TWD 3x14 "Prey" episode discussion...**SPOILERS WITHIN**

[sandrock74]

And what about all the walkers in the warehouse? That warehouse had been abandoned for 20 years before the world went to shit. What would've caused all those walkers to be grouped up in the stairwells? How do you know it had been abandonded for 20 years? Did I miss some line of dialogue establishing that? What are the Walkers doing grouped in the stairwell? Clearly they were people hiding out in the warehouse at some point earlier during the zombie apocalypse, someone turned, everyone is now a zombie. Why in the stariwell? Why not? Maybe the last survivor or two chucked the bodies down that stairwell. Maybe they all congregated there because one of them thought they heard something. We know that the Walkers have a pack mentality; they could have been standing in that stairwell for weeks! Thats no stretch knowing what we do of their typical behavior. The only thing I really have a problem with is that zombies shouldn't be able to surprise anyone with the sense of smell. Think about it, youd be able to smell a zombie well before you saw or heard them! Thats never really addressed in most zombie movies. I understand that smell is a limitation that movies/tv has imposed on it, so I just accept that smelly-assed zombies can sneak up on someone. The smell of those burned zombies in the pit didn't seem to bother anyone either, when in reality, they should have been puking from the stench of burned human flesh and hair! I just accept it; not that big a deal to me. I do agree with you on those burned Walkers, by the way! They looked totally awesome....you know, in a freaky way. It was gross how they seemed to be fused together! We need to see more stuff like that.

[babomb]

this kinda sums up how i feel.... also, was anyone else as dumbfounded by andrea's behavior during the chase sequence with the governor? as soon as she heard an approaching vehicle, given that she had just fled woodbury, she should have dropped flat to the ground....rather than standing there like a deer-in-headlights. she was pulling the same "t-rex in jurrasic park/if-i-don't-move-he-can't-see-me-LOL!" logic when she was standing right in the middle of the only window looking down into the torture room with milton. also, she could have tried taking the governor's truck while he was whistling his way around the abandoned building she just happened to go into (like 's he's some sort of bloodhound or something)....and if she found no keys, she could at least make an attempt at slashing the governor's tires, breaking his shift handle off, or doing something real quick to sabotage his ride. I was thinking all this same stuff while watching it. When she was standing there in the field I was shaking my head thinking-lay the fuck down dumb ass. When she was moving through the warehouse I kept thinking-throw something to the other side of the place, and grab a bigger weapon. There's weapons all over that place. And she just nonchalantly walks out of the place while the Gov is fighting for his life, and doesn't even think to take the vehicle or try to disable it. She had time. If there were no keys, she could slash tires, or if all else fails pop the hood and start cutting and ripping cables. Then when the Gov ambushes her outside the prison, come on!? No woman is that helpless and easily subdued! They're a flailing mess of flying arms and legs. They'll elbow, knee, kick, scratch, punch, slap. Even if just long enough to get his hand off her mouth so she could yell out. This is what I'm talking about. A bunch of convenient plot devices and lapses in logic have plagued this season. I don't remember season 1&2 having so much of that and so blatantly divisive.

[Wyldwraith]

I agree with pretty much everything you said wholeheartedly babomb, TWD keeps getting these passes for poorly designed scenes and transparently-contrived plot devices because people are just SO ECSTATIC to have a zombie TV show. What the adherents of the "the problems you guys are pointing out are just minor irritations in an otherwise great series" mindset don't seem to get is the fact that Past truly IS Prologue. Ever since mid-season 2, the writers have begun relying on the "this plot device is so visibly contrived the words "It's happening because we say so!" might as well flash on the screen or scroll across the bottom of said screen during those scenes. People always underestimate the power of feedback. More than once already the writers have been directed to make HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT CHANGES to what had been the established plan for that portion of the plot due to feedback of an overwhelming nature after the previous season aired. It's wonderful to have a zombie apocalypse-themed show on TV, but I EXPECT those involved in its ongoing creation to a) remain vigilant against complacency, and b) Consistently and constantly strive to top their best efforts to date. I'm sorry, but pretty much the whole of the clash between Teams Woodbury and Prison has been plagued by highlighted fiat-style plot devices that for many of us prevent true immersion and suspension of disbelief. Unexplained/unsupported treasure troves of information and supplies to puff up Woodbury, the Governor's newest "disarm everyone policy" JUST SO HAPPENING to go into effect right as Andrea was going to go over the wall, the Woodbury spies at the prison being utterly immune to the "go into the woods and 4-8 Walkers will sneak up on you at once, each and every time" despite being on foot and directing a great deal of their attention towards the prison. Not to mention the sudden loss of 90% of Team Prison's firearms accuracy during the Governor's raid (I'm sorry, but the whole "zombies don't shoot back, so of course Team Prison's accuracy would be affected" just doesn't hold water in cases like the sniper in the guard tower who STOPPED SHOOTING for significant intervals...with Maggie being in possession of the optimal cover, field of fire/distance to target, and weapon to eliminate him. Or the non-reactive turned-stupid response by Michonne to the Walker truck's approach and then its driver's dash to freedom.) When you cap all that off with the contrived outcomes of this latest episode, just to create an episode filled with "The Governor wants Michonne, should we give her to him?" and other uncertainty/non-resolution in the face of the Governor's monolithically systematic preparations, you get the biggest fiat-device of them all, Ie: "We're going to delay any sense of finality in Team Prison's decision-making, and continue to foster a ridiculously unsupported and unrealistic air of uncertainty that is dominating their actions so the conflict doesn't in any way begin to sensibly equalize as each side's advantages/disadvantages come to bear. All in the name of dragging both the primary storyline and the related sub-plots out in the most obviously artificial and unenjoyable of ways, so as to create an unnecessary, undesirable, unwanted and show-harming cliffhanger. Which will allow us to carry this through well into a significant percentage of Season 4." Giving them a pass for all that is the exact same thing as giving them your blessing for them to turn TWD into the Survival Horror equivalent of Professional Wrestling. You know, how each week the good and bad guys posture and threaten, and maybe a little minor clash occurs here and there...but 98.5% of the time SOMETHING ALWAYS HAPPENS to delay and prevent the clash from escalating until the big Pay-per-View event. That's what Season 3 has been almost in its entirety when it comes to all things Woodbury...nothing but sound and fury signifying nothing but improbable villain-successes, negation of villain setbacks, and the slow-as-a-constipated-snail-in-winter pacing thats turned what properly done should've taken start to finish 55-75% of ONE SEASON...not 87.5% of Season 3 and 20-40% of Season 4 (not counting the interpersonal fallout after the final clash). I for one will praise TWD for doing what no one else has dared to do on TV, for excellent casting, makeup and in many cases set choices...and for bringing the zombie apocalypse to life and making we viewers care about the intrepid survivors. What I will NOT do is minimize and look away from the show's warts and boils. It has problems that if allowed to grow further could kill it long before its natural time, and as fans we do our beloved show no service when we fail to criticize the failures as ardently as we praise its successes. Without a healthy capacity to differentiate between the gold and the crap, how are we to play our part in indicating where the creators of this creative work have triumphed and where they need to redouble their efforts to continue the show's rise?

[babomb]

How do you know it had been abandonded for 20 years? Did I miss some line of dialogue establishing that? What are the Walkers doing grouped in the stairwell? Clearly they were people hiding out in the warehouse at some point earlier during the zombie apocalypse, someone turned, everyone is now a zombie. Why in the stariwell? Why not? Maybe the last survivor or two chucked the bodies down that stairwell. Maybe they all congregated there because one of them thought they heard something. We know that the Walkers have a pack mentality; they could have been standing in that stairwell for weeks! Thats no stretch knowing what we do of their typical behavior. The only thing I really have a problem with is that zombies shouldn't be able to surprise anyone with the sense of smell. Think about it, youd be able to smell a zombie well before you saw or heard them! Thats never really addressed in most zombie movies. I understand that smell is a limitation that movies/tv has imposed on it, so I just accept that smelly-assed zombies can sneak up on someone. The smell of those burned zombies in the pit didn't seem to bother anyone either, when in reality, they should have been puking from the stench of burned human flesh and hair! I just accept it; not that big a deal to me. I do agree with you on those burned Walkers, by the way! They looked totally awesome....you know, in a freaky way. It was gross how they seemed to be fused together! We need to see more stuff like that. The burnt walkers were excellent. They looked like the ones from the comics. The way their lips were all wilted and melted away, revealing their teeth. And small amounts of sporadic hair patches, darkened skin. That moment was very true to the source material. About the warehouse, just one look at the outside and inside and you know it had been abandoned for years before the apocalypse hit. It was either part of an old slaughterhouse or a really old machine shop. Maybe even a large feed and grain processing and storage facility. But no matter what it was when it was in use, it's OLD now. All the windows outside were busted from kids throwing rocks and shooting guns, graffiti everywhere. It was old corrugated tin construction, busted up concrete foundation, the old watertower. That was only there cuz someone kept tools in it and used it for general storage because it had been there for ages. At best it was somewhat recently used to house broken down farm equipment meant for salvage. Had that been an urban area, it could've been an old industrial district on the outskirts of a city. In that case it would make some sense for all those walkers to be there maybe, since those places are used by homeless people. But that's not an urban area, and it was clearly well out of the way. There wasn't even a concrete road leading to it. I've been to places that looked real similar. There's a few places in town here that resemble that. I've been the kid that busts out the windows on old places like that, graffiti's it up, shoots the place up with a shotgun. Places like that are common in rural areas like mine, and like the filming location in the show. It's the kind of place that rural kids go to party before they're old enough to go to a bar. That makes it seem like just a convenient location for the suspenseful chase scene between Andrea and the Gov. And having that many walkers in the stairwell seems like a convenient device to allow Andrea to escape. As far as convenient devices go, it's low on the scale. It's not that bothersome. I only mentioned it to illustrate how much the writers are relying on these devices, and how they aren't very logically designed devices. Sort of like the scene where Andrea goes 50ft off the road, on an incline even, and is suddenly ambushed by a group of 4 or 5 walkers. I guess it's only an issue for me because it IS TWD. And I kind of had higher hopes and expectations. And it seems a bit lazy. And I'm hoping that this laziness isn't an indication of the decline of the series, that eventually spirals further downward and results in the termination of the show. I've never been a big TV person. I've always been into movies. This is really the 1st TV show I ever cared about, and the only one I actually watch and look forward to every week. There's other ones I watch when I see them on. But i don't make a point to watch them when they air. I'm also a fan of the comics. So I don't want this show to go down in flames as so many other ones are known to do. When the premiere aired, I thought it was an indication of what to expect from this season. But it's just gone downhill from there. And it seems to be due to lazy writing.

[krisvds]

And so TWD season 3 continues its journey to boring, middle of the road, action drama. I guess we just got lucky with 'Clear' and are back to boring mediocrity with these past two episodes. They are still kind of enjoyable to watch, but mainly because I like the genre not because of actual content. All of this sloppy writing and poor characterisation has made the show very unbelievable to me. Up to the point where I just stop caring about any of these characters fates. Anyone else had to laugh out loud at the gov' driving down that field and repeatedly honking the horn? Hilarious stuff. all the unstoppable killer that just keeps coming clichés in the episode where funny as well. this show is going from 'where is the dread?' to 'this stuff is unintentionally funny' fast. Let's hope they somehow can turn things around for the last two episodes and the next season.

[Neil]

also, she could have tried taking the governor's truck while he was whistling his way around the abandoned building she just happened to go into (like 's he's some sort of bloodhound or something)....and if she found no keys, she could at least make an attempt at slashing the governor's tires, breaking his shift handle off, or doing something real quick to sabotage his ride. Yes, I wondered why when she left the warehouse she didn't see if she could pinch his truck, or at least knife a tyre! - - - Updated - - - Why in the stairwell? Why not? They were on that side of the building and heard noise from down there? So went down the stairs in a pack as they tend to?

[MinionZombie]

Yes, I wondered why when she left the warehouse she didn't see if she could pinch his truck, or at least knife a tyre! 1) She assumed he was dead, so why bother knifing his tyres if she assumes he's dead. Turned out to be a big mistake, but you can see the thought process. 2) The Governor would take the keys with him - you're not going to leave a sweet ride outside with the keys in it - plus Andrea won't know how to hotwire a car. Simples. BTW - my 19,000th post.

[kidgloves]

Maybe Morgan burned the walkers

[MinionZombie]

Maybe Morgan burned the walkers Laurie Holden on The Talking Dead said it was "pretty obvious" that it was Milton ... whether that's 100% confirmation or not, who knows - but I certainly read it that way. Milton knows the Governor knows and vice versa. Plus, Milton knows where the pits are and has easy access to get to them as well as having the ease of passage in and out of Woodbury as one of the residents. I can't imagine it's Morgan as not only would he not know where the pits are (let alone know of them), but if he was going to go anywhere it'd be the Prison (assuming Rick left him directions to get there off-camera). Plus it makes sense for it to be Milton thematically speaking.

[Legion2213]

Laurie Holden on The Talking Dead said it was "pretty obvious" that it was Milton ... whether that's 100% confirmation or not, who knows - but I certainly read it that way. Milton knows the Governor knows and vice versa. Plus, Milton knows where the pits are and has easy access to get to them as well as having the ease of passage in and out of Woodbury as one of the residents. I can't imagine it's Morgan as not only would he not know where the pits are (let alone know of them), but if he was going to go anywhere it'd be the Prison (assuming Rick left him directions to get there off-camera). Plus it makes sense for it to be Milton thematically speaking. Aye. Huge seeds of doubt have been placed in Miltons mind about his boss over the last few episodes. That said, it was a pretty ballsey move for him if he did do it. He's a pretty meek guy.

[AcesandEights]

Yes, I wondered why when she left the warehouse she didn't see if she could pinch his truck, or at least knife a tyre! To be fair, and I think the possibility occurred to most viewers, the vehicle is the first place that the Governator would probably head back to and even if she beat him there (easy to assume that she would, but still only an assumption) it still carries the risk that doing so would mean a run in with an armed Governor coming out the other entrance before you could check the vehicle for keys or finish knifing a tire. So do you run back to the vehicle and take the chance or book it to the treeline? The Governator can't follow you like he's part bloodhound after all...oh, wait a second...

[facestabber]

Babomb. "It's the kind of place that rural kids go to party before they're old enough to go to a bar." Yep you are definitely from the Illinois Valley. Places like that all over Lasalle, Bureau and Putnam

[MinionZombie]

Aye. Huge seeds of doubt have been placed in Miltons mind about his boss over the last few episodes. That said, it was a pretty ballsey move for him if he did do it. He's a pretty meek guy. And the meek shall inherit the Earth! I'm a really big fan of Milton - Dallas Roberts does a bloody good job playing him. I really hope they keep him around.

[facestabber]

And the meek shall inherit the Earth! I'm a really big fan of Milton - Dallas Roberts does a bloody good job playing him. I really hope they keep him around. Agreed. Milton had transformed from creepy mad scientist to a like able guy. He has humanity left in him. Very interesting that he knew Philip before he became the Gov. But I would be thrilled if it was Morgan that torched the walkers and is now coming back to help team prison. Probably not likely but that would be great to see.

[babomb]

Babomb. "It's the kind of place that rural kids go to party before they're old enough to go to a bar." Yep you are definitely from the Illinois Valley. Places like that all over Lasalle, Bureau and Putnam You're familiar with the area? I'm from Spring Valley, Bureau county.