The Walking Dead - Days Gone Bye

[TheStarWarsTrek]

I stopped watching it pretty early, right after the end of season 2. I think I was already getting sick of the repetitive "the group thinks they have hope, then hope is viciously crushed" story beat. My dad kept watching and confirmed to me that "Oh, here's a safe shelter we can - nope, nevermind" was a reoccurring element.

World War Z (the book) has spoiled me because it was such a great and thorough examination of zombies it made *me* examine it and be more aware of the flaws. (The tank crushing them thing, or the fact that zombies violate the conservation of energy). Though of course even in WWZ we have the element of unpreparedness Chuck mentioned, as no one could have predicted the dead rising. There's all these zombie survival plans on the internet, yet if we were invaded by vampires or Fair Folk or Gelatinous Cubes those same preppers would be completely caught offguard. Or hell, if we do have a zombie apocalypse, but the only way to kill them cutting off their left pinky or removing their appendix or something.

A good comparison: Linkara did a review of Hellstar Remina, which I was previously unaware of. A scientist discovers a new planet, and names it after his daughter, who becomes a celebrity. Then, in a cosmic horror story twist, the planet moves at impossible speeds towards earth and begins eating all the planets in the solar system with a giant tongue. Panicky people decide that, since it's named after Remina, sacrificing her will somehow appease it. It's crazy and devoid of all logic, yes . . . but when the moon is being eaten who knows what the rules are anymore.

Imagine that toilets came to life and started attacking people all over the world. Then someone came on the tv and said "The toilets want revenge on their creator, John Crapper, and we need to kill anyone named John to appease them". It's crazy, yes, but is it any more crazy than toilets being alive? And like with zombies, no one would have expected it or know what the rules are.

[CharlesPhipps]

I have enjoyed many zombie stories throughout my career as a horror reviewer as well as writer. In simple terms, I think it largely depends on what the method of infection is. The fact is that zombie-ism very much tends to work like a plague. Everyone acts like you can easily contain it but the most famous Zombie-viruses tend to infect people before the whole "bite and become one" business.

And I admit I actually like your description because it is irrational. One thing I wrote for a zombie apocalypse short story was they were debating about when the zombie apocalypse would end by the fact the zombies were decaying. If they could wait until they rotted away naturally then the apocalypse would end.

And one said, "yeah, but that's applying logic to the dead walking and eating people."

[Tonesthegeek]

I'm surprised given that Chuck reviewed the World War Z novel that he forgot that in the Novel Greenland was the most overrun location on the loaner that even 10 years later is still heavily infested because when everyone went there thinking it would be safe, it just created more potential for things to go wrong.

That was Iceland.

Oh yeah, just checked. Guess that was the same mistake everyone who went there made.

[FlynnTaggart]

I quite enjoyed the show when it first aired. Was never a fan of the comic, too "everyone must suffer" for my tastes but the show felt better. I know looking for a happy ending in the apocalypse is strange but I don't feel like watching a show about characters being depressed and dying is worth watching.

I watched probably about the 4th season maybe, the stuff with the Governor. I just kinda got disgusted with the show after the second time the Governor showed up with an army and despite wanting to capture the prison started blowing holes in it with the tank that I'm fairly sure the military retired in the 80s. Just was my jump the shark moment, showed they were more interested in 'splosions then any sort of coherent plot. Certainly didn't help I was already hanging on by a thread with those zombie loving kids and the Irish zombie woman.

I kinda wonder if the show would have stayed good if Frank Darabont had not been fired and not being effed with for the much maligned second season, apparently the execs at AMC cut the budget for the show despite record ratings and were meddling hard.

[Wargriffin]

WE'VE GOT TO SAVE CORAL!

[CrypticMirror]

WE'VE GOT TO SAVE CORAL!

Anthropogenic climate change is leading to ocean acidification and increased bleaching events, but I think a zombie apocalypse is not going to solve anything.

[Kinky Vorlon]

WE'VE GOT TO SAVE CORAL!

Anthropogenic climate change is leading to ocean acidification and increased bleaching events, but I think a zombie apocalypse is not going to solve anything.

If the zombies wipe out humanity, pollution will almost cease overnight, the planet's temperature stops rising, hundreds of species no longer going extinct on a daily basis. but brexit will still be ongoing somehow.

[Rocketboy1313]

The title of this episode makes me think of the lyrics from the "Family Matters" theme.
Even tho I know the lyric is "As days GO by".
https://youtu.be/Z4R91CR-YZU

[Deledrius]

I watched the first two episodes of the show (never seen any of it before) so I would have context for the reviews. The first episode is pretty good, and the review does a great job looking at it. The Katrina comparison is a good one. Also, I'm not sure how aliens makes any sense inside of the story I've seen, but I guess that's why it's a lousy explanation.

The second episode, however, shows me all the tired tropes and things that I don't care to see in yet another zombie story. But I suppose I should hold that discussion for the review.

[Alinis]

I have to admit I recall the walking dead mostly for the jokes my coworkers made at work about zombie groundskeepers when the cast crossed clearly maintained golf courses but I never really had much of a interest in the walking dead or any other zombie apocalypse media.

Was never my cup of tea and the backgrounds tended to lead to me to think that the zombies being raised by necromancers would make more sense then chemical gas or viruses.