The Walking Dead Interrobang: TS-19 (s01e06)
Posted on 07. Dec, 2010 by theashcan in Interrobang, Television
Anupa and Simon sure love television shows but are way too lazy to write proper recaps about them. Compromise? They will be discussing (zombterrobanging?) AMC’s new gore filled zombie series The Walking Deadas a means to flesh(!) out their questions(?) every week. Yea, that was awful, but you knew what you were getting into when you saw that interrobang symbol.
The season finale leaves us wanting this week. Keep reading for bad puns and questions about the CDC’s decontamination policies. Â Spoilers ahead.
*****
Anupa: LOL i would love it
oh dude
i just clicked on something and found out a major spoiler
Simon: yea
i read comments yesterday
like a fool
a FOOL
so I think I know a few things too
Anupa: what do you know
DO YOU KNOW WHAT I KNOWÂ (this is good interrobang material btw, i say we’ve already started)
Simon: agreed
I read some stuff about the whisper
about LORI
and possibly about how zombie virus works
also, that Bruce Willis is a ghost in the 6th sense
Anupa: YES
Me too I totally read about how the zombie virus works
HAHAHA major spoilers
omg this IS feeling Shyamalan-y isn’t it
(THAT’S A GOOD ONE FOR BEST WORDS WE MADE UP 2010)
Simon: in 2000 that word would be a compliment
my how things change
ok, so I’m going to be straight up about this
I thought the finale sucked
it BLEW
Anupa: literally
(HAR HAR)
Simon: bad puns are my specialty
Anupa: Also the CGI was actually offensive
Equal to or possibly more offensive than in the last season of Lost
Simon: I harped on this last week, but I kind of refuse to think that’s how the CDC really decontaminates itself
BLOWING YOURSELF UP IS NOT A SOLUTION
that applies to centers for disease control AND survivors of zombie apocalypses
Anupa: Okay but hang on: wouldn’t it make sense that as a last resort, when the power is failing, etc, and things MAY get out that shouldn’t get out a centre that houses those things would want to eradicate them
Simon: yes
but blowing up the building cannot be the most efficient way of doing that
there must be some other, more contained way
I’m no scientist, but it just seems silly to me
basically they’re saying if a terrorist could knock out the Atlanta Power grid
they would get a free nuclear bomb out of it?!
that seems silly
also, for a giant explosion, their caravan looked ok considering it was only 1 parking lot away, haha
am I being fickle? these are some typical action movie tropes I’m nitpicking, I realize
Anupa: No but that’s been the problem with the show
It’s got this great, fascinating premise
But deals with it so shittily
Through character, action-movie, audience-baiting cliches
But like, we’ve kind of been spoiled with good zombie/apocalypse movies (28 Days Later, Children of Men, the first half of I Am Legend) so we know what the genre is capable of
Simon: yes. I think one scene where I realized how problematic the writing has become
was when it opened silhouetting the survivors against the light of the CDC door
and I thought why are there so many people?
I had no idea their group was so large
it’s only like 12 people but after the first season, I still only know like 5 names
and everyone else is completely irrelevant and forgettable
Anupa: And that’s what sucks about these deaths
They’re meant to be somewhat poignant, but we barely know the people who are dying
Simon: yes
also, suicide
I have no sympathy for suicides
go out there and get EATEN ALIVE LIKE A MAN Dr. Crazy Coat
Anupa: Um, I don’t mind them
Simon: well, you said you’d off yourself
so I am unsurprised
hahaha
Anupa: HAHA exactly
I’d be like ‘PAINLESS DEATH IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE? I’LL TAKE IT’
Simon: weaksauce
Anupa: Totes
But what the fuck at Dale pressuring Andrea to leave but he didn’t say anything to the black lady
What is up with me not even knowing the black lady’s name because she is basically an insignificant character
Simon: seriously. the black lady whose name I do not know and know nothing about except she’s a lawyer
on the bright side
I thought the opening scene was pretty good
Anupa: YES
Simon: it captured the breakdown of the event well
and humanized Shane as a somewhat less cartoony jackass
Anupa: It gave us some more insight into Rape-y Shane
What do you think is the meaning behind Rick’s breathing stoppage then startage?
Simon: Maybe he was just breathing really quietly
Anupa: Yeah
Simon: I mean
he put his head to his chest for 6 seconds in a war zone
that is not exactly medical expertise
Anupa: I interpreted it as that and/or weird things happen when a person is immediately taken off life support but then their body may “kick in” again
HOWEVER
The Vulture recap, positioned it as possibly meaning that Rick died and then came back to life maybe as a nice Zombie or something
Simon: but his brain works, since he remembers stuff
Anupa: Exactly
Simon: so if that’s a theory, he’d be a completely different strain of zombie
Anupa: Which could be possible, but they’re not really setting us up for nuance
Simon: zombie civil war!
ok, and can I say
I don’t laugh out loud much at television or internet items. I chuckle, kind of or smile. But that scene with Shane drinking a bottle of wine in the shower?
I basically fell off my chair laughing
Anupa: LOLLL
What made me mad was that Jenner explicitly said “don’t use up the hot water”
Simon: YES
THOSE SELFISH BASTARDS
Anupa: And they were all just LOUNGING in the shower
Simon: god forbid they ration food and alcohol too
Anupa: HAHA right?
Like CRYING in the shower, really? FUCK YOU ANDREA
Simon: it was kind of annoying that they made the CDC such a big deal
then blew it up after one episode
Anupa: Right
Simon: this didn’t really feel like a finale to me
Anupa: Well especially because they gave us an “explanation” in this episode
(A shitty, obvious one)
That’s something that shoulda been laid out up top
Simon: kind of douchey of Jenner to not tell them the building was going to blow up in a day
I’d be like, dude
not cool
they didn’t really explain anything though
we still don’t know what causes it, what spreads it, where it came from, how to stop it
all we know is it’s global and the French are brave (AS IF)
Anupa: Well, what I mean by explanation is the basic premise of zombie-movies… “we can’t explain this mystery ‘virus’”
I mean, if you were going to tell us something we already know from the PLETHORA of zombie entertainment out there, why not just put it up top
Why turn it into a powerpoint presentation?
Simon: yes
also, does it seem odd that, as a scientist studying zombies
you would kill the zombie as soon as it reanimates?
wouldn’t a living sample be useful to have?
for research purposes? dangerous sure, but useful.
also, star trek computer was a pretty awful plot device as well
I have nothing but complaints really, haha
Anupa: HAHAH “VI”
YO
If Vi could explain what the acronym for “DECONTAMINATION” was
Why did they go running into the basement to find those empty barrels to discover more?
Why couldn’t they just ask her?
Simon: can we title this interrobang “we should have done boardwalk empire instead”?
Anupa: Also, they didn’t believe that giant clock? YOU’RE IN A STATE OF THE ART FACILITY?
Simon: they also seemed not at all impressed with a computer that they could talk to
Anupa: I wouldn’t be wasting my time trying to prove that the building was actually gonna blow up
I’d be LEAVING
Simon: I would have been like “tell me the history of Honduras”
Anupa: And, yes, we totally should have done Boardwalk Empire
WHICH IS AMAZING
Simon: yes
it is
it’s surprisingly consistent
UNLIKE SHOWS I WILL NOT MENTION, EXCEPT ON A WEEKLY BASIS IN AN INTERROBANG
there are a lot of dangling mysteries out there
which, although I haven’t seen lost, I have heard is par for the course
the black father/son
merle
the helicopter
Anupa: Yeah, they’ve left so many weird open cues for next season
I don’t know whether to be excited or to just lose interest
Do you feel like this show is for people unfamiliar with the zombie genre?
Simon: I think that’s a good point
they don’t nerd out on zombie conventions or anything for sure
but there are barely zombies in it really
so you’d think they’d care about making the characters worthwhile
if this was Star Trek half the cast would be nameless extras wearing red uniforms
Anupa: “His arms wide..”
Simon: “when the walls fell”
Anupa: LOL
You’re right, it is the best episode of TNG
Simon: no doubt
ok, so let’s just hash this out
what was the whisper?
Anupa: I bet it was Jenner telling Rick the zombie secret we know but won’t spoil for our readers
Simon: should we just talk about it?
I feel like speculating is the best part of this
also, we have a spoiler warning
we can insert another one here, hahaha
maybe it’s not what we think
Anupa: No it totally is
****BUT YES, SPOILER WARNING****
Simon: ALL DEAD PEOPLE ARE ZOMBIES?
Anupa: EVERYONE IS A ZOMBIE
Like, everyone has the virus right?
Simon: yea
Anupa: But once you actually die… via a bite I guess
Simon: so you reanimate no matter how you die
Anupa: You become a zombie
I guess unless you’re incinerated in a shitty CGI explosion
Simon: or die via a traumatic brain injury
I don’t know if that changes anything
I mean, it changes how you treat dead people
but as a survivor?
you’re still just looking for a cure
Anupa: And trying especially hard not to die
I mean it destigmatizes it in a way
Because you’re all equally fucked right?
Simon: but I mean, if you get bitten
you still become a zombie right?
you don’t have to die in that case?
Anupa: Well that’s confusing
Because exactly, what if you get injured?
Can you heal? Or do you just become a zombie?
Simon: because people say they’ve seen people become zombies right?
like black dad’s wife
I am unclear about this issue
Anupa: Me too.
Simon: poor jim is just sitting in pain under a tree somewhere
Anupa: Do you think this show will become clearer next season?
What are your hopes?
Simon: I will watch it next season
Anupa: And your realistic expectations?
Simon: but with minimal patience
I’m glad Darabont decided to take a bigger role
Anupa: We should poll readers and ask if they want us to continue to Interrobang it?
Simon: I think one voice writing will help the bigger picture consistency
yea
my fear is darabont’s vision will suck
like we get saved by a mouse
or an underground tunnel
I hope it gets smarter
that would be my hope
you?
Anupa: Yes, it would be my hope too
Is the next season going ot be longer? Do we know this?
Simon: yea
I think so
I feel like if the first 3 episodes are bad
we’ll regret committing to this weekly
and our readers will have to suffer through our crying
Anupa: Bad is subjective though isn’t it?
Because don’t you feel like, at least, this show delivers on a very BASE level?
Simon: the episodes with zombie fighting do
and that’s TOTALLY FINE with me
but I feel like the goal of the show has been to make it about people
not the zombies themselves
and if that’s the goal
they’ve been pretty bad
they need to pick a path and stick to it
or ideally blend both more eloquently
Anupa: FIN



Dust
Dec 16th, 2010
I think the whisper is much less complicated… it’s something you can figure out with a simple blood test… pregnancy. Lori is preggers.
-d