Just How Smart?

[Sammy D]

Ok, when I started to listen to the series from episode one again a moment jumped out at me.

As Michael, Saul, and Angel exit the base they see the commander "standing at attention" As soon as the three soldiers come outside the commander immediately jumps into action and attacks. This curious little episode happens and then is never discussed all the way to chapter 36 where we are now. Because we know that KC has indeed planned this whole thing out I think it is not impossible for this event to have importance.

This to me is the only moment where we see a zombie acting without orders. We do not have another incident of a zombie without anything to do. I would argue that the supposedly mindless ravings and attacks we witness from the regulars is actually the result of the specific orders they have been given. What if all the zombie regulars are actually much more intelligent than we realized and are just lacking the higher functions to question orders to get around certain obstacles. (thinking about the loss of higher level reasoning that is well documented) We witnessed a unit of zombies moving in proper formations while at the hospital. What if it really does all come down to being a full fledged zombie army and there savage qualities has been a strategic choice by the zombie higher ups to subdue humanity.

Not sure yet, just a theory i'm working on and this moment leaped out as something that might have deeper significance.

[Osiris]

Interesting thought. I'll be interested to see if there's a call back, but there's been a LOT of moments that have never been spoken of again. If the characters did that each episode would be four hours long, and we'd get a minute of new story before the next recap of "hey . . . remember when?" I agree that the moment is significant.

[LiamKerrington]

Mh.

Interesting. Haven't thought about this particular incident. Thinking about it now that you mention it leads me to the assumption that maybe the survivors describe this particular situation more thoroughly then others because
* on the one side they are affiliated with the commander making them recognize certain things more easily or more likely,
* and on the other side I would guess that the first hours of experience in this z-pocalypse might be a lot more intense which is why certain things may become aware more easily.

Having the commander "at attention" supports the already and many times proven idea that them zeehs have some basic intelligence - and this not only with considering the ambush-sites, the traps near the arena, the march of the horde to the hospital, the organized foot-and-games-treatment in the arena, but also with them being able to follow certain orders and actually understanding real words ("Leave her alone"). In the case of the commander you could think of him being in no "organized" zeeh-structure; therefore his basic behaviour is probably based on memories or "programmed"/ "learned" actions. As a soldier he might be "at attention" for as long as there is no specific order from the above, or, if the "at attention"-status is the result of an order, he actually waits for something to happen. Both cases would show and clarify that them zeehs might be "more human" then one might guess, if you just look at all the random and violent attacks on survivors.

So, as for mindless zeehs ... I'd like to consider the solitairy zeehs or the ones in independent pockets as kind of 'animalistic' with a rudimentary understanding of their surrounding, 'cause - as it was discussed months ago - it is not unlikely that the zombification does not delete all of the memories of the former human life ... The commander might be a perfect first example for this theory.

All the best!
Liam