It's been two weeks. It's time for an episode.
And there was much rejoicing.
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It's been two weeks. It's time for an episode.
And there was much rejoicing.
longest two weeks ever. Can't wait until the new episode drops.Quote:
Originally Posted by nikvoodoo
You ain't just whistlin' dixie (as they say).Quote:
Originally Posted by Hellbringer
Hey btw: It's King Datu the Resourceful's birthday today! Not story Datu...actual Datu. So give a happy birthday to Mr. Olegario!
Hopefully Kc didn't give him the gift of a character death this chapter.....
When do we get a new ep today? (checking iTunes now) This will be the first one I can join in discussions on the forum for! :yay:
Welcome to the fray!Quote:
Originally Posted by Sorshanik
Episodes are posted by 12pm Eastern Time. As you claim your location is the East Coast...I'll presume that is all the timing info you shall need :)
Noon. Perfect. Just enough time to download it before I board a plane from Maine to Laguardia to Memphis and home to San Antonio. Should be able to listen to it a few times. The wait for 10,000 ft is going to kill me.
Wait the credit said Britt???
Can someone explain the terms? Blood strip, Tapes?
Britt was in this one. Her role: Nurse Britt. She's in the beginning.Quote:
Originally Posted by UndeadSweeper
Blood Stripes is a reference to Rank you get only by someone dying and you get their spot/rank out of necessity.Quote:
Originally Posted by UndeadSweeper
Tapes, and Name Tapes. Your name portion of the uniform.
Thanks KC.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kc
Btw, do you have military on the actors crew? Everything sound legit, I thought I would need clearance to listen most of the conversations.
Fan F'ning tastic episode! Love my WA Mondays. Recognized Britt right away, which, for a moment, made my podcast worlds collide... Congratulations Britt!
I hope that Britt doesn't get a big ego like our old friend Greg Miller. It will be hard to fit them in the podcast room. And now Nikvoodoo will want a spot on the show.... Wait maybe he already on it? Maybe know so much.... bc he the PIMP zombie!!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by PamG
Bravo!! Does it seem surreal to anyone else that they are walking around in civilazation?
Quote:
Originally Posted by UndeadSweeper
Ah the plot thickens
ARRRRGH...
Soo close to maybe getting the juicy details.. and the Epi ends!
Great episode (again) Kc
I loved the detail about the base being under-manned because they were between rotations. When I was stationed at Fort Irwin the base worked in cycles. Units would arrive for training and remain for exactly 28 days. During that time it was all-hands-on-deck for the people assigned to the base and we'd routinely work through weekends. After the training unit left we'd go into a stand-down period, where people got a chance to take a break. The OPFOR unit (currently 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment) would focus on maintenance and normal soldier skills. The training evaluation units would make sure the ranges and support systems work, develop plans, etc.
During the inter-rotation periods people would take time off and there was always at least one 4-day weekend when virtually the entire base closed down. Since a large portion of the soldiers assigned to Fort Irwin lived off base, and virtually all of the civilian workers did, the place was a virtual ghost-town during these periods. Ironic, weapons for thousands without enough bodies to man them!
FYI, Yermo, where Puck earned his blood stripes, is a small town east of Barstow. It's important because the Marine Corps Logistics Base in Yermo is the closest point that the railroad comes to Fort Irwin. That's where equipment and supplies for Fort Irwin are delivered, and there's a large military warehouse center there.
I wonder what "pantech" (sp?) is, and why the Colonel was there.
Also how did he get there? Air or land?Quote:
Originally Posted by Cabbage Patch
Loved the episode.
I kept feeling a strange whiplash between comfort and foreboding about everything going on at Ft. Irwin. Comfort because it seems safe and secure with some sense of normality but there's just a tiny bit of an ominous feel. Mostly the foreboding was coming from Michael though. He seems to be torn between who he was before and who he has become since the start of the show. Like he's afraid that by going back on active duty he might lose some growth he's undergone. It's really great writing and shows the depth of the characterization.
Also Britt finally makes her cameo on the show! I had to go back and re-listen after I heard her name in the credits. It was a good performance. Congrats!
Small technical question...
My iTunes doesn't have new artwork for this episode.
Is it just me, or is there no artwork?
hmm...
the two standouts for me in this one were tayna's comment about "you dont understand" and the fact that the map in Kimmet's office spanned over to montana...of course any thoughts of what could be indicated on that map are pure speculation at this point...but i get the feeling once we start getting more info on whats happening outside of LA and ft irwin..things will begin to take a bleak turn. which is almost a welcome thing...sometimes we need to be reminded all this stuff is bad...
more as it comes to me...
Yeah I got the same thing, Just "We're Alive" on a black background. So it's not just you.Quote:
Originally Posted by Chogidog
Quote:
Originally Posted by HardKor
If i was the questioning type i would say that it is something we are not yet meant to see...
Like the artwork is.. "Beyond Our Walls" ?Quote:
Originally Posted by awkwardalex
Pantex maybe?Quote:
Originally Posted by Cabbage Patch
http://www.pantex.com/about/index.htm
The artwork is having some delays this week. Nothing to be alarmed by. When we have it we'll re-post it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Chogidog
I should have gone with.. Beyond Our Walled GardenQuote:
Originally Posted by Kc
Awesome episode. It was the first time we've had a real world kinda atmosphere since the beginning. With the intercom, chatter, etc.
DAMN YOU KC AND YOUR CLIFF HANGARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!i!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!??!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!???!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!? !!!!!!!!!?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I really liked the POV change in the opening. It might ruin all of our assumptions about the journals though.
Did I hear Michael Swan right? Brittany Brombacher?! Is it digital boxers time?
By the way I am 0 for 3 on recognizing voices. Greg Miller, Bob Bergen as Duncan, Brittany Brombacher. I needed Michael Swan to tell me...
HOLY SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTT!!!!!!! Britt NEEDS to be a recurring character!!!! IT MUST, BE KC!
Did four rotations to Krosnovia or whatever we want to call it these days. Went down to Yermo once or twice, so it'd be interesting to see if that place plays a factor in the story.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cabbage Patch
Bloodstripes? Definitely not a way I'd want to earn my rank and position, but some things are necessary at dire times.
Ok, the commander talked about "exchange points" being used instead of cash or US dollars. That concerns me because, stepping back a bit and fathoming a bigger picture, it sounds like either Ft. Irwin is in some sort of communications black out from the rest of civilization (and the commander is trying to keep things in order) or things have deteriorated so badly that there is no organized government or infrastructure outside the post.
Having no social security number on file for Michael leads me to believe in either case, because the Army post should be connected to other military installations electronically and be able to pull up his information readily.
As Alice would say, while looking through the glass mind you, "Curiouser and curiouser."
Didn't seem to get a whole lot of 'meat' out of this episode to theorize about... more a whole lot of creeping dread...
Tanya's Problem
Hell yeah... Britt the nurse is going to find something wrong with her. Wouldn't surprise me if they find either that she has been bitten and didn't turn (i.e. the immunity thing already much talked about) or that she had been doing some kind of experiments on herself in trying to develop a zombie vaccine that may be incriminating. Either way, it ain't gonna go well for her, and the colonel is going to try and give her the boot.
Question: I wonder if the colonel's insistence on regular medical clearance (seems like at least once a month for everyone) indicates that the Fort has had some trouble with 'slow-turners' in the past? And that Tanya is going to be accused of being just such a slow-turner???
Michael = Antigone?
...this will make Michael's life even harder, as he is going to have to choose between his loyalty to the Law (millitary, rank, structure, rules) and the 'higher law' of loyalty to his adopted family. He likely will choose the latter, making this a rather short stay in Irwin.
Irwin Kicks Out, but Not Kills
The fact that there is such a clamp-down on information until people have been medically cleared is a good sign, actually. This shows that people who are not cleared are banished from the Fort, but not killed outright like in the Colony (remember how Gatekeeper would have those rejected shot in the back?). So that speaks to a greater semblance of humanity, anyway. This colonel may end up being a dick, but he doesn't seem to be a monster like Gatekeeper.
Although... on second thought, wouldn't banishing someone to some overrrun place like Barstow pretty much be the same as killing them???
The 35 Mile Buffer
So I checked and this Yermo is about 35 miles SSW of Ft. Irwin. Since Puck got his 'blood stripes' there, it is safe to say Yermo is probably overrun, like Barstow. So they've got about 35 miles of desert between them and zombies. I was curious about how far the Zeds would migrate if they ran low on chow in Yermo... remember the starving Zed-Heads that swam all the way from (I think) San Clemente Island? I wonder how many incidences there are of wandering Zombs breaching the perimeter...
Mke's Marching Orders?
Anyone else think it a bit ominous as to why Michael was hesitating to sign the papers? Is that simply because he is unwilling to submit to a higher authority, or is there something more sinister afoot at Irwin? I don't see what signing a piece a paper matters anyway, especially in a post-apocalyptic situation like the world of "We're Alive"... I think the Army has much bigger fish to fry than a few recruits leaving post and going AWOL.
By the way, was anyone else glad to hear about the abundance of munitions at Ft. Irwin? Now all we need is a good old mass-zombie assault. I don't know about you, but this podcast would be a whole lot less interesting to listen to if the characters had to fight this shit out with sticks and slingshots... :cool:
An "exchange point" system actually makes good sense, and I think it speaks well to the security of the base and how well provisioned it is. The fact that the Post Exchange is open in any form is a good sign, a link to normalcy and a sign that some luxury items are available. That's bound to help troop morale (which is the reason that PXs exist in the first place). And you couldn't use US currency, because there's no way of stopping troops from acquiring more (off dead zombies, out of business during recon missions) and causing crazy inflation.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hellbringer
This is very similar to what Riley did at the Tower with her "store". We never knew how goods were distributed from the store, but there must have been a system or else why have a store.
Believe it or not, the military is subject to privacy laws just like everybody else. When a soldier transfers in to a unit his data goes onto the local data servers, and a base like Fort Irwin isn't authorized to see anything about soldiers not stationed there. Ordinarily your orders arrive at your new duty station before you do, authorizing them to download your records. When you arrive you hand-carry the rest of your data, which the base gets when you in-process. In other words what we saw here was really close to "situation normal".Quote:
Originally Posted by Hellbringer
Nice posts, Cabbage Patch! You bring it, dude!
I'd REP you again, but the damn thing won't let me. You give great insight into Army details.
Quick Theory About Irwin's History
Evidence:
- The strong emphasis on medical clearance at Irwin
- That their helicopter was recognized upon arrival at Irwin.
- The 35 mile isolation buffer from the outbreak
- Puck isn't a 'newbie' despite only being in 1 1/2 years
- Irwin was between training cycles at outbreak = Few Active Duty Personnel
Theory:
- Irwin was probably used as an emergency EVAC site at the time of the outbreak
- Much of the base's current personnel are probably made up of civilians who were flown out of LA and nearby locales
- Even with the geographic isolation, they must have had an internal zombie outbreak due to some of the evacuees being infected and then turning upon arrival
- The internal outbreak was quelled, but they probably lost many people during the mini-disaster
- Puck was one of the few original Army guys to survive the outbreak, and so was quickly promoted to positions of responsibility over the incoming civilians
- So the colonel (highest ranking left alive) took over with an iron fist and a firm mandate that all Irwin personnel MUST get a physical at least once a month to ensure no further outbreaks happen
Great episode! I just wish it hadn't ended so soon. :)
Anyway, I'm really looking forward to finding out what's wrong with Tanya. There's obviously something going on that she doesn't want anyone else to know about. As for Michael, I was a little surprised he was hesitant to rejoin the army. Then again, I guess that's what happens when you've grown used to doing things your own way for so long; and then people expect you to go back to the way things were.
I say nothing.Quote:
Originally Posted by UndeadSweeper
Actually, I'd wager they dont have bigger fish to fry. Especially if he has a unique skill set that isnt currently present. If someone still believes in the structure, Michael is subject to his service and he doesn't have a choice. Well....he does. His choice is to sign the paper, or risk prison time/execution. Yes, Michael could be executed for going AWOL during wartime (at least as I understand the outer extreme of AWOL punishments).Quote:
Originally Posted by Litmaster
He'd do best to sign that paper...
I offer a counter-counter-point or two to your counter-point. ;) (where's my winking smile? I know I put it in here)Quote:
Originally Posted by Cabbage Patch
The exchange point system may sound good in the short term, but I think back to my folks and myself while stationed "out there." Some of my guys were at really small outposts, but they had a finance team come out once a month or so and cash out checks or offer cash advances up to a certain amount in order for them to use the local exchange or the local on-site bazaar. The remaining money was still in the system, though, be it cash on hand or stored up in a bank/savings account. However, to me this detail is minor and only a symptom of something bigger.
As for the privacy laws and such, yes, the Privacy Act of 1974, does protect individuals' rights. However, earlier in the episode, before Michael had to sign anything (cliffhanger), the command folks had his ID card. They checked his card to make sure it wasn't a fake; that card has his social security number on it. They had the information needed (his SSN) to verify that he was who he said he was. But they didn't use it that way. He willingly surrendered his card to them for use and that can be construed (am I using the right word here or have I been listening too many people who used that word?) as consent. This is the Army, after all.
Also, there was a 42-series (legal dude/adjutant general/human resource) person who typed up Michael's orders to bring him unto Active Duty. Orders don't get published or drawn up without going through iPERMS or E-MILPO (military administrative systems), systems connected to Human Resources Command or even the Army G-1 (personnel). Besides, that 42-series person would have access to look information on Michael in those databases on the Commander's behalf, especially if Michael was to become a part of that unit.
Just saying this smells a little fishy to me. Like something is rotten in Denmark. I have been wrong plenty of times before, though. I mean, I was dead sure that Bill, of the Apartment, was the man we call Ink... allegedly.
Great point about the ID Card having Michael's Social Security Number on it, I totally missed that fact. It is starting to look like Fort Irwin is on its own, without access to the rest of the Army's data or logistics infrastructure.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hellbringer