AMC's The Walking Dead

I hope Merle's around for a long time. First, because Michael Rooker is terrific and that character is so cunning. Second, because given time, I'm thinking he'll rig some interesting attachments to that stump assembly he has. Knife is a nice start, but how 'bout a gun, a small crossbow, a blowtorch, maybe a spatula for when he cooks for the group, and so on.

 

In my opinion, either Glenn or Maggie isn't surviving this season. My vote would be Glenn. It seems like they've given a lot of air time to Glenn over the past few weeks (except for the "Clear" episode) and the couple had their nice reconciliation last week. Seems like a perfect time to tear them apart.

 

They might kill Maggie. Glenn is too useful. Killing Maggie could turn him into even more of a raging jerk. But they need him. He's really good at living this life. Also, I don't think spending a lot of time with Glenn is anything new. By the middle of Season 1, he was one of the six biggest characters. Now two of the others have died, so it's him, Rick, Daryl and Carl.

 

I think Maggie has become central too. She's actually a pretty solid female character.

 

Yes, she's a great character. But she's not as useful to the group as Glenn.

 

Two reasons Maggie should stay.

 

True, Maggie's a solid female character that fans don't want to see die. So she'll probably die.

 

When has that been the case on this show?

 

I haven't read the comics so I don't know shit about what has happened before. . . so. . .

I think the ore group of Rick, Daryl, Andrea, Maggie & Glenn will stay intact, at least for now. It makes senss that Carl will live as well, so we can continue to watch him grow.

Beth, Merle, Hersehel and Carol are all walker food.

I am guessing that if Michionne dies, it will be in a majestic way. If she makes it through this season, she could stick around awhile.

One question. . . if all of those walkers are in the prison yard, why don't they take time each day to pick off two or three, especially the ones hanging around the fence and the gate? Eventually the place will be clear again.

 

Great question. Could be they don't want to be near the fences if the Governor comes back.

On the other hand, having a bunch of walkers right outside the prison essentially serves the same purpose a having a guard dog. Nobody is going to sneak up on you.

 

Three reasons I can think of:
1) Risk-reward.
The main gate on the perimeter fence is smashed, and there seems to be no shortage of walkers in the immediate vicinity of the prison. So you take out a few, and more just come in to replace them. As we've seen, it's easier to just drive around them than deal with them.
2) As AQB said, it's like a guard dog. Given their current situation, it's as good as having another fence. The Governor will have to come through the walkers to get to them. It won't be a big problem for his group, but might slow him down long enough to pick a few off.
3) Supplies. The coming fight with the Governor is to the death, and their supply of ammo is finite. Why waste bullets you don't have to, to deal with something that's not an immediate threat?

It also shows, in a small, passive way, how hardened the survivors have gotten to this new and dangerous world. In Season 1, a single walker was a major threat. In Season 2, it took a herd (Dale being a notable exception) to cause panic.
Now?
They more or less ignore single walkers unless they're relieving stress and barely blink an eye when they have to drive through a herd of them to get home.

 

Something else that's been bugging me about the world of The Walking Dead. Where are all the animals?
Deer populations in rural Georgia would explode in a world without people. Walkers would get their share, but they'd still be everywhere. So where are all the deer? And why can't an experienced hunter like Daryl kill one or two and keep the group fed for weeks?
The only deer we've seen is the one Otis shot at when he nearly killed Carl.

Also, these people are burning thousands of calories a day with their walker-killing exploits. Shouldn't they be nearly starved to death in a matter of days doing that and living off what's got to be a ration-level diet?