Author Topic: The Walking Dead  (Read 556346 times)

Offline Jesse James

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Re: The Walking Dead
« Reply #1050 on: November 14, 2013, 05:40 PM »
That was from Nicotero or Kirkman IIRC on Talking Dead, about the zombies going into sort of hibernation and starving (but very, very slowly), but it's it's been shown in the show...  The specific example pointed out as I recall it was the group in the diner, but every episode it's actually sort of shown...  Zombies laying around, sleeping almost, then waking up when stirred.  That's pretty common throughout the show.  They're stirred up by anything from a mouse running by or a chopper flying overhead and they wake back up.

I seem to recall on a TD episode them also mentioning that the cold makes the zombies go a little more dormant, or slow down slightly, but they're still functional and with the right motivation are pretty much as deadly as usual.

Talking Dead serves a purpose with the right people on it...

I think the thought of them starving isn't really on the minds of the characters...  So it's not a viable solution because it's never even considered really, but it's just mentioned because the question was asked whether they can starve...  Ones locked up somewhere then probably could, eventually, but it could take eons, and they eat anything it seems so they seem to survive well and waiting them out till they exhausted everything alive on Earth that they eat isn't realistic anyway.

I was curious about this so I looked it up...  Wikipedia sort of contradicts itself on them "sleeping".  It says they're "playing dead" but that seems unlikely by the way the show implies them laying silent till something stimulates them and they wake up...  They don't all wake up to attack.  They simply wake up (as is evident at the diner place, and other settings).

Sometimes they wake up and strike immediately though, as with Herschel's leg...  Sooooooooo, the wiki isn't reliable here I think.

They do mention they're starving though, even in the show, and it's likely that they'd waste away to nothing over time as the body basically devours itself if they go without food long enough in theory, or simply it rots away and eventually they re-die.

I think in the show it was Milton who mentions the starvation thing?  I forget though.  Him or Jenner.

I guess in the comics several times they come across zombies who've not eaten in a long time (including a child who starved to death himself, then came back and is now a starving zombie) who aren't even able to crawl and are barely "undead" at this point.

Zombies who don't eat seem to turn into "lurkers" though and go into that dormant state...  Like the ones in the church which is still a scene I don't get...  It looked like a wedding was taking place but everyone just sat down in a pew and died and was there that whole time.

Glen Mazarra said they don't starve, but eventually do rot away and die...  sooooo, that's weird and kind of similar ultimately.  :-\
« Last Edit: November 14, 2013, 06:24 PM by Jesse James »
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Offline CloneF13Y35

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Re: The Walking Dead
« Reply #1051 on: November 14, 2013, 06:38 PM »
yeah I have to agree - I think TWD 'zombie lore' is different than most other zombie series so it's ok with me.  I would believe that the zombies would nearly 'freeze to death' in the cold, it would make what tissue they have lock up, freeze or whatever but I'm not sure they would 'thaw out' afterwards. I'm curious to see how things play out with the return of the Gov, psycho little lizzie the zombie loving girl and the whole daryl-tyreese-carol issue plays out too.
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Offline Jesse James

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Re: The Walking Dead
« Reply #1052 on: November 14, 2013, 06:51 PM »
From what I was reading there's a lot of similarities to Romero's zombies but attempts to differentiate too...  Less use of tools being one.  Less "personal identity" too.
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Offline JediJman

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Re: The Walking Dead
« Reply #1053 on: November 14, 2013, 06:58 PM »
I don't see how zombies can starve or waste away outside of years and years of time.  They can be shot over and over or hacked to pieces, but the only way we really seem the die is by damage to the brain.  Even the ones that were burned in the pit I assume died because the heat and flame destroyed their brain, which we know is the source of the disease.  We have seen heads survive on in water tanks or just keep biting after being chopped off.  How about the woman living outside the prison who was essentially carrying her dead husband's head around in a bag and feeding it?  They don't seem to really digest anything, so I don't think the actual consumption of flesh gives them any kind of sustanance.  More like they are compelled by the basic urge to eat flesh regardless of whatever impact it does or does not have on their bodies.  If that's true, it would imply they all really decay at essentially the same rate with the only difference between external factors like time, age when turned, weather, etc.

I don't remember anything about a boy starving himself then also starving as a zombie in the comics.  If you have any idea what sotyline or around what issue number, I would love to re read about that.  I haven't read the earlier books in a long time and feel like I've forgotten a lot of what happened from post governor to Nagan.
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Offline Jesse James

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Re: The Walking Dead
« Reply #1054 on: November 14, 2013, 07:30 PM »
Don't recall it saying anything specific just that it was a traumatic moment for "the group" and they killed the boy and buried him, but they did mention that...  It was in the wiki about the show I was reading.  To be honest though, similar things have been shown in the show...  Zombies in the church seemed a little slower and more decayed, Bicycle Girl (despite having no lower torso) was noticeably unable to grab quickly or be too aggressive...  The Wiki seems to point out a few things from the comics but I haven't read them yet myself.

Kirkman says they're instinctively eating though, not a need per se...  They're pretty dumb and primal...  Milton I'm quite sure is who mentions them starving to death but they may just simply become more lethargic as they're decayed further too.  I think that makes sense for the most part.

They didn't mention time-frames for the decaying in anything I read...  Years, decades...  It's shown on the show though, clearly.  Don't know about the comics but one of the wiki things mentioned pure white eyes as the iris and eyeball decayed is a sign of the zombies decaying over time in the comic.

The wiki contradicted itself (and the show, at least) on the "lurker" thing and kept saying they were "playing dead"...  I don't see that.  Dormant maybe after not finding food or stimulation for a while, but some of them in the show clearly are waking up slowly to move to what got their attention...  others woke up quickly and attacked immediately.

Mazara outright said they are NOT starving but are decaying in a Q&A that came up in the search, but here's a quote from the Wiki:

Quote
In "Walk With Me", it is revealed that zombies starve, but at a significantly slower rate than humans. When a living person goes into starvation mode from lack of nourishment, their body begins breaking down fat tissue, followed by muscle tissue and converting it into energy. Eventually, the body will begin breaking down the tissue of vital organs and the person eventually expires when those organs cease to function. In theory, if a zombie cannot find a food source, the zombie pathogen will probably cause a break down of body tissue and convert it into energy even though they are dead, until they basically wither away to nothing.

I think this is where Milton says it, but again I think he could just be witnessing decay...  or perhaps the food makes them more vibrant and a lack of food makes them more sluggish, but not dying of starvation?

The wiki says they can climb ladders and, I don't know about you guys, but I don't recall them climbing anything.  If anything, I recall them NOT climbing up after Rick and Glenn in Downtown Atlanta.

Here's more on eating habits... 

Quote
Zombies prefer to eat living flesh: birds, animals, and people. If living food isn't available, zombies will eat meat from dead corpses, unless, in the case of humans, the corpse reanimates as a new member of the undead. Zombies do not digest food. When their bodies are "full", the undigested meat will be forced out through the anus.[8] As zombies are dead, it is assumed that their bodies will continue to rot even if they are well-fed. If no sustenance is available, zombies will starve, ultimately contributing to the rate of decomposition. Unlike humans, however, who can only live several months without food and a few weeks without water, zombies can survive for perhaps years without any nourishment.

http://walkingdead.wikia.com/wiki/Zombies

There are some citations to specific notes from the show and comics...

I knew someone on the show mentioned them starving, but the show's so widely separate of the comic at this point who knows.

Issue 55 seems to mention something about a "malnourished walker" the group encounters, as well, but I can't find much more than that.
« Last Edit: November 14, 2013, 07:41 PM by Jesse James »
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Offline CloneF13Y35

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Re: The Walking Dead
« Reply #1055 on: November 14, 2013, 09:21 PM »
as it seems they have very minimal brain function - didn't Jenner say at the end of season 1 that only the basic of brain functions return?
so just scatter medium sized debris behind you, things they could trip over since they shouldn't have the cognitive ability to side step an obstacle in their way. Or maybe do like Morgan did in the town and setup various kinds of traps and sharp edged or pointed posts for them to get caught on.
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Offline Jesse James

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Re: The Walking Dead
« Reply #1056 on: November 14, 2013, 09:25 PM »
I wouldn't say that out loud at work...  :D

Bob was kind of doing that at the Vet school, pulling down chairs and things in the hallway to buy time.  Seemed to work ok too...

Banana peels people...  Banana peels.
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Offline Jedi Idej

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Re: The Walking Dead
« Reply #1057 on: November 14, 2013, 11:20 PM »
Not so sure about no or little cognitive ability. During the barn slaughter, the zombies seemed to maneuver ok over fallen bodies.

A couple of episodes back, during the scenes of Carol murdering Ty's lady and dragging her body, did we see flashbacks of what actually happened or a peek into Rick's head as he imagined how the deed might have played out? Anyway, as she dragged the body, I noticed "something". But the scene was so quick I couldn't put a finger on it. (I dozed off on the second showing.) Then I saw a frame capture on the WD thread at the other site which shows what appears to be a second set of hands helping pull the body! My guess is Lizzie's younger sister.

Ty as a master, uh, hammerman, isn't working for me the way it's being depicted. In one scene it takes 2-3 blows to the head to take down one of the zombies.


Offline Jesse James

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Re: The Walking Dead
« Reply #1058 on: November 14, 2013, 11:41 PM »
Some interesting points in that wiki thing in the zombies is some even have out their hands up in defense of themselves...  Poor acting by the extras?  It looks like some cognitive thought tho. :)

I agree about Tyrese's hammer...  Bad weapon choice... Very probe to sticking in a skull.  If you're demoing drywall, try doing it with the claw or blunt end of a typical carpentry/roofing hammer...  Your hammer will get stuck.  A small shovel, like an entrenching tool would actually be far more ideal.  A thinner bladed knife as a last resort for stabbing, but a small military entrenching shovel would make a weighty cleaver that is heavy enough to crush, short enough to swing in tighter spaces, and has 2 relatively sharp edges for cutting.

A hammer might work on a few spread out but isn't ideal for big groups or swarms.

BTW after watching the Daily Show tonight, Neil DeGrasse Tyson would've basically ended this thread, long ago.  :P
« Last Edit: November 14, 2013, 11:57 PM by Jesse James »
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Offline Matt

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Re: The Walking Dead
« Reply #1059 on: November 15, 2013, 12:06 AM »
I agree about Tyrese's hammer...  Bad weapon choice... Very probe to sticking in a skull.  If you're demoing drywall, try doing it with the claw or blunt end of a typical carpentry/roofing hammer...  Your hammer will get stuck.

Gif related:

« Last Edit: November 15, 2013, 12:08 AM by Matt »
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Offline Jesse James

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Re: The Walking Dead
« Reply #1060 on: November 15, 2013, 12:20 AM »
She's saying Thanks Obama because Obama supports use of Hammers in the zombie apocalypse...   ::)
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Offline Scockery

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Re: The Walking Dead
« Reply #1061 on: November 15, 2013, 12:52 AM »

Banana peels people...  Banana peels.

A tropical fruit in short supply in post-apocalyptic Georgia.
« Last Edit: November 15, 2013, 12:53 AM by Scockery »

Offline Jesse James

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Re: The Walking Dead
« Reply #1062 on: November 15, 2013, 12:55 AM »
Time to uproot to a country where they're plentiful...  The people there are probably having a ball.
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Offline Scockery

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Re: The Walking Dead
« Reply #1063 on: November 15, 2013, 01:04 AM »
Like T-Dog said, head to the coast...get a boat.

Did he say boat? he should have.

I'd like the Walking Dead spin-off show to be a What if? show.

"What if T-Dog headed for the coast?"

"What if Shane killed Rick?"

"What if Rick hadn't handcuffed Merle?"

"What if Rick's horse could talk?"

"What if Glenn became Glenda?"

Offline evenflow

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Re: The Walking Dead
« Reply #1064 on: November 17, 2013, 10:38 PM »
Hand to hand pit combat against zombies was cool, but over all not too exciting of an episode again. I have been bored pretty much all season so far. Most of my friends feel the same. Not sure if its us though.
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