What did Dr. Jenner tell Rick?

[Wyldwraith]

Glad you guys liked my theory, Of course its complete speculation, but given the tone of Rick & Jenner's convo at the time he whispered in Rick's ear, and given Rick's tone when he almost repeated it to (presumably/maybe listening) Morgan on the walkie-talkie, I don't think whatever Jenner said would've been as "small scale" as some fact related to the interpersonal relationships of the group. Given Jenner's nihlistic (if not outright apathetic, depending on your view of his demeanor) attitude, I have a strong feeling that whatever Jenner said was about the events out in the world, and their ramifications for the people still around. Of course that could be anything from revealing the location/operations of the last government installation to lose contact with the CDC, to some radio transmission Jenner might have become aware of, to something about the health of Rick's group/one of its members, or the overall health impact of some sort for the remaining human beings. No way to know until the big reveal of course, but given Rick's dogged position in trying to change Herschel's mind I don't think Jenner's info had anything to do with any functioning enclave of humanity anywhere in their region. I can't back it up, but again, my gut is saying its some sort of information about the pathogen responsible for the Walkers, or some other health-impact on the surviving fraction of humanity. Jenner's defeatist outlook was brought on by some very specific stimuli after all. 1) The loss of his wife, who he perceived as the doctor/scientist humanity needed in this dark hour instead of him. 2) The loss of his last viable "non-necrotic" tissue samples from his wife's brain/body. Jenner wouldn't have cared so much about the automatic safety protocol activation destroying the samples if he didn't feel there was something of value he could either learn or accomplish by working with said biological samples. His plaintive wail when the samples were destroyed didn't seem to me some pointless nostalgia about the tissue having come from his wife. More like the loss of those samples meant he was witness to his being denied whatever opportunity to give his wife's infection/death meaning that whatever work he was doing with those tissue samples represented to/for him. And finally, 3) Admitting to himself during one of his last recordings/transmissions his belief that there was no one out there to listen to what he was saying. Given all this, in addition to his laser-like focus on the doom the "Walker Plague" embodied and thus inspired Jenner's conviction that they were all better off dying instantly then and there in the locked-down CDC, I just don't see how whatever Jenner said right after Rick barely and narrowly persuaded the doctor to let them out so they could continue trying to survive could be about something other than information Jenner didn't want to die with him, or info Jenner believed might help the group's survival effort...or info which "proved" (in Jenner's opinion) that their survival effort was futile. Info about Rick's wife being pregnant and/or almost assaulted just doesn't seem (at least to me) to "fit" either Jenner's then-current outlook or the "vibe" of Rick's verbal back-and-forth with the doc. Though again, I've got nothing to substantiate my speculations. Just something I have a feeling about is all.

[MinionZombie]

I don't know - I think Wyld's potential theory would be too hard to explain in the couple of sentences worth of time that Jenner had. Plus, as I said above, there needs to be a purpose for all their struggles. If there truly is no point whatsoever, well then what's the point in anything the characters do? I can't see it being something like that, personally - would millions of viewers want to watch a show where there's no point to the struggle of the protagonists? It'd be like Children of Men without the central conceit of a 'miracle child'. Now - could it be something to do with the outside world - i.e. all government has collapsed, there is no rescue team searching for survivors? I still think the Shane/Lori angle is more likely - could this have planted a seed in Rick that grows into something darker that seeks revenge? Oh the curiosity of it all...

[kidgloves]

Maybe it is just as simple as everyones infected and comes back when they die. I really hope they had something in mind when they did it otherwise were getting into Lost territory

[DjfunkmasterG]

I think he warned them that AMC was firing Frank.

[shootemindehead]

He said "I never liked 'This Life' and I thiought you were especially crap in it."

[ProfessorChaos]

Maybe it is just as simple as everyones infected and comes back when they die. I really hope they had something in mind when they did it otherwise were getting into Lost territory this seems to be a very reasonable guess, and i also pondered over this, but that would make it very tough to explain all the dead bodies rotting away inside of cars along the roadways throughout the series.

[rongravy]

I'd laugh my balls off if it all ended up just being one long effed up dream while in a coma.

[kidgloves]

this seems to be a very reasonable guess, and i also pondered over this, but that would make it very tough to explain all the dead bodies rotting away inside of cars along the roadways throughout the series. Kirkmans already admitted that this was an error/set dressing so try not to get too hung up on it.

[ProfessorChaos]

i seriously hope they don't use this as jenner's bombshell. i may be mistaken, but it seems like there's been at least 2 or 3 instances where they've passed cars with actual "dead" corpses inside of them: the pilot had a person rotting inside a car in the driver's seat in the opening scene, and then the traffic jam on the highway had the scene with carl struggling to get the knife arsenal from the truck with the corpse in it. i'm sure there's been at least one or two other examples, maybe not in cars every time, but nonetheless, i'd bet it's happened. if what you've said is true in regards to kirkman's admission of a set error or whatever (and i don't doubt you when you say that), somebody fucked up big time, at least twice now.

[kidgloves]

i seriously hope they don't use this as jenner's bombshell. i may be mistaken, but it seems like there's been at least 2 or 3 instances where they've passed cars with actual "dead" corpses inside of them: the pilot had a person rotting inside a car in the driver's seat in the opening scene, and then the traffic jam on the highway had the scene with carl struggling to get the knife arsenal from the truck with the corpse in it. i'm sure there's been at least one or two other examples, maybe not in cars every time, but nonetheless, i'd bet it's happened. if what you've said is true in regards to kirkman's admission of a set error or whatever (and i don't doubt you when you say that), somebody fucked up big time, at least twice now. Kirkman was saying on the Talking Dead that the drivers may have had head trauma that we couldn't see . It came across as an excuse to me to cover up an error. There are plenty of these errors on the show but im choosing not to dwell on them. Not everyone involved with this production is a zombie geek like a lot of us on this forum and i mean that as a compliment.

[ProfessorChaos]

oh i realize that they don't count on everyone being a connoisseur of living dead-related materials, but kirkman seems to have some input on the show, and he's a self-proclaimed zombie-nut, right? damn, they better let us know tonight what was said. if they don't, then like bassman said, maybe they've painted themselves into a corner and don't know how to get out without fucking up what's been done so far.

[AcesandEights]

I'm still pretty sure the reveal is   We're the walking dead, per the comic. When it'll be revealed I don't know and while I'd welcome a well structured curve ball, I'm still pretty sure this will be what Jenner imparted to Rick. And yes, some people will froth about window-dressing minutia gone amok, but it should make for fun reading

[Big Kahuna]

I think what Jenner said to Rick is that the whatever is causing the dead to rise is no longer just transmitted through bites, but is now airborne and now everyone is infected. That's why Jenner took blood samples, to prove it out. This new version of it isn't lethal like the bitten version. That's why in the gun fight in the bar, Ricks last shot was to the head, he doesn't want him coming back.

[Mike70]

is it me or have some posts disappeared from this thread??

[Saurian]

I with some of you about the airborne thing. Maybe it was something like your wife is so many months pregnant. It would explain his reaction when he found out from Laurie and then not blowing up when she told him about Shane cause he already figure it out himself.