Nope, Nicholas joins the CJ Army.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gnex
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Nope, Nicholas joins the CJ Army.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gnex
UGGGHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No More Predictions!!! LOLQuote:
Originally Posted by LiamKerrington
Good one though!
Quote:
Originally Posted by LiamKerrington
You know, as Mick & Red Beard would say, C.J. probably has a camera peeking inside. :squint:
Yes and no. It's called a petroglyphs. They're carvings in the face of stones found all over the world. There is a Petroglyph National Monument in New Mexico. I couldn't find THAT particular one by looking online, though. I meant to ask KC if it was from a real petroglyph or if he made it up from whole cloth. Maybe we could save this for the Q&A. The gift shops and tourist spots in New Mexico were full of this one...Quote:
Originally Posted by abayarts
Attachment 3204
Kokopelli
I can only imagine the artwork YOU can make based on petroglyphs. When Michael said that's were the symbol came from, I nearly got up and started dancing. We had just driven through N.M. and petroglyphs were heavily on my mind as an art form.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gnex
LOL HardKorQuote:
Originally Posted by HardKor
My thoughts, (After immediately thinking of Space Balls), was that she picked that to keep it simple in the event that it wouldn't be needed unless there was a LOT of pressure. So much pressure that one could easily forget a more complex combination. What makes it secure if that, unless someone else knew ahead of time that the gun(?) was there, they wouldn't really be able to think through all of the simple combinations either. There are SCORES of simple combinations: 1234, abcd, 1ab2, a1b2.....
Oof
over?
No way, cannot be.
Well done KC; a very satisfying ending. Enough callbacks, endings and beginnings to balance things out. I feel like I was in on the ground floor of an historic bit of artistic happening. You've created this amazing thing that will reverberate throughout your life. Congratulations!
Scratch's end made me squirm, but I guess it fit with Bert's personality--especially his ability to leave it behind. I suppose that the earthquakes/explosions could have cracked a wall in Scratches tomb, I just think that if She had gotten out they would have seen her by now.
Nicholas' voice sounded like a young Saul.
I was worried that the zombie would end up being Saul or someone from the past. Soooo happy it wasn't.
I wonder if Tanya's cancer was from the haze or was a side effect of the genetics that made her immune?
Without computers rapidly flipping through combinations to deal with, simple is good. The reason they teach us to dial nine-one-one instead of nine-eleven. Its because in an emergency people would be looking for an 11 on the dial...I know I would.
Finished the Finale tonight... Incredible. I still have a ton of questions, but many of them could probably be answered in the upcoming Tales.
Also, how sweet would it be to have a side-story that shows the happenings from Ink's point of view?
I think it ended right where it should have. I just needed a few days to let it all soak in. I can't wait to see what else happens in this universe.
It's 6AM in the morning and I haven't slept yet... Even though I just came home from a vacation and was pretty tired... Been home for about six hours by now, first thing I did was to buy the final chapter...
Everything that I've had to say has already been said by others... Only thing that kinda bothered me a Little was how fast Randy got killed... No final line or anything from him... But well.
So... What happened to 7? I can't remember that one getting killed. Only time we've met that one was at G0 in chapter 40. I guess the one at Raydon was 10 then? Good to know that for sure now. :D
*Goes back to googling petroglyphs and stuff*
The ultimate revenge story......Quote:
Originally Posted by LiamKerrington
If a crack had appeared in the coffin and she was able to escape from it, it would most likely collapse on her with 6ft of rubble/dirt, suffocating her and possibly crushing her.Quote:
Originally Posted by Eviebae
Something I noticed, Pegs seen to have been shot on the stairways when she said "my arms!" but nothing about is mention later. As well. Pegs loves to cut people off. Hope kept try to talk and she barely get a sentence out beside the time that Pegs couldn't talk due to the gas. Pegs even cut off CJ about the incoming vehicle. Pegs listen for a moment it may save your live.
Also is Burt foreshadowing the stories we will hear about in Tales of We're Alive? When he is tell Nicholas about the issues they have had with the first group.
I believe she was saying "My eyes, My eyes" it is supposed to be muffled because she has a wet rag over her mouth........ I thought it was "My arm" first too.......Quote:
Originally Posted by UndeadSweeper
O.OQuote:
Originally Posted by whenallisdark
Nice, thank you. A simple stone like this provides more ways to express yourself that any IT system you can think of... ummm, wait a moment. I think they are about to extend the unicode emoticons to satisfy my requirements, cf. http://emojipedia.org/reversed-hand-...nger-extended/Quote:
Originally Posted by Witch_Doctor
Wow just wow.. I have to say after all these years and Mondays this is how you finish it! From sacrifice to revenge to giving us a glimpse of the future. Thank you to Were Alive team for so many memories.
Also so glad Scratch went out the way she did hahahaha all those time she got away.
It's been a few days and having this over still feels kind of anticlimactic for me. It makes sense and everything, I guess, but I'm looking forward to Kc providing more answers later on. One for the pile: What was the deal with the mob of scarred zombies we saw in Chapter 1, episode 1? Were they just a random bunch of scarred people that got turned at the same time? That description's always bothered me.
So... For all those of you WHO hoped it would all just be a daydream of Michaels... here you go.
Yes, I was bored, but I found it a bit funny that there is an explotion in the background in both the first and last chapter, and also that the teacher points out that there won't be any makeups for the quiz... I guess Miky just had had enough of his homemade cloroform the night before, which explains why he hadn't been studying for the test. :D
Listened for a second time and thought about a few things:
1: Burt tells Nick that revenge doesn't end the pain... Is he a little haunted by what he did to Scratch?
2: CJ says that the zombies can live for long periods without food. Were the zombies that swam to the boat around before the outbreak and starting to starve, or do they get really thin and starved looking quickly?
3: Mind is still blown!
Wow, my first post (other than my intro)... So glad I can finally feel like a full-fledged member of the Forum at last.
Just had my own personal listening party for the final episode and I am very happy with it. As people have mentioned, it did feel abrupt, how the Ink arc was completed so quickly. But in retrospect it makes sense. The most important story all along has been about survival and by spending the second half of the episode fast forwarding and giving you glimpses into the future, which revolves around an entirely new plot line (whether Nick will choose to join the Guard or not), it felt like both halves of Chapter 48 were given equal weight. While we the We're Alive audience have viewed the arc of Ink as though it was the most essential storyline, from the survivors' perspective it's just one chapter among many in their lives - and presumably one storyline among thousands that are compelling and intriguing in their own right. It's like the We're Alive universe is brimming with numerous tales to be told and KC simply plucked one out and held up the magnifying glass for us to examine in depth over the past five years (well the past two months for me since I discovered the show really late in its run).
I think that's what I have loved so much about this work and KC's writing - he does such an excellent job of challenging the audience's perceptions and expectations. Seasons One and Two were top notch but they seemed to follow a conventional and linear zombie survival storyline, though with the element that the zombies don't behave as we expect. And if the show had kept on that way I would have loved it. But then Season Three threw convention out the window with the introduction of Kalani's diary and CJ. The former did this by having us reexamine aspects of the story we thought we understood and relive experiences we thought had been fully fleshed from a different point of view. We soon realize that the significance of any scene is always colored by the context of how we came to see it. And we became aware that KC is a master storyteller because he could take a scene (like Samantha, Datu, and the fat inert dude on the floor that we pray will be the sacrificial lamb to allow them to escape) and make you completely rethink your sympathies by changing the perspective (like Samantha, Datu, and a tragic everyman Kalani, who is desperate to save his daughter from some psychotic criminals).
With CJ, KC took the normal convention of having the narrator/protagonist be the main hero and leader of the story and turned that on its head as well. After you get to know CJ you realize that someone else could possibly be as capable a leader if not moreso than the one whose perspective you have adopted for the first half of the story. Now of course CJ has her flaws (as does every character in the show, which is another reason I love We're Alive), but she rarely runs out of ideas on what to do, she's less likely succumb to emotions and rush into a decision like Michael does, she doesn't cut people off when they offer a different course of action than her the way Michael did a few times, and she's less likely to blame someone for making a mistake like Michael did early on in the show (he got way better about letting go later on). On the flipside CJ can seem rather cruel and inhumane at times, she puts greater stock in the intellect and less in emotions and feelings, she's really controlling, and she's frankly not as relatable as Michael is and thus is less likable.
And as for the protagonist not being the main hero of the story, the resolution of the Ink arc showed that ultimately Saul is the one fights Roberts man-to-man and is the one who sacrifices himself to save his friends. Victor is the one who ends up taking down Michael's other main nemesis, Randy. One could argue that Michael didn't actually do anything in his portion of the finale other than narrate. Off the top of my head I can't think of other another work of fiction that manage this feat of disconnecting the protagonist role from the main hero role of the story. As the protagonist one would have expected Michael to defeat the primary antagonist of the story, but instead he was there to witness the antagonist being defeated by someone else, because really only Saul could have beaten Ink due to his immunity. This isn't to say that Michael was not a hero, just that the typical convention that the protagonist has to be the main hero who accomplishes the most important tasks of the story did not hold true with We're Alive. Michael was one hero among many, all of whom were tested at one point or another and called upon to act heroicly for the benefit of the survivors as a group.
Sorry my post is so long, I've had a lot I wanted to write about but I wanted to wait to complete the whole series before becoming more active on the Forum.
Some quick points about the finale:
1) LOVED LOVED LOVED that Kelly and Tanya finally had a chance to go all bad*ss action hero. It seemed like every other main character had his or her moment to shine in an action scene. Did I hear right that they killed the two remaining Mallers (aside from Scratch)?
2) Saul's callback to CJ's leg-cutting maneuver with the katana when he took down the cocksure Ink. YES!
3) It strikes me as ironic that Pegs - who has one of the purest hearts on the show (it sounded like she was rushing to Scratch out of concern after she fell off the fire escape), who doesn't entertain any dark thoughts, who hates the idea of killing or even holding a gun, and who is not obsessed with revenge - is the one who ultimately ends Scratch's Reign of Terror. And it was all done so matter of fact (Pegs says something like she missed, I didn't), like she gives the notion of killing Scratch barely a fleeting thought while Scratch spends every waking second wanting to kill Pegs (ditto for Riley and Burt with Scratch). As she's the one who killed Latch as well, Pegs single-handedly hurt Scratch both emotionally and physically where no one else seemed to be able to lay a finger on her. Little did Scratch realize that Pegs was her kryptonite and she should have stayed as far away from her as she could.
4) That said I was totally creeped out by the Hitchcock/Cask of Amontillado vibe thing going on with Scratch's final scene. Being buried alive is cruel and to hear Scratch sound so fearful and vulnerable - well it made me feel sympathetic towards her even though I spent most of the show wanting her dead after Angel's death. It didn't seem right. But hearing Burt recall what it felt like to nearly starve to death...well I think I need to relisten to his torture scene and then I'll feel better about Scratch's fate.
5) Victor taking down Randy like it was nothing (another interesting play with perception because to Michael, Randy was this almost "Big Boss"/diabolical villain type that he obsessed about and to Victor, Randy was just another biter). And the callback about how Victor promised he'd never let another zombie get close again. Perfection.
6) Whoever played Nick is a strong actor. He totally sounded like a young version of Saul. Kudos on the casting!
7) Lastly, CJ mentioned other survivor enclaves out there (some good and some not). Hmm... Atlanta is certainly out there. Walking Dead/We're Alive crossover?
Thank you KC for a wonderful show. I really appreciate everything you did with We're Alive. It has literally been my life the past 2 1/2 months. You're writing and ability to dip into so many different types of genres (comedy, horror, drama, suspense) effortlessly is incredible. The ending was so satisfying. I'm sure I'll post more in the Forum in the future and I look forward to Tales, but what an incredible run you had with this story. You have a lifelong fan of your work in me and I can't wait to see what you do next. As my finances allow, I will definitely be sending donations your way (I like the idea that we, your fans, can collectively act as your benefactor or patron). I know you earned barely anything for We're Alive but know that your work has meant more to me than any commercial work of art that has come out in television or in the cineplexes for the past 10 years. My wish for you is that you are able to earn a living off your art because you are so good at it and the world deserves to see more of it.
--Eric
Go on, Eric. I like your perspective and your perception. If there is more to tell, go ahead!Quote:
Originally Posted by airrunner
Just listened again to Episode 48. I actually went to bed listening to it. I find hearing all the characters' voices to be soothing, like they're all my friends. I know, how sad. :)
A few additional observations (and thanks Liam):
1. I was wrong about Michael and the Ink arc. He did do something important as he enabled Saul to take down the tattooed guy. Hope played an analogous role for Pegs with the Scratch arc.
2. It's really cool that the whole LA crew appears to be raising Nick together, each imparting is or her own bit of wisdom on the kid, who appears to be soaking it all in. Maybe the survivors will have their own version of the Little One - a super soldier with the soul of Saul, the heart of Pegs, the vision of Michael, the boldness and sharp-shooting skill of Burt, the forethought and attention to detail of CJ, the healthy skepticism of Judge Kelly, the intellectual curiousity of Tanya, the willingness to see past limitations like Hope, the healthy sense of humor and fun from Uncle Vic, the appreciation of service to the Colony and fellow humankind from Sgt. Puck, and the ability to tap into his emotions like Riley, all along with an innate ability to relate to and understand other people (a gift from his mother), and perhaps the mastery over water (thanks to Pete, ha ha!).
3. Mr. Whiskers survived! But what about Lady? I feel like cats can live longer than dogs so it doesn't look so good for Saul's other girl.
4. I think I read someone wishing Michael was playing more of a leadership role with the Colony. I only heard a few references to the Colony's form of government, referred to as "The Council." it sounds like Michael and Pegs both serve on it and CJ must be the head of it (probably like a Speaker of the House, moreso than say a Prime Minister or President) as she can simply cancel meetings. All three appear to be leaders then.
5. Who did CJ have a daughter with? The only person I noticed who seemed to be at her beck and call was Max and presumably he didn't survive his encounter with the Mallers.
6. One last more general comment about We're Alive, it's depiction of women in roles the typical piece of fiction would normally reserve for men is refreshing. All the best-trained and able-bodied men are sent out to tackle one of the main villains leaving basically a ragtag team of ordinary women (they definitely weren't Project Alice, Sarah Connor or Ripley types) to hold down the fort against the other Big Baddie, who also is a woman. This was done without anyone drawing any special attention to it. Scratch was treated like any other villain would be, including a macabre fate that was warranted by her actions. Pegs, Kelly, Hope, Tanya, and CJ were left to save themselves like any other group of survivors would be. Take any of them out and throw in a different character and I would have been just as worried about their predicament and just as hopeful that they made it out alive. Gender, race, physical disability, sexual orientation - none of it means anything in a world of survival and that's how it should be.
Sounds strange, I know... But I got this funny feeling that it's Burt... Something about the way they talk to each other in the end... But WHO knows? :)Quote:
Originally Posted by airrunner
Quote:
Originally Posted by airrunner
And not only in a story of survival, but everywhere anytime.
CJ told Burt it upset her daughter when she showed up unannounced. If Burt was the father I think CJ would have use our daughter. CJ probably fell for one of the other 10k new members of the colony unless it was the last act of kindness by Saul?Quote:
Originally Posted by Storm
Here's officially my first post on the forum. (Yaay me!) However, I would get my weekly fix by reading and comparing my own theories to those on this forum. I can honestly and humbly admit I was wrong many more times than right at predicting the story. That is a testament to KC's ability in writing a masterful script that challenges it's listeners from start to finish. Outstanding work to KC and crew. My deepest and sincerest thank you for sharing such an awesome work of art!
Quick thoughts
15 years have passed and humanity is gradually beginning to rebuild, repopulate, and create something resembling a world lost to biters. Essentially, aren't the biters doing the same and buying time to make a run at the humans? After their numbers have been replenished we shouldn't expect them to be passive but to attack with a vengeance? After all, we witnessed this at the Tower, Dunbar, Irwin, Boulder, and the colony."If history repeats itself, and the unexpected always happens, how incapable must man be of learning from experience"
If it was Saul's 2nd baby, it would of been mentioned, not left in the air.Quote:
Originally Posted by GreggSz
Tammy told me that all of the surviving characters have a voice on the council in some way or another, which makes sense for their contributions. CJ's baby daddy is one last great mystery of the series, but I will throw out a ball that makes me chuckle. I say it is Pete! I can't type that without laughing...but maybe she wanted a third water bottle and one thing led to another...
Ok but I had an epiphany out in the grueling labour and hot sun of my work. There is an underlying message in We're Alive showing us the heart of KC Wayland. KC is Team Jacob for the Twilight series:
-Saul, a popular character, prefers dogs over cats as well as Mr Whiskers is a symbol of death and could be plotting against the characters. Lady on the other hand, is group therapy for the Tower and is always a priority to be protected. Burt is the only one to ever say anything bad about her. Mr Whiskers is at first only appreciated by Pegs, with Riley, Saul, Lizzie and Victor all at some point making negative comments towards him. The fear Mr Whiskers may be a zombie, but never hold such fears for Lady. Thus dog>cat. In Twilight, Jacob is a werewolf, while Edward has feline traits, described as roaring like a lion, etc.
-Next up we have Scratch, who lost the ability to have children and lives vicariously through the first pregnant woman she has in her power. She is fiercely protective of pregnant Lizzie, insists on giving her the best care, but is clearly more interested in the baby than in Lizzie. In the finale she is willing to at least feign giving up her ultimate revenge against Pegs in order to take Nicholas, acquiring him becoming her new primary objective. This is almost exactly what Rosalie does in Breaking Dawn, albeit with more guns. The one thing she wants most is to have a child and is willing to use Bella to get a baby. Scratch of course is a villain, and Rosalie is seen negatively from Jacob's perspective. To the point where Jacob believes that Rose would sacrifice everyone else in order to have that baby. In We're Alive we are meant to have the same perspective as Jacob in this scenario.
-Ink is pale, hides underground and bites the neck, all things associated with vampires. He also wears a suit, which is classy, just like the Cullens are well dressed and classy. Ink is a villain, so vampires are evil, and their natural enemy, the werewolf, is our friend.
-One of Michael's themes is learning to adapt, breaking rules and making his own. It is shown that characters who go half-cocked, making the Hail Mary passes are in general more successful than those who spend their time over thinking things. Saul rarely had any long term plans and in general was quite successful with his improvisations. CJ's over-thought master plans tended to fail in their execution and needed the on the fly thinking of Saul and Victor. Michael makes more vague plans as the series goes on, assessing situations in the moment and this leads to greater successes. Edward over-thinks everything while Jacob always flies by the seat of his pants.
So in conclusion, as the burning sun revealed to me, We're Alive is saying Team Jacob!
There can be no more than half a dozen logical fallacies in my thinking here.
Perhaps... but in every one of those cases a special zombie needed to play a role be it Ink (Tower, Dunbar) or a Little One (Irwin, Boulder). There might be others out there like Ink but what happened in LA required a convergence of circumstances.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ari paddel
1. You need a smart one.
2. You need a smart one who understands chemistry.
3. You need a smart one who is paranoid enough to uncover a symbol that allows him to control and organize other zombies so that you can conduct experiments.
Without the involvement of special zombies or at least a smart one the zombie menace seems manageable for a well-run place like the Colony.
Epic ending to a great series
You forget Dog and Mr. Whisker, Waste removal and pest control.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kc
has everybody forgot. What about Skittles? sorry if this question is a repeat.
wish I could have been there. damn it.Quote:
Originally Posted by smalls kenobi
Hope had somewhat of miner part in it...... yea, I know. I was just playing with you.Quote:
Originally Posted by LiamKerrington
Skittles was the writer of lost. it was his punishment to go insane for a crappy endingQuote:
Originally Posted by Kc
I was wondering that too, just didn't feel like mentioning him... Lol!Quote:
Originally Posted by werewolf
OMG. I've now listened to the finale 6 times. I'm obsessing about the show as much as Tanya obsessed about the zombie origins before she passed away.
Some new thoughts, questions, and observations:
1. How does Scratch know that Riley killed Tardust? Why does she think Tardust would even have come across Riley and Burt? My theory on this is that Scratch has a particular talent for understanding what makes other people tick and how to press their emotional buttons. As much as she was obsessed with taking down Pegs for the final four months of this show she must have assumed Burt was doing the same with her and probably did a good job of covering her tracks. Once Tardust got away from her she figured Burt would eventually come across him and take him prisoner.
2. What the heck is the fan for during Scratch's burial reveal scene? And why does Burt say it's what's keeping her alive? I know nothing about making concrete so I'm guessing it has something to do with that.
3. Saul's last words sound like "Michael. I can see them. You were right. There's more..." Assuming I'm right, was he just referring to Ink's newest creations or were there more Little Ones beyond the 13 we thought had been raised in the Arena?
4. When Michael returns to Dunbar after completing the mission, CJ says that Saul did it. Michael responds in the affirmative and around that time you hear Saul's final words replayed faintly. I thought it was a cool way to indicate what was going through Michael's head as he answered CJ's question.
5. Love that scene between Vic and Nicholas. When Vic said he was cooking Arroz Con Pollo for dinner, I started salivating, and I'm vegetarian. Sounds delicious!
6. Puck notes that Hope is a medic. Is that a civilian or military position? If the latter, does that mean Hope has been trained to shoot weapons? How awesome if she's killed some zombies with a matagun!
7. Lastly, CJ tells Nicholas that the zombies have not died off and that they don't need much food to survive. But during Season 2 when Michael and Pegs swam out to the yacht, they noted that the swimming zombies coming from the island were starving. Does this mean that zombies starve within the same timeframe as a normal human would starve, simply don't die from starvation, or were Michael and Pegs just wrong about those zombies.
