ParkersBunny

The show seems to want to have it both ways. On the one hand, we know that civilization IS collapsing, but the show wants to take its time. There’s no shots of zombie herds, media alerts – we haven’t even seen a run on a grocery store. On the other hand, things are so dire that civilians are being killed and martial law seems to be in place. The thing that stands out to me in this episode as a glaring contradiction is when Madison left the safe zone and found the wall of pictures. Think about what you’d need to do that – a picture of your loved one (easy), a machine that can copy, paper to print it (and both of those things take electricity) and then safe passage into the city and knowledge of where such a picture wall existed. Life outside the Safe Zone doesn’t seem to have ANY of those things, and hasn’t for days. The one thing I do like and think is probably terribly true is the premise that not everyone is up for the ZA. Some folks opt-out, either consciously (neighbor Susan) or unconsciously (neighbor Robert).

Just a guess, but if Norma killed the husband in a National Park, I bet it's a federal crime.

I thought about this idea - that maybe the storyline is about the cleaving between Those Who Know and Those Who Don't, and how those with a little information react (who do you tell - your teenage daughter, your neighbor, when & how to do it and not sound crazy). I'm not a parent, so I don't know what's involved with a school closure, but it seems like a massive headache for school administrators and parents alike - at a high school probably (at least) half the kids can't drive, so you need to call up parents, round up buses, etc. Some kids walk, etc., but I assume the school has to notify the parents, so there's a bunch of "The school is closed? Why? Wait, what video?" conversations. So it doesn't seem like something that would be (a) undertaken lightly or (b) wouldn't have some community consequences.

Something about last night’s ep is really bugging me: school is cancelled (half-day) because of the video of police unloading on a walker has gone viral. Everyone is watching it and concerned – that makes sense. Then, later that same day, after The Calvin Incident, Madison & Travis are calling their respective kids while Nick channel surfs the radio, and he comments how NO ONE in the media is talking about this. It’s not on any of the radio stations. So the video has gone so viral to the point that school is cancelled, but no one in the media is discussing what’s happening? [When Travis's ex turns on the TV, it seems to be purely focusing on the police protest angle.] That's a pretty contradictory story element. It feels a little like the show wants to have it both ways – the ZA is both alarming enough to shut down a government entity (the school) AND yet comes out of nowhere. I really liked the "you are such a massive disappointment to me on every level" look that Madison gave Nick when he asked what he would do for drugs in the desert. Totally agree. I thought this was an excellent little story beat.