TWD 4x02 "Infected" episode discussion... **SPOILERS WITHIN**

[bassman]

I've got a feeling Lizzy(Lindsey?) will be part of a certain comic plot involving Carl. Maybe not, but it's possible with the way it's rolling now. The phone happened within the prison in the show, so that could too I suppose...

[Mr. Clean]

This episode was just meh for me. Though, I kind of expected as much. Felt like filler mixed with a little build up of something special. The walkers on the fence is starting to become rather boring. I really NEED a highly intense "on the edge of your couch" episode similar to the Shane screwing over Otis episode. Then, they can go back to filler episodes. I just feel like a addict who needs that overdose! Just this once....

[Neil]

This episode was just meh for me. Though, I kind of expected as much. Felt like filler mixed with a little build up of something special. The walkers on the fence is starting to become rather boring. I really NEED a highly intense "on the edge of your couch" episode similar to the Shane screwing over Otis episode. Then, they can go back to filler episodes. I just feel like a addict who needs that overdose! Just this once.... I found her walking through the bathroom area tense enough thank you

[AcesandEights]

This episode was just meh for me. Though, I kind of expected as much. Felt like filler mixed with a little build up of something special. The walkers on the fence is starting to become rather boring. I really NEED a highly intense "on the edge of your couch" episode similar to the Shane screwing over Otis episode. Then, they can go back to filler episodes. Interesting, these last two episodes are the opposite of filler for me. Filler was languishing at the farm in Where-is-Sophia mode...or the back and forth with Woodbury, when they could have cut a quarter or third of those episodes and back-burnered the story mid-season if they wanted to draw that plot out while doing a whole other subplot. I don't feel like I've seen any glaring bits of wasted time with these first two episodes, instead the human interaction is there, but not overdone or ponderous.

[babomb]

This episode was just meh for me. Though, I kind of expected as much. Felt like filler mixed with a little build up of something special. The walkers on the fence is starting to become rather boring. I really NEED a highly intense "on the edge of your couch" episode similar to the Shane screwing over Otis episode. Then, they can go back to filler episodes. I just feel like a addict who needs that overdose! Just this once.... That's how I feel!! I keep thinking about that episode too. It sparked such debate here on the forum. It was those "mission" based episodes like that one and 18 Miles Out that really kept my interest peaked. And the episode where they show the flashback to Shane, Lori and Carl stuck on the highway in the traffic jam and we get to see the city being napalmed, the season 2 finale where the farm gets overrun. I wasn't crazy about the drawn out search for Sophia. But even during those episodes there were good moments, like daryl on his woods mission. There were similar moments in season 3, like the premiere that shows them going house to house, and taking the prison, then when they came upon that shack with the crazy guy in it. The episode where Merle is taking Michonne to woodbury, and of course Clear. It's the episodes where they stay in a solitary location like the prison or woodbury and don't do anything but talk that frustrate the hell out of me. I can appreciate the walkers and the deaths, but that only goes so far. It's frustrating because it's like here we are in the zombie apocalypse and everyone is sitting/standing around talking. I feel like they could do alot more with the walkers at the fence that give us some of those tense situations. Like build a barricade for the outside of the fence that prevents the walkers from building up so much. And actually show them putting it in place, similar to how they had the scenes in the original Dawn where they were putting trucks in front of the doors. Not like how they chose to start the season so far after season 3 when all their fortifications and everything is already done. I wanted to see all that stuff being done in season 3. Then I thought they'd go into that more this season. But no.

[krisvds]

That's how I feel!! I keep thinking about that episode too. It sparked such debate here on the forum. It's the episodes where they stay in a solitary location like the prison or woodbury and don't do anything but talk that frustrate the hell out of me. I can appreciate the walkers and the deaths, but that only goes so far. It's frustrating because it's like here we are in the zombie apocalypse and everyone is sitting/standing around talking. : You make it sound as if there is nothing going on worth debating. But I feel there was a bit more going on than just talking and 'walkers and deaths.' Carol giving a young girl a knife to stab het dead father in the head has a certain ethical dimension that could lead to a discussion, no? How you deal with the sick in a situation like this is debatable as well. There is an ethical undercurrent there that is so typical of the genre at it's best.

[Moon Knight]

It's only the second episode. I'm sure they won't be at the prison the entire season. I'm loving this direction.

[babomb]

You make it sound as if there is nothing going on worth debating. But I feel there was a bit more going on than just talking and 'walkers and deaths.' Carol giving a young girl a knife to stab het dead father in the head has a certain ethical dimension that could lead to a discussion, no? How you deal with the sick in a situation like this is debatable as well. There is an ethical undercurrent there that is so typical of the genre at it's best. Carol is dead on when she says the girl is weak, and if she wants to live she has to become strong. Carol won some points on that one IMO. We can all sympathize on how difficult it would be to kill a loved one. And the girl is young and likely has not had this "trial by fire" yet. So Carol has a unique opportunity to guide her here. That's what she promised the dad she would do, watch out for them like they were her own. So she's taking her own lesson from what happened to Sophia. If Sophia had been versed in how to kill walkers, and armed with a sufficient blade, she might still be alive. But knife fighting is just part of that equation. Those youngsters need to be taught what to do if they happen to be separated from the group, outside the prison. To resist the urge to call out, evasion techniques, what natural foods are safe to eat. How to fashion a spear. Basic survival protocol. IMO, arming the kids with knives is absolutely the right call.

[Wyldwraith]

Agreed, The world Rick wants to live in is a fantasy for these people, and a dangerous one at that. The complacency is already settling in, or Carol wouldn't fear that the immediate knee-jerk reaction to parents finding out she was schooling their kids in anti-Walker survival techniques would be to yank them away from her. I was glad to see that Rick is still being portrayed as having the strength of character to resist the siren song of that impossible "normal life" in the world they live in...though I think his shaping Carl to not end up a sociopath might be going too far in the other direction. Look at how freaked out Carl was that he'd picked up a gun and shot a Walker saving Michonne...it was like he feared his dad would condemn him for "breaking the peace." It's really shaping up to be an interesting, intriguing plot arc that I think has the legs to go the distance. Certainly a far cry better than the Woodbury-Prison pingpong of last season.

[Trencher]

I like the interaction between the characters in the prison but I definitivly agree that mission based episodes are the BEST! However I hate that they started to to that typical TV thing and switching back and fourth between the people out on mission and people back home talking after Darabount was kicked to the curb.

[babomb]

They need to establish a knowledge base/required skillset that all members are required to adopt and learn. They could nab some boyscout manuals and have Carol teach and quiz the kids from them. They should split the kids up according to age. The younger kids can do storytime but the older ones are being taught useful skills. They're like a tribe. Information that allows them to better manage the situation needs to be passed on. You can't have this situation where everyone sits around dependent on the more capable members of the group. - - - Updated - - - I like the interaction between the characters in the prison but I definitivly agree that mission based episodes are the BEST! However I hate that they started to to that typical TV thing and switching back and fourth between the people out on mission and people back home talking after Darabount was kicked to the curb. Agreed. They should break up the monotony with mission based episodes that are dedicated to the mission, not constant back and forth. We need episodes that play out like "Guts". Not missions that play out in a 5-10 minute span like the Big-Spot run. Granted, what's going on at the prison and between the characters is important. But so much of last season was spent inside the prison that it just gets old and boring watching them cooped up inside it all the time.

[zomtom]

Just watched this episode for the second time. It was just as good as the first time around!! Damned; I love this show!!! I love the fact, Carol is teaching the kids how to use knives. Unfortunately, she shouldn't have to keep it a secret (especially to the parents). They all live in a different reality. Reading fables to children just doesn't cut it in this "new world". They should be taught to defend themselves. Hell, everybody staying in that prison should be taking lessons (especially the coddled, Woodburyites). Everyone, should be able to pull their own weight to some extent.

[MinionZombie]

I like the interaction between the characters in the prison but I definitivly agree that mission based episodes are the BEST! However I hate that they started to to that typical TV thing and switching back and fourth between the people out on mission and people back home talking after Darabount was kicked to the curb. I see what you're getting at, but even in season one they cut away to different plot strands - that's just how shows are written, you generally dont just have a single plot running for the entire episode. Even in an episode like "Guts" they cut away to different portions (e.g. Rick & Andrea in the shop front when she took the necklace as a present for Amy), or in "Vatos" how they'd show camp-related goings on in-between the stuff in Atlanta with Rick & Co going up against the gang. The only episode of TWD that's really just followed one single story is the first episode - and that's because you've got a huge new world with loads of new rules that need to be introduced to the viewer - but even in that episode they intercut between different scenes (Morgan trying to shoot his wife, Rick tracking down bicycle girl, as well as the scene where the camp pick up Rick's CB radio signal). In terms of episodes having a 'majority focus', e.g. in one single location, there was 3x12 and (IIRC) 3x13 back-to-back. Cutting between two strands works fine as long as the gear shifts work - a prime example of the gear shifts not working is 3x04 where you go from shocking moments, or action packed moments, or emotionally charged moments to ... map reading, golf practice, and drinking ... the episode is still one of the best, but the pacing was awful at times. On the other hand, you've got 4x01, which cuts between three main plot arcs - the traditional A Story, B Story, C Story - you've got the run to Big Spot, Rick with the crazy lady, and Carl & Co at the prison. They were able to properly ride the rollercoaster throughout the episode so that the peaks and troughs of action or tension or intrigue or character drama all played out cohesively.

[babomb]

I don't think he's saying there shouldn't be cut scenes. I think he's saying they should dedicate entire episodes to specific plot strands. For instance in 18 miles out, there were scenes of them driving, then they got to that building and there was the fight, then the walkers came pouring out of the building. Or in Clear, there was 2 things happening but they were both part of the same mission. Rick getting guns from Morgan, and then Carl and Michonne getting the photo and the crib. Or like you say "Guts", they were cutting within the same situation. They weren't going from the city streets back to the camp constantly. They allowed the action to play out in continuity before cutting away to a different situation entirely. It made more sense that way. If I remember right, in that episode the only time they cut away to the camp was in relation to the mission that they were doing in the streets of the city. Certain characters were separated in the city and then someone radioed back to the camp to report on it, then they cut to the reaction of the people at the camp when they got the news. IMO, during 4x01, they overplayed the crazy lady segment. Although it was a decent part, it should've been shorter. I think it ruined the pacing of the Big-Spot scenes(which felt very rushed as a result of the 3 plot strands happening at the same time). But that's just me. Because I enjoy those types of scenes the most. It just felt like there was too much going on in too small of a time frame. had they extended the episode to 90 minutes or longer, they could've pulled it off better.

[bassman]

I'm enjoying the season so far. Most of it being set up to lead to something bigger as we go, but it's working. Although I was extremely excited to see the introduction of the prison and Governor in Season Three, I think this season is handling the beginning episodes a bit better.