About the lack of common sense decision-making among the members of the TWD group that many have commented on,
I agree that it's getting to be more than a bit much. Whoever said that the group acts like zombies don't exist unless they're looking right at one or more Walkers hit the nail on its damned head. It's gone beyond the believable in many cases. Take for instance the "everyone take a weapon" alternative to guns that Rick put in motion using the bundle of weapons Carl found. Yes, SOME of those implements would make effective BACKUP weapons, or a weapon you fall back on when the noise of a gunshot is too much of a risk. Others however, ranging from that hook-pronged implement Glenn got stuck with that's just BEGGING to get stuck in a Walker's body and wrenched out of his grasp AT BEST, to the short wide-bladed knife Andrea was forced to rely on are quite literally inferior to a thick tree branch. Yes, Andrea employed it sub-optimally, but you can't blame her when she's being attacked by a Walker with a SERIOUS REACH ADVANTAGE and her only means of defense requires she enter well into the grab-kill-zone of that Walker to strike it with a knife not much longer (or more effective) than a frigging STEAK KNIFE. WTH?
Rick took a reasonable position about needing to avoid making noise that could attract the Walker herd they'd encountered so far that he turned reasonable prudence into an absurdity with a high chance of getting someone killed. Hell, I didn't even see that hatchet from the bundle given to someone who didn't have a gun (or a crossbow), but Rick and Daryl each had one of the more effective of the weapons from the bundle despite those two already being well-armed. Rick is seen agonizing over the decisions he has to make for the group all the time, yet his attention to the less obvious details is consistently poor and shows little sign of improving with experience.
Don't get me wrong, I think Rick Grimes is a very compelling character in most respects. It's just that there's only 2 real directions the leader of a small group of post-apocalyptic survivors can go. Either he rises to the occasion, and while he'll stumble his mistakes are experiences he learns from and improves thereby as both a leader and a survivor, or he begins to crumble under the pressure and becomes more and more of a liability rather than an asset. Yes, realistically most people would fall somewhere between these two opposite poles, but Rick swings wildly between the 2 poles in a way that isn't explained by pressure, anxiety or stress. One minute he's Uber Leader, the Man With the Plan...and the next his actions (and inaction) silently communicates to the others "Meh, just do....whatever. It'll all work out, somehow."
I just haven't gotten the feeling from either Rick OR Shane that, despite how much Shane talks about his training as multifaceted all-purpose justification, these men are the experienced police officers what we're shown is supposed to convince us they are. Most of the time they simply come across as alpha-male rednecks that happen to be good with guns. There's no use of manpower to systematically secure whatever area they've stopped in. No acquiring of all reasonably available information or attempts to use the manpower at their disposal to form plans that allow for the possible occurrence of unexpected contingencies. No effort to pass on even the most elementary (and extremely useful) elements of their training. Bottom line? For me at least, it doesn't FEEL like the group has the benefit of two cops being part of their efforts to survive. On the contrary, Daryl of all people feels like a man utilizing his expertise in every way he can think to apply it. Rick and Shane are SUPPOSED to have skill-sets that should be a treasure trove for the group. Where are those skill-sets?
Could go on, but I think I've conveyed my point. Rather than flog the deceased equine some more, I'll wait and see what others have to say about these elements of characterization, and the common sense deficits others have pointed out.
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Originally Posted by bassman
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