S02.E04: Blood on the Streets

[henripootel]

Quote

Well, Strand just got 100% more interesting.

Why?  Not looking to pick a fight here, just curious.  I'm mean it's not like he's the first openly gay character on tv.  I was pleased in a mild way that Strand's preferences are not the key to understanding everything about him, it's just another thing.  Nice to see tv moving in this direction but I think this says something about tv, not so much Strand.  

I like Strand's quiet competence, even when he's just been caught by the guy he robbed, right up to the point where the Breakfast Club Pirates showed up.  I was hoping for a quick Die Hard on a boat resolution, where Strand uses his calm demeanor and knowledge of his boat to toss these assholes off it, and show his own idiots how it's done.  I even thought 'oh that's cool - Strand set up some sort of decoy in a dingy to get the pirates to run up to the rail so he can pounce ... oh wait, that's actually Strand, very ... slowly ... running away.'   Sigh.  Nevermind.

Edited May 2, 2016 by henripootel

[catrox14]

15 minutes ago, henripootel said:

Why?  Not looking to pick a fight here, just curious.  I'm mean it's not like he's the first openly gay character on tv.  I was pleased in a mild way that Strand's preferences are not the key to understanding everything about him, it's just another thing.  Nice to see tv moving in this direction but I think this says something about tv, not so much Strand.  

I like Strand's quiet competence, even when he's just been caught by the guy he robbed, right up to the point where the Breakfast Club Pirates showed up.  I was hoping for a quick Die Hard on a boat resolution, where Strand uses his calm demeanor and knowledge of his boat to toss these assholes off it, and show these idiots how it's done.  I even thought 'oh that's cool - Strand set up some sort of decoy in a dingy to get these idiots to run up to the rail so he can pounce ... oh wait, that's actually Strand, very ... slowly ... running away.'   Sigh.  Nevermind.

Erm. I thought my post explained why I find him more interesting.

Edited May 2, 2016 by catrox14

[JackONeill]

I know others have said it, but we need a new lead. Travis is more of a Dale, the conscience. Suprisingly, I think Madison will be a good lead once things really get cooking. She's got an inner meanness that I think is important to be a successful badass. But I think we need someone without kids affecting their decisions. We need someone ballsy, who can make hard and quick decisions. Maybe Abigail's buddy with the Porsche. He struck me like a Daryl who bathes occasionally.

[catrox14]

38 minutes ago, henripootel said:

 I was pleased in a mild way that Strand's preferences are not the key to understanding everything about him, it's just another thing.

He may very well be gay or bi or "fluid" in his sexual preference. I also think it's equally possible that he is neither gay nor bi and is running a con on Connor who is gay or bi. That is what I find interesting. That's why Strand  is interesting to me. Because we just don't know what he's up to or why. So really again.  Not sure what you inferred from my comment that was bothersome.

ETA: IMO the show made a point of Strand's sexualityas a plot point so I see no reason why my finding that an interesting aspect to be problematic.

Edited May 2, 2016 by catrox14
Not sure what happened but I was trying to edit my original comment and it was split up. Weird

[henripootel]

Quote

Erm. I thought my post explained why I find him more interesting. I feel like you inferring something from my comment that I'm not quite following. So I don't really know what else you're looking for me to explain.

Quote

Well, Strand just got 100% more interesting. I love how ambiguous he is about ERRYTHING. His motives, his sexuality, is he good or bad or just opportunistic.  I liked the chemistry he had with Dougray Scott.

Okay, here's the rest of that post.  Still don't see why Strand being gay makes him 100% more anything.  Heck, he's less ambiguous if anything - seems like he and Abigail are pretty into each other.  And they do see to have a nice chemistry, with maybe an edge of danger as we don't know how shifty Abigial really is, but he seems pretty dodgy.  Seems to me that the only other thing we learned about Strand is that he's a bit of a crook, albeit a possibly honorable one.  Interesting, but I kinda figured he was a bit of an operator.  Bit disappointing to find out he doesn't perform a regular weapons check ...

Quote

He may very well be gay or bi or "fluid" in his sexual preference. I also think it's equally possible that he is neither gay nor bi and is running a con on Connor who is gay or bi.

Ah.  Didn't even think of that.  I figured this was the 'real' Strand, but it may not be.  I figured any ambiguity we had about Strand was because we knew so little about him, but now we did.  My misunderstanding - I withdraw the question.

Edited May 2, 2016 by henripootel

[catrox14]

@henripootel see my comment above

[catrox14]

38 minutes ago, henripootel said:

 

Ah.  Didn't even think of that.  I figured this was the 'real' Strand, but it may not be.  I figured any ambiguity we had about Strand was because we knew so little about him, but now we did.  My misunderstanding - I withdraw the question.

 

I probably could have been more specific in my original comment. But it's all good. LOL

[catrox14]

1 hour ago, JackONeill said:

I know others have said it, but we need a new lead. Travis is more of a Dale, the conscience. Suprisingly, I think Madison will be a good lead once things really get cooking. She's got an inner meanness that I think is important to be a successful badass. But I think we need someone without kids affecting their decisions. We need someone ballsy, who can make hard and quick decisions. Maybe Abigail's buddy with the Porsche. He struck me like a Daryl who bathes occasionally.

At this point, I'm considering Strand the defacto lead even if he's not on paper.

[ghoulina]

Honestly, if I were in the group, I'd trust Nick as my leader. He seems to most emotionally stable (oddly enough) and resourceful. 

[cmfran]

The end credit "boat" sequence in the Dawn of the Dead remake is a thousand times better than this season, and that was only a few seconds long.

I really tried with this show, but I just can't anymore.

[rab01]

20 minutes ago, ghoulina said:

Honestly, if I were in the group, I'd trust Nick as my leader. He seems to most emotionally stable (oddly enough) and resourceful. 

If 3 people were arguing about which way to run, yeah, follow Nick.  But, Nick won't be the leader until/unless his parents are dead. that's one of the things about having a family at the core of the show, rather than a group. Parents aren't going to accept their teenage son as the group's leader (well, certainly not these parents).

As for Strand, I like that he has an actual connection with other human beings. I'm disappointed that his wealth is largely on loan from his lover and I'm not certain whether he is as devoted to Abigail as Abigail is to him. I am looking forward to their reunion. I do wish we saw a little more of the cool, calm and collected Strand we saw in season one.

[tiredofwork]

I actually think a better actress for Madison would have been Elizabeth Mitchell of Revolution and Lost. She does that quite, seething, ruthless thing much better than the one they cast.

Edited May 2, 2016 by tiredofwork

[loki567]

1 hour ago, tiredofwork said:

I actually think a better actress for Madison would have been Elizabeth Mitchell of Revolution and Lost. She does that quite, seething, ruthless thing much better than the one they cast.

I could definitely see that. It's weird because I like Kim Dickens in everything else and has such an authentic quality but here, she's stiff as a board. Maybe the genre doesn't fit her. 

[Helena Dax]

I think Strand's feelings for that guy are real. If he were just after Thomas's money, he wouldn't take his own business so seriously. In fact, I had the impression that he didn't want to be a kept man at all.

Most characters are still dumb, but I liked the episode. There's still hope for this show.

[Save Yourself]

11 hours ago, riverheightsnancy said:

Really? I don't remember that, and the early seasons are my favorites. I stand corrected then. ;)  I thought it was a Michonne invention! Love her. 

You probably forgot because it took so damn long for them to use the manoeuvre again! It's good that Nick is utilising so quickly what he has learnt in a short period of time. I wondered if TPTB showed Nick using it again right away because of all the bitching we did about CDB not doing the blood camo trick when it would have been very handy. 

NB: My favourite season was number one in TWD, I thought it was the highest quality writing and it was a shame that didn't continue. I love the majority of the characters in the latter seasons but when I rewatch season one I always lament that it didn't continue to reach those heights. 

[Save Yourself]

On 2016-05-02 at 8:24 AM, ghoulina said:

I felt like my DVR cut part of the beginning out. Or I had fallen asleep last week and missed something (quite possible), because I had no idea why Nick was on land by himself, no idea where he was going. It wasn't until he met up with Strand's friend that I figured it out. Were we supposed to know? Did the other people on the boat know? Why did I feel like I woke up halfway into the show? 

I will say this, Nick's got his zombie walk on lock! No one has ever committed to the broken ankle shuffle like that. So kudos to him. 

Did not care about Strand's backstory. I thought I would, but I didn't. I still don't even feel like I totally get it. His mom left, dad was a preacher, he's bankrupt, robs a guy, then guy becomes his lover, and now he's on a yacht named after him. Still no idea what kind of business he was in, why he was going to LA, who's in Mexico, how this all ties together, etc. Maybe it wasn't clearly explained or maybe I just zoned out too much during his scenes. I don't know if it's Domingo's acting or the way they write for him, but I just can't. He comes off like the caterpillar from Alice in Wonderland, talking in riddles and trying to be so profound. Pass. 

I was ok with Nick starting on land and then finding out further down the track why he was separated from the rest but when it was in the same episode as flashbacks it was a bit overwhelming. I found it a bit odd that no one noticed that he had gone from the boat before the Backstreet Boys hopped on board!

He was awesome at the zombie walk! His whole body transformed in a split second.

I'm the same, I didn't care for Strand's backstory, I thought it would be way more interesting than that. I could accept that he was a thief as the show seemed to be hinting that he was a conman for awhile but why would someone who has been robbed than want to hook up with that same dude?! Very odd. I don't like Domingo's acting either, I just feel like he's reading his lines without any 'acting' involved. The caterpillar analogy is very apt! 

On 2016-05-02 at 9:05 AM, JackONeill said:

I don't know if this is good or bad. The people on this show don't seem to be as concerned about the zombies as do CDB (especially at the beginning).

for instance, last night when Nick and what's his name got out of the Porsche, there were walkers all around. But the two guys were just chit-chatting. Then, they practically stopped at the rope that led to the boat. I didn't see either guy showing any concern about the walkers. It took a long time for CDB to get to that point.

i think this show has defused the threat of walkers and that's why they are desperately trying to jump to the man vs man drama.

To me Nick has come across as devil may care, he was reckless when he was using - he said that he 'should' have died many times due to the drugs - and he's still in that mode ( although that recklessness - perhaps it's the wrong word - is now assisting him in the apocalypse). I thought it was perfect when he said to Maddie in S1 that he felt like he'd been living in this world for a long time and everyone else has now caught up. For this reason I can see why he is pretty casual around the walkers when they are not immediately in front of him, he knows they are slow and he can get away from them in an open space like that. I suspect Luis may be the same way. On the other hand, I think Travis wets himself a little bit every time he sees a walker.

On 2016-05-02 at 0:15 PM, diebartdie said:

Why wasn't tent city full of walkers? Why did the dried out zombie blood continue to camouflage Nick? Kirkman himself has stated the reason no one can just swan around 24/7 in zombie guts is that as they dry out they stop working to conceal you from zombies so Nick out to have been "visible" to that one lonely zombie he encountered in the gated community. 

Nick piled it on pretty thickly and everywhere so I think there's a good chance that it still could have been wet by the time he got to Luis.

Edited to add: I rewatched today and some of the blood on Nick was dry but some was still wet, when it's that thick congealed blood it does take awhile to dry out.

On 2016-05-02 at 1:16 PM, TattleTeeny said:

Thank you. I picked up on some, and was admittedly not paying complete attention, but I just could not understand why Nick swam while Strand was in a boat. I don't need everything spelled out for me--I really don't--but I feel like the show could have been made a bit clearer in this instance, especially when there were also flashbacks tossed in. 

Honestly, I don't even know why this works in the first place. It's not like the smell of human disappears when guts are applied. If zombies can sniff out one human in a giant walker herd, why wouldn't they also be able to smell right through a thin layer of guts?

I don't get why Nick swam in either, when we initially saw the rubber boat shot I thought, ok Nick was in there, that's why he swam but when we saw it was Strand I was completely lost as to why Nick swam.

I can understand why the blood thing works because the smell of rancid blood/flesh is so strong, I can imagine to a zombie (whilst not being a zombie myself!) that the odour of that would cover the living human odour. And Nick loaded up with a lot of blood.

On 2016-05-02 at 1:33 PM, kdm07 said:

This is something I think a lot of people keep forgetting about her. Yes she's book smart but from the very beginning of this show, we've seen that Madison has divided her time to Nick, Travis or keeping Alicia in the dark about everything. It seems (to me anyway) that she had to form connections with people outside of her family e.g. her boyfriend, the baby-sitter etc so when the opportunity came to connect with someone her age going through this apocalypse as well who isn't stuck on the boat too, she took it. It was dumb, so very dumb but I get it.

She's shown that if you include her in what's going on she catches on fast (like sacrificing herself for her family and taking responsibility for the whole mess) but so far Madison (and Travis: really what's his relationship like with Nick & Alicia? We barely see that) have kept her shielded from everything they possibly could. I also think she might be manipulating this other pirate guy but we'll see where that leads to.

This ^^^. I'm 42 but if I was in that world and knew as little as Alicia did I probably would have done the same by talking to someone on the radio. It's killed me that we've seen barely anyone trying to find out about what is going on in the rest of the country/world so I can understand her wanting to talk to someone and see what is happening for them. I remember in S1 when Nick was flicking through the radio stations looking for news about the epidemic and idiot Travis told him to turn it off! How anyone can be so disinterested is beyond me. And then when Alicia wants to try to help Jack when she hears over the radio they are having trouble I thought it made sense, for me it would be hard to so quickly make the mind switch from going to a civilisation where we help each other to one where we need to be ruthless. She's manipulating him for sure, she's a quick study and now understands why they have to fear other humans.

On 2016-05-02 at 2:21 PM, rab01 said:

The weird thing is that the tent set was NOT cheap. They had to set up all those tents and arrange for the fires to stay lit and all the other stuff that could have blown away between takes. They put EFFORT into that scene. It would have been easier to not have fires - which may have been more believable but would have looked less "cool." Look, I liked that the tents gave us an unusually clinical zombie-kill and that it showed a fascinating character side to Nick (smart, calm, unafraid, a little twisted). They are putting care into various different aspects of this show and the result is still ... this.

I still think it's just that trying to make believable (instead of campy) post-apocalyptic horror is really hard and even harder when civilization isn't quite gone yet (and they don't quite realize the challenges they are facing).

Yes, they could have pulled off the tent scene better with the fires out and some of the tents trampled to lead us to believe that it was abandoned rapidly. 

On 2016-05-02 at 3:11 PM, Lamima said:

I think Nick swam in to avoid being seen by the helicopters. The Strand actor, on Talking Dead, said they are at the border to Mexico and the helicopters are Mexican Govt? trying to keep Americans and zombies out of Mexico.

Great, another part of the story that isn't incorporated into the actual show but is on the talk show. FFS! You shouldn't need other media to understand what is happening in the original show, they could have given Luis a throw away line about that since he seems to know about what is going on with Mexico.

On 2016-05-02 at 4:07 PM, truelovekiss said:

They won't, though.  I think the writers kind of fancy Trav as a kinder, softer.  And the world seems to have a hard on for Alycia Debnam-Carey.  She's a pretty girl, but I really don't get the fuss over her appearance, much less her acting. I haven't seen her in anything else, so I guess judging her talent based on this slop isn't fair.

She's terrific on The 100, I think the material she has to work with here is the problem. I hope if they keep her around that they give her more depth and interesting storylines, ADC is more than capable of rising to the challenge.

On 2016-05-02 at 4:31 PM, JackONeill said:

I know others have said it, but we need a new lead. Travis is more of a Dale, the conscience. Suprisingly, I think Madison will be a good lead once things really get cooking. She's got an inner meanness that I think is important to be a successful badass. But I think we need someone without kids affecting their decisions. We need someone ballsy, who can make hard and quick decisions. Maybe Abigail's buddy with the Porsche. He struck me like a Daryl who bathes occasionally.

I've noticed quite a few people on here think of Travis as the lead but I was under the impression that he and Maddy were co-leads. Why do you think of Travis as the lead?

[Bunnyhop]

On ‎5‎/‎2‎/‎2016 at 10:06 PM, riverheightsnancy said:

A TV show about a Zombie Apocolypse!  Speaking of a ZA, I just happened to see World War Z yesterday and it was frightening how the zombies created human climbing ladders and moved so fast. It was scary. That's all I have to say about FTWD! haha

I just watched that movie too!  That human ladder was awesome.  I wouldn't want a ZA with fast zombies.  That changes everything.

[Save Yourself]

I had a rewatch today and Nick does actually ask Luis why they need help going across the border since they are going by boat and Luis says they have to get through the flotilla. So I'm thinking the Mexicans must be incredibly well organised to still have so much infrastructure working!

[kj4ever]

On 2016-05-02 at 3:35 PM, chlban said:

No. No. No. Please, don't even think it. I keep trying to watch this, but I cannot. 5-10 minutes and I am out. Sure TWD has had some crappy plot lines, but with just a few exceptions, I like our little group. Even Father pee pants got redeemed. OTOH, I hate these people. Seriously, I am rooting for the walkers. Take them all out and start over. The teenage drug addict first. No, his bitchy sister. No wait his mom, old stone face. Hell, I don't care drown them all at once. But, seriously AMC, do not F up TWD with these clowns.

Oh come on think of the possibilities....

I hate to say it, but the character is awful, the actress is awful, the writing for her is awful.  Now if Alex wouldn't have been cut off and stepped up to the plate I'd be really happy.  That says a lot considering we only got a -what-  12 minute webisodes and one episode of Alex and we've had a whole season and a quarter of Madison?

Edited May 6, 2016 by HalcyonDays
Removed TWD references

[Haleth]

Regardless of the many problems this show has, Frank Dillane is proving to be the one bright spot.  He's best when he's not interacting with his "family" and we have to handwave that he kicked his drug problem so easily, but he's interesting to watch.  His scenes in the tent city and with Luis were the best of the episode.  Nick is the one character who observes and seems to be adjusting to the new reality.  Too bad Nick and Luis didn't take off in the fancy car for a road trip, abandoning the Ship of Fools to the Breakfast Club pirates. (Ha!)

The irony that Trump's wall is being used to keep Americans out of Mexico is hilarious.

Edited May 3, 2016 by Haleth

[JackONeill]

On 2016-05-03 at 0:11 AM, Save Yourself said:

I was ok with Nick starting on land and then finding out further down the track why he was separated from the rest but when it was in the same episode as flashbacks it was a bit overwhelming. I found it a bit odd that no one noticed that he had gone from the boat before the Backstreet Boys hopped on board!

He was awesome at the zombie walk! His whole body transformed in a split second.

I'm the same, I didn't care for Strand's backstory, I thought it would be way more interesting than that. I could accept that he was a thief as the show seemed to be hinting that he was a conman for awhile but why would someone who has been robbed than want to hook up with that same dude?! Very odd. I don't like Domingo's acting either, I just feel like he's reading his lines without any 'acting' involved. The caterpillar analogy is very apt! 

To me Nick has come across as devil may care, he was reckless when he was using - he said that he 'should' have died many times due to the drugs - and he's still in that mode ( although that recklessness - perhaps it's the wrong word - is now assisting him in the apocalypse). I thought it was perfect when he said to Maddie in S1 that he felt like he'd been living in this world for a long time and everyone else has now caught up. For this reason I can see why he is pretty casual around the walkers when they are not immediately in front of him, he knows they are slow and he can get away from them in an open space like that. I suspect Luis may be the same way. On the other hand, I think Travis wets himself a little bit every time he sees a walker.

Nick piled it on pretty thickly and everywhere so I think there's a good chance that it still could have been wet by the time he got to Luis.

Edited to add: I rewatched today and some of the blood on Nick was dry but some was still wet, when it's that thick congealed blood it does take awhile to dry out.

I don't get why Nick swam in either, when we initially saw the rubber boat shot I thought, ok Nick was in there, that's why he swam but when we saw it was Strand I was completely lost as to why Nick swam.

I can understand why the blood thing works because the smell of rancid blood/flesh is so strong, I can imagine to a zombie (whilst not being a zombie myself!) that the odour of that would cover the living human odour. And Nick loaded up with a lot of blood.

This ^^^. I'm 42 but if I was in that world and knew as little as Alicia did I probably would have done the same by talking to someone on the radio. It's killed me that we've seen barely anyone trying to find out about what is going on in the rest of the country/world so I can understand her wanting to talk to someone and see what is happening for them. I remember in S1 when Nick was flicking through the radio stations looking for news about the epidemic and idiot Travis told him to turn it off! How anyone can be so disinterested is beyond me. And then when Alicia wants to try to help Jack when she hears over the radio they are having trouble I thought it made sense, for me it would be hard to so quickly make the mind switch from going to a civilisation where we help each other to one where we need to be ruthless. She's manipulating him for sure, she's a quick study and now understands why they have to fear other humans.

Yes, they could have pulled off the tent scene better with the fires out and some of the tents trampled to lead us to believe that it was abandoned rapidly. 

Great, another part of the story that isn't incorporated into the actual show but is on the talk show. FFS! You shouldn't need other media to understand what is happening in the original show, they could have given Luis a throw away line about that since he seems to know about what is going on with Mexico.

She's terrific on The 100, I think the material she has to work with here is the problem. I hope if they keep her around that they give her more depth and interesting storylines, ADC is more than capable of rising to the challenge.

I've noticed quite a few people on here think of Travis as the lead but I was under the impression that he and Maddy were co-leads. Why do you think of Travis as the lead?

I don't think in terms of co-leads. To me that's splitting hairs. Now, I know what you're saying, so I'm not arguing with you. Yes, Madison and Curtis come as a pair. But they're personalities don't present as one. Look at the first season when Travis was running all over the place to finds his first family. (Understandable, but point is, Travis has other agendas separate from Maddie. Yes, they share an agenda. Still.) And, it seems, Madison it built of stiffer material than Travis. (even though the actress seems to be struggling.)

And I certainly don't want, or need, to draw comparisons with the mother ship. But the thing is, Travis, in my mind, is weak (I'm certainly not saying I'd be any different). I realize not that much time has elapsed. But Nick (for his own reasons), Salazar and even Madison are much more up to speed with it's going to take to survive. Luis (?) has immediately shown me that he's a survivor (I took the part about him getting upset about th blood on his Porsche as a joke.) He's cool and calm. But, I know, different backgrounds.

well, then I ask, why did TPTB give us two school teachers in the main roles? Travis to me, and from the beginning, has been the conscience of the group. But who's the leader? I guess it's Madison, by default.

i worry about Strand being the one because I still don't know what his motives are.

here, with this show, TPTB don't seem to know who's the boss and we're nearing the end of the second season (yes, shorter seasons). And I don't see how this lack of knowledge is helping the show.

Edited May 6, 2016 by HalcyonDays
Removed TWD references

[TattleTeeny]

Quote

I can understand why the blood thing works because the smell of rancid blood/flesh is so strong, I can imagine to a zombie (whilst not being a zombie myself!) that the odour of that would cover the living human odour. And Nick loaded up with a lot of blood.

But that's what I don't get--why then would the rot smell of a zombie horde itself not disguise the fact that there is a human nearby not covered in blood? Maybe the interior zombie blood is more potent, I guess. I'll go with that. And I am glad to know that you are, so far, not a zombie!

[xaxat]

Have they explained how Travis knows so much about yachts?. I was willing to handwave him unclogging the pumps, that's like basic plumbing. But hotwiring the Abigail? That ship is closer to a 747 than a 92 Dodge.

[qtpye]

In, Fear, I don't care about any of these people and yet no one dies. 

Lord, Alicia has the most perfect low lights and highlight in her perfectly coiffed, but purposefully, not over made up looking hair.  I can fanwank that Strand had the highest quality hair products on the yacht, but there is no way she just woke up like that.

It was almost like they were prepping her to be the virgin sacrifice for the new world.

Edited May 6, 2016 by HalcyonDays
Removed TWD references

[RustbeltWriter]

I lost a lot of respect for Strand tonight. The guy steals $30,000 and uses it to buy up delinquent credit card debt? Turning him into a bill collector makes him kind of skeevy.

I was completely confused by the disjointed storytelling in this episode. I actually thought it was Nick escaping in the inflatable boat prior to swimming ashore then they showed it was Strand.

What was up with that refugee camp? Helicopters are flying over, fires are burning and lanterns are lit but there wasn't anyone around except for the walker Nick killed for camouflage. It was very strange.

Oh, it was nice to see Luis tell Nick to get cleaned up. It's about time someone did.

Edited May 3, 2016 by RustbeltWriter

[riverheightsnancy]

1 hour ago, qtpye said:

It bothers me that on the first couple of season of the Walking Dead, we had so many beloved characters taken from us.  In, Fear, I don't care about any of these people and yet no one dies. 

Lord, Alicia has the most perfect low lights and highlight in her perfectly coiffed, but purposefully, not over made up looking hair.  I can fanwank that Strand had the highest quality hair products on the yacht, but there is no way she just woke up like that.

It was almost like they were prepping her to be the virgin sacrifice for the new world.

Excellent points and I made one upthread about the exact same thing. What is interesting though, is Ofelia looks normal. Very little makeup and her hair is not "done". I also like her more human interactions with Chris. Madison and Alicia, look like they are ready for a photo shoot (especially Allcia). I have wanted to go back and watch previous episodes (I couldn't make myself do it), but didn't Alicia wear her hair straight previously, with a slight wave? Now suddenly she meets "Jack" and now she has the latest tossled beach wave style. Seriously? It took me out of the show immediately. I try to do my hair like that, it takes a lot of time, effort, and product. So unrealistic. And being on the boat with those winds leads to hair knots and tangles in longer hair, NOT the lovely beach waves that we were treated to. 

[Save Yourself]

On 2016-05-03 at 8:34 AM, JackONeill said:

I don't think in terms of co-leads. To me that's splitting hairs. Now, I know what you're saying, so I'm not arguing with you. Yes, Madison and Curtis come as a pair. But they're personalities don't present as one. Look at the first season when Travis was running all over the place to finds his first family. (Understandable, but point is, Travis has other agendas separate from Maddie. Yes, they share an agenda. Still.) And, it seems, Madison it built of stiffer material than Travis. (even though the actress seems to be struggling.)

And I certainly don't want, or need, to draw comparisons with the mother ship. But the thing is, Travis, in my mind, is weak (I'm certainly not saying I'd be any different). I realize not that much time has elapsed. But Nick (for his own reasons), Salazar and even Madison are much more up to speed with it's going to take to survive. Luis (?) has immediately shown me that he's a survivor (I took the part about him getting upset about th blood on his Porsche as a joke.) He's cool and calm. But, I know, different backgrounds.

well, then I ask, why did TPTB give us two school teachers in the main roles? Travis to me, and from the beginning, has been the conscience of the group. But who's the leader? I guess it's Madison, by default.

i worry about Strand being the one because I still don't know what his motives are.

here, with this show, TPTB don't seem to know who's the boss and we're nearing the end of the second season (yes, shorter seasons). And I don't see how this lack of knowledge is helping the show.

Sorry, I misunderstood your original post when you said you think they need a new lead, I just realised that you meant leader of the group, not lead actor! I was thinking of it as a billing thing when I said that I thought both Travis and Maddie were co-leads meaning co-stars, I think that was in the press in the lead up to the first season but I'm too tired to Google! I'll get back to you tomorrow about your suggestions re the 'who's the boss' issue, it's a good one to discuss! It's 1.57am in Sydney right now so I really should get some sleep ?

[Save Yourself]

2 hours ago, TattleTeeny said:

But that's what I don't get--why then would the rot smell of a zombie horde itself not disguise the fact that there is a human nearby not covered in blood? Maybe the interior zombie blood is more potent, I guess. I'll go with that. And I am glad to know that you are, so far, not a zombie!

Hmmm, that's a good point! I'd agree with you that I think the blood from inside the body, especially in the guts where food has been rotting undigested and there are all those stomach acids and bile and maybe some of the organs have begun to liquefy, that would smell really gross and would surely camouflage gold if you found all that going in one walker. Probably a one week old walker would be a good type of 'ripeness' but I'll let you know after I zombify ?

[TattleTeeny]

You are truly a dedicated fan and forum participant!

[henripootel]

Quote

Probably a one week old walker would be a good type of 'ripeness' but I'll let you know after I zombify ?

I dunno, dude, I've had occasion to smell human decomp.  It was incandescent. If I had to choose between smearing my face with that or running from a zombie hoard, I'd ... have to think about it.   I certainly wouldn't smear preemptively, on the off-chance I might run into a big mob.  Let me see your mob first.

[Sentient Meat]

In order for many of the shows scenarios to work... it would be a given that Zombie guts must smell untenably foul.  Otherwise everyone would be always walking around with it smeared upon them like mosquito repellent.  Also, considering that when you live by a dairy or farm... you will go noseblind after a short period... so it must at least smell worse than cow shit.  However, I often wondered why when they were threatened to be overrun... like Glenn and the dumpster... why he didn't just kill one... pull the dead body up on the dumpster... smear guts all over himself and then wait for the crowd to slowly dissipate.  The mostly likely explanation is that the writers realize how overpowered this makes the living so they only use it when someone in the group is capable of freaking out.

  What they should do at least is show that the guts cause a permanent lesion or scar on the skin... that would explain more logically why they would use it so sparingly.

[Raven1707]

The Sunday Cable Ratings are in for "Blood in the Streets":

"Fear the Walking Dead" was steady at 2.1 for AMC. [4.803 million viewers]

http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2016/05/03/sunday-cable-ratings-may-1-2016/

And here are the Live + SD ratings for Season 2 so far:

04-10-16 "Monster" 6.674 million
04-17-16 "We All Fall Down" 5.581 million
04-24-16 "Ouroboros" 4.726 million
05-01-16 "Blood on the Streets" 4.803 million

[ghoulina]

7 hours ago, Haleth said:

Regardless of the many problems this show has, Frank Dillane is proving to be the one bright spot.  He's best when he's not interacting with his "family" and we have to handwave that he kicked his drug problem so easily, but he's interesting to watch.  His scenes in the tent city and with Luis were the best of the episode.  Nick is the one character who observes and seems to be adjusting to the new reality.  Too bad Nick and Luis didn't take off in the fancy car for a road trip, abandoning the Ship of Fools to the Breakfast Club pirates. (Ha!)

Totally agree with this. He is a very captivating actor. I really enjoyed his scenes with the little kids in that house on the island as well. 

[maczero]

On 2016-05-02 at 2:14 AM, henripootel said:

On 2016-05-02 at 2:14 AM, henripootel said:

 

 

On 2016-05-02 at 2:32 AM, Muffyn said:

When Nick went into the tent, I was really hoping there was a zombie in there.  It didn't look like he checked things out first.  How could he be sure it was empty?  He really does look like he wants to make out with the infected.  Nick has some strange desires. 

Ha!  I said the same thing about a scene from last week's episode.

On 2016-05-02 at 3:40 AM, phoenix780 said:

Also, the pirates took the dumb one who led them to the yacht in the first place. Don't know that I'd make that same choice. 

I hate to say it but attractive young girls would likely be viewed as a valuable commodity in a world without laws.

On 2016-05-02 at 9:05 AM, JackONeill said:

I don't know if this is good or bad. The people on this show don't seem to be as concerned about the zombies as do CDB (especially at the beginning).

for instance, last night when Nick and what's his name got out of the Porsche, there were walkers all around. But the two guys were just chit-chatting. Then, they practically stopped at the rope that led to the boat. I didn't see either guy showing any concern about the walkers.

i think this show has defused the threat of walkers and that's why they are desperately trying to jump to the man vs man drama.

Interesting.  I know this is probably going to piss some people off but I'll go ahead and say it.  This crew seems to have a better handle on things.  They have a destination and are smart enough to isolate themselves (traveling by water). 

On 2016-05-02 at 1:16 PM, TattleTeeny said:

 

 

On 2016-05-02 at 4:21 PM, henripootel said:

I like Strand's quiet competence, even when he's just been caught by the guy he robbed, right up to the point where the Breakfast Club Pirates showed up.  I was hoping for a quick Die Hard on a boat resolution, where Strand uses his calm demeanor and knowledge of his boat to toss these assholes off it, and show his own idiots how it's done.  I even thought 'oh that's cool - Strand set up some sort of decoy in a dingy to get the pirates to run up to the rail so he can pounce ... oh wait, that's actually Strand, very ... slowly ... running away.'   Sigh.  Nevermind.

Bwahahaha!

On 2016-05-03 at 9:41 AM, TattleTeeny said:

But that's what I don't get--why then would the rot smell of a zombie horde itself not disguise the fact that there is a human nearby not covered in blood? Maybe the interior zombie blood is more potent, I guess. I'll go with that. And I am glad to know that you are, so far, not a zombie!

I think you need a two pronged approach.  Zombies don't just pick up on the living by smell.  Talking, walking to fast, staring too much or even standing around when the crowd is moving can draw their attention.  You've gotta walk the walk.  See Nick for the perfect example of the zombie shamble.

On 2016-05-03 at 10:26 AM, RustbeltWriter said:

I lost a lot of respect for Strand tonight. The guy steals $30,000 and uses it to buy up delinquent credit card debt? Turning him into a bill collector makes him kind of skeevy.

Wait that's skeevier than leaving a guy to be eaten alive or stranding a woman in the middle of the ocean?

Edited May 6, 2016 by HalcyonDays
Removed TWD references

[Bad Example]

11 hours ago, Haleth said:

 

The irony that Trump's wall is being used to keep Americans out of Mexico is hilarious.

I'd appreciate the irony a lot more if I didn't feel like the writers were already madly self-congratulating themselves for it.  And also super-proud of their "depth" and "relevant political commentary" when the evidence shows they're just not very good at their job.

[Peanut]

But I don't get how this crew (with the possible exception of Our Favorite Junkie) are so freaking calm around zombies.  It's been....three weeks?  Maximum? since the start, and here we are casually throwing clothes around on the beach, etc.  Or is it that they just haven't been around that many, with the exception of horde at the CDC detention center?  

 

It says a lot to me that the show uses The Talking Dead to explain stuff.  As others have said, and I have as well, I should be able to understand the show on its own merits.  And that they decided to make Abigail a woman means they aren't plotting this show out very far.  I know Gimple has said TWD is plotted out several years, but I am skeptical.  I think they write a season at a time and just wing stuff.  (Hello cheesemaker episode!)

[JackONeill]

Maybe the people on this show are calmer than CDB because they're from So. California. All that Xanax, Prozac and Botox. It makes you . . . mellow.

[SimoneS]

I watched this episode because a friend told me it was good. Lucky thing my standards of entertainment for this show is very low.

I give them credit for giving Strand an unexpected back story. I didn't see him as a entrepreneur/thief. I thought that he might have been in the movie business. I can't believe that a second disappointing weak kiss made the bigots' heads explode and promise never to watch again. I was expected some Queer as Folk level macking.  

As for the rest, I cannot bring myself to care although Chris does hold some promise.

I though this show had 15 episodes this season? They announced only three more. Are they going on hiatus? 

Edited May 4, 2016 by SimoneS

[Macbeth]

I just remember when the gang drove through LA during S1 Finale, they had been through hell, but a couple of them were sunning themselves.  LA lays decimated at their feet and there was no hint of grief. 

Salazar was torturing people within hours.  For me Maddy's talk with the pregnant girl was in character and not a surprise.   I really like that Frank Dillane is all in with his character.  No carefully applied gore - he bathes in it. 

The tone is significantly different from TWD and I like it. LA - much more blase - yeah it's the zombie apocalypse- yada yada yada.  There is no earnestness.  

I really liked this episode a lot. I had been watching to see what Strand would do, but this episode showed a few characters stepping up and working as a team. 

I like the open waters - and the night sky.  It's a refreshing change from TWD. And we need an ocean to clean off Nick - apparently several times an episode.

[SimoneS]

I have to say that I don't get the praise for Frank Dillane. He/Nick reminds me of every single bland talentless young male lead on cable teen shows. IMO, the actor who plays Chris has more talent and has the potential to develop into a strong younger lead. 

Of course, the issue remains that there is no fear of any of the characters in the Madison/Travis family every dying. The show is basically a slightly more violent updated version of The Love Boat.

Edited May 5, 2016 by SimoneS

[RedheadZombie]

I was confused by the frequent references of how hard it is to "get in" Mexico.   Do they imagine border control post-ZA even exists?

[Lamima]

I like the Nick actor. I think he's good. I, for one, don't see the praise for the Strand actor. He's a bit overly theatrical IMO. At first it was intriguing and now it's annoying.

[Jel]

18 hours ago, henripootel said:

I dunno, dude, I've had occasion to smell human decomp.  It was incandescent. If I had to choose between smearing my face with that or running from a zombie hoard, I'd ... have to think about it.   I certainly wouldn't smear preemptively, on the off-chance I might run into a big mob.  Let me see your mob first.

Say what in the what now?  I think your life may be more interesting than the show!

Edited May 4, 2016 by Jel

[txhorns79]

Quote

I was confused by the frequent references of how hard it is to "get in" Mexico.   Do they imagine border control post-ZA even exists?

It may simply be that the Mexican government hasn't collapsed, or there is someone at the border area that would be very difficult to avoid. 

[JackONeill]

Even though it was something I either picked up here or on TWD, looking back on the scene where we see lots of lights at sea (boats) and even a helicopter or two, I guess that was to show the "hold up" at the border.

Now, the last I heard, Mexico doesn't have much of a navy, so who is stopping everyone? Plus how do you "fence" the sea to keep people out? People are still able to "float" from Cuba to Key West (not recommended, but possible) and the Coast Guard is looking for that shit. True, a raft is smaller than the Abagail. Which then leads me to ask, do they need that big-ass boat to "sneak" into Mexico?

which leads me to ask: do even the writers know, or are they making things up as we go along?

[henripootel]

Quote

Say what in the what now?  I think your life may be more interesting than the show!

This show, maybe.  I was camping in southern africa and out hiking around, my guide showed me a place on the river they called 'Crocodile Beach'.  I declined a dip but a few days later some kid from New York decided to swim across.  He got half-way.  His dad put up such a reward for his body that the locals scoured the river and actually found him, well, much of him, a week later about a mile down river.  I swung back through the area resupplying and there was this pickup parked in the hot sun, all by itself in the middle of the village.  I got within 300 feet and didn't have to ask what was in the back.  Poor bastard, but you should always think twice about swimming at a such a spot.

Edited May 4, 2016 by henripootel

[oakville]

  Quote

I was confused by the frequent references of how hard it is to "get in" Mexico.   Do they imagine border control post-ZA even exists?

It may simply be that the Mexican government hasn't collapsed, or there is someone at the border area that would be very difficult to avoid. 

I think it would be an excellent plot development to still have a functioning government in Mexico. It could also be the drug cartel.

[HighMaintenance]

8 minutes ago, oakville said:

I think it would be an excellent plot development to still have a functioning government in Mexico. It could also be the drug cartel.

Starring El Chapo.

[qtpye]

Or better... zombie El Chapo.  The one zombie who can never be caught, until he is interviewed by Sean Penn.

[JackONeill]

A zombie Sean Penn.