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i agree. what's going to be fun is following the next series with Saul and Tanya as they possibly explore Ground Zero. They HAVE to find something out, right? i think it might also be a non-commissioned mission, though does CJ even care about what the cause of Z-day is anymore?Quote:
Originally Posted by Unit9014
man, this Chapter was so good.
It seems like she is so wrapped up with the colony right now that I doubt she is very concerned with it. I think in the back of her mind there might be some curiosity and resuming her investigation into it is probably still somewhere in here 5 year plan, but I doubt it is a priority.
Might be a trade off like Michael and his crew. He is content to let her be in charge of the colony so he can pursue his priority of finding a way to end the zombies; and she is content to let him handle that so she can focus on her priority of building up and organizing the colony. A little yin and yang action.
Changing my own opinion on this one - Lizzy says in chapter 21-2 that the tattoo on the little one's arm is fresh, so they can't be pre- Z-day test subjects because we're at least 3-4 months along the line by that time. A few episodes earlier Skittles says that they're really little, so I think I subscribe to the theory that they're children. Maybe very young when Z-day hit, or even still in utero? Do we know what happens to the baby if a pregnant woman is turned? Their growth would be totally extraordinary if that's the case, but then the Behemoths have gotten very big very quickly too, apparently with the help of the Raydon labs cocktail.Quote:
Originally Posted by skankyfish
The suspense is starting to really get to me now :S
yeah, and remember that Tanya's first autopsy of a Numbered One at Fort Irwin showed that it was a "young" woman, possibly a pre-teen/adolescent. so are these "Little Ones" going through some intense growth hormone treatment that rapidly expands their physical traits and leaves the 'natural developmental' process in the dust?Quote:
Originally Posted by skankyfish
i wonder if Ink is BREWING an army...
Then there has to be a weakness then, right? Zombies can't move once it get to too cold. Behemoths die from tumors after a while. What would the ALDO have? I think the tied in with Raydon Labs isn't that it ground zero more like the place they were getting supplies to keep the zombie army alive.Quote:
Originally Posted by Footbutt
Could the ALDO weakness be that they're infertile? given the underdeveloped sex organs, or the cocktail or hormone/ steroid drugs?Quote:
Originally Posted by UndeadSweeper
Interesting topic. Do zombies breed or can they only turn other humans.
If they can only turn, eventually they wipe out the human race and then slowly starve to death. Are the smart ones like Ink and Randy smart enough to know this? Is that why they have stopped attacking the colony? They have a stockpile of bodies to munch on already and they are leaving the colony alone for now to expand. Leaving it as a grocery store or animal pen type setup. When they run out of bodies in the pantry to feast on they will hit the colony again to stock up?
What if they can breed? Is that where the little ones come from? Are the numbers their 'birth' order? With all the drastic physical changes that Tanya has found in their bodies, perhaps they have an extremely short gestation period. I think Tanya notes diminished sexual organs, but not eliminated, they are still there.
I doubt that part will come into play in our story here but it is something curious to think about. If the biters can't breed at all then it is in their best interest not to wipe out the human race entirely because by doing so they wipe themselves out as well.
I'm thinking that why they when with the heavy guns to Boulder. Their pantry was running low. But they didn't except the nuke hit and then when after the base at full force.Quote:
Originally Posted by Unit9014
I'm not sure if this has been mentioned previously, or maybe in another completely different thread...... but, I think there is a difference between Dr. William Roberts and Bill Roberts.
The reason I believe this is because I just listened to Chapter 11 R&R...... When Ink(Dr. William Roberts/Bill Roberts/guy in the suit/guy with tattoos/whoever) attacks the tower.......
The problem that I had is that everyone keeps making Dr. William Roberts out to be this mad scientist or evil genius that is "cooking up" zombie creations and sending them out into the world........ but, in this episode he does not seem to possess these traits.......
#1 - They call down the code to him, and it takes multiple tries before he can get the code entered correctly.
#2 - Most of his "talking" seems to be him just repeating things that someone else has recently said.
He does seem to be genetically altered(being able to take 2 shots in the chest and get back up) but I just don't understand how you are mixing 5 chemicals and creating all the "zombie cocktails" and whatnot if you can't enter a passcode on a door.
I am leaning toward the theory that there is Bill Roberts(Ink, Guy in the suit, guy with the tattoos) and then there is the Mastermind(Dr. William Roberts, Guy creating zombies, Zombie Baby Daddy)
I think Bill Roberts has been running around controlling the zombies and cause all types of havoc, while Dr. Roberts is sitting back somewhere is his evil lair/laboratory creating new zombies and stuff...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gnex
I agree with some of this. I don't think Bill Roberts and Dr. William Roberts are the same person. But Ink does say something to the effect of 'Leave Her' about CJ when attacking the first tower, which was not a repeat of what someone else already said. So he must have some power of original dialog, even if it is limited. (which brings me to a different point that I'll elaborate on below).
I also don't think that Dr. William or Bill have anything to do with the cause of the outbreak. I think ink was fortunate somehow to retain so much of his faculties after the outbreak, but I see him as a victim of the outbreak like the rest. I still believe something at ground zero is the cause of the outbreak, and I think Raydon and Dr. William's office were raided because they contained chemicals that enabled stronger zombies.
I am starting to like the father/son theory. Perhaps Dr William had a son, William Jr, aka Bill. Dr. William died with the rest of humanity during the outbreak. Bill, having retained some of his smarts remembers what dear ol Dad did for a living and went to his office to obtain some chemicals to modify his troops.
I think having smarts and the ability to mix some liquids or tattoo a large number on an arm is much easier than the dexterity required to hit some small keys on a pinpad. Heck look at Michael, in the first chapter when he goes to the reserve base to meet up with Angel and Saul he has a hard time with the pinpad and gets his code wrong the first time, and he was normal.
Well, just to confuse the issue, the one in the hospital caught an arrow out of the air and someone opened the gates to the colony and that is more complicated than just a four digit code.
And to further confuse the topic in the other direction.
we armchair scientists need to remember, William Roberts, while called "paranoid" schizophrenic...still had a considerable amount of wits about him if/when he turned. That is if we can count on the "smarter in life" philosophy.
google brocas area a little and learn a few things about the language center of the brain. Likely info someone at a pharmaceutical company like raydon would retain. If TOWTM could alter biters to the point of "little ones"...how far out of reason is him altering himself to regain his cognitive functions?
I agree with this too, it seems like there are points in the story where TOWTM is extremely agile, quick, strong, etc... And then other points where he is not!Quote:
Originally Posted by Grognaurd
And to amplify 7id, Ink was diagnosed that. If he tried to tell the authorities that the people he killed were zombies, he only did it in self defense because he saw them eat his golfing partner and that corpse gas erupted from nearby oil pump, well, let's just say that sounds pretty crazy.
Ah, but isn't he described as having a disfigured hand? Like where Burt may have shot him. I would have to relisten to be sure.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gnex
it also sounds totally within the bounds of his diagnosis.Quote:
Originally Posted by Grognaurd
paranoid schizophrenia is a manageable form. Most people who have it are fully functional members of society, the schemes the diasese create in their brain are highly elaborate and not easy to discern fact from fiction. What grog says could easily be the case.
as could ALL THIS being bullshit and Michael & co are all in the ward with him.
Oh good gravy..... :)
I also hope not,of course...but that's the fun of this story. One COULD easily skew the way one interprets it and it would fit that line of thinking. Once we start introducing any sort of psychosis in any of our major characters, the question of what's real and what isn't is among the first to be asked(or should be)...
With all due respect i would argue this point...just for the hell of it. Catching an arrow i think would fit somewhere in the brain where reflexes and instinct reside as oppposed to punching in a specific sequence of numbers on a key pad which i think would take way more cognitive ability, where after a couple tries he did manage to get it right.Quote:
Originally Posted by Grognaurd
I was thinking the exact same thing but figured I'd just let it be, but since it's already out there... ;-)Quote:
Originally Posted by Robzombie
I'm a pretty big guy and I've got some big meat hooks. Trying to type on my phone or dial a number I hit wrong keys all the time. And like I mentioned, Michael messed up on a key pad getting onto the military base. I think it is completely reasonable that it might take a few tries to get it rightas a zombie if normal people even struggle with it from time to time.
Possibly, but consider people that are affected by any of the symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder. These are people that one might consider to be "deficient" on one or more areas such as social skills, even to such a crippling degree such that they are unable to care for themselves. Yet many of them have do have skills that are just off the charts of our ability to comprehend. Linguistics, numbers, pattern recognition and the like. Maybe an effect of the zombie haze is that it tips the balance both in the body and the mind. Amplifying certain attributes while subduing others...Quote:
Originally Posted by Gnex
Nahhh... I think he did go to the Omega party and dropped some bad acid. He's tripping all of this while that girl that brought him is in the corner talking to plants. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by 7oddisdead
So I was thinking a little bit about Ink's dialog, his ability to talk when CJ was trapped in the basement of Dunbar. Apparently he can communicate with the other biters just through a roar/yell or whatever you want to call it. He rallies the troops, sends them out, calls them back etc all through different yells, and they all seem to understand it completely. Why would he bother speaking in english with CJ? He could have simply communicated with them the same way he has been in the past, what made that situation special? And if all the other biters with him were able to understand him, they obviously have retained some of their intelligence and memory as well even if they aren't the 'smart ones'. Does that mean they are able to talk as well and maybe just choose not to? They can yell and roar and growl, and obviously understand English, why don't they speak anymore? Just some random thoughts swirling around in my head haha
its funny, I hadn't even considered that first bit...and some might say I suffer from a slight case of exactly what your saying. (those people are assholes though..). I do question placing a diagnosis such as that on someone like TOWTM. Latlely ive been fascinated by exploring the language center of the brain(broca's area and Wernicke's area both) a very interesting tidbit popped up pertaining to exactly what we have been talking about the last couple pages with inks cognitive function..Quote:
Originally Posted by Red Shirt
receptive aphasia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Receptive_aphasia
while im not saying that this is whats going on with pinstripes ol brain(or was, as the case early on) the above article gives some very interesting insight into how the brain works...hell, ill pull a couple quotes for you non-linkers...
"People with receptive aphasia are unable to understand language in its written or spoken form, and even though they can speak with normal grammar, syntax, rate, and intonation, they cannot express themselves meaningfully using language."
"When we want to speak, we formulate what we are going to say in Wernicke’s area, which then transmits our plan of speech to Broca’s area, where the plan of speech is carried out[citation needed]. Wernicke’s Area is located posterior to the lateral sulcus, typically in the left hemisphere, between the visual, auditory, and somesthetic areas of the cerebral cortex. A person with this aphasia speaks normally but uses random or invented words; leaves out key words; substitutes words or verb tenses, pronouns, or prepositions; and utters sentences that do not make sense. They have normal sentence length and intonation but without true meaning. They can also have a tendency to talk excessively. A person with this aphasia cannot understand the spoken words of others or read written words. Speech is preserved, but language content is incorrect. Substitutions of one word for another (paraphasias, e.g. “telephone” for “television”) are common. Comprehension and repetition are poor."
"Patients who recover from Wernicke’s aphasia report that, while aphasic, they found the speech of others to be unintelligible. And, despite being cognizant of the fact that they were speaking, they could neither stop themselves nor understand their own words.[citation needed]
The ability to understand and repeat songs is usually unaffected, as these are processed by the opposite hemisphere. Melodic intonation therapy (MIT) has been pursued for some years with aphasic patients under the belief that it helps stimulate the ability to speak normally. There is some question as to the effectiveness of MIT.[3] But more recent, and more rigorously conducted, research has revealed that MIT can be very effective at recovering language function.[4]
Patients also generally have no trouble purposefully reciting anything they have memorized. The ability to utter profanity is also left unaffected, however the patient typically has no control over it, and may not even understand their own profanity."
I believe if his hand is disfigured by the encounter with Burt, that was after entering the code to get into the lobby. Burt shoots him twice in the chest in the hallway, then he jumps out the window, the last shot from Burt(after reloading) hits him in the hand.Quote:
Originally Posted by Grognaurd
Also(But I could not be clear about where the cameras are in the tower) Lizzy says something to Michael that I thought was interesting..... Michael is yelling at her, saying "Did you not look at his face?!?!" and Lizzy says something to the effect of "No, he kept his back turned the whole time"
So the question...... Is the reason Ink takes multiple times to enter the code correctly because he is trying to enter it with his back turned to the keypad???? And if so, wouldn't this strike anyone as odd that some guy is standing out in the street where he could get attacked at any minute, and he won't even turn around to enter a code correctly?
I don't know if I'm posting this in the right place or not. I'm a fan of the show and have just started listening to the We're Not Dead podcast which got me thinking a bit. I don't know if they pick their comments up from here or not but I wanted to share them...
Duncan / Skittles - ex radon labs employee or former subject (hence the weirds)? Potentially let Ink in to CJ's (Dunbar?) tower due to recognition?
Randy / The Bearded One
- A guy who could end the plague? Potentially at the water plant when Michael was stranded there, was he trying to fix the system and introduce something to the water as a vaccine?
- A guy who could end humanity?
Former cohort of Ink at Radon labs, sabotaging the water plant for good before converting himself to a smart one?
As one guy said on the podcast, behemoths could be the step in the process before perfecting the little ones - perhaps they are erroneous which would explain why the other zombies would leave them alone, a failed project...
Keratin 18 associated with Hepatitis, an illness that can transfer via blood, just like the zombie plague.
Ink - the DVR playback is in part 3 of episode 2 - convicted of multiple homicides outside of Santa Monica last May, accepted plea of insanity, paranoid schizophrenic. Family devastated.
I know this isn't the Reptrivia thread but just a reminder for everyone, there is a new daily quiz and weekly quiz that started today. Go check them out and see how good your 'We're Alive' knowledge really is :squint:
Get a Rep from me if you can pull 100% on the weekly quiz!!! :excited:
Well, that sure would be a Sucker Punch....Quote:
Originally Posted by 7oddisdead
True, but what about supergerms, like MRSA? I can confirm from personal experience (photos available for the morbidly curious) that the drugs Tanya gave Saul (vancomycin and clindamycin) are used to treat MRSA, which is resistant to most antibiotics. Some strains may be resistant to all of them. Of possible relevance to a certain location in the story is the fact that MRSA is a germ that originated in hospitals.Quote:
Originally Posted by Robzombie