but doesn't manifest itself until you die. No matter how you die, you've already got it and will reanimate unless your brain is destroyed. It doesn't spread by the Zombie's bite.

Just my guess.

I think your guess is on target.
Based on various tidbits of information in TWD, including the revelation from the CDC researcher (as stated by Rick) that every one is "infected", I'd lean towards it being biological in nature vs Cosmic Rays, Alien intervention, CO2 levels, ect.
Bacteria
Viruses
Prions
Fungi
Parasites

The last two have real world examples IIRC, infecting insects and small critters and either controlling or influencing them into actions and behaviors that are not to the hosts benefit. Mind you, when the infected critters die, they stay dead. They're "zombie like" when infected, not dead. Eviscerating one of them would kill it, not leave the disemboweled corpse moving about.


Whatever it is, FTWD seems to indicate that whatever "it" is seems to be passed around like the flu. Flu contagion rates can be very very high and if the infection doesn't cause corpses to reanimate until there has been a sufficient build up in the host body of the infectious organism(s) then onset of reanimated dead might be long enough out from the time "it" first started to spread in the GP that the overwhelming majority of the population had already been exposed (whether symptomatic or asymptomatic re: "flu like" symptoms) before the first walking corpse started moving about and causing a ruckus.
A zombie's bite doesn't cause you to turn, it just kills you. Either from blood loss/trauma or from infection. For real world examples look at the Komodo Dragons. Their bite is fatal due to the sewer of bacteria and viruses in the foamy, ropey drool in their filthy mouths. IIRC death is within 3 days or so for deer after being bitten, That kindo of matches up with TWD's presentation of time between being bitten and dying/turning. Those already ill or weakened succumb to the infection sooner, those that are more robust may fight it a bit longer.

[LowKey]

What was mom doing looking in her purse while Tobias was getting attacked by the principal, right in front of her on the stairs ? She finally gave up looking for whatever and grabbed the fire extinguisher, but way to let your fireteam partner down. WTF.

She was looking for the pry-bar she brought......but she left it on the table after she got the drug cabinet open.

I think she was looking for pepper spray. I don't think she'd fully accepted that the walkers were DEAD, particularly her (now former, deceased) co-worker whom she kept trying to talk to as if he were merely "sick". I think she wanted to go with a LTL option, and then she realized she'd have to "kill" her old co-worker if she wanted Tobias to live when she couldn't find it quickly. She may still be thinking of them as "sick", much like Hershel did despite the impossibility people with such injuries living.

[MacWa77ace]

It looks like a Zombies bite will make you sick and possibly die if the initial attack doesn't kill you. [boyfriend may have been bitten but that wasn't clear, and he hasn't died yet that we know] And if you die of course you will turn 'cause you were infected before you got bit.

The last two have real world examples IIRC, infecting insects and small critters and either controlling or influencing them into actions and behaviors that are not to the hosts benefit. Mind you, when the infected critters die, they stay dead. They're "zombie like" when infected, not dead. Eviscerating one of them would kill it, not leave the disemboweled corpse moving about.

Also see Rabies = Virus.

[dogbane]

It looks like a Zombies bite will make you sick and possibly die if the initial attack doesn't kill you. [boyfriend may have been bitten but that wasn't clear, and he hasn't died yet that we know] And if you die of course you will turn 'cause you were infected before you got bit.

Boyfriend was bitten. Dad-man pulled boyfriend's shirt collar aside and we saw the bite near the left collarbone.