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Wow, I didn't see Dale's death coming. I figured somebody was going to get bit by that zombie that Carl found, but I didn't think it would be Dale.

I suppose it makes sense, though. Dale's been portrayed as the "conscience" of the group throughout Season 2, trying to keep them from drifting towards what Shane's ideas represent. Sooner or later, it was probably going to get him killed. The only real consolation for the group is that he died human, and not after being turned into a Walker.

Speaking of which, the group is getting careless about the Walkers again, just like in Season One before the night attack. They're wandering around at night, alone, and with no watch. I'm still thinking that we'll get a significant zombie attack on the farm, after the ramifications of Dale's death play out in the next episode.

Poor Carl. He's just a kid, but he still got careless even after both Shane and Rick tried to warn him to be more careful.

EDIT: I just watched the preview for episode 12 over AMC.com. It looks like the group is finally taking measures to really secure the farm after the zombie attack, including the storage of food and water. On the other hand, they still seem determined to release Randall, which might blow up in their face in episode 13.

So exactly how easy is it to tear someone's stomach open with your bare hands? Also, how does a zombie sneak up on you in a open field?I guess it could have been laying down.

ArmorPierce wrote:So exactly how easy is it to tear someone's stomach open with your bare hands? Also, how does a zombie sneak up on you in a open field?I guess it could have been laying down.

No, Dale took his stupid pills, or more accurately the writers.

Yeah, the actual attack was a pretty forced scene. As soon as Dale walked up to the gutted cow, I immediately thought, "He's behind you, and won't attack until you conveniently turn around."

Guardsman Bass wrote:Yeah, the actual attack was a pretty forced scene. As soon as Dale walked up to the gutted cow, I immediately thought, "He's behind you, and won't attack until you conveniently turn around."

Yeah, it was entirely predictable and in the bad way. I mean really? An open field? Shit, maybe at least make it two zombies (one chewing on the cow distracts him, while another gets the drop on him).

For those who haven't/are not reading the comic: Spoiler

Well nice job breaking it, Carl.

The fallout from Dale's death is going to be interesting. As pointed out, he's been the group conscience and moderate voice. With him gone...it isn't going to be pretty.

Mister Cow and Dale are not the only ones who got there guts ripped out in the last scene. D: Stupid Carl this is why we don't play with dead things.

Col. Crackpot wrote:What caught my attention was Rick and Shane's conversation about winter. Human flesh freezes, living or dead. It would make sense, come winter, to gather up some jeeps and a plow truck an head north to make the most of it. Georgia is know for it's winter and a long period of ice and cold would be a natural defense.

What exactly do you mean by Georgia is known for it's winters? I live here, (and near where the show is set at that) and except for last years the place has relatively mild winters as long as I can remember with the number of times we've gotten any real snow fall countable on two hands. Hell if we are known for anything it's for completely losing our shit if the temperature even gets close to 32 degrees.

ArmorPierce wrote:So exactly how easy is it to tear someone's stomach open with your bare hands? Also, how does a zombie sneak up on you in a open field?I guess it could have been laying down.

Didn't like the manner of Dale's death one bit. The only way I can see a Walker managing to gut a large cow and then Dale they way it did is if its fingers were worn down to bony fingertips.

And what is with the suddenly-silent Walker behavior? Since when do they conveniently stay quiet? How did it get behind Dale? He seemed to be walking towards the edge of the field with open space around him? I was thinking back to the second episode when the Walkers were using rocks to smash glass doors. How "dumb" are these Walkers? They aren't always exhibiting "mindless" behavior.

Some side notes. Andrea and Shane weren't plotting so much as lamenting over the situation. Daryl is still hurting over the loss of Sophia, but he is still out for the good of the group. He cares about the group. Andrea is not in lock step with Shane. Shane is starting to horde ammo. Randall's group probably raided military hardware.

What I didn't get about Dale's death is what was he doing with his hands while the walker ripped his stomach open? Holding on to the walker's shoulders? Was pretty obvious and lame death setup, though before that I thought Carl losing Daryl's gun would be what got someone killed.

FSTargetDrone wrote:

ArmorPierce wrote:So exactly how easy is it to tear someone's stomach open with your bare hands? Also, how does a zombie sneak up on you in a open field?I guess it could have been laying down.

Didn't like the manner of Dale's death one bit. The only way I can see a Walker managing to gut a large cow and then Dale they way it did is if its fingers were worn down to bony fingertips.

Regular people, under the influence of adrenaline, can do things like lift up cars and other such feats of strength because the brain is not inhibiting muscles to prevent damage to them and because of increased usage of the various energy-producing compounds in the muscle. Given that zombies' brains probably aren't doing much regulating anymore, it can be assumed that muscles are being used at their strongest capacity, rather than being inhibited to prevent damage. So, if the zombie got enough leverage with its hands, it could probably tear open an old man's stomach.

Meest wrote:What I didn't get about Dale's death is what was he doing with his hands while the walker ripped his stomach open? Holding on to the walker's shoulders? Was pretty obvious and lame death setup, though before that I thought Carl losing Daryl's gun would be what got someone killed.

Dale was trying to keep the walker from eating his face by holding onto the shoulder/neck region. He's probably not the strongest fellow around, so I could see where that would be a big struggle for him.

I'm wondering if Carl's role in Dale's death is going to come out.

With Shane and Otis, we knew it was only a matter of time given his downward spiral. With Carl...it's indirect, but he's still ultimately responsible. And Rick won't exactly shoot his own son or cast him out.

Col. Crackpot wrote:What caught my attention was Rick and Shane's conversation about winter. Human flesh freezes, living or dead. It would make sense, come winter, to gather up some jeeps and a plow truck an head north to make the most of it. Georgia is know for it's winter and a long period of ice and cold would be a natural defense.

...yet another Apocalypse in which NH is the right place to be. Then again running from a walker might not be feasible in 18 inches of snow...

FSTargetDrone wrote:
And what is with the suddenly-silent Walker behavior? Since when do they conveniently stay quiet? How did it get behind Dale? He seemed to be walking towards the edge of the field with open space around him? I was thinking back to the second episode when the Walkers were using rocks to smash glass doors. How "dumb" are these Walkers? They aren't always exhibiting "mindless" behavior.

The zombies aren't necessarily "mindless", they seem to have an ability to access some kind of primitive muscle memory. Remember the woman in the first episode who could not only open doors, but find her house?

Maybe the rock bashers were hoodlums in their youth, and Dale has been killed by a zombie ninja

Pure speculation: Remember when the CDC showed zombie brain activity and normal brain activity? Most of the Zombies brain activity was in the lower brain area, but showed sparks into the Cerebrum. Maybe this explains how the Zombies will show intelligence spikes; like knowing how to use a ladder or sneaking. That or just my lack of familiarity with brain scans.

spaceviking wrote:That or just my lack of familiarity with brain scans.

it's a zombie show, pretty much everything's on the table. I'm still trying to figure out how these things shit. If they just poop as they go, there's no WAY their sense of smell is any good.

Have none of these people ever heard of the buddy system? How can they possibly NOT know that running around in the freaking dark is a very very bad idea? And just what the hell was Carl thinking, playing with a flesh-eating, contagion spreading monster??! I knew as soon as I saw the walker in the mud someone was gonna die - did not expect Dale. That being said...foggy moor. Moaning mutilated cow. Hmm. I second the question regarding how the zombie got behind Dale in the middle of an open field, when Dale was coming from the direction the zombie appeared.

I have a sneaky suspicion that when they release this Randall fellow he will turn on them at the earliest opportunity. I can't say I'd blame him after the tender reception he has received, and I figure it will only end poorly for our intrepid adventurers when the "30" come back to take whatever they like.

I just realized that it doesn't really make sense for a single zombie to take down a whole cow. Couldn't the cow just run away once the zombie tries to bite it?

Guardsman Bass wrote:I just realized that it doesn't really make sense for a single zombie to take down a whole cow. Couldn't the cow just run away once the zombie tries to bite it?

There's a lot about this series that isn't well thought out and depends on the stupidity of the characters.

Block wrote:

Guardsman Bass wrote:I just realized that it doesn't really make sense for a single zombie to take down a whole cow. Couldn't the cow just run away once the zombie tries to bite it?

There's a lot about this series that isn't well thought out and depends on the stupidity of the characters.

A cow being killed by a zombie doesn't depend on the stupidity of the characters.


As for how a lone zombie killed a cow: it could have already been sick or injured. Plus, even cows sleep, and the zombie did show itself to be quiet enough to sneak up on a human. If it just latched on with its teeth and managed to get a large wound opened, it could have killed the cow.

I suppose it makes sense, though. Dale's been portrayed as the "conscience" of the group throughout Season 2, trying to keep them from drifting towards what Shane's ideas represent. Sooner or later, it was probably going to get him killed. The only real consolation for the group is that he died human, and not after being turned into a Walker.

I've always seen him as the dinosaur, the guy crying for the old way, the old life. It's fitting that he should die right before a major act that proves once and for all that civilisation is gone.

Honestly I'm glad he's gone. It's one thing when he didn't fix the car to stretch out the search, there was some tangible benefit to that, but for all of the episode he was moaning without ever providing a solution, basically he was a delusional idiot who didn't want to do what was necessary and tried to run as far away from it as possible, making it difficult for everybody else for no net gain. Honestly they should have just killed the guy when they had the chance, but if they did it wouldn't be a zombie show would it?

Also, a slow zombie can somehow track a running kid back to his camp, good to know.

You guys have a problem with a zombie taking down a cow? In the episode where they gutted the walker (while looking Sophia) they found some sort of small mammal inside said walker. Maybe animals don't sense the walkers as a threat till to late?

Scrib wrote:
Also, a slow zombie can somehow track a running kid back to his camp, good to know.

That's not so far fetched. If the kid just ran straight to camp in a straight line the zombie would have just shuffled toward the general direction it saw the kid running. It didn't even need to actually be looking for the kid, just get started in the direction and then just continue walking. It wasn't like it was that far away from the house.

ArmorPierce wrote:

Scrib wrote:
Also, a slow zombie can somehow track a running kid back to his camp, good to know.

That's not so far fetched. If the kid just ran straight to camp in a straight line the zombie would have just shuffled toward the general direction it saw the kid running. It didn't even need to actually be looking for the kid, just get started in the direction and then just continue walking. It wasn't like it was that far away from the house.

I wasn't being sarcastic and doubting it, I was just noting it and wondering if it would be important later on.

Well they are all fucked now. That was one hell of a herd of walkers...

Yep. That looked like a couple dozen Walkers at least, and probably more.

That was a good penultimate episode. Most of it was obviously build-up for the season finale, including all but shouting at us that "everybody is infected" when Randall and Shane re-animate without being bitten. I'm a bit sad that Shane is gone, since he was an interesting character, but it was inevitable considering his slide into deeper madness and volatility.