Chapter 43-1 The Darkness Ahead

[scbubba]

Cool episode for a "non-action" one.

We learn that even Ink is afraid of the Behemoths, maybe? He seemed to be ok with McKibben Arrow Head in Chap 36 but maybe that was some sort of nervous truce. The way that Michael and Tanya talk about the jail and it's residents makes sense. Ink doesn't want to risk taking the big boys on personally so he'll lock them up and hope they just go away. Methinks we haven't seen the last of them. Whatever lives and escapes from the jail will be an equal opportunity killer...

Splitting up the group? I had a feeling it would happen. Either voluntarily due to resources or involuntarily due to the Colony being overrun. Like others said in earlier posts in this thread, it will let us focus on the key players. The question in my mind on this topic is: do any of the groups make it away so that Michael & Co can get away from bad old LA when it's all done.

Saul's foreshadowing? I don't think so. At least not yet. He may not be the grand martyr but for his wife and child, he would die to ensure their safety. I just don't think we are to that point in the story yet. More to be developed if we are to get there....

Pete (Greg!) is back and looking for an angle on the water... Perfect!

Hope and Datu - still not sure where this is going but given who Datu is at heart and the ominous chapter art. I think we are nearing his end. I trust Kc to treat him properly and to make us all cry.

Scratch and Tardust. I think they are the last of the Mallers. There were only a couple with them after the big fight at the Colony and they are dead or desserted. Scratch is still at it for Pegs. She will not let it go. Tardust stays with her because he knows its a damn good way to stay alive - even though so many have died around her.... As to how we know this part of the story, I'm guessing either it gets pieced together from some info Michael & Co get from Scratch or we end up with a fairly involved interaction with Scratch and the team. That would be.... odd. But the enemy of my enemy and all that.

Other than finally hearing Jenna's amazing voice, the thing that made me actually exclaim out loud was hearing a new name in the credits, right @nikvoodoo ?

Great job, as usual, Kc! Can't wait for this all to play out....

[TacticalJHP]

Did Scratch get the radio from the jail? Several of us have noticed Latch & Scratch seemed to move around with impunity.

I think you mean Scratch and Tardust. Unless you are talking about the ghost of her dead brother, then yes...he can move around with impunity.

You guys are reading too much into the narration. So what, I should think that Scratch is gonna eventually join the group because none of our heroes witnessed her scene with Tar?

I'm starting to wonder if Tardust eventually does not join up with one of the groups, especially since he seems disillusioned with Scratch and "Just wants it to be done."

He should not, though. He should be shot on sight.

But i'm kind of a harsh person like that.

Splitting the party:
Usually a bad plan. Especially since now we know that Scratch has been staking out the Colony since the Mallers fled and is waiting for an opportunity. Once the numbers advantage is gone, she's got her opening. But CJ's got a point. Without the resources to sustain a large group, they're better off splitting off into more manageable groups. Plus from a story standpoint it makes sense. It's time to focus in on the main cast for the final stretch and sending off all the extra people is a good way to get our core group all together and on the same page.

Splitting the party:
Why did the Colonists extend the Colony-territory based on CJ's plans in the first place? Were they ambitious enough to believe that they could stay there like forever? And did the resource-issue occur during the last weaks? Or did CJ have things in mind for quite a while already, but she let people work in order to keep them busy instead of worrying?

Splitting up the group? I had a feeling it would happen. Either voluntarily due to resources or involuntarily due to the Colony being overrun. Like others said in earlier posts in this thread, it will let us focus on the key players. The question in my mind on this topic is: do any of the groups make it away so that Michael & Co can get away from bad old LA when it's all done.

Ok, this is a horrible idea. Strength in numbers. Bigger talent pool, more people for more tasks, more options for survival.

CJ has a moving plan. OK, GREAT! At least that whine-fest a few chapters back was actually productive. Does not mean it is a good one. Maybe she should have brought a few of the other colony in on the plan.

If they are going to evac to another location, they need to take the time and think out which location will be:
1: a secure area
2: in an area with untapped resources
3: in an area where an adequate water supply exists:
4: in an area where food will be plentiful, both game and grow
5: large enough to support the entire population
6: where the enemy is scarce

And all this is assuming that the well cannot be fixed and that is a 'dry hole.' (Pardon the pun) and i think it will be ok, if Datu can work on it without being bothered, and gets more help. (Yay pete!)


And as far as the whole 'Saul is going to die' foreshadowing, Many soon to be fathers in high risk situations go through the same thing.
Does that mean he will die? No. But as a responsible father, and the fact that he could run into Ink and 200 behemoths next episode, he wanted to ask the one person he KNEW could protect his family to do the right thing in case the worst thing happens.

And as Vic pointed out, he really did not need to ask. In that situation, that bond between Vic and Saul, Vic would have stepped up if there had never been one word between the two men. All that conversation did was make Saul feel better. And when Saul feels better, Saul does his duties better because he is not worried about who is going to watch after Lizzy and baby.

[Kc]

CJ has a moving plan. OK, GREAT! At least that whine-fest a few chapters back was actually productive. Does not mean it is a good one. Maybe she should have brought a few of the other colony in on the plan.

If they are going to evac to another location, they need to take the time and think out which location will be:
1: a secure area
2: in an area with untapped resources
3: in an area where an adequate water supply exists:
4: in an area where food will be plentiful, both game and grow
5: large enough to support the entire population
6: where the enemy is scarce

Just as a side note, and maybe go beyond the text a bit and delve deeper into some of the mechanics of the colony. All these things listed above are already true about where they are going.

The contingency plan wasn't made on a whim, but had months of planning involved. CJ didn't LITERALLY spend months, but during the time she's been running the colony the plan trickled in. Think of it as a well-organized evacuation plan, it's always good to have one.

And as for the other colonists, the general consensus is that they support the idea. Like CJ said, they know what's at stake. Some survivors at the colony were once slaves of the Mallers, so they know too well what could happen if they get weak. They also have dealt with the numerous zombie attacks, so know what could happen there. Some (a select few) have dealt with extreme thirst and starvation, so there's a huge motivating factor. You can imagine that these stories are also shared amongst them as well, further supporting the idea. Someone who has gone through that would definitely share their experience with it. Food and water sustenance is going to be one of the biggest concerns for someone in this world.

In short, everything they've experienced leading up to this doesn't mean they wouldn't support the idea. They still see CJ as a liberator and a hero. They trust her judgement. There might be a few who would blame the expansion of the colony on the lack of fuel, but the reality was that there was a steep drop-off in the fuel supply that no one foresaw. And the expansion of the colony was in fact necessary because of food production vs. consumption. There's a LOT of mouths to feed and the amount of farm space protected in the walls wasn't enough to sustain that many people. You can imagine in that 4 month span that there was quite a bit of weening off the supply of can goods and stored food.

[TacticalJHP]

It's not.

THANK YOU!!

Just as a side note, and maybe go beyond the text a bit and delve deeper into some of the mechanics of the colony. All these things listed above are already true about where they are going.

The contingency plan wasn't made on a whim, but had months of planning involved. CJ didn't LITERALLY spend months, but during the time she's been running the colony the plan trickled in. Think of it as a well-organized evacuation plan, it's always good to have one.

And as for the other colonists, the general consensus is that they support the idea. Like CJ said, they know what's at stake. Some survivors at the colony were once slaves of the Mallers, so they know too well what could happen if they get weak. They also have dealt with the numerous zombie attacks, so know what could happen there. Some (a select few) have dealt with extreme thirst and starvation, so there's a huge motivating factor. You can imagine that these stories are also shared amongst them as well, further supporting the idea. Someone who has gone through that would definitely share their experience with it. Food and water sustenance is going to be one of the biggest concerns for someone in this world.

In short, everything they've experienced leading up to this doesn't mean they wouldn't support the idea. They still see CJ as a liberator and a hero. They trust her judgement. There might be a few who would blame the expansion of the colony on the lack of fuel, but the reality was that there was a steep drop-off in the fuel supply that no one foresaw. And the expansion of the colony was in fact necessary because of food production vs. consumption. There's a LOT of mouths to feed and the amount of farm space protected in the walls wasn't enough to sustain that many people. You can imagine in that 4 month span that there was quite a bit of weening off the supply of can goods and stored food.

This makes me feel a little better about the move, knowing it was not an impromptu "Hey guys, put your shit on this truck" type of plan.

[Gooer]

Cool episode for a "non-action" one.

We learn that even Ink is afraid of the Behemoths, maybe? He seemed to be ok with McKibben Arrow Head in Chap 36 but maybe that was some sort of nervous truce. The way that Michael and Tanya talk about the jail and it's residents makes sense. Ink doesn't want to risk taking the big boys on personally so he'll lock them up and hope they just go away. Methinks we haven't seen the last of them. Whatever lives and escapes from the jail will be an equal opportunity killer...

What i want to know, If Ink is scared of the Behemoths, why did he have two of them in his "army" when he attacked the Colony? While he might of had some sort of trust in arrow head, what about the other one?

[scbubba]

What i want to know, If Ink is scared of the Behemoths, why did he have two of them in his "army" when he attacked the Colony? While he might of had some sort of trust in arrow head, what about the other one?

I'm working off pure memory here but I don't think Ink had more than 1 behemoth in the "general population" and that was Arrow Head. The other behemoth encounters were isolated encounters, IIRC. It was obviously Arrow Head at the Colony in Ch 36 and probably Arrow Head at the Arena way back when. It could have been random Big Boy at the Water Works and then encountered (and put down) by Angel and Kalani (may they rest in peace). The one autopsied by Tanya early in this season was just found dead somewhere. Not necessarily tied to Ink and his crew.

I'm not a 100% sold on Tanya's theory that Ink is afraid of the and is keeping them locked up in hopes that they are too stupid to figure a way out. I'm simply pointing put that we have the seed planted that any and all of Ink's experiments still alive at the Jail may end up turned loose as indiscriminate killing machines. This could level the playing field by eliminating some of Ink's Little Ones or give a common cause to band some number of characters together (e.g., bringing Burt and Riley back in, the infamous Scratch alliance, Pegs in a "Death from Above" role)

Anyway, I don't think we've seen the last of whatever is in there....

[Gooer]

I'm working off pure memory here but I don't think Ink had more than 1 behemoth in the "general population" and that was Arrow Head. The other behemoth encounters were isolated encounters, IIRC. It was obviously Arrow Head at the Colony in Ch 36 and probably Arrow Head at the Arena way back when. It could have been random Big Boy at the Water Works and then encountered (and put down) by Angel and Kalani (may they rest in peace). The one autopsied by Tanya early in this season was just found dead somewhere. Not necessarily tied to Ink and his crew.

I'm not a 100% sold on Tanya's theory that Ink is afraid of the and is keeping them locked up in hopes that they are too stupid to figure a way out. I'm simply pointing put that we have the seed planted that any and all of Ink's experiments still alive at the Jail may end up turned loose as indiscriminate killing machines. This could level the playing field by eliminating some of Ink's Little Ones or give a common cause to band some number of characters together (e.g., bringing Burt and Riley back in, the infamous Scratch alliance, Pegs in a "Death from Above" role)

Anyway, I don't think we've seen the last of whatever is in there....

Pretty sure there were two when Ink attacked the Colony: going to listen to it soon.....

But yea, the Jail is too important to be mentioned only for the death of the solders, or the testing area for the Behemoths. We will be back there sometime....

[Witch_Doctor]

I'm simply pointing put that we have the seed planted that any and all of Ink's experiments still alive at the Jail may end up turned loose as indiscriminate killing machines. This could level the playing field by eliminating some of Ink's Little Ones or give a common cause to band some number of characters together (e.g., bringing Burt and Riley back in, the infamous Scratch alliance, Pegs in a "Death from Above" role)

Anyway, I don't think we've seen the last of whatever is in there....

Here's MY plan. Douse Ink and the Inklings with sweat. Let the Behemoths go. Walk off into the sunset.

[Witch_Doctor]

Other than finally hearing Jenna's amazing voice, the thing that made me actually exclaim out loud was hearing a new name in the credits, right @nikvoodoo ?

Whoa!!! Nikvoodoo was in this episode? Gotta listen again!

[Gooer]

Whoa!!! Nikvoodoo was in this episode? Gotta listen again!

Unless he's in a future episode....?