S01.E03: The Dog

[Tippi Blevins]

Kill all the school principals you want, Show, but leave the dogs alone!

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

I wonder if there will be a deleted scene on the upcoming DVD set for this episode...

 

"Don't touch him, Nick, he's filthy and stinky!"

"I know!  He's perfect for me!  C'mere you, who's a good boy!?"

[SimoneS]

I don't see any evidence that Salazar will do well.. The one thing that we know from TWD is that people need each other. Yes, Salazar's life experience  makes him handier with a gun and willing to use it, but his determination to survive alone with his injured wife and daughter surely is dooming them all to death.

 

Travis is apprehensive about guns and thinks that maybe there is a cure, but it is early days. If he lives long enough to accept the situation, his willingness to help others will increase the size of his group increasing their likelihood of survival.

Edited September 14, 2015 by SimoneS

[Auntie Anxiety]

 

Nick is an addicted asshole, but he's the best we've got.

If he expects to run faster than the walkers, he really needs pull up those goddam pants. 

[High Ewe]

Now the family's thinking they were right to stay, the authorities are here, things got crazy but we'll have some normalcy soon. 

Travis was driving me crazy this episode with his (to me) denial of reality. But when the cavalry rides in, I felt his relief. Being the kind of person he is, after a night like that? I could see just wanting to let The Professionals take care of this mess.

 

I do find it challenging at times to remember they don't know as much as we do. After a second viewing it's easier for me to sit back and reflect on what people might actually do in a situation like that. It (usually) eases some of the initial frustration I feel when the characters don't behave the way they're supposed to, dammit. LOL

 

That said, leaving the freaking sliding glass door wide open is pretty much indefensible. Talk about a facepalm moment.

[lawless]

As for not wanting to put The Walker Formerly Known as Susan out of her misery, I can understand that much more. They really don't know exactly what is going on, so holding on to the vain hope that she could be cured wasn't totally crazy. Herschel did the same thing for a much longer period.

I think Travis is not sure that they are dead, and instead thinks maybe they are alive with some horrible type of Rabies. I am very impatient with this, because of course, I know what's going on, but I try to remind myself that walking vicious corpses would normally be far less logical an explanation than deeply sick rabid people. (Like in 28 Days Later or I am Legend). He's seen Calvin up close, but Calvin was really, really recently dead and didn't look undeniably like a rotting corpse. He should have been dead from the gunshot and getting hit by the car twice, but he was young and involved with drugs, so maybe Travis thinks there's the possibility that he was still alive and sick from the Rabies and hopped up on some kind of drugs, and that's why he kept coming. It defies logic, but I guess not more than zombies as a concept does for people who are uninitiated to the Walker reality. Maybe he thinks he can still reason with the people who are infected, contain them, and hope for a cure. Nick and Maddie, however, have seen other zombies -- Nick's girlfriend looked pretty dead, and Maddie initially went through the same thing with Artie that Travis just did with the neighbor. Maddie came round when she had to, and I think her experience put her a little ahead of where Travis is. Also, as a woman (like myself), she's a bit smaller and more physically vulnerable than Travis. So maybe she's also less inclined to try to subdue the "sick," because she's in less of a physical position to manage it. Travis may believe he can manage it a little more, since he seems fairly tall and fit. You're wrong Travis! But I don't know, maybe that's part of his thought process. The positive thing is that he wants to be a civilized person still, the trick will be managing to survive despite this.

It seems ridiculous that Maddie et al sneaked through the maze to get the gun from Susan's house, but I think they felt defenseless to the neighbor without it, and thought it was safer than the street. Leaving the doors open was inexplicably foolish though.

As for Susan and the pills, I thought maybe she got bit, got very sick (too sick to respond when Maddie etc... came to her house) Had taken medicine to try to feel better, and then died and rose shortly before the daughter went back to the house.

Edited September 14, 2015 by lawless

[Bryce Lynch]

Kill all the school principals you want, Show, but leave the dogs alone!

Look at the bright side, at least they didn't eat him.

[morgankobi]

Between the limp, the greasy hair, and the glazed look, Nick is going to get mistaken for a walker more than once. I do hope they don't drag on the addiction thing too long. Nick constantly whining about, or putting himself in danger for more pills is going to get old.

 

I laughed at Travis's monotone, "hi, Susan" the next morning as he was coving the shallow grave.

 

So during game-night, Alicia still hasn't been told anything, yet when her druggie brother says he knows where to steal a gun and her mom says "ok" and goes off with him to rob their neighbors, she doesn't say a thing?!? Nothing surprises these people.

[SimoneS]

As for Susan and the pills, I thought maybe she got bit, got very sick (too sick to respond when Maddie etc... came to her house)  Had taken medicine to try to feel better, and then died and rose shortly before the daughter went back to the house.

 

That is what I figured happened too. The neighbor probably bit her before heading across the street to eat the other woman, but she got away.

Edited September 14, 2015 by SimoneS

[High Ewe]

I don't see any evidence that Salazar will do well.. The one thing that we know from TWD is that people need each other. Yes, Salazar's life experience  makes him handier with a gun and willing to use it, but his determination survive alone with his injured wife and daughter surely is dooming them all to death.

 

Travis is apprehensive about guns and thinks that maybe there is a cure, but it is early days. If he lives long enough to accept the situation, his willingness to help others will increase the size of his group increasing their likelihood of survival.

This is a good point. Travis berating Daniel for showing Christopher how the shotgun works seemed very shortsighted, and I was thinking he may very well regret cutting off this lesson later. Still, Daniel was very matter-of-fact, cold even, when he blew off the neighbor's head. I could see Travis finding this guy pretty barbaric and not wanting his attitude rubbing off on his son.

 

Daniel's refusal to see the value in these people who clearly are looking out for each other is his weakness, just as surely as Travis' reluctance to resort to violence when necessary is his. I wonder what will it take for them to realize, like it or not, their key to survival is sticking together?

[lawless]

Almost forgot -- maybe the neighbor rolling out the trash barrel in the morning that Travis saw had to deal with the zombified family who had the birthday party. Didn't the neighbor Patrick bite the mom? Maybe that's how Susan got infected.

I also couldn't believe they left the windows open, lights on, and waved the flashlights about knowing that the creepy neighbor zombie was somewhere outside. Those windows could break easily for all they know -- then what!

I am very worried about the military, not that the plan to head to the desert with sleeping bags looked much better. I am afraid that either the military will try to conscript the able-bodied in a fruitless attempt to take back the city, or that they are just a rogue unit acting to save themselves, and that they will strip the neighborhood of food and other supplies. Maybe they're legit, but I have a bad feeling. In which case, if they had listened to Maddie, they might have gotten away. On the other hand, god knows what the roads to "the desert" are like at this point. Surely many other people have had the same idea about fleeing, and some are likely bitten and infected. Plus accidents on the road, road rage, looters -- they needed to leave fast, faster than they attempted. Travis was stuck, so it's not his fault, and I understand his reluctance to try the roads at night. Plus, the urge to hunker down in your familiar home must be strong. But it feels like they waited too long to escape LA.

Edited September 14, 2015 by lawless

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

The WD universe should take a page out of Geico's book and introduce cats to the show, instead of just dogs.  I'd get a kick out of seeing a cat being up on a really high perch, out of the reach of walkers (& survivors), and just sitting there watching the goings-on without a care in the world.

 

"If you're a cat, you ignore people.  Its what you do."

Edited September 14, 2015 by iRarelyWatchTV36

[SimoneS]

I am very worried about the military, not that the plan to head to the dessert with sleeping bags looked much better.  I am afraid that either the military will try to conscript the able-bodied in a fruitless attempt to take back the city, or that they are just a rogue unit acting to save themselves, and that they will strip the neighborhood of food and other supplies.  Maybe they're legit, but I have a bad feeling.  

 

I  think that if the military unit was rogue its members would to be deserting and heading "home" where ever that is, to save their families, not abandoning them to defend a random LA suburb. The soldiers must be following someone's orders for the moment. However, once they lose touch with who ever is giving them commands, I would expect chaos to break out and the survivors will head out.

[High Ewe]

I think Travis is not sure that they are dead, and instead thinks maybe they are alive with some horrible type of Rabies.  I am very impatient with this, because of course, I know what's going on, but I try to remind myself that walking vicious corpses would normally be far less logical an explanation than deeply sick rapid people.  (Like in 28 Days Later or I am Legend).  He's seen Calvin up close, but Calvin was really, really recently dead and didn't look undeniably like a rotting corpse.  He should have been dead from the gunshot and getting hit by the car twice, but he was young and involved with drugs, so maybe Travis thinks there's the possibility that he was still alive and sick from the Rabies and hopped up on some kind of drugs, and that's why he kept coming.  It defies logic, but I guess not more than zombies as a concept does for people who are uninitiated to the Walker reality.  Maybe he thinks he can still reason with the people who are infected, contain them, and hope for a cure.

Given what he's seen, it stretches credulity, but that's how I interpreted Travis' mindset as well. What if they really are just terribly sick, what if they can eventually be cured? Is it any more outrageous than believing dead people are reanimating?

 

Nevertheless, he better figure it out and get with the program soon, before he gets himself or someone else killed.

[guilfoyleatpp]

The trellis thing in the back yard - maybe that's a CA thing? IDK. I grew up here and haven't really seen a lot of backyards in other places. My FIL had one. SIL has one. Grandma. They are for growing grapes and other creeping vine type of plants.

 

Travis bugs the shit out of me. And these kids are so frigging snotty.  Even if you don't know about ZA, the power is out, you see military shooting people coming out of the hospitals, your neighbors are attacked...have a little less fucking attitude.

 

Junkies don't like to shower. The drug settles in their pores somehow and washing makes them feel less high.

 

Madison when they are heading for "the desert" (I might be one of the few that doesn't find this perplexing.  Everyone has their favorite place in the desert that they just refer to as the place they go for the weekend) isn't wearing a bra. Seriously? The wardrobe on this family. The daughter comes out in her almost butt cheek shorts and the mom goes sans bra. I might switch to a sports bra for the ZA, but I'm not losing it all together. They get in the way.

 

THE DAMN DOG! WHY?! OMG if some neighbor ate my dog the last thing I'd do is give them a proper burial. YOU ATE MY DOG! 

 

Oh, I wanted to add...Daniel Salazar is like your super awesome uncle who shows you cool things. I started off not liking him and now I like him and dislike Travis.

Edited September 14, 2015 by guilfoyleatpp

[phoenix780]

Travis was driving me crazy this episode with his (to me) denial of reality. But when the cavalry rides in, I felt his relief. Being the kind of person he is, after a night like that? I could see just wanting to let The Professionals take care of this mess.

 

I do find it challenging at times to remember they don't know as much as we do. After a second viewing it's easier for me to sit back and reflect on what people might actually do in a situation like that. It (usually) eases some of the initial frustration I feel when the characters don't behave the way they're supposed to, dammit. LOL

 

That said, leaving the freaking sliding glass door wide open is pretty much indefensible. Talk about a facepalm moment.

I find it challenging because the acting is so terrible it's impossible to believe these are real people.  This has to be the worst cast I've ever seen assembled, and I watched low-tier network soap operas in the 90s.  At least those people seemed to try.  The barber is probably my least favorite.  Speak faster, dude.  Maybe have some fluctuation in your tone at some point.

 

What's also challenging to me is that so far they don't seem to be doing much of anything.  It's conversations in hushed tones and limited facial expressions broken up only by flashes of random brilliance like getting drugs from a school or breaking in to the neighbors' house to get a shotgun when an action sequence is needed (side note: the pill bottle, was that to indicate that the drug addict stole pills instead of taking the shotgun shells?).   I have the same thought I did last week: I don't need everyone to panic, but this whole shocked-numb thing is really frickin' underwhelming.

 

This whole show feels a bit...lazy.  Feels like they're relying on things like the possible military state thing or the killing of a pet to get a reaction out of me- things I'd respond to in any context- 'cause nothing else is all that engaging.  Even the scenes where we're watching the characters watch things happen, like the hospital on fire, are a little bland, imho.  And, I'm not even convinced the characters even like each other, aside from the one moment in the pilot where it seemed like the sister and brother were going to make out on the hospital bed so I can't latch on to anything there. Still, I'm in it this far, and I do kind of want to see these people get slaughtered so...bring on next week.

Edited September 14, 2015 by phoenix780

[catrox14]

Oh this is just so bad.

I almost laughed when Susan's husband came home. So poorly staged and poorly acted. Ruben Blades, Clifton Curtis and Kim Dickens deserve better than this crap

[Brooke0707]

Seriously how dumb are these people and how can they possibly stay alive for long?

- They see a walker and clearly know it is dangerous enough to run to get gun, yet they run outside and leave the door open? Wtf yes please leave your door wide open for all the undead!

- I am so tired of them trying to converse with the things eating flesh? Like wtf??? You see someone eating innards and you go up to them all "Joe! Are you ok?" No, you can safely assume Joe is not ok and the big wounds on his head, his glowing eyes, and dead looking body parts should give you a clue about that.

- They know how dangerous these things are yet the blond stands there, an inch away from grabbing distance? Seriously? She deserved death just for that idiotic move.

- Yes, don't tell Alicia (had to look on the thread to figure out her name) anything. Wouldn't want to scar her. Much better to wait for her to be attacked or have someone chomp on her flesh.

- Travis the dumbass thinks all people need is medicine! If you are killing people by ripping them apart, then what is there to come back from? Like let's say you knew someone who "got sick" and tore apart/ate a dozen people? Would you think or ever trust that medicine would make them human beings again?

I HATE when TV shows dying animals. Just no. At this point, I would have taken anyone from the group dying over that beautiful dog. :(

Why is the current wife such a bitch to the ex while the ex tries to make nice? Shouldn't it be the other way around?

If Nick isn't showering now, what is he going to look like when he this becomes the walking dead world?

Edited September 14, 2015 by Brooke0707

[High Ewe]

The WD universe should take a page out of Geico's book and introduce cats to the show, instead of just dogs.  I'd get a kick out of seeing a cat being up on a really high perch, out of the reach of walkers (& survivors), and just sitting there watching the goings-on without a care in the world.

 

"If you're a cat, you ignore people.  Its what you do."

LOL. That would be very funny. And so typical.

 

Still, as an unabashed cat lover, given the track record of the writers in the Walking Dead universe, I just know they'll go there if a feline ever makes it to screen. I'm perfectly okay comforting myself with the notion that we don't see cats on the show(s) because they're so smart they know how to stay out of sight. ;)

[Brooke0707]

And why are people not talking about this? Long looks and vague references are insane in this context. If I was seeing this, I'd be having long conversations that would go something like: "OMG people I know are no longer looking or acting human and they are trying to eat any flesh they can get their hands on! How did this happen?? What makes them them turn? How do I know you won't try to eat me? Let me turn on CNN. OMG my coworker just tried to eat my face! *sob uncontrollably*"

Edited September 14, 2015 by Brooke0707

[rab01]

At least now there's nothing left to hide from the kids; they've seen everything so we can dispense with the awesome stupidity of withholding information from each other. 

 

I don't think that Travis is really relieved by the army coming in; it's just his pattern of thinking that he has to say optimistic things to everyone. 

 

I liked Maddie's actions and dialogue more in this episode than in the previous two but didn't actually like the character any better. I am starting to fall into the camp of people who have been criticizing the actress. By comparison to Maddie,Travis has been a useless moron but I'm not rooting for his face to get bitten just so I can see a different expression on it.  She is amazingly wrinkle-free for 50 and unfortunately I think that has cost her a lot of expressiveness.

[NurseGiGi]

I really liked this episode.  Especially when they showed the chaos and shooting at the hospital.  That was very scary to me and would have given me definite pause. In a "normal" riot/severe illness situation the hospitals would be overrun with sick people, yes.  But not burning and not with people outside having to be shot by law enforcement.  That would be all it took for me to realize this was not just a "run of the mill" epidemic type situation.  However, in reality, I would still be like Travis and try to rationalize the situation.  Some sort of rabies virus?  Yeah, I would buy that before allowing myself to believe the dead were walking.  

 

Yep, Griselda (I think that's her name) is definitely going to die from sepsis and turn.  Unless she gets bitten before the sepsis sets in.  Either way, the very nice lady is going to be eating someone soon.

[magdalene]

My dream that Nick would take a shower this episode did not come true.

 

I really did not need to see the poor dog get eaten. Really not.

[High Ewe]

I find it challenging because the acting is so terrible it's impossible to believe these are real people.  This has to be the worst cast I've ever seen assembled, and I watched low-tier network soap operas in the 90s.  At least those people seemed to try.  The barber is probably my least favorite.  Speak faster, dude.  Maybe have some fluctuation in your tone at some point.

 

What's also challenging to me is that so far they don't seem to be doing much of anything.  It's conversations in hushed tones and limited facial expressions broken up only by flashes of random brilliance like getting drugs from a school or breaking in to the neighbors' house to get a shotgun when an action sequence is needed (side note: the pill bottle, was that to indicate that the drug addict stole pills instead of taking the shotgun shells?).   I have the same thought I did last week: I don't need everyone to panic, but this whole shocked-numb thing is really frickin' underwhelming.

 

This whole show feels a bit...lazy.  Feels like they're relying on things like the possible military state thing or the killing of a pet to get a reaction out of me- things I'd respond to in any context- 'cause nothing else is all that engaging.  Even the scenes where we're watching the characters watch things happen, like the hospital on fire, are a little bland, imho.  And, I'm not even convinced the characters even like each other, aside from the one moment in the pilot where it seemed like the sister and brother were going to make out on the hospital bed so I can't latch on to anything there. Still, I'm in it this far, and I do kind of want to see these people get slaughtered so...bring on next week.

I hear you. I don't think it's as much a problem with the acting as the writing and directing for the most part, but that's me. Based on the comparatively lower volume of discussion  I've observed at various forums for this show, in contrast to TWD, you're far from alone in your assessment of/disappointment with the show.

 

The writers are in a tough spot. I think sometimes (and I include TWD in this) they try too hard to appeal to all sides of a disparate fanbase instead of just telling the story they want to tell and letting us along for the ride. I also believe they're really trying to distinguish the two series by their storytelling choices for this show. Still, some of the writing is a bit clunky in places, and I agree that there is a degree of lazy writing in play. Not to beat a dead horse, but leaving the door wide open, for example, was just dumb dumb dumb. They really couldn't come up with a more plausible way of getting the walker in the house?

 

That said, I enjoy the show, and am looking forward to watching these characters adapt (or not) as civilization falls to pieces. I don't feel the same affinity for them as I do TWD cast/characters, but I care enough to root for (most of) them.

 

[Edited to add:] I do think the "distance" of the characters observing all hell breaking loose is a deliberate choice. When things are happening "out there" there's an almost dreamlike quality to the scenes, which for me adds to the sense of disbelief and unreality. What I see (or perhaps hope I'm seeing) is a gradual merging of the horror they're observing from afar with their own personal experiences until they reach the point where one by one, they can no longer deny that this is happening and the world they inhabited no longer exists.

Edited September 14, 2015 by High Ewe

[bunnyblue]

Alright! The action is definitely picking up now. I found there was a lot more to like (even love) about this episode than to hate. Although, Alicia will forever be in the doghouse for getting that beautiful German Shepherd killed. ::cries::

 

The Salazars: I like that Daniel gets shit done. He handled that rifle like a boss and was smart enough to show Chris his way around it before Dale (oops, I mean Travis) put a stop to it. I loved that he could see how weak the Manawas/Clarks are and knew it was best to get the hell away from them. BUT, I don't like the way he talks to Ofelia. I get he's from a different generation and country, but I just don't like that his word is final and his daughter's reasonable suggestions are dismissed. And his wife: ugh. It seems like all she ever says is "listen to your father", "trust your father", "your father knows what's best". Because, yeah, going out to find a doctor (with no car and in a totally different 'hood) is an excellent plan. I did laugh when it looked like they were basically gonna squat in a stranger's home. If I were Madison, I would've told them about the vacancy across the street that just went on the market.

 

The Clarks: They got a dog killed.

 

The Manawas: I'm really liking Liza. She's got a useful skill and she got with the program real quick. I like the awkwardness Liza and Chris's presence creates in Madison's house. I am curious to know what transpired between Madison/Travis/Liza to create the tension between the 2 families. Was it an affair or is Chris and Liza's resentment only because Travis has a 'new' family. As annoying as Chris can be, he didn't deserve to get elbowed in the face after helping Alicia's sorry ass.

 

Okay, so we're on day 3 (?) of the ZA. They've all seen the 'infected' up close now. If Travis keeps up the 'we shouldn't put down the infected because there might be a cure' BS, then I've got no use for him. He's a little too much like Dale and early-S2-Hershel. And I hated Dale. Don't make me root for your death too, Travis. There's still hope for you, man.

 

I would sooo be like Travis and his neighbor. ZA or not, there's no way I'm missing garbage collection day. 

[NurseGiGi]

I know this is an unpopular opinion but, so far, I just don't like Nick.  I'm sure this will change in the future when he becomes super survivor (or maybe not) but right now I have no interest in watching a selfish junkie try to score drugs.  And I'm wondering if the previous poster is right about him getting distracted while stealing pills and then forgetting the shells.  

 

I liked Chris better this episode.  He was right to be pissed off at Alicia.

[Nashville]

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

 

I was listening for the crash - and disappointed I didn't hear one.  What kind of chintzy apocalypse is this???

 

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

 

Yeah, this slow, lumbering zombie caught an agitated German shepherd.  Gotta call bullshit on that'un.

 

Ironically, the junkie will probably live.

Probably - although when pasty-faced stumbling junkie boy was casing the neighbor's property, I half-expected the soldiers to see him, take him for a walker, and shoot him on general principle.

 

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

 

At present, I think he's "quarantined" because of the exposure to his wife's blood when soldier boys pink-misted her an inch from his head.

Of course, I wouldn't be a bit surprised if Patrick's quarantine becomes lead-based in fairly short order.

 

I couldn't understand why Susan didn't just walk through the entrance of the garden and go on a rampage through the neighborhood. There was no fence on what appeared to be the homes driveway. When Patrick came home he walked right into the backyard entrance and Susan walked right up to him. Right? Or did I miss something?

 

Really?  I was wondering why, if Alicia could see their front door from the neighbor's window, they didn't just - you know - go out the front door directly to their house instead of going through the grapevine lattice maze out back - especially considering they were supposedly in a rush to stop Travis from walking in that same front door and running into their unwelcome house guest.

 

I think when Alicia found that bottle of pills by the coffee cup in the Tran's house that implication was that Susan Tran killed herself.  But why would she kill herself if as far as she knew her husband was simply at the airport and she just hadn't heard from him.

 

The table where Alicia found the pill bottle was the same place where Nick was fumbling around and spilled the shotgun shells. 

I'd assumed Junkie Boy saw the pill bottle, and pocketed the pills on the off-chance they were something he could catch a buzz off of - leaving the empty pill bottle behind.

 

So the lady with the crushed leg is named Griselda, like Mika named her doll. I don't know if there's any significance to that (probably not), but it stood out to me for some reason.

 

I had her pegged as FTWD's version of Herschel.

[GreyBunny]

So much stupid, so little time.  They're scared enough to go to the neighbor's house to get a shotgun to defend themselves while leaving their own doors WIDE OPEN for any strange walker to shamble in.  Alicia probably was raised in a barn.  They couldn't run over to the front door instead of going through that ridiculous trellis maze, then they want to run off to "the desert" while leaving their house to a group of strangers?  Okaaaay.  

I was so disappointed Travis's truck wasn't rolled over and burning when he got back to it, which is what he deserved for being stupid and not getting the hell out of dodge when the riot started.  

Madison was passive-aggressively bitchy to the ex-wife (no surprise) and I agree with Daniel - they're weak.  I wish the show would dump Maddie and Travis and their pathetic dumbass families and follow the Salazars.    

Poor German Shepherd.  The dog should have run off to find Tobias.  

One good thing:  watching the lights go out in LA was really eerie, as it should be.  Well done.

 

 

with an Asian wife named Susan.

 

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

 

 

Or Susan and Patrick could be their actual names.  A lot of Asian families have been in the US for many generations and some give their children western names.

Edited September 14, 2015 by GreyBunny

[Yolapukka]

Here's my problem with the dog/sliding door scenario. They didn't need to have the ridiculousness of the door being left fully open. Unwanted walkers-in aside, the sound from the dog barking would have been noisier with an open door. Closed but unlocked would have worked and nobody needed to look stupid.

 

Dog frantically tries to get in, Nick lets him in, dog runs to front (or upstairs) and starts barking at undead shambling neighbour. Family leaves to get gun, closes door, dog tries to get out  (it's a sliding door, I've seen dogs move them) walker gets dog. The poor, sweet doggy's body was right at the door, it would have worked. We wouldn't have even needed to see the stupid pet trick of the dog getting the door open, it was dark, all we needed was the door moving and the head of the dog in the opening. Actually, I didn't need to see or hear any dog-snuff at all, but that's another subject.

 

ETA It was a sliding door wasn't it? or am I barking up the wrong tree?

 

sorry.

Edited September 14, 2015 by yuggapukka

[DiabLOL]

I seriously didn't appreciate the dog death and hope he comes back and eats every annoying character on this show (most of them).

 

I am going to keep watching, kind of like the slow build up but like many here don't understand they bizarre underreaction of the characters. Why aren't they basically hysterical at this point? Haven't they seen a zombie movie before? Seriously, the slow pace is getting to me and I'm going to have a hard time recommending this to anyone. 

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

 I was listening for the crash - and disappointed I didn't hear one.  What kind of chintzy apocalypse is this???

 

You're right, that was so lame that we didn't get to hear it crash, if not see it.  (not that I normally root for seeing airliners full of [potentially living] people crash, but you know what I mean)

 

 Yeah, this slow, lumbering zombie caught an agitated German shepherd.  Gotta call bullshit on that'un.

 

After some more thinking;  why didn't the dog just run away at some point, instead of just waiting around to become dinner?  It clearly had run away from the zombie - or another zombie - to get to their door, so why would it stick around to get killed by a very slow lumbering thing of a person??  *argh, dumb writers!*

[GaT]

I dislike everyone on this show. 

[DiabLOL]

You know what? It's very telling that I had no idea whose dog that was. I assumed from the detached, emotion free manner of everyone it was some strange dog that wandered in. Even so I'd expect a full on freakout that someone was in the living room eating a dog, any dog let alone their dog.

[Lii]

It took until this episode for me to realize that yes, this show is at hate-watch level for me.

Unfortunately, my husband is still attempting to not completely hate it, so if I shit on it too hard he gets all pissy at me for harshing his zombie buzz. Therefore, I am currently overflowing with unforeseen levels of snark and bitter. Ugh. Shut the door, bitch. You're letting bugs in the house.

[thuganomics85]

Whelp, with Tobias off doing whatever, Barber Guy has now assume the mantle of my favorite character on this show.  At least he already understands that now is now the time to play nice, and it's best to shoot these damn walkers, instead of talk them down, Travis!  And maybe everyone should know their way around a gun, so they have a defense against these things, Travis again!  I do think he will be doomed thanks to someone else being an idiot and him wanting to just stick with "family" is short-sighted, but I really can't blame him, if the only option right now is this brain team.

 

At least Madison is already improving, and it already getting into the mindset that once they are turned, it's over.  That's good.  I still wish we would quit being a moron and coddling Alicia.  It's not good when Nick is telling her to just tell the truth, and I agree with him. When the drug addict is the voice of reason, the end days really are here...

 

Travis though, dude, come one!  Even if you don't believe this living dead stuff and think it's some kind of infection, why do you still think it's smart to let that guy get that close to you.  You just saw him chowing down on a fucking dog!  At the very least, that warrants you slowly backing out the house, not going "It's OK, buddy!  We can fix you!"  And you better get over your anti-gun stance too, or you ain't going to be around here for long.

 

The whole maze thing just seemed ridiculous and them leaving the door open was the dumbest.  Was that Alicia's fault?  Even if she didn't know there were zombies out there, that is still stupid as hell.  Other bad stuff can get in there!  Maybe Madison isn't that far off in not trusting her with much.  Finally, while Alycia Debnam-Carey is certainly an attractive woman, not quite sure bright shirts and short-shorts are the right attire, when you are fleeing your house, after almost getting your leg bitten off by a crazy neighbor.

 

The military is finally here, but I'm pretty sure they will end up being just as much of a problem as the walkers are.

[The Mighty Peanut]

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.

Yup. If "the desert" is full I suspect their second choice is "the ocean", and if that doesn't work out, "Earth".

Wasn't there a little girl next door? Couldn't they have killed her instead of the dog?

....I'll just go to hell now and get it over with.

Edited September 15, 2015 by The Mighty Peanut

[placate]

WTF.  Why did Travis apologize for Chris' behavior?  He tried to pull his psychotic step-sister over a fence but that was wrong or something?  What are you suppose to do when zombie babysitter is holding on to your step-sibling? 

 

I don't like when animals get killed in movies but I know these are highly qualified dog actors.  It feels lazy to me that the writers were just like, "Oh, it's only the dog."  I don't refer to my dogs like that because they have actual names that I call them by.

 

Nick is seriously still in his old guy clothes and has not taken a bath!  I have to think that the badass barber is going to jump his ass and give him a sensible haircut while he's going through withdrawl.

 

I didn't get the pill bottle scene with Alicia.  First I thought that Nick had binged on all the oxy, but the mom had them and she split them in half?  I feel for Griselda but at the same time I'm wondering about the Eugene/fire hose episode on TWD.  That fire hose took down all those walkers but now the water hits alive people and just take down certain structures?

[gatopretoNYC]

You know what I found odd? It's supposed to be a nice neighborhood, right? Madison's house is very open and exposed, but when Nick was looking to break into a house for pills, both it and the one next to it had security bars on all the windows. Nice ones, yes, but still - they didn't seem like they would be on the same street.

And btw, if one of those houses with the window bars was empty, that's totally where I'd be bunking down. That is some good zombie defense right there.

[Lii]

You know what I found odd? It's supposed to be a nice neighborhood, right? Madison's house is very open and exposed, but when Nick was looking to break into a house for pills, both it and the one next to it had security bars on all the windows. Nice ones, yes, but still - they didn't seem like they would be on the same street.

And btw, if one of those houses with the window bars was empty, that's totally where I'd be bunking down. That is some good zombie defense right there.

It didn't seem like a super nice neighborhood, really. Given that the style of the homes was wildly varying, the homes were clearly somewhat older, so the disparity in the floor plans wasn't surprising. Also, this family is proven to be really, really stupid, so of course they wouldn't have any security features in their home. They don't even shut the door when they leave.

Seriously though, that's a pretty mid-range southern California neighborhood, from the way it looked, plus they drive a shitty truck and are clearly not wealthy folk.

[cambridgeguy]

 

Seriously though, that's a pretty mid-range southern California neighborhood, from the way it looked, plus they drive a shitty truck and are clearly not wealthy folk.

Madison's a high school guidance counselor who had also been a widowed mother of two for a while so that definitely doesn't lend itself to being rich.  Travis is a teacher so he's also poor, especially since it seems like his ex didn't have a well paying job before studying to be a nurse.

 

However, that doesn't explain why he drives a crappy truck that looks like it has already been through an apocalypse.  On the plus side, he'll be able to upgrade once everyone is dead since TWD universe has gasoline that doesn't go bad.

[pasdetrois]

 

can part of his drying out be, like Take a Shower and Use Shampoo? Put on Clothing That Fits You?

 

And Asking the Barber to Cut Your Hair? The scraggly hair is driving me nuts.

 

As are the flat performances from Kim D. and others. I was laughing when Madison stood woodenly next to Susan in a stare-down contest.

 

As others have posted, why isn't there more frantic calling of family members, neighbors and friends?

 

If the writers wanted to pander to the audience, they could have kept the dog alive and had him become part of the family trying to survive.

 

My Vietnamese neighbor has had the rambling wood trellis set-up for years - practically every inch of her property. She's growing her own food. But hers are not tall enough to walk under - she reaches in.

 

I liked that the pace quickened this episode. But the constant waving of flashlights when there's a scary apocalypse happening bugs me.

 

I've had a crush on Ruben Blades ever since The Milagro Beanfield War. It's good go see him again.

[Lii]

Madison's a high school guidance counselor who had also been a widowed mother of two for a while so that definitely doesn't lend itself to being rich.  Travis is a teacher so he's also poor, especially since it seems like his ex didn't have a well paying job before studying to be a nurse.

 

However, that doesn't explain why he drives a crappy truck that looks like it has already been through an apocalypse.  On the plus side, he'll be able to upgrade once everyone is dead since TWD universe has gasoline that doesn't go bad.

Well, Travis only has the kid a few weekends a month, so add child support to that. Also, sending Nick to rehab a million times isn't gonna be cheap, especially since apparently he kept getting kicked out (or taking off, I don't remember which) and they kept having to find new ones willing to accept him. Rehab is seriously not cheap, especially last-resort rehab facilities.

Speaking of the crappy truck, anyone besides me playing the "cracked or not cracked" game with the windshield tonight? If they keep the truck much longer it could be the best drinking game for this show.

[JackONeill]

Surely, Leslie Nielsen was on that plane.  (And don't call me Shirley. . . Man, I picked the wrong day to quit heroin,)

[Bad Example]

 I love his truck. Hoping for Tobias to make an appearance next week.

 

Ah, the truck.  I like it too, but can't help rolling my eyes that it is miraculously the only riot-adjacent vehicle not set on fire or with intact (sorta) windows.  

MORE TOBIAS.

 

 

One good thing:  watching the lights go out in LA was really eerie, as it should be.  Well done.

 

 

 

Or Susan and Patrick could be their actual names.  A lot of Asian families have been in the US for many generations and some give their children western names.

The lights, the riot.  It was all really scary to me, so yes, well done.  As for the names.... (nods vigorously in agreement).

I liked this episode in spite of the open-door stupid.  That sort of total breakdown is the scariest thing to me, so that worked.  The trash-putting out was kind of heartbreaking even as I was rolling my eyes because I know it's not getting picked up.  But just because their faith that any time now, things would be back to normal is completely misplaced, I could still identify with how much they want that to be true.  

 

[ghoulina]

I'm really starting to enjoy this show. I'm still not connecting very strongly with much of the main cast (complete opposite of when I started TWD), but the story is getting very interesting. I like the focus on the breakdown of society, and how everyone handles it differently. One minute Travis and his neighbor are putting out the trash cans, and the next the military is rolling down their street. Seeing all those soldiers roaming through people's homes and backyards was very chilling. 

 

It's pretty funny because my husband is still claiming this show is better than the original. So when I'm yelling at people for doing idiotic things, he's all - "Hey, they're not experts yet!" But he would trash Rick, Dale, etc. up and down and right and left. It's quite hilarious. 

 

But really, Madison and her kids were driving me crazy, shining flashlights straight at the windows! And then leaving the backdoor wide open. Getting the gun was a good idea, but who leaves their door open like that? ZA or not? 

 

It was pretty sad about Sue and her husband's return was just awful. One thing I loved about the original was touching on the sadness of it all, and how walkers were people too. And I like that they're taking that care with this one as well. When Travis was taking their other neighbor out to bury him and Daniel was suggesting fire, I kept yelling - "We don't burn them!" Glenn would be proud. 

 

Madison covering and saying the neighbor was the dog was about the only smart thing she did this episode. 

 

You know who I'm really loving is Daniel. He is a smart cookie. I loved when he told his daughter, "Good people are the first to die". Also, he's like the Carol of this show - already got the kids learning their weapons. Good for him! I hope he sticks around. 

[JackONeill]

I think it's an interesting choice that TPTB made: to make Travis, who would normally be the "hero" in a show like this, the one who doesn't like guns, the one who can't just put someone down, the one that has to talk to the Walker who's about to rip his throat out to see if he can get through to him, etc. It'll be interesting to see how that develops.

 

Also, I thought it was telling when Madison asked the ex-wife to put her (Madison) down because it would destroy Travis to have to do it.  So, Madison knows Travis's true colors. I'm not saying his a coward. I'm just saying he ain't no Rick Grimes. Which is okay.. But how is it going to play out?

 

(BTW: are we calling them Walkers?)

[molshoop]

 

I'm still loving Madison. I know I'm in a very small club on that point, but then I never did like crowds :)

 

        I really like her too. But don't worry, I'll give you plenty of elbow room.

[nodorothyparker]

I wondered about the plane too, especially since we heard Patrick telling zombie Susan before he comprehended that she was indeed zombie Susan that the airport was closed and he'd driven in.  So apparently you can still get into the LA area by car, you just can't fly in.  But then there's that plane ...

 

Travis is about half a garden shed short of pulling a Hershel's barn at this point, which is aggravating, but it's still really early in their timeline and they haven't seen the mother show to know how that ended up working out.  We've long speculated that the disbelief of family, neighbors, boyfriends, etc., turning into dead things and the reluctance to put down people they knew and had emotional attachments to had a huge role in dooming the world, so it's nice to see some confirmation of that here.  It hasn't been long enough and these people haven't been hardened enough yet to be making efficient head shots like it's nothing.  Their brains are still groping for some rational explanation of what they're seeing and thinking that trash pickup will still happen more or less on schedule.

Edited September 14, 2015 by nodorothyparker

[ghoulina]

I am very worried about the military, not that the plan to head to the desert with sleeping bags looked much better. I am afraid that either the military will try to conscript the able-bodied in a fruitless attempt to take back the city, or that they are just a rogue unit acting to save themselves, and that they will strip the neighborhood of food and other supplies. Maybe they're legit, but I have a bad feeling. In which case, if they had listened to Maddie, they might have gotten away.

 

 

I wish they would have left too. I would not all of a sudden feel safe about the military rolling in. Maddie was asking where's Susan's husband was, and they've taken him off somewhere because he was in contact with her. I just worry they're going to use extreme prophylactic measures - firebomb the whole neighborhood, because they were exposed. Okay, maybe not that extreme, but it's not unrealistic given what we've seen the military do in the mother show. But they clearly don't know what this thing is or how it's spread or how to handle it and they're going to react out of fear and ignorance, just like everyone else. Except they have better weapons. I'd be getting the fuck outta dodge. 

 

 

My dream that Nick would take a shower this episode did not come true.

 

I just want him to change out of those clothes! I swear, everyone else in his family has had a wardrobe change. Does he have nothing at his mom's house? Is that? Because I cannot imagine why he'd want to continue putzing about in some old man's clothes.

[Zahdii]

It's a terrible shame about the dog.  He was smart enough to realize that some of the humans were becoming strange and dangerous, and sought out humans that were normal. 

 

But when they left the house and left the door open, why didn't the dog go with them?  And how was one of those slow, dangerous humans able to get him?  The dog should have been able to run right past the bad guy and out into the night.  I bet his sense of smell would help him avoid more bad guys.

 

A large dog like that, smart enough to sense the danger when even some of the humans didn't get it, could have become an excellent part of their team.  He'd soon learn that barking would draw the bad guys, but still find ways to alert his new family of danger ahead.

 

What should have happened was the dog is outside in the shadows, and when Madison and Nick came back, the dog would put himself in front of them and turn to the house, growling softly.  If they still didn't get the picture, the dog should have left them to go find smarter humans.