Pot Plants and Day Timeline

[ipotts85]

obviously the pot plants were there to suggest the deterioration of the military into an "every man for himself" deal - but they also very obviously suggest a certain amount of elapsed time... both of these points prove the original idea that the pot plants reflect a timeline. for a pot plant to grow that high (no pun intended) it would take a certain amount of time, thus reflecting a timeline! don't understand why there is an argument...both prove the same point. If Romero intentionally put the plants in to show how long the scientists and soldiers had been there, don't you think he would've mentioned it on the commentary when they're talking about the fake weed? no. not every single point has to be discussed in a commentary...besides it seems a pretty obvious concept that doesn't really need pointing out....(for most of us anyway)... besides - re-read your post! are you trying to argue that a 4 foot high weed plant makes no reflection on time elapsed? that just doesn't make any sense...no military base would allow weed to be grown, which implies that a certain break down in heirarchy (one that would take some time) has occured if it has gotten to the point where anyone can do what they want (which is pretty much where day picks up)... all of these references (among others throughout the film) imply a fairly large passage of time between these two films... (i can't believe this is even a debate!)

[bassman]

obviously the pot plants were there to suggest the deterioration of the military into an "every man for himself" deal - but they also very obviously suggest a certain amount of elapsed time... both of these points prove the original idea that the pot plants reflect a timeline. for a pot plant to grow that high (no pun intended) it would take a certain amount of time, thus reflecting a timeline! don't understand why there is an argument...both prove the same point. no. not every single point has to be discussed in a commentary...besides it seems a pretty obvious concept that doesn't really need pointing out....(for most of us anyway)... besides - re-read your post! are you trying to argue that a 4 foot high weed plant makes no reflection on time elapsed? that just doesn't make any sense...no military base would allow weed to be grown, which implies that a certain break down in heirarchy (one that would take some time) has occured if it has gotten to the point where anyone can do what they want (which is pretty much where day picks up)... all of these references (among others throughout the film) imply a fairly large passage of time between these two films... (i can't believe this is even a debate!) Well, it seemed to me that if they would discuss that the plant is fake and how they got it, that Romero would probably mention that it was used to reflect the time past since "Dawn". But he doesn't. I'm not arguing that the plant does not suggest time has passed. I just think the point of it was to show that these people had been at the bunker for quite some time. But I don't believe that it was used to give the viewer an idea of how much time has passed since the events in "Dawn" or "Night". All I'm saying is that the plant could be a way to show that these people have been in the bunker for a long time but it is not a way to show the time passed after the last two films. You can't believe this is a debate, huh? Here's an idea....don't post

[tju1973]

While I admit that this is a possibility, dont you think that since they are going into the underground facility that they still think there is a possibility of "solving the problem" and returning life to normal? That is why they went there in the first place. If they thought it was a lost cause, they would have "found a beach somewhere and started soaking up some sunshine". Therefore, I doubt a military guy going to an official government project would bring his own pot plants with him, and plant them in plain sight right near the entrance. Wouldnt Major Cooper have frowned upon such activity? I dont think that GAR purposely put the pot plants in there to indicate passage of time. But the only clues that we have are those that are within the movies themselves, which includes the growth of the plants. I just checked my DVD, the plants were indeed only about 3 high, not 6 as I originally said. I still say that they had to be planted after our group went to the facility. How long does it take weed to grow 3 feet high? I am not sure that how pregnant Fran is/was and the duration of the events in Dawn have any bearing on trying to determine how long after Night did Day start. It would be just a valid of a theory to say that if the height of the pot plants is not a valid issue (and I suppose you could argue they were 10 feet high but trimmed down) then they could have been in that underground bunker for 10 years, after which Fran's baby would already be 9 years old (if it lived). Using calender's with no year on them is not a good way to assume less than a year has passsed. Obviously, October rolls around every year. The newspaper that says "The Dead Walk" in the beginning, isnt there a year of 1985 on it? That alone would suggest that many had years had passed since the beginning of Dawn, seeing as they were not even familiar with what a "Mall" was in Dawn. GAR never intended the dress/styles/etc in any movie to suggest that the timeline was stretched over 40 years. You have to suspend reality and just know that they went Night,Dawn,Day, then Land-- actually wasn't land supposed to happen between Dawn and Day-- I read that somewhwere-- Anyway, I would suppose that the relative urgency the bunker-ites had in Day would suggest that Day happened about a year or a little more after Dawn. Just my thought..

[bassman]

GAR never intended the dress/styles/etc in any movie to suggest that the timeline was stretched over 40 years. You have to suspend reality and just know that they went Night,Dawn,Day, then Land-- This is how I see it. I don't even try to place all of the films into a timeline. To me, they're all different films with different characters, in different times and they don't need to be connected. They're not direct sequels.... This is kind of like trying to place all of the James Bond films into a timeframe together.....It just doesn't happen.

[Eyebiter]

re: Dope Plants I'd guess Romero included them as a plot device to illustrate the lack of discipline among the soldiers. The lackluster dress code, the fact the troops are smoking weed, the death of Major Cooper, and the rise of a psycho Captain Rhodes.

[Philly_SWAT]

it only takes 3 or 4 months to grow a 4 to 5 foot plant. (weed) I dont know what kind of pot plants you are growing, but I have never seen any grow that fast.

[Adrenochrome]

I dont know what kind of pot plants you are growing, but I have never seen any grow that fast. really? hmmmmm. Odds me bodkins! I "have a friend" that ALWAYS harvests at 4 ...at 3, the leaf is great for cooking. (ya gotta dry and crumble....."he" has a great burrito recipe)

[Philly_SWAT]

Looks like I gotta move to the corner of Grey street and the end of the world............

[Adrenochrome]

Looks like I gotta move to the corner of Grey street and the end of the world............ or......... What I hear is......weed : it will grow just to spite you. But,....that's what I hear.......cough cough cough...............pass

[Murat365]

this is going to be controversial but hey... what if 'land' takes place before 'day'- think about it- in 'land'- the humans still live in cities, in centralised infostructures where large groups of people from several backgrounds and communities congregate- and of course how does 'land' end- with the zombies breaking into these compounds and forcing the humans to flee in 'day' humanity is restricted even more- to small military bases and wekll defended outposts- the cities are overrun as we see from the first scene, and eventually the only safe haven is uninhabited islands if such outposts existed as in 'land' why didn't they exist in 'day'? why didn't the survivors in 'day' retreat to these outposts- perhaps they had already been overrun i understand perhaps the zombie evolutionary theory may contradict this idea (although 'lands' zombies are really no more as advanced as they were in 'day' or vice versa depending on this)

[Adrenochrome]

this is going to be controversial but hey... what if 'land' takes place before 'day'- think about it- in 'land'- the humans still live in cities, in centralised infostructures where large groups of people from several backgrounds and communities congregate- and of course how does 'land' end- with the zombies breaking into these compounds and forcing the humans to flee in 'day' humanity is restricted even more- to small military bases and wekll defended outposts- the cities are overrun as we see from the first scene, and eventually the only safe haven is uninhabited islands if such outposts existed as in 'land' why didn't they exist in 'day'? why didn't the survivors in 'day' retreat to these outposts- perhaps they had already been overrun i understand perhaps the zombie evolutionary theory may contradict this idea (although 'lands' zombies are really no more as advanced as they were in 'day' or vice versa depending on this) You're not the first. I've had conversations with some fans that believe it should have gone ;Night, Dawn, Land and then Day.

[ipotts85]

land taking place before day?! whoa - that flips me the f*ck out! it never even occured to me - interesting idea if you really think about it...i know romero has stated that land takes place between 3-5 years after day...but nonetheless... and adrenochrome - i know a guy that used to grow pot in the woods behins a public park, and it takes longer than three - four months to grow it that high (unless it is some hydro stuff or something like that...)...you (sorry...your friend) may harvest it earlier, but at the height it was grown in day takes quite some time... re: Dope Plants I'd guess Romero included them as a plot device to illustrate the lack of discipline among the soldiers. The lackluster dress code, the fact the troops are smoking weed, the death of Major Cooper, and the rise of a psycho Captain Rhodes. well, yeah, but it reflects an elapsed amount of time as well...

[Adrenochrome]

and adrenochrome - i know a guy that used to grow pot in the woods behins a public park, and it takes longer than three - four months to grow it that high (unless it is some hydro stuff or something like that...)...you (sorry...your friend) may harvest it earlier, but at the height it was grown in day takes quite some time... actually, no. I've seen plants reach 3 to 4 feet in about 4 months (believe it or not, there was one occasion I saw a plant ZOOM to "bush" in 3 months). NOT Hydro, plain old dirt weed. Ya just gotta know when and where to top it off and bush it out... anyhoooo........mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm topping it off and bushing it out........ Oh, and somewhere in the yelling match Sarah mentions dealing with the situation for "months". (if need be, I can get the running time where she says it)

[EvilNed]

While it'd be interesting if Land really takes place after Day, it doesn't. I'm pretty sure Romero even says this on the commentary of Land. Anyway, the idea that humans still living in cities and thus the outbreak isn't that far gone, doesn't hold. Remember Romero's original script? It took place 5 years after the dead walked, and it had a "city", just like Fiddler's Green. Also, it states in Land that the dead have been up and about or at least 3 years, whereas there are still decaying corpses in Day if I'm not mistaken (and one skeleton hanging out in a car). And even so, at the end of Land, the humans are STILL living in a city. Just less of them.

[Deadman_Deluxe]

My own opinion is that the pot plants have NOTHING to do with ANY timelines within DAY. Either way, the size of the plants featured, albeit "fake" plants ... they would most likely, for story purposes, have been female and approx 10 weeks old. Marijuana can reach a height of twenty feet (or would you rather wish on a star?) and obtain a diameter of 4 1/2 inches. If normal, it has a sex ratio of about 1:1, but this can be altered in several easy ways. The male plant dies in the 12th week of growing, the female will live another 3 - 5 weeks to produce her younguns. Females can weigh twice as much as males when they are mature. + Wild marijuana plants are vigorous, aggressive, competitive weeds. Some varieties have a large root system which helps them survive moisture stress and poor soil. Plants spaced at least 10 feet apart will grow to a height of 3 - 5 feet in dry climates. Cannabis is a survivor. Given control of a growing area of 4 to 12 square feet, in poor soil, mature plants will grow to about 5 feet tall with a strong terminal main bud or cola.