TWD 2x01 "What Lies Ahead" episode discussion... **SPOILERS WITHIN**

[MinionZombie]

Just to keep everything organised, and as spoiler-free as possible for people watching the episodes at different times (allowing them to join the episode specific discussions when they're ready), here's the official thread for discussing the first episode of season two of The Walking Dead. For each new episode - a new individual thread can be created. Have at it and enjoy.

[JDFP]

The thread says SPOILERS so be aware there are SPOILERS below and I'm not masking it as the thread says SPOILERS... Well, I was going to wait 'til Halloween to watch it as part of my Halloween fest, but I have a ton of films lined up for Halloween and figured, eh, what the hell. I'd miss out on all the fun of discussing it with others around here as well. Anyone else catch the "Bikers Welcome!" on the Southern Baptist church they walked into? I got a great laugh out of that personally, reminded me of an old Johnny Paycheck song called "The Outlaw Prayer". The whole feel of the Southern Baptist church was wrong though, I grew up Baptist (before converting to become Catholic at 19) and they do NOT generally have Christ still attached to the cross as it's seen as inappropriate generally. Out of all the Baptist churches I visited when I was younger there was just the plain cross with J.C. not there. I understand why they made the church "Southern Baptist" as they were outside Atlanta, but I think it would have been better just to have shown the name of the church and said "Smith Church" or something like that without throwing a denomination on it. Overall, I was impressed. It seems the show is keeping up with the same quality as last season for the most part. I was highly pleased with Rick's announcement that they were going to aim for going to Ft. Benning (I called it last year!) as that seems like the most logical place to go - except maybe Warner Robins AFB which could also be on the list of places to possibly check out as well as a major military installation -- hey Bassman or others nearer that area than me, would Ft. Benning or Robins AFB be closer to Atlanta? The one thing that struck me was the fact that they seemed surprised by the "Emergency Alert System" on the radio in the car they checked. If it were me in the RV or the truck I'd have been checking the AM/FM (especially AM) band on the radio every 20 miles or so just to see if anything was picked up for news or information because, as a wise man once quotes in a zombie film, "You never know." Is it just me or is Andrea not turning into a major bitch? I felt bad for Dale (and it seemed others were feeling that way too) at the way she bitched at him for saving her life. Ungrateful and selfish isn't the way to make friends. I wouldn't be too sad to see her leave with Shane if they head for the hills - at this point I feel more sorry for Shane in his predicament than Andrea (even if she lost her sister, Amy was cuter anyway). I'm hoping Andrea will be less of a bitch in the next few episodes. I still feel conflicted for Shane - I don't think overall he's a terrible guy, he's no Captain Rhodes, he's just had a shit turn of events. Perhaps leaving from the rest of them and starting fresh somewhere else would be the best thing for him to do. I'm looking forward to seeing where the series takes us! EDIT: I just thought of this, but it bugs the hell out of me: WHY WERE THERE DEAD PEOPLE SITTING IN THEIR CARS THAT WEREN'T ZOMBIES? Did they die from Captain Trips that broke out the same time as the zombie apocalypse? If they were attacked by zombies and partially devoured they WOULD HAVE BECOME zombies; but they were not! They were just dead people sitting in their cars. Can someone please logically explain this to me? j.p.

[acealive1]

great episode but i swear the madness is catching up to all of them. first shane.......then daryl over his brother (but he snapped out of it)......then andrea.....now its carol and she's blaming rick over the loss of her daughter........kinda fucked up

[JDFP]

What the hell? This time last year there were a good 10 people on the thread of the newest episode, and now no one is around to comment? What happened to HPotD? Where are all the zombie-loving people of this board? Wow, insanity. Did everyone forget the premiere was tonight? With that, I'm going to bed. Hopefully there will be some good comments, discussions, etc. tomorrow. j.p.

[childofgilead]

I agree completely JD, there are alot of inconsistencies regarding the walkers in the show. It's dunno if it's just overlooked or if they're going to go for a bites only infection route. As for the episode, I genuinely enjoyed it. Still more things I'd like to get the answers to, but then again, sometimes mysteries are better left unsolved. (i could have done without the webisode honestly, i felt they tried to do too much with too little) I'm also a little curious as to when we'll stop seeing Darabont's name on the credits. And does anyone else find it ironic that Darryl has an SS symbol on the tank of his bike, yet is quickly becoming the groups most capable member? He's definitely grown on me alot, especially with his completely hard nosed attempt at sympathy with Carol over the search for her daughter. Very great performance. Shane is also growing on me alot. Nothing like the comic version and honestly, the only screwup I can pin on him so far is getting drunk and attempting to finger rape Lori. Anyways yeah, here's hoping the series continues to hold onto this level of quality!

[clanglee]

I liked it. . .just not as much as last year's premier. But last year's was almost a movie unto itself. I wondered about the dead in the cars too. . .weird that. . not a single one of them turned out to be a zombie strapped in to the seatbelt or just locked in the car. . . .I guess they all just died of gridlock.

[White_Zombie]

EDIT: I just thought of this, but it bugs the hell out of me: WHY WERE THERE DEAD PEOPLE SITTING IN THEIR CARS THAT WEREN'T ZOMBIES? Did they die from Captain Trips that broke out the same time as the zombie apocalypse? If they were attacked by zombies and partially devoured they WOULD HAVE BECOME zombies; but they were not! They were just dead people sitting in their cars. Can someone please logically explain this to me? Could be a lot of reasons such as a preexisting medical condition turned deadly with out medication. Dehydration, starvation, heat related injury brought on by being trapped in a car rather than getting eaten alive by walkers. Suicide? E.T.C. There's plenty of explanations on how they could have perished.... BUT............... ** SPOILER ** If it's true to the comics they would of came back to life no matter how they died unless they suffered severe brain trauma. And if that's what you mean then your guess is as good as mine. ** SPOILER ** Anyway howdy every one!! Haven't been really posting as much as I'd like lately, had to wipe my PC clean because of a virus and forgot my password here .. But anyways hope every one enjoyed this episode of the TWD, i know i did!!

[jded]

First half hour was excellent! Wow! The tension created along the freeway was like silent frozen dreadful poetry. I kid you not. I felt the gutting was unnecessary. Lastly, for crying out loud ditch the RV. As for some of JDFP's inquiries. I think Andrea is looking most definitely hotter than ever. What a body she's got all of a sudden. Could it be that I was too enamored by the Lori affect during the first season to notice? Possibly. And I'll make my prediction. Shane and Andrea? They'll be screwing soon. The dead people sitting in the cars? I don't know, see any noticeable gunshot wounds to the face or head? Maybe Morgan got 'em! Or maybe there's a new zombie rule about to be born. If they never feed after re-animation they slowly wink out and die again. Remember the ones on the transit bus downtown from "Days Gone Bye?" They were slow to wake up, very slow.

[White_Zombie]

First half hour was excellent! Wow! The tension created along the freeway was like silent frozen dreadful poetry. I kid you not. I felt the gutting was unnecessary. Lastly, for crying out loud ditch the RV. As for some of JDFP's inquiries. I think Andrea is looking most definitely hotter than ever. What a body she's got all of a sudden. Could it be that I was too enamored by the Lori affect during the first season to notice? Possibly. And I'll make my prediction. Shane and Andrea? They'll be screwing soon. The dead people sitting in the cars? I don't know, see any noticeable gunshot wounds to the face or head? Maybe Morgan got 'em! Or maybe there's a new zombie rule about to be born. If they never feed after re-animation they slowly wink out and die again. Remember the ones on the transit bus downtown from "Days Gone Bye?" They were slow to wake up, very slow. I don't know about that, after most of the human population being wiped out after awhile the living dead would die with them. There's only so many "woodchucks and stray dogs" in the world so they're demise would be inevitable. Great idea though! I Definitely agree about Andrea, if i was Shane i'd forget about Lori and dip my hand in that honey pot, haha. Whats up with Andrea screaming when that zombie was beating on the bathroom door, i would think she'd know better about noise discipline when there's at least a hundred walkers outside. Another thing i hate is how she can't put her weapon together when she's not in danger but she thinks she can when she is, idiotic to say the least. I just remember the church bells!!! tell me how the hell that sound system would be going off when there's no power?! Inconsistencies much?

[kidgloves]

Slightly disapponted if im honest. Cant quite put my finger on it. Maybe with all these months of anticipation i was expecting something as good as the 1st season premiere. I really liked the tone though and the way they put the 1st season behind them before the credits rolled and it was time to start afresh. Also felt the gutting scene was unnecessary. I hope they don't feel like they have to have a gag in every episode just to please the gorehounds. Just follow the story. Like last year, the previews didn't give much away and the scenes played out differently than expected. I just wish i hadn't read the comics because the ending of the episode was so obvious to me. No cliffhanger there. Anyone else notice the episode had 2 directorial credits Im going to have to watch it again i think.

[Wyldwraith]

Hmm, I really took an ENTIRELY different view of Andrea and Dale's interaction. Dale WAS coming off as a self-satisfied Father Knows Best sort of control freak. His whole "I'm not comfortable with you having your own gun right now", ESPECIALLY in light of the fact Andrea had just fought VEHEMENTLY for her life hand-to-screwdriver with that walker, came off patronizing as hell to me. Andrea's response to his statement about maybe expecting "a little gratitude for saving your life" really hit home/rung true for me. Her argument was both quite lucid AND ethical. Ie: "I didn't want your blood on my hands Dale. I just wanted to die on my own terms, not ripped apart by drooling freaks. You took that away from me Dale. It was my choice to make, and you took it away from me. Now you expect GRATITUDE?" Powerful stuff. Dale (In conjunction with Shane making his hypocritical argument about there not being guns "floating around the group" in the hands of people without training. Dale doesn't have training, but Shane's just fine with him being Keeper of the Guns) had NO RIGHT to withhold the gun that Andrea's father gave her. She had it the whole time she was dealing with putting her sister Amy down once she'd reanimated, and for their trek to and then from the CDC. She had oodles of opportunities to eat a bullet if she was so inclined, and that walker she brought down with the screwdriver represented an opportunity to get infected so someone else would've had to take on the responsibility of putting her down if she wanted to die yet had found she didn't have the nerve to pull the trigger herself. Then there's the fact that, unlike Rick with all his training having caused a nearly fatal incident by "popping off shots like it was the O.K Corral", whereas Andrea, despite multiple very stressful situations has refrained from pulling the trigger in all but the single unavoidable instance of needing to put her reanimated sister down. I agree that SO FAR (as in just 1 episode into the new situation) Shane has been much less of a problem, except for the hypocritical decision I just mentioned....It's ironic that Shane is backing up Dale's egocentric narcissism about responsible use of guns, when Mr. I'm Trained and You're Not drew down on and nearly shot someone he'd once (maybe still does, in a way) thought of as a close friend and trusted partner in the back with cold-blooded premeditation just because his former friend and partner had the "audacity" to survive and prevent Shane from usurping his place with Lori and Carl. I feel like their decision about the guns isn't about the safety of the group so much as it's about selfishly maintaining their own peace of mind by not having to worry what others with guns might do, and as a means to artificially FORCE continued group cohesion by making those without guns dependent on those who've retained them for protection from serious threats. That's NOT the way to hold a group of people already under serious pressure together. It IS, however, an effective recipe for splintering the group further. As evidence, I point to the fact that while Shane was already intending to take off, Andrea had shown no such inclinations until she was treated like what she wanted and felt didn't matter nearly so much as the feelings of one old man taking inappropriate liberties with Andrea's right to choose for herself. The argument about someone shooting and that herd of Walkers hearing it was a weak-ass smokescreen and we all know it. I'm truly impressed by Season 2's first episode though. It's powerful acting to make a previously positive character come off so suddenly and completely as a MAJOR self-involved, patronizing jerk.

[MikePizzoff]

Well, that was an awesome way to kick off the season! At least the first 40 minutes, for sure. After that it kinda lulled around, but didn't get too bad. I'd say it's definitely my second favorite episode of the series, thus far, falling short of ep 1 season 1. I was also sitting there, just waiting for the zombies in the cars to start lashing out, only to be somewhat dumbfounded when none of them did anything. Darryl and Dale are easily my two favorite characters on this show. Excited to see things really flesh out for them this season. Finally - RV zombie! Best zombie in this show thus far, in my opinion. I loved the emotion of the bike zombie, but this dude was just awesomely terrifying.

[JDFP]

Hmm, I really took an ENTIRELY different view of Andrea and Dale's interaction. Dale WAS coming off as a self-satisfied Father Knows Best sort of control freak. His whole "I'm not comfortable with you having your own gun right now", ESPECIALLY in light of the fact Andrea had just fought VEHEMENTLY for her life hand-to-screwdriver with that walker, came off patronizing as hell to me. Andrea's response to his statement about maybe expecting "a little gratitude for saving your life" really hit home/rung true for me. Her argument was both quite lucid AND ethical. Ie: "I didn't want your blood on my hands Dale. I just wanted to die on my own terms, not ripped apart by drooling freaks. You took that away from me Dale. It was my choice to make, and you took it away from me. Now you expect GRATITUDE?" Powerful stuff. I'm truly impressed by Season 2's first episode though. It's powerful acting to make a previously positive character come off so suddenly and completely as a MAJOR self-involved, patronizing jerk. I guess we just have a different perspective on it. Do you think if Andrea had put the gun together in the RV she would have hesitated in blasting the zombie (which would have possibly caused the death of everyone). I'm not so sure she wouldn't have done it. So, in my perspective, I think it's wise to not have someone toting around something that could kill them all by popping off a gun at the wrong time and attracting hordes of the ravenous undead in their direction. Then again, as you've pointed out, those who "have" had gun training have proben to be just as bad at popping off at the wrong time -- so I can understand entirely where you're coming from while seeing the other side of the argument as well. I guess an important question to ask would be: Would you want to be in a camp of survivors with people who didn't know how to properly have guns holding those guns or would you prefer for the firearms to be in the hands of those who were trained? Again, I'm not trying to be argumentative as I can see both sides of the argument. The part that I think is hypocritical on Dale's behalf is the fact that he gives his whole Wrath of Khan speech on "the good of the many v. the good of the few or the one" in replacing the RV hose and taking an extra day for something that takes a few hours because he's wanting Sophia to be found alive without Carol going without her daughter. Meanwhile - he's denied Andrea her gun. So, he's chosen the good of one individual over the many in one case but in the other case the group over the individual - well, which is it Dale? I think Andrea is being selfish in not giving appreciation to Dale for saving her life. I agree that it was her choice, but it was also Dale's choice to not allow his friend to kill herself. If I was facing the end of the world and being alone from someone I greatly cared about (and no doubt Dale thinks of Andrea as a type of daughter from how it appears) I very well would have done the exact same thing Dale would have done (I say probably, I don't know and none of us do unless we're in that situation) of not wanting to go on unless the other person goes with us. So, Andrea's motivation in killing herself was selfish - and it may have been selfish on Dale's behalf to want to save her life (he would have missed her) - but the out come of Andrea's selfishness would have been her death and the outcome of Dale's selfishness was in saving her life - so I'd have to support Dale on that issue. I do like how they are fleshing him out to where he's just not a one-sided grandfatherly good-guy but rather multi-faceted - just as good and bad as the rest of them. I think "TWD" is doing an excellent job of setting up the characters as multi-dimensional the last few episodes (something it initially struggled with) and in that comparison is similar to the new "Battlestar: Galactica" where NO ONE was either very good or very evil but a mixed back of goodness and badness. j.p.

[Vulture Lives]

I wasn't satisfied with the episode. I found myself questioning the actions of the characters too frequently. Why was Andrea clinking the gun parts together and talking to herself while hiding in the bathroom? Why didn't the commotion in the RV alert the rest of the herd? Why was nobody paying attention to the fact that Carl was crawling into a car with a dead body inside? Would Rick and Daryl really be able to identify Sophia's remains inside the zombie's stomach? It just seemed like a waste of time, and a silly excuse to show gore. Why were the zombies just sitting there like that in church? It was an attempt to manipulate the audience into thinking that maybe there were normal people sitting there; but after it's revealed that they're zombies, the behavior rings false. Then the episode became the hour long search for Sophia. Sophia has been nothing but a background character at best, so it was hard to care; I just wanted them to get to the point already. Nothing really happened until the very end of the episode. I guess they can afford to pad the run time with 12 more episodes ahead of them. Maybe I'm spoiled by the comic book series, which I recently started reading (I've read all 89 issues already). I don't think so, however, because I still enjoy episodes from the first season of the show. Oh, well... hopefully next week's episode will do more for me.

[kidgloves]

I wasn't satisfied with the episode. I found myself questioning the actions of the characters too frequently. Why was Andrea clinking the gun parts together and talking to herself while hiding in the bathroom? Why didn't the commotion in the RV alert the rest of the herd? Why was nobody paying attention to the fact that Carl was crawling into a car with a dead body inside? Would Rick and Daryl really be able to identify Sophia's remains inside the zombie's stomach? It just seemed like a waste of time, and a silly excuse to show gore. Why were the zombies just sitting there like that in church? It was an attempt to manipulate the audience into thinking that maybe there were normal people sitting there; but after it's revealed that they're zombies, the behavior rings false. Then the episode became the hour long search for Sophia. Sophia has been nothing but a background character at best, so it was hard to care; I just wanted them to get to the point already. Nothing really happened until the very end of the episode. I guess they can afford to pad the run time with 12 more episodes ahead of them. Maybe I'm spoiled by the comic book series, which I recently started reading (I've read all 89 issues already). I don't think so, however, because I still enjoy episodes from the first season of the show. Oh, well... hopefully next week's episode will do more for me. Its already been established that the zombies remember things about their past. Its been canon for a long time so zombies sitting in a church in that part of the country shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. I keep reading about this long long search for Sophia which didn't really start until 20 mins from the end.