TWD 6x01 "First Time Again" episode discussion... **SPOILERS WITHIN*

[shootemindehead]

I don't think burning the zombies in the quarry is as easy as it seems everyone thinks. For one, you'd need a LOT of flammable liquid, which is far better to conserve for other purposes and you'd get the zombies all riled up from them seeing people and hearing the noise that would inevitably be made. Plus, the resulting fire from 1000's of burning zombies would be seen from miles away, bringing all sorts of unwanted attention, both alive and dead.

[JDP]

They had plenty of time to line up vehicles and build fences to corral the walkers on their path out of town...they should have focused on blocking them in the quarry permanently...they could have moved dozens of vehicles, sandbags etc in to fortify the 2 trucks at the bottom of the quarry -- make it an impassable barrier and then the road leading out the top - they should have just collapsed it ahead of the trucks so that any walkers that got past the trucks would just fall back into the quarry... That would be a temporary solution. The problem is that the zombies already trapped at the quarry keep attracting more zombies, they fall in and can't get out. So it gradually keeps on filling up. Unless you empty it from time to time, there will be so many of them that they will start to be able to climb up either the walls or the trucks blocking the exits. It might take a long time to happen, but it will eventually happen.

[Moon Knight]

I haven't trusted Enid since she was introduced. She is suspect. My first thought was that she is connected to the Wolves. But what are the wolves waiting for? And the show made it a point to show the wolves discovering the photos of Alexandria. Not that we saw their reaction but I read it as Alexandria was new to them. I could be wrong though. Kudos Buzzbomb on your thoughts on the quarry. Im in the keep em there camp. The metal walls could have been better built to funnel them back down. My first thought was using some of that farm equip to excavate ditches beyond the semi trailer barriers which would force them back down the pit. In the end, blocking their exit seems far easier than that march. Too many things can go wrong. The horn thing is bothering me. The writers really like messing with us. I don't think she's with them but perhaps her parents or friends/group were killed by them prior to her arriving at the gates of Alexandria.

[Buzzbomb]

That would be a temporary solution. The problem is that the zombies already trapped at the quarry keep attracting more zombies, they fall in and can't get out. So it gradually keeps on filling up. Unless you empty it from time to time, there will be so many of them that they will start to be able to climb up either the walls or the trucks blocking the exits. It might take a long time to happen, but it will eventually happen. But they wouldn't survive a fall - the one's entering the quarry were sliding down a slope, so were still mobile, but if driven over a cliff edge they would be incapacitated or killed. Granted there would still be the need to control the flow and dispose of the bodies, but it would be easier to manage. I don't think the walkers are capable of climbing - unlike the Brad Pitt version

[babomb]

This episode was fantastic! Dealing with those walkers like that was like something straight out of my own head. I'd say it was the best episode since "Clear" IMO.

[JDP]

But they wouldn't survive a fall - the one's entering the quarry were sliding down a slope, so were still mobile, but if driven over a cliff edge they would be incapacitated or killed. Granted there would still be the need to control the flow and dispose of the bodies, but it would be easier to manage. I don't think the walkers are capable of climbing - unlike the Brad Pitt version The zombies in this series can climb. Look at season 1 when some of them were climbing up the construction site fence and the tank. Enough of them piled up against an obstacle like a wall, fence or vehicle and sooner or later they will be able to climb up.

[Moon Knight]

The zombies in this series can climb. Look at season 1 when some of them were climbing up the construction site fence and the tank. Enough of them piled up against an obstacle like a wall, fence or vehicle and sooner or later they will be able to climb up. That was a Darabont thing. He also had them use tools like the rocks to break the windows. Kirkman axed that I believe. Also, about the horn, what if it is a fellow Alexandria member sounding it off to alert the group back for reinforcements as they are attacked? Remember, to Alexandria, it was supposed to be a dry run. They have no idea the shit hit the fan.

[sandrock74]

Also, about the horn, what if it is a fellow Alexandria member sounding it off to alert the group back for reinforcements as they are attacked? Remember, to Alexandria, it was supposed to be a dry run. They have no idea the shit hit the fan. Huh. Good idea, Moony! I hadn't thought of that. I guess the town wouldn't have known the plan went into effect 24 hours early!

[babomb]

I was puzzled at first by the sudden change to grayscale also. I thought maybe it was my buzz at the time. But the AMC logo was in color.

[zomtom]

If I'm not mistaken, Alexandria is only going to get hit by the second half of the herd. The first half had already passed by before the horn sounded. They were out of range and are still following Daryl, Sasha and Abraham. Even though the town is going to get hit by a shitload of walkers, it's better than the full load from the quarry.

[MinionZombie]

Plus, the resulting fire from 1000's of burning zombies would be seen from miles away, bringing all sorts of unwanted attention, both alive and dead. A considerable downside to the burning options, I must admit. That would be a temporary solution. The problem is that the zombies already trapped at the quarry keep attracting more zombies. There's significant downsides to any option chosen, that's the bugger of the situation. There's various ways you could deal with it, but all of them have their challenges and downsides. I don't think she's with them but perhaps her parents or friends/group were killed by them prior to her arriving at the gates of Alexandria. Ooh! An intriguing possibility. Yes, she does seem to be a bit of an orphan. Either that or her folks/guardian were exiled ... in which case they might have joined The Wolves post-exile. The zombies in this series can climb. Look at season 1 when some of them were climbing up the construction site fence and the tank. Enough of them piled up against an obstacle like a wall, fence or vehicle and sooner or later they will be able to climb up. I don't think they'd be able to climb up the side of the quarry at all - just look at how some of them were crushed and splattered when the herd hit that turn in the road that they'd fashioned - the weight of the herd crushed a number of them against the steel wall, and then underfoot. There's no chance they'd physically climb on each other. About the closest you'd get to that would be a growing carpet of walkers underfoot - but you'd have to wait years for that to happen for such a high cliff face. As for the fence climbers in season 1 - a decided mistake on everyone's part - thank GAR they got rid of that shit idea thereafter. That's a moment in Season 1 that really jars and grates for me - it would have been better if the fence buckled at the join and let a few walkers seep through. I don't mind them using 'tools' necessarily (e.g. smashing the windows in the department store in S1), but I understand Kirkman wanting to extract that aspect of 'reasoning' that is so linked to GAR's undead. Also, about the horn, what if it is a fellow Alexandria member sounding it off to alert the group back for reinforcements as they are attacked? Remember, to Alexandria, it was supposed to be a dry run. They have no idea the shit hit the fan. Yes, another possibility. The Alexandrians have been very secretive, so they might have enemies that they know about but haven't revealed - or - The Wolves have found the place. Yes, I'd forgotten that they found those pictures (it did seem like they didn't know about Alexandria - and IIRC that location was about 50 miles away from Alexandria). If I'm not mistaken, Alexandria is only going to get hit by the second half of the herd. The first half had already passed by before the horn sounded. They were out of range and are still following Daryl, Sasha and Abraham. Even though the town is going to get hit by a shitload of walkers, it's better than the full load from the quarry. Perhaps, but that horn is flippin' loud, so I think the rest of the walkers could very easily be dragged away. I doubt the bike and car would keep going once they figure out the herd has moved away behind them and is heading straight for Alexandria. Nail biting stuff!!!

[JDP]

I don't think they'd be able to climb up the side of the quarry at all - just look at how some of them were crushed and splattered when the herd hit that turn in the road that they'd fashioned - the weight of the ground crushed a number of them against the steel wall, and then underfoot. There's no chance they'd physically climb on each other. About the closest you'd get to that would be a growing carpet of walkers underfoot - but you'd have to wait years for that to happen for such a high cliff face. As for the fence climbers in season 1 - a decided mistake on everyone's part - thank GAR they got rid of that shit idea thereafter. That's a moment in Season 1 that really jars and grates for me - it would have been better if the fence buckled at the join and let a few walkers seep through. I don't mind them using 'tools' necessarily (e.g. smashing the windows in the department store in S1), but I understand Kirkman wanting to extract that aspect of 'reasoning' that is so linked to GAR's undead. The cliff wall is too high, but they might be able to make it up the side of the roads that are blocked by the trucks, and up the trucks themselves as well. That the zombies have not completely lost their ability to climb up can be seen in one of the prison episodes, when many of them were pushing against a section of the fence and it started to tip. Some of the zombies are clearly climbing up the fence: So all you need is for them to get a bit of an inclined plane to be able to start climbing up to higher levels. Walkers piling up against an obstacle could provide such an inclined platform. Another thing that we have seen the zombies in this series do is to crawl under obstacles. So a good question to ask is why haven't the quarry zombies simply crawled under the trucks blocking the exits? I am not sure what you mean by the "weight of the ground". The zombies that got smashed against the wall it was because there were so many other zombies behind them pushing forward that they gained too much momentum. Had the herd been smaller that probably would not have happened. In any event, dead walkers for whatever reason would start piling up and make it easier for the other coming zombies to have a platform to stand on and reach higher.

[MinionZombie]

I am not sure what you mean by the "weight of the ground". Meant to type "weight of the herd".

[babomb]

There is actually alot of things that could be done to deal with the situation. The preparation alone would be extremely long and dull though, not good for a TV show. Everyone in the group should be creating a central, shared knowledgebase. Not only is it extremely helpful to have information relating to your survival, but it creates a purpose for people which boosts morale. You'll never get anywhere if everyone feels defeated.

[Staredge]

Fire truck deck guns push water out at 350+ gpm. Engines hold 350-500 gallons in the internal tank. How much of the quarry could you cover in a minute? How many gallons of a non-specified flammable liquid are you going to be able to find in the nearby area? Add to that the explosive limits of whatever you're spraying. Fuels have to mix at a certain ratio with air. This defines the upper and lower explosive limits. If you have ANY heat source nearby that is within that range, you've got an ignition source. Spraying flammable liquids puts an awful lot of vapor in the air, and if it lights off it will ignite everything in a big giant fireball. Think Carol and Terminus, except it's going to burn vapor all the way back to the dispersal point (under your feet).