S01.E03: The Dog

[HalcyonDays]

Episode synopsis: After they escape a riot, Travis, Liza and Chris seek refuge with the Salazars. Madison defends her home.

Here is your episode thread for your discussional enjoyment!

 

This thread will open at 10:00 pm on Sunday September 13th prior to episode airing. Note the date! 

Prior to that, please head on over to chat away in the pre-air thread here:

 

                                       S01.E03: The Dog: Pre-Air Speculation and Live Chat thread

 

DO NOT to post any Walking Dead spoilers in here. There is a thread to compare the shows HERE, so any mention or discussion of the events or spoilers of the Walking Dead goes there.

 

Enjoy the episode, have fun commenting and as always, please be respectful to your fellow commenters!

[Crone]

So many questions- is the military everywhere? Are they on every street? And they're writing all the names down? Maybe they'll explain it all soon. Hahaha

[raven]

 

Asian guy named Patrick? Someone had to ask.

 

 

with an Asian wife named Susan.

   

Uh oh military.  Wonder if we'll get military porn like in the Last Ship?  Probably not.

 

I sort of like belligerent Maddison.  Damn she's a good liar too.  I think you all are on to something who guessed past substance abuse with her.

[High Ewe]

Travis is in serious denial. Maybe taking out Artie up close and personal shortened Madison's learning curve.

[raven]

It's going to get better.  No it's not!!!  Even with the sun over a new day and stuff.

[calliope1975]

Aww, our live chat is locked, and these peeps are still doing stupid things.

 

Well, I am a bit confused at why the military is in this neighborhood. You'd think they'd be policing the rioting happening and not the suburbs. I still think these people are making really dumb decisions - ones that aren't based on naivete, but plain, old, not thinking.

[SimoneS]

with an Asian wife named Susan.

 

 

 

It is probably just their "American English" names. After all, " George"  is not George Takei's birth name.

[AimingforYoko]

To quote the great Ron Burgundy, "That escalated quickly." They were so close to out, if only Madison had followed her instinct.

Ruben Blades is already making moves like a post-apocalypse pro, he should do well.

[Raven1707]

That plane wasn't making the smoothest approach...

[MrsRafaelBarba]

No Travis, it's going to get worse.

[Crone]

Depp is going to get eaten. Stupid junkie.

Cavalry??? Dream on, you poor man. But Salazar gets it.

[Raven1707]

So many mistakes yet to make, so little time left to make them in.

[bosawks]

Well, that was "ruff".....

[SimoneS]

It is hard to believe that the military just showed up in their neighborhood.I would think that stopping the riot, protecting local government, and cleaning out the hospitals would be the military's mission.

[Peanut]

I can't believe we didn't get to see or at least hear the plane crash.  I'm guessing zombies can't really land planes well.  

[MrsRafaelBarba]

That plane wasn't making the smoothest approach...

Me thinks a World War Z situation is happening on board.

[SoSueMe]

Really, was there that much reason to have a pretty dog on just to - you know?

[nodorothyparker]

The military in a suburban neighborhood spray painting Xs on houses is giving me serious post-Katrina New Orleans flashbacks.

[ChardeeMacDennis]

I hate when they take out animals. I'd rather see a whole hoarde of dead humans than that one dog scene.

 

We're still just planning on "the desert" as a getaway, huh? Nothing more specific? Okay, then.

Edited September 14, 2015 by ChardeeMacDennis

[raven]

So I was lulled into a false sense of security with all the Jack London talk.  Wahhhh.

 

Hmmm - overall I liked it, i thought the pacing was good and the family was (mostly) understandable.  I have to always remember that they don't immediately think the dead are walking, they still people are sick.  How many of them have seen a really serious disease like leprosy, for example?  So they think it's something like that.

 

Running next door to get a gun was smart HOWEVER leaving their own door open was incredibly stupid (RIP German Shepherd).  I have to rewatch later, I miss a lot during live chat.

 

 

Well, that was "ruff".....

Ouch!

Edited September 14, 2015 by raven

[mustbekarma]

Well, the military arrived to save the day. NOT. Poor Patrick, I kept waiting to see his head fall out of the body bag. I have to admit that Travis disappointed me. I mean, there has to be characters that think the people are sick and can be saved. That's realistic rather than thinking the dead are walking instead of rotting on the ground. 

 

I actually like Madison a lot. Her trip down the Denial River didn't last very long, thankfully.

 

The clothing choices by Nick and Alicia annoyed me. Nick, take a shower and put on a clean change of clothes. Alicia, you saw dead people trying to eat people. Shorts are so not a good clothing option.

[Crone]

Well, that was "ruff".....

I admit it, I laughed.

[natyxg]

So many questions- is the military everywhere? Are they on every street? And they're writing all the names down? Maybe they'll explain it all soon. Hahaha

 

I thought they are trying to quarantine that sector. The army people will turn out to be assholes, I imagine.

 

I thought this episode was a bit meh.

 

Nick's zombie walk distracts me.

 

How could they not close that damn door when they went to the neighbour's house? I blame them for the dog dying. 

[tennisgurl]

Travis is going to be our dead weight isn't he? Mr. "You know how I feel about gun" is going to have to wise up real fast. 

[bmoore4026]

Ok, from here on out, I'm calling Madison Ms. Dull Surprise.  "Oh, Susan.  Lady who watched my children during such a tumultuous time.  How can this happen to you.  I will wrench my hair and strike my breasts and wail in mourning.  Oh, the army's here."

 

And of course the dog had to die.  Because we can't have nice things.  BTW, what happened to the lady across the street?  The one who had the birthday party for her little girl in the last episode and was attacked by a Walker at the end?  Is she dead?

[Straycat80]

Ironically, the junkie will probably live.

Why the large military presence in a suburb? There isn't enough to for them to be concerned about in the city with all the rioting and unrest?

It still bothers me that these people aren't freaking out more. I'd be on Facebook or calling my friends asking them WTF is going on, did you see any dead people walking around, OMG , there was this dog... And why didn't the military guys ask if anyone was sick since sickness started all this?

Did the military guys shoot Patrick? I missed something there.

Edited September 14, 2015 by Straycat80

[candall]

Ah!  I corrected Mrs. Blades when she said they'd lived through worse things, but now I get it.  This show's going to be about martial law and the Salvadorans will be the only people who know how to fucking deal.

 

 

Bye bye desert, hello big rolls of barbed wire.

Edited September 14, 2015 by candall

[Nostariel]

They killed that adorable dog with their stupidity. I hope zombies eat what little brains they have.

[raven]

 

Alicia, you saw dead people trying to eat people. Shorts are so not a good clothing option.

With a nifty tank top!  I was like WTF is it supposed to be 110 degrees or something?

 

And yeah, I can't quite believe Madison didn't make Nick take a shower. 

[Paws]

Despite all the stupid things the teenagers and Travis do, I find this show so very terrifying. they have NO IDEA how bad it will get. In TWD original recipe, the survivors all know what they are up against and plan ahead. These people have to learn as they go and will soon have to learn to live without electricity, gas, water, food etc etc

Edited September 14, 2015 by Paws

[natyxg]

I think that random plane has to do with this:

 

http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/walking-dead-plane-webseries-fear-the-walking-dead-crossover-1201580779/

[Raven1707]

So I was lulled into a false sense of security with all the Jack London talk.  Wahhhh.

 

Just when you think they couldn't be that obvious, right?

 

I still think the metaphors are in play, but someone  -- KIRKMAN! -- just can't resist the cheap shot.

[tennisgurl]

At least Mr. Barber Guy knows what up. So does Nick, when he isn't in junkie mode. 

 

With the exception of Travis, it seems like at least everyone is catching up, slowly but surely. But why did the dog have to die!?!

[Watcher0363]

It is hard to believe that the military just showed up in their neighborhood.I would think that stopping the riot, protecting local government, and cleaning out the hospitals would be the military's mission.

They are setting up a safe zone. To marshal troops for an assault on the city. Standard operating procedure for staging a major offense.

[natyxg]

Ironically, the junkie will probably live.

Why the large military presence in a suburb? There isn't enough to for them to be concerned about in the city with all the rioting and unrest?

It still bothers me that these people aren't freaking out more. I'd be on Facebook or calling my friends asking them WTF is going on, did you see any dead people walking around, OMG , there was this dog... And why didn't the military guys ask if anyone was sick since sickness started all this?

Did the military guys shoot Patrick? I missed something there.

 

I think it will turn out that those military guys are acting on their own.

 

And they were being dumb, too. Did they not check the house thoroughly? Did Travis do serious clean up where they Ruben Blades killed the other guy? Where the guy killed the dog?

[raven]

 

I still think the metaphors are in play, but someone  -- KIRKMAN! -- just can't resist the cheap shot.

To think, before this episode I was thankful he didn't give either family a pet.  Then we had to get the shot of the dog's poor face :((

[Peanut]

I think that random plane has to do with this:

 

http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/walking-dead-plane-webseries-fear-the-walking-dead-crossover-1201580779/

 

Get these motherfucking zombies off my motherfucking plane. 

[Amelie06]

Damn! We are never getting off of that street. I'm not happy about this.

 

Nick is an addicted asshole, but he's the best we've got. Nick needs to join the barber. That is a formidable team.

 

I really don't need to see Travis and his ex doing a pass at "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" during the ZA.

 

I get that people don't want to believe in the idea of zombies, but shouldn't they get it together after seeing several of them? Several. And they tried to eat you! Figure your shit out and stop being all " Hey, [Name of zombie clearly trying to eat them]! What's wrong. Back up your getting kind of close and bitey! You're just sick. I'll get you some help."

 

Chris sucks but I think Alicia is a psycho for intentionally elbowing him in the fucking face after he helped save her life. She didn't even apologize.

 

Travis sucks. He is an English teacher trying to approach the ZA like it's a poem by Robert Frost. Stop trying to break this down and find meaning. These mofos are going to eat you.

 

At this point, almost everyone else has worn different clothes. The fact that Nick is still in his dead old man drag appears to be a clear and odd choice by the people behind this show.

[ChardeeMacDennis]

With a nifty tank top!  I was like WTF is it supposed to be 110 degrees or something?

 

And yeah, I can't quite believe Madison didn't make Nick take a shower. 

 

Well, they are going to The Desert. So.

 

 

At this point, almost everyone else has worn different clothes. The fact that Nick is still in his dead old man drag appears to be a clear and odd choice by the people behind this show.

 

Between the clothes and the hair, Nick is skeeving me out. And he's a junkie, so I guess that's appropriate, but can part of his drying out be, like Take a Shower and Use Shampoo? Put on Clothing That Fits You?

Edited September 14, 2015 by ChardeeMacDennis

[bosawks]

I think that random plane has to do with this:

 

http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/walking-dead-plane-webseries-fear-the-walking-dead-crossover-1201580779/

That could be interesting or stupid.

Actually, being a loyal watcher, it'll be a frustrating mixture of both....

[Macbeth]

Do I have it right?

They buried the dog. but put the neighbor out with the trash???  Really the trash.

Also - who worries about the trash in the middle of an apocalypse.

Travis did you not see how the entire hospital was a no go area?

WTF

The dumbest move ever- and of course the miltary completely ignored it. 

 

I mean really - we are goning on a long trip - need to get the trash out just like any other trip. 

The funniest - stupidest thing ever. 

 

At this point in timeline for the original recipe show - granted we didn't see it - you know Lori had lost Carl at least half a dozen times - but at least even she had her eyes on what was really important.

Edited September 14, 2015 by Macbeth

[nodorothyparker]

I did think this was a mostly well paced episode even if some of the conversations were draggy and clunky. They did a decent job of showing our gang hitting various levels of realizing everything is going irretrievably to hell. Lots of nice little touches despite some of the glaring stupidity.

I am going to need these people to hose Nick down before they lose water and get him out of the old man clothes.

[WordsWordsWords]

Bless his heart (as we say here in the South), Travis is gonna hafta change his "Ew, guns are icky" attitude. Or get chomped. You know someone's toast when one character says to the other, "I'll never leave you." I don't know if it's going to be Travis or Madison, but one of them is doomed.

 

On the whole, I enjoyed this episode. The pacing is still a bit uneven, and Madison's non-reaction to events is a little off-putting. I hope we'll get some insight into what makes her makes her so stoic. Stoicism is a valuable quality in a real-life crisis. For dramatic purposes, it's not so useful,

 

Poor dog. As a horror writer who has occasionally incurred the wrath of readers for my own fictional dog-killing, I saw that coming. It still hurt.

[SimoneS]

They are setting up a safe zone. To marshal troops for an assault on the city. Standard operating procedure for staging a major offense.

 

Okay, but what are they staging the major offensive against with the walkers in the population?

[bosawks]

I think I would've put the zombie corpse in the recycling as opposed to the trash.

[ottoDbusdriver]

I thought the timing on the military showing up to be a little convenient -- how did they even know about Susan ?

 

And how did they manage to drive way down the street out of sight of their own house, but yet magically drive past Patrick getting out of his car and going into his house ?  The house right next door to the house they just left and were out of sight from -- WTF ?  

[ChardeeMacDennis]

Do I have it right?

They buried the dog. but put the neighbor out with the trash???  Really the trash.

Also - who worries about the trash in the middle of an apocalypse.

 

I thought they buried them both and just put the bloody blankets and stuff in the trash. But yeah, what's with that other neighbor taking the trash out like everything's normal? And why didn't either of them say, like, "Dude, did you see the dead people walking around the neighborhood last night? WTF is that about?"

[Raven1707]

And how did they manage to drive way down the street out of sight of their own house, but yet magically drive past Patrick getting out of his car and going into his house ?  The house right next door to the house they just left and were out of sight from -- WTF ?  

 

I think maybe Patrick's house was on the next street over, but he had a double-lot, with the back lot used as the garden, and that's what was adjacent to Madison's house. 

[Sakura12]

I'm beginning to think that whole family is on drugs with their subdued reactions to all the crazy things going on around them. A guy shots someone in the face twice and all Travis asks his a very monotone, "why did you do that.

 

Madison is slowly wising up but she's still so blank faced. Travis is going to be the annoying we can save them one. If you have someone that starts to rot and smell they are dead, it's like if you have an injury to your foot and it starts to rot and smell that means all the tissue is dead. Just like that poor woman in their house. This is simple logic, not zombie science. 

[ottoDbusdriver]

I think maybe Patrick's house was on the next street over, but he had a double-lot, with the back lot used as the garden, and that's what was adjacent to Madison's house. 

 

The part that I found confusing is that when they were in the Tran's house retrieving the shotgun, they could see directly into the sliding door of Travis' house -- and there was no fence in the way, and certainly no weird garden maze.