S05.E02: Strangers

[natyxg]

Um... What?

 

Putting this under  spoiler tags just to be on the safe side cause I'm not sure if my spec is based on some commercial i saw somewhere.

 

What I meant is that if Beth was taken by a group taking women because they are sick fucks who want to repopulate the earth or something, they're probably gonna want to rape her. Cause, pretty girl + sickos who want to repopulate the earth could very likely mean rape.

 

Reminds me of 30 days later.

[Muffyn]

That was my first thought when Beth was taken. That some sicko is taking young women with the excuse of needing to repopulate the earth. Rape could very likely follow, if thats the case. I hope they get to Beth soon.

I suspect the "Um, what?" was in response to the phrasing of your statement "I hope they get to Beth soon."  I am sure you meant you hope Daryl and Carol get to Beth and save her from the sick bastards you are imagining.  But since you used a pronoun, "they" was open to interpretation.  The more you know! 

[natyxg]

I suspect the "Um, what?" was in response to the phrasing of your statement "I hope they get to Beth soon."  I am sure you meant you hope Daryl and Carol get to Beth and save her from the sick bastards you are imagining.  But since you used a pronoun, "they" was open to interpretation.  The more you know! 

 

Oh. Ooops, okay. lol. I meant that Beth gets saved soon, yeah.

[PunkyMouse]

Oh. Ooops, okay. lol. I meant that Beth gets saved soon, yeah.

 

okay, that's way better. 

[GreyBunny]

Oh, and one more thing: I live in the south. There's practically a church on every corner, and you can usually see them from the road. Why are the churches on TWD in the middle of the forest?

 

I've been wondering about all of these forest churches.  You're going for a hike in the woods and all of the sudden there's a church that pops up out of nowhere. 

To answer someone upthread, there are a lot of episcopal churches in the northeast and the northern mid-Atlantic. Some of the denomination's largest US cathedrals are up there including Washington National Cathedral and the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine.  Someone from that area would likely know that the priests can marry (they can also be women).

Edited October 21, 2014 by GreyBunny

[Dusty]

 

I've always seen Michael Cudlitz with sandy blond hair, not this godawful dayglo orange monstrosity.  He also doesn't normally have what looks like the worst man perm since The Brady Bunch.

 

When he was making his "We are all Survivors" speech I kept thinking he looked like Guile from Street Fighter.

[TigerLynx]

The constant need to be scavenging for food is another reason I detest the Governor and the Termites.  Woodbury and Terminus were cleared of Walkers, and in a position to grow food, rebuild, etc., and instead of doing so, they kill people, torture them, eat them.  Rick and Co., had made the prison into a habitable place for people to live, had taken in other survivors, and the Governor destroyed it.  I hated the Governor getting such an easy death.  I wanted him to suffer a lot more.  I want the Termites so suffer to, but I doubt that will happen.  Burning a live is to good for them.

 

So are Darryl and Carol going to be separated from the group running around looking for Beth?  I don't like that idea.

 

Is Maggie in shock?  Or is it really bad writing that she isn't more worried about Beth.  Maggie did see her father beheaded.

[RedheadZombie]

I'm on the fence with Maggie and Beth. Maggie knows she is alive but I can't imagine in the situation they are in she needs to be talking about and looking for Beth every second of the day. I think if they were focusing on that (she has nary a clue where to even start) it would quickly grow old. I think if Maggie had just the smallest hope, she would be out looking for Beth. If Daryl had sent Carol back in the church to tell them what they saw, I think Maggie would be hot on the trail. As it stands, she can't do anything about it and I'm not sure mourning the entire day and being a sad sack is her best option

 

It would get old quick (remember Sophia) but they do damage the character, and it ticks me off.  There are people, to this day, who hate Carol because she didn't help search for Sophia.  They could have written one small scene in which Carol tries to help.  It could have even been a scene that was cruel to Carol - you're not coming with us, you are useless as a fighter.   Instead, they had her moaping around crying, while others searched for Sophia.  Now they're doing the same thing with Maggie.   As much as I don't care for the Beth character, Maggie loved and protected her.  It's not true to the character, to not have Maggie (at the very least) look sad and mention Beth.  The only other possibility is the lines are being written and filmed, but edited out.  After watching TTD, I've come to the conclusion that there is often a disconnect between what the actor states is their character's motivation, and what the audience perceives.  Since it seems to happen a lot, I wonder if the editors tend to edit out the "boring" talking parts, to keep more action.

 

 

I may be that Rick doesn't know much about the Episcopal Church.

 

Who does?  It's a slightly obscure religion in the US.  Prior to the American Revolution it was called the Anglican Church, which was an extension from the Church of England.  Typically, an Episcopalian priest is written into a script to allow a priest to have sex and marry.  At least in soap opera land.  I've never met an Episcopalian, and I've never seen an Episcopalian church.  Less than one percent of the American population is Episcopalian - and it's even less prevalent in the South.  It's a minor point, but it's irritating to me.  In true rural Georgia, they would be tripping over Baptist, Church of God, Pentecostal, even Jehova's Witness churches.  Yet they manage to stumble upon the only Episcopalian church in the state.  It takes me out of the moment. 

 

I was happy that Rick took the initiative to tell Tara "no hard feelings."  I normally don't like the fist-bump, but it worked for them.  I hope she makes it (for awhile).  There's something about her -- she knows she's not superwoman, but she tries hard.

 

I seriously disliked Tara in the Governor-centric episodes.  I like her now. She recognized the governor's decapitation of Hershel made him a madman. She refused to shoot any of our gang, even though they were (of course) shooting her way.   She lost her sister and niece, but was able to join forces with Glenn - and it was clear to me, that Glenn would not have survived without Tara's assistance.  She's never made excuses for her part in the siege, she stepped up and took notes   - while Glenn was unconscious - so he could go back and look for Maggie.  She confessed to Maggie, even though Glenn told her not to.  That's enough (for me) to forgive her.  I did like that Rick thought the fist bump was hokey, yet he did it to make her feel better.

[Ohwell]

The constant need to be scavenging for food is another reason I detest the Governor and the Termites.  Woodbury and Terminus were cleared of Walkers, and in a position to grow food, rebuild, etc., and instead of doing so, they kill people, torture them, eat them.

I don't understand that either.  Why couldn't they just grow their own food and go deer hunting?  Are they just too lazy and think it's easier to eat people?  I just don't see any reason or justification for the Termites to resort to cannibalism.  Like some other posters, I do believe that Gareth and his crew are eating tainted leg meat.  Next episode, I hope to see them writhing in pain before they die, and I hope Bob is smiling at Gareth.

[AngelaHunter]

So are Darryl and Carol going to be separated from the group running around looking for Beth?

 

Please, no! Part of what made me stop watching this series in Se02 was listening to everyone, especially Daryl, spending what seemed like entire episodes racing around screaming "SOFIA!" or standing around arguing about who was going to look for Sofia and who cared the most about finding Sofia. I know I'm exaggerating, but that's how I remember it before saying Oh fuck this shit.

[SHOgirl]

Who does?  It's a slightly obscure religion in the US.  Prior to the American Revolution it was called the Anglican Church, which was an extension from the Church of England.  Typically, an Episcopalian priest is written into a script to allow a priest to have sex and marry.  At least in soap opera land.  I've never met an Episcopalian, and I've never seen an Episcopalian church.  Less than one percent of the American population is Episcopalian - and it's even less prevalent in the South.  It's a minor point, but it's irritating to me.  In true rural Georgia, they would be tripping over Baptist, Church of God, Pentecostal, even Jehova's Witness churches.  Yet they manage to stumble upon the only Episcopalian church in the state.  It takes me out of the moment.

What I know about Episcopalian churches is limited to the facts that one near my house has a killer yard sale every year and a woman officiated at as friend's wedding in another one in the neighborhood in Georgia where I live. We also have Buddhist and Hindu temples and mosques and synagogues. We even have Quakers and Wiccans and Mennonites. They just aren't as prolific as Baptist and Methodist churches, but they do exist in the South. I do find it implausible, however, that one is located out in the middle of the woods.

Edited October 22, 2014 by SHOgirl

[ParadoxLost]

I don't understand that either.  Why couldn't they just grow their own food and go deer hunting?  Are they just too lazy and think it's easier to eat people?  I just don't see any reason or justification for the Termites to resort to cannibalism.  Like some other posters, I do believe that Gareth and his crew are eating tainted leg meat.  Next episode, I hope to see them writhing in pain before they die, and I hope Bob is smiling at Gareth.

 

Playing devil's advocate here (I'm not down with cannibalism), Terminus tried that and got taken over.  Rick's group tried that and got slaughtered by the Governor.  Settling down and growing food has proven to set you up to be attacked by the next bad guy that comes along in the ZA.  Terminus probably realized that they couldn't defend their encampment, so they decided to welcome everyone and lull them in with these are a bunch of no-threat hippies and then slaughter the unsuspecting before some of them could do the same to them.  I suspect they are justifying the indiscriminate killing, to a degree, with the cannibalism as insane as that sounds.  As in telling themselves they aren't indiscriminate murders, the world is different and they need to eat.  They eat their own that die after all.  They likely ate the dissenting voices and those that gagged with every bite.  I'm sure some of them have gone quite mad.  And others have adopted the new world view and can't be reasoned with because changing your mind about the rightness of cannibalism would be hard to take after eating a lot of people.  I highly doubt that the Terminus power structure allowed anyone to go vegetarian.  I wouldn't be surprised if a select few decided to unknowingly feed their fellow residents of Terminus human stew and then started weeding out the ones that couldn't "evolve", as Gareth would say, when they found out.

 

I don't really understand the eating tainted leg discussions.  Its a moot point if everyone is infected already.  They aren't going to eat Bob once he's turned.  Is the theory that eating someone with a Zombie bite / fever has the same repercussions of getting bit by a zombie themselves?

[Malaprop cocktail]

I like that explanation of how the Termites may have resorted to killing, ParadoxLost.

I think the idea with the Termites eating tainted Bob meat is that there is a dormant virus in everyone, but an active virus in those who are bitten. If Bob was bitten, the Termites eating his leg are taking in the active virus. There is a nice corollary possibility which is that if the bite was in the leg they cut off, they may have saved Bob's life while dooming themselves. We know amputation saved Herschel, but we don't know how quickly the affected part needs to be cut off after the bite.

[ghoulina]

I forgot that I noticed something else on rewatch. So Carol gives Rick his watch back, the one he gave Sam. We saw her find it in the Terminus collection-of-people-we've-eaten room. But then Rick attempts to hand her back HER watch, the one from Ed that she gave Rick when they parted ways. Now, we definitely didn't see him in that room, picking up watches. So I guess that tells us one more thing about the Termites - they have very particular taste in watches. 

[Raven1707]

 

There are people, to this day, who hate Carol because she didn't help search for Sophia.  They could have written one small scene in which Carol tries to help.

 

Carol did go help look for Sophia; she was with the group that searched through the woods the day after Sophia went missing. Only Dale & T-Dog stayed behind on the highway. Rick called her forward to call out to Sophia when they came upon that creepy tent in the woods; she was with the others when they found the (first) church and prayed for her daughter; and on the way back to the highway, Lori told her she had to stop blaming Rick...

 

 

Surprised they didn't spare 4 second of someone in the background sweeping a rack of clothes into the trolley.

 

It's hard to tell what they salvaged from the food bank. There was a good-sized zippered canvas bag on one of the trolleys, and although some of the storage containers were clear -- allowing for a view of the canned goods inside -- there were also several larger containers that were opaque. Plus, Bob was pulling along a 90-gallon garbage can on wheels with who-knows-what inside.

 

 

It doesn't make sense that people were trying to cut their way in with a knife, and carved words in the window trim, but didn't break the windows.

 

That did seem odd, although I guess if I was searching for a safe, secure place, I'm not sure I'd be all that eager to tear that place apart, just to get in. (Not that that stopped the Governor when he attempted to take the prison, heh.) And if these were parishoners, perhaps they were hesitant to violate the sanctity of the church.

[Lyndy]

You know what makes me most suspicious of Gabriel? Not the weird scratches outside the church or the fact that everyone on this show is a bit sinister by default. Not even the fact that he's survived this long with no discernible skills. It's the damn suit. Why is it still pristine and why is he still wearing it? It can't be comfortable in the best of circumstances and this dude is living in a unairconditioned church in rural Georgia. Dude isn't sketchy. He's the whole sketch pad.

[TexasChic]

I hope our preacher man develops a backbone and a personality soon. Initial barf-out aside, he's pretty easy on the eyes. But then, so is Garreth and he ate Bob's leg, so...

[JBody]

Had a laugh at the forest churches. S2 was Baptist, yes? Which I assumed was the norm in rural Georgia. I'm Anglican (which is what we call ourselves up here in Canada, there's still a few of us around) and I thought it odd they would stumble upon Fr Gabriel. Maybe they did it so our group could get a happy glow from the wine. Reminiscent of the Last Supper (I believe Daryl or Glen uncovered an engraving of it). Gabriel is an archangel sent as a messenger from God. Wonder what his message is.

[ParadoxLost]

Did anyone figure out what all the shoes lined up in the church might mean?

[ghoulina]

Whoa, what shoes? Don't tell me I need to rewatch AGAIN.

[NoWillToResist]

 

Not to go off on too much of a tangent, but it kind of irks me that the whole time they were in the prison, which had a library, nobody bothered to read a book of edible plants, not even Hershel

 

THANK YOU! It drives me crazy that people haven't' been studying stuff like that. Raid some libraries or something! Survival guides, wilderness facts, living off the land etc. I STILL don't understand why they haven't figured out a way for them to sleep in the trees. It at least would keep them safe from walkers.

 

 

So Carol gives Rick his watch back, the one he gave Sam. We saw her find it in the Terminus collection-of-people-we've-eaten room. But then Rick attempts to hand her back HER watch, the one from Ed that she gave Rick when they parted ways.

 

Yeah, I noticed that too and wondered how in the hell he was allowed to keep that. All of their belongings were taken. Hell, Daryl couldn't keep his PONCHO for fuck's sake, but Rick somehow was able to hide the watch from them?

 

 

Carol did go help look for Sophia; she was with the group that searched through the woods the day after Sophia went missing.

 

Man, this was so long ago but I could have sworn that she went to run off into the woods after her daughter but someone (Lori?) told her to stay back and let the pros (Rick/Shane) handle the search?

Edited October 22, 2014 by NoWillToResist

[TexasChic]

 

Whoa, what shoes? Don't tell me I need to rewatch AGAIN.

LOL, no kidding, I'm watching for the 4th time.

Edited October 22, 2014 by TexasChic

[TexasChic]

Noticing a lot of repeating of lines in this episode. "Are you okay?" being the top one.

[ParadoxLost]

Whoa, what shoes? Don't tell me I need to rewatch AGAIN.

 

Nevermind.  Not shoes, cans.  That makes more sense.

[Muffyn]

I am fanwanking that Gabriel kept his suit pristine by only wearing it when he goes out. He hopes if he meets anyone they'll treat him better if they know he's a priest.  He has casual clothes he keeps in the church that he changes into.  He could be the first member of our crew with a change of clothes.  Otherwise his clerical collar would be mighty dingy by now.  (My college roommate became an Episcopal priest, as was her father.  I know my clerical garb.)    

[Scootman]

 

Reminds me of 30 days later.

 Is That a movie?

[Seawolff]

Did anyone figure out what all the shoes lined up in the church might mean?

  

Whoa, what shoes? Don't tell me I need to rewatch AGAIN.

  

LOL, no kidding, I'm watching for the 4th time.

  

Nevermind.  Not shoes, cans.  That makes more sense.

See, and I thought you were purposely pulling our legs...... And what about all those ears on strings..... And the teeth......

[natyxg]

 Is That a movie?

 

Yep. But now that I think about it, I think it was 28 days later?

Edited October 22, 2014 by natyxg

[paigow]

Yeah, I noticed that too and wondered how in the hell he was allowed to keep that. All of their belongings were taken. Hell, Daryl couldn't keep his PONCHO for fuck's sake, but Rick somehow was able to hide the watch from them?

Rick did his Christopher Walken from Pulp Fiction:  Butch, you see this watch? It was your father's watch....

[lulee]

Rick did his Christopher Walken from Pulp Fiction:  Butch, you see this watch? It was your father's watch....

I was thinking that Rick looked like he'd been clenching.

[Cosmocrush]

It's hard to tell what they salvaged from the food bank. There was a good-sized zippered canvas bag on one of the trolleys, and although some of the storage containers were clear -- allowing for a view of the canned goods inside -- there were also several larger containers that were opaque. Plus, Bob was pulling along a 90-gallon garbage can on wheels with who-knows-what inside.

I really hope they got some fresh clothing and shampoo/soap.   The filth in this episode, maybe more than any other, really bugged me to the point of distraction.   Before I sat down and ate some crap I'd fished out of a zombie cesspool and had a well deserved drink, I'd need to find some way to clean up - which there must be since the pastor's grooming seemed pretty good. 

 

edited for punctuation

Edited October 22, 2014 by Cosmocrush

[Emily Thrace]

I'm on the fence with Maggie and Beth. Maggie knows she is alive but I can't imagine in the situation they are in she needs to be talking about and looking for Beth every second of the day. I think if they were focusing on that (she has nary a clue where to even start) it would quickly grow old. I think if Maggie had just the smallest hope, she would be out looking for Beth. If Daryl had sent Carol back in the church to tell them what they saw, I think Maggie would be hot on the trail. As it stands, she can't do anything about it and I'm not sure mourning the entire day and being a sad sack is her best option

 

Personally I think Maggie is just exhausted. i think shescared like Sasha in alone she wants Beth to be alive but is scared to hope. I also agree that Maggie really doesn't know where to start and feels its out of her control.

 

Whose really annoying me actually is Rick. I don't know how he can spend so much time gazing at Judith and completely forget about the person who spent so much time looking after her. Hell Maggie and Beth might never have been separated in the first place had Beth not gone into that fight to look for Judith. Even forgetting all that there is no way Herschel would have forgotten about Judith or Carl like that.

 

Nowilltoresist I left you a reply in the Carol thread.

[GreyBunny]

Who does?  It's a slightly obscure religion in the US.  Prior to the American Revolution it was called the Anglican Church, which was an extension from the Church of England.  Typically, an Episcopalian priest is written into a script to allow a priest to have sex and marry.  At least in soap opera land.  I've never met an Episcopalian, and I've never seen an Episcopalian church.  Less than one percent of the American population is Episcopalian - and it's even less prevalent in the South.  It's a minor point, but it's irritating to me.  In true rural Georgia, they would be tripping over Baptist, Church of God, Pentecostal, even Jehova's Witness churches.  Yet they manage to stumble upon the only Episcopalian church in the state.  It takes me out of the moment. 

 

Who does?  Lots of people do.  There are a whole bunch of episcopal churches where I live and I know a whole bunch of episcopalians.  They're not obscure up here.  (For the record I'm a atheist.)   Our city's cathedral hosts a lot of concerts and broadcasts its own compline service (basically gregorian chant but in English) on the local classical station on Sunday nights (I went to a performance once and it was gorgeous).  The Episcopal Diocese of Georgia has been active since 1733 and that is one of two dioceses that cover Georgia so there are more than a few churches of that denomination in Georgia.  There are a lot more baptist and methodist churches down there but the episcopalians (in my experience) aren't into proselyting.  They're relatively quiet.  If we hear about them it's usually in the context of things like preserving the earth and climate change awareness, eradication of poverty, supporting women's rights, and, as Black Knight mentioned below, being supportive of the gay community.  You've probably met some but didn't even know it.  But I agree that it's weird that it would be located in the woods instead of a street corner.

 

 

THANK YOU! It drives me crazy that people haven't' been studying stuff like that. Raid some libraries or something! Survival guides, wilderness facts, living off the land etc. I STILL don't understand why they haven't figured out a way for them to sleep in the trees. It at least would keep them safe from walkers.

 

Rick gets grief for being Farmer Rick but he at least had the right idea.  Try to grow some stuff instead of relying on scavenging because eventually those stores are going to run out and it'll get increasingly dangerous to source canned food as survivors get more desperate and more hungry.  I'm aware that staying in one place can be difficult since bad guys and large hordes of walkers can overrun it but they can't expect to rely on Dinty Moore for the long term.  I agree about the trees - why haven't we seen one treehouse anywhere?

Edited October 25, 2014 by GreyBunny

[Black Knight]

Or a deliberate dismissal of the character in order to make her return more shocking, or something like that.

 

If that's their crafty scheme, then they should've not put Emily Kinney's name in the opening credits until after Beth inevitably shows up. And although I like Maggie far more than I do Beth, I hope Beth gives her a good slap when she finds out Maggie barely gave her a thought.

 

The Episcopalian Church in the U.S. doesn't have a lot of members, but it does have influence far beyond its size due to who those members are - they head a disproportionate number of the major banks and businesses in the country, and some of the wealthiest and most prominent families belong to the church. And the church is well-known and respected in the gay community for electing and consecrating an openly gay bishop with a partner, and in many other ways being one of the most gay-friendly religious denominations around, even in the face of separatist parishes and backlash from the worldwide Anglican Communion.

[RedheadZombie]

I forgot that I noticed something else on rewatch. So Carol gives Rick his watch back, the one he gave Sam. We saw her find it in the Terminus collection-of-people-we've-eaten room. But then Rick attempts to hand her back HER watch, the one from Ed that she gave Rick when they parted ways. Now, we definitely didn't see him in that room, picking up watches. So I guess that tells us one more thing about the Termites - they have very particular taste in watches. 

 

I may be completely making this up, but wasn't the watch band broken?  It was a small feminine watch, and maybe it was tucked in Rick's pocket and the termites  overlooked it.   That kind of thing does drive me crazy.  How hard would it have been for Rick to extend the watch to Carol, and say, "Can you believe they let me keep it?", or something along those lines.

[CletusMusashi]

Pretty sure Gareth was a vegan, back before Terminus got invaded by Mad Max extras.

Few are ever as vehement about anything as the newly converted.

[Nashville]

I've been thinking (probably way too much) about Gareth, the Termites, and the discussion here about their canibalsim.   I wonder if Gareth wasn't a butcher in the pre-ZA and thus his comment last week about "being the butcher or butchered" and his seemingly expert skills at butchering bodies?  

 

I don't know how the actual decision to eat their captors first came to pass but I'm thinking that the [dormant] virus inside everyone, including the eaten, might be the reason these gross fucks continue to feast on human flesh even when unnecessary.   So when they consume another person that virus, while not turning them into a full on zombie, does give them a taste for [more] human flesh in a lighter version of the zombies hunger for flesh.   I hope that makes sense - it does in my head but I'm not sure I'm articulating it very well.

You're articulating it fine, and I think it's a novel - and plausible - take on the situation.

[Seawolff]

Personally I think Maggie is just exhausted. i think shescared like Sasha in alone she wants Beth to be alive but is scared to hope. I also agree that Maggie really doesn't know where to start and feels its out of her control.

 

Whose really annoying me actually is Rick. I don't know how he can spend so much time gazing at Judith and completely forget about the person who spent so much time looking after her. Hell Maggie and Beth might never have been separated in the first place had Beth not gone into that fight to look for Judith. Even forgetting all that there is no way Herschel would have forgotten about Judith or Carl like that.

I agree with you about Maggie and want to add that Maggie's desperation over Glenn is coming on the heels of the killer virus that he nearly died from and was not yet recovered from. I don't think Rick has forgotten about Beth either. There's only so much that can be shown in 45 minutes and these people are resolving so many things in this episode that some have likened it to a check list.

Additionally I'll admit I hated Lori always having lines to the effect of "hey somebody watch my kid" at least three times an episode during a time when Carl was never where he was supposed to be. But the situation is different with Rick. The community looks to him for service, protection and leadership. In return they get to enjoy the community parenting of the baby. People in Rick's position commonly have friends who would die for them, who would care for the child of someone they depend upon. And Judith is truly a child of the village. Everyone went through the tragedy of Lori's pregnancy and demise and now have this blessed little child to experience. This child who Rick takes responsibility for as a father...no matter what.... Rick is thoroughly bonded to Judith even though the possibility is pretty good that she is Shane's child. Thank goodness the only two people tactless enough to open that can of worms are both dead now.

[Nashville]

Yep. But now that I think about it, I think it was 28 days later?

Yep.

[nodorothyparker]

The constant need to be scavenging for food is another reason I detest the Governor and the Termites.  Woodbury and Terminus were cleared of Walkers, and in a position to grow food, rebuild, etc., and instead of doing so, they kill people, torture them, eat them.

 

Ever tried to garden enough to live off of, especially for a whole group of people?  It takes a tremendous amount of time and land and physical effort.  Think months of it.  And not only do you have to put in all the labor to grow anything, you're then stuck in that one spot and have to be able to defend it.   Especially if most of your group are urban or suburban people not used to growing more than a tomato plant or two in the back yard if that, they'll probably find it a whole lot easier and more immediate to just take someone else's and if they have to kill or destroy to do it, well, that's living now in the ZA.

 

We've seen over and over again that very few people have ever gotten settled or safe enough long enough to think long term about the food situation, that like gasoline you're only going to be able to scavenge so much canned food and it isn't going to be good indefinitely.  There's an apocalypse series by R.A. Stirling that my husband loves that sort of addresses this.  The end there is brought about by EMPs rather than zombies but the food situation is I think very similar.  The only people  who survive longterm are those who can think ahead in the first weeks of chaos and looting to gather things like farm implements and seeds and set themselves up to wait it out and farm, or the people who are willing to fight to enslave and control those who do.  A lot of civilization simply lays down and dies in refugee camps, waiting for help that never comes, or lacking any patience or know how gives up and turns cannibal because other humans are the only animals that don't require any real skill or speed to catch.  Whenever I imagine the larger world our band of survivors is trying to live in, it always looks a lot like this.

[ghoulina]

Yeah, I noticed that too and wondered how in the hell he was allowed to keep that. All of their belongings were taken. Hell, Daryl couldn't keep his PONCHO for fuck's sake, but Rick somehow was able to hide the watch from them?

 

Maybe he didn't hide it. Maybe they were just like, "That watch is ugly as fuck. You can keep it". They're hipsters after all, maybe the watch was too "basic" for them. 

 

Man, this was so long ago but I could have sworn that she went to run off into the woods after her daughter but someone (Lori?) told her to stay back and let the pros (Rick/Shane) handle the search?

 

Yea, Carol and Lori were under a car together. Carol moved, like she was going to go, but Lori held her tight. 

[ChipBach]

My first thought when I realized that Ty lied about killing the dude (he had to lie, or believe he left a walker roaming without correctly dispatching it) was, "what is Carol going to do to him?".  Carol does not take kindly to people who demonstrate traits that would threaten the group, either sick to the point of potential walkerism, or a proclivity to murder and feed walkers, etc.  I think once she realizes that not only did Ty not kill the kid but his lie led to the potential death (currently hobbling) of one of their own, she may not take too kindly to him.

 

I thought, given the beating the kid took, he should have looked significantly more black-n-blue that he did. 

 

I also thought the swimming in the grey slime was out of character for the group.  It seems that a simple spear would have done the trick for most of them and the potential for some to remain underwater would have been considered.  I guess it helped with the suspense, but I was like "why are you doing that?, get some nets and a raft...".

[AngelaHunter]

Ever tried to garden enough to live off of, especially for a whole group of people?  It takes a tremendous amount of time and land and physical effort.  Think months of it.  And not only do you have to put in all the labor to grow anything, you're then stuck in that one spot and have to be able to defend it.   Especially if most of your group are urban or suburban people not used to growing more than a tomato plant or two in the back yard if that, they'll probably find it a whole lot easier and more immediate to just take someone else's and if they have to kill or destroy to do it, well, that's living now in the ZA.

 

Exactly the way I see it. And what do people eat while waiting many weeks or months to harvest crops? That is if they even have crops, barring floods, hail storms, droughts, blights or zombie herds? If the crops do get harvested, someone needs the knowledge, equipment and the means to can and jar food to last the whole winter as well and the proper conditions to store things like potatoes and squash, etc.

 

Being totally self sufficient is basically a lost art.

[The Mighty Peanut]

THANK YOU! It drives me crazy that people haven't' been studying stuff like that. Raid some libraries or something! Survival guides, wilderness facts, living off the land etc. I STILL don't understand why they haven't figured out a way for them to sleep in the trees. It at least would keep them safe from walkers.

 

I would even accept The Hunger Games at this point. 

[6 MeowMeowBeenz]

And then y'alls jokes? Barf!! I am a wus.

 

For good Bob B Q jokes, check out the comments on AV club

[Raven1707]

 

It was a small feminine watch, and maybe it was tucked in Rick's pocket and the termites  overlooked it.

 

I think that's exactly what happened. I imagine poor Sam was wearing Rick's watch on his wrist, so it was taken from him quickly and easily.

 

That wouldn't have been the case with Rick -- who didn't walk in through the gates, but snuck in from the back -- and who they must have suspected from the outset was potentially dangerous to them. It makes sense that the collection of personal effects from those who posed a substantial threat would be delayed until after the slaughter at the trough.

[Ocean Chick]

Totally agree that the Termites were going to go through pockets after they'd dispatched Rick and the gang.  Carol's watch was small, so it escaped being noticed as the Termites were collecting weapons and such.  The Termites probably made Glenn's gang drop the more noticeable stuff, like the poncho, which Maggie was wearing, before they entered the train car.

[Boofish]

 

THANK YOU! It drives me crazy that people haven't' been studying stuff like that. Raid some libraries or something! Survival guides, wilderness facts, living off the land etc. I STILL don't understand why they haven't figured out a way for them to sleep in the trees. It at least would keep them safe from walkers.

Here's hoping they happen upon an Amish community

[JackONeill]

I'm glad you guys brought this up (taking stuff from our people when they entered Terminus).  Didn't Rick see someone wearing Bob's PANTS??!!??  I mean, I can see taking the weapons and the really cool stuff (like the poncho -- that way you can dress up like Clint Eastwood).  But why would you take someone's pants?????

[Timetoread]

Regarding Maggie's lack of reaction to losing Beth - I agree there's nothing she could do to find her, so I don't hold not looking against her. But I agree the show should have given Maggie something to do to demonstrate grief or angst about losing Beth as well as her father, and finding out that she seems to have been kidnapped.

IKR! Daryl - DARYL! - has been shown grieving, crying, talking, trying, fighting bands of marauders and looking generically contemplative over the disappearance of Beth. Tara was so torn up over Herschel she had to be convinced to not die in a hail of zombie chomp. Rick was dreaming about Herschel and shot a dude who was wearing his watch. But Maggie.Can't.Give.A.Damn when it comes to her sister apparently. If she had completely shut down out of the combined grief and accidentally found Glenn, then I'd excuse it. But she did all kinds of crap to find him and when she found him seemed to be alright with the world. I've already been annoyed with the Glenn/Maggie self-centeredness but enough already. This is an ensemble cast and what keeps it interesting is all the different relationships within. Rick has his minor children with him, but still manages to CARE about everybody else. Maggie, right now you suck!

the character hasn't made any impact outside of being a potential resting place for Daryl's penis.

Seriously, one of the funniest sentences of all time!