I think the newlydeads get solemnly dispatched after a ceremony at the handily dug graves nearby.

I am not sure why you think that. They didn't spend a ton of time up on the roof. They ran up there. Merle went nuts, beat up T-Dog (they need to give this guy a real name), they cuff him and leave him up there. Shit goes down, T-Dog runs up, loses the key, locks the door they were going in and out of. It didn't seem like they spent a lot of time wandering around the roof looking for other ways in or out. I didn't find it ex machina at all.


There had been background people in multiple shots at multiple times. The zombie horde attack didn't reveal them. By my count, I saw 4 people get killed. Two no name/redshirts, wife-beating Ed, and Amy who, arguably, could have been considered (by some) to be the most attractive female in the show.

Actually, I do enjoy the show. I like both of the main characters and root for them. I also really like the cinematography, which is very well done for a tv show and adds most of the tension and fear. That's enough to get past some of the "reacting to collapse" which comes off as lacking - scripted character types (here's the old rambling guy!) and overlong build-ups.

I still would love to see a show based more on a World War Z-type story. There's a reason that book is so popular.

No comments on last night's episode?

I thought it did a pretty good job setting things up for the season finale, although I can see people talking up the Lost comparisons even more now due to what happened in the last 15 minutes.

I know.

The first thing I thought when I saw the lone CDC guy was "It's Desmond in the hatch!" You can take it right down to the hasmet suit and the bright, white light as the big "reveal" when the doors opened.

I don't mind it.

I think things are set up for a pretty good finale. I liked how they appropriately ratcheted up the tension. The people looked tired, scared, beat up. There was no real moment when anyone relaxed. Nerves were frayed. There were some attempts to comfort other people, Andrea and Jim, but other than that it was arguments and stress.

For those interested, the CDC thing isn't in the comic. It's the first really big stray from the comic, which is fine.

It's sad there's only one more episode left until next year.

That's at least one issue that's very minor for me personally, since I never got into Lost at all. I get the comparison, it just won't be one that is particularly problematic for me.

I thought they did a great job on the scene in the woods with the consideration of the, umm, "hunting accident". Not so much with doing it, since I saw that coming a mile away, but rather with the interaction between Shane & the older guy. The way Shane tried to play it off & the guy just reacted like "what am I, stupid?"

I felt like I connected with the hillbilly hunter for the first time last night, in the final scene with Jim. For whatever reason, real or imagined, I felt like he ended up wrestling with the same thing I was at the last glance: whether leaving a soon-to-be-walker was the "right" thing to do. I mean, the blood of any survivor he kills down the line is on the hands of our group & I've kind of got a problem with that.

Understandable though her reaction may have been, if I'm Rick (or at least in Rick's position), I'd have put one in the back of the living sister's head from about 8 steps back if she had pointed that gun at me in that situation. Followed by two to the head of the walker-to-be. It's awful about your sister, but she's dead & you can change neither that fact nor the inevitable aftermath. No one here should be at any additional risk, however slight, just because you've got guilt issues about your relationship with her. And damned if you should be putting people in the position to deal with what's coming up shortly either.

I think my reaction -- as a guy who always ends up with angelic karma in Fallout -- is a sign that they're doing a good job of ratcheting up the tension of the overall situation with the show to this point. I'm reacting to their universe, not this one nor my own tendencies & that's a pretty good measure of engagement I think.

This was another one of those tension moments for me. They lingered on the guy's face for an uncomfortably long enough period of time for me to keep thinking that Merle was going to put an arrow through his head.

The one thing that rang false to me was how during the big walker battle in the previous episode, people like the wifebeater husband who got killed turned to zombies within minutes (at least in time to join the battle) but the dead sister lies there for hours or even overnight? Other than that, great episode.

He did?

Really? I didn't see that at all. In fact, I thought that he was still "originally dead" since his wife put the axe to him repeatedly so he wouldn't become a walker.

I believe that was just a regular walker who happened to bear a physical resemblance to the asshole.

Could be - I thought it was meant to be the same guy.

Anybody think that the scientist dude's lamenting the loss of fresh tissue is setting up the hunt for newly zombified Jim?

Interesting to see how they're dangling the Merle story. It seems they're headed away from that locale, so it doesn't seem likely they're going to resolve it/him in the finale. If that's the case, including that storyline at all was an interesting choice, without a second season guaranteed. I like the way they're leaving a lot of threads like that hanging without neat endings, and I'm interested to see how they handle them.

Crap-ass moment of the week: You're junky-ass '70s RV broke down? Really? Shocker. Psst, you're in zombie Atlanta, not Thunderdome. There are cars and gas everywhere. Get a new RV. Get a million dollar tour bus. Get five of them. Maybe one of those Hummers over there with the .50 cal on top. Howsabout a tank? Nah, where would you find one of those? We'll just stick with this rickety-ass Winnebago with known mechanical problems, and this 1981 panel van, thanks.

In my fantasy, the hispanic family has watched the two camp leaders take turns pointing firearms about wildly, debate rebuilding their tin-can perimeter after a zombie horde attack, seen the psycho blonde cradle her dead sister in her arms for 10 hours until she could blow her zombie brains out, slept next to the racist with the short-fuse and a grudge, seen the state of those vehicles, knows the Winnebago has a soon-to-be-zombie-Jim in the back unshackled, and realizes that someday soon that nutty sheriff is going to realize his wife was banging his 'best' friend. "Uhh.....we,uhhh......got some, uhhhh......family in Birmingham....so we'll, uhhhhh see you all later!"

:D

This is one thing that does bother me about the show. There are basically an unlimited supply of vehicles, why are they driving unreliable, worn down looking ones? If it's a plot device, that's fine, but, right now it makes them look dumb. On the other hand, it could be the mental state they are all in and shows that they don't always look ahead?

Could be going with the familar, known quanity, over the unknown. Though turning down a new RV is hard for me to reckon with.

Some disconnects in the show for me, but nothing to difficult to see past right now.

Hmmm.... ‘The Walking Dead’ Fires Writing Staff; Will Not Replace Them For Season 2 - Screen Rant

I like that character too - whereas Merle seemed to be a one-note asshole racist character, even after he was chained to the roof, the brother seems to have a little bit of nuance and depth. (Btw for whoever said Merle's thread is left untied, Jim left a note saying he was going to the CDC at the campsite - that's how he'd know where to find them next season.)That wasn't even the vehicle plot point that most made me suspend my disbelief - it was when (presumably) Merle stole their truck - so thinking he would go back to camp and take revenge they decide to run the X miles (I think they've said several at one point) instead of stealing another car, like we just saw Jim do (twice!) when they were previously trapped and had to go through an entire horde of zombies to do it. I'm also not sure if they conveniently forgot/did not take walkies that trip, or they "tried off screen" but were only getting static, but that might have been a good thing to point out to people at the campsite as they were having their kumbaya fish fry.

A six episode 'season' with plans on next year starting in October 2011.

Does AMC really have that much going on to only produce four and a half hours of show in a year? (generous number based on discounting commercials here)


Meh.

Yr 2 is supposed to be 13 eps, unless something has changed/everything I've been reading is wrong.

A humorous take a friend of mine on another board wrote:

So... what we should we do?
Let's go to Atlanta. The CDC is there.
Yeah, great idea! I'm going!
*later*
Ohhhhh shit! Atlanta is really dangerous. GETOUTGETOUTGETOUT!

So... what should we do?
I know! let's go back to Atlanta!
*later*
Ohhhhh shit! Atlanta is really dangerous. GETOUTGETOUTGETOUT!
Hey if you are listening on CB? Dooooon't go to Atlanta! For the love of God, dooooon't go to Atlanta!

So... what should we do?
I know! Let's go to the CDC center in Atlanta!
Hey if you are listening on CB? We're going to Atlanta! Meet us in Atlanta!
*later*
Ohhhhh shit! Atlanta is really dangerous. Fuckfuckfuckfuck

Good stuff, except for the fact that the CDC is about 7 miles outside of Atlanta. I Google mapped it. :)

You would.

1- Last week when the crossbow guy shot the bald Hispanic guy in the ass, any chance that arrow had some zombie gore on it?

2- No explanation for the fish fry zombie massacre? It just seemed hard to believe that a bunch showed up at the same time. Hey, who ordered the pack of zombies?

3- I think I'd have suggested the airport as a destination instead of the CDC. Should be easy to set up a safe haven there and they might find the guy that was piloting that helicopter. Any potential government aid would likely come through there and at the least there should be cargo to plunder.

4- I think AMC is going to sell a buttload of Walking Dead dvds.

I've liked the last two episodes overall. I think some stuff was done really nicely. A couple of problems though (which isn't a lot considering I had more problems at the beginning of the show):

-I guess they are moving away from zombie blood spreading the condition? Or is it only if it gets in your eyes or mouth or something? They seem to be pretty reckless now when fighting them, and I swear they mentioned in one of the first episodes to watch out for the blood.

-As much as I've come to like that second hillbilly character (with the crossbow), I find it hard to believe he'd just leave with the group and pretty much forget about his brother? The risked going back to Atlanta for him, then thought he escaped with their van... and now it's a dropped search. Doesn't make sense to me.

Also, and this has nothing to do with the episodes, it's kind of weird to see that story posted above about the writing staff being fired. What the hell? I don't like reading the bit about freelance writers. I'd like to think someone planned an entire season out.

Ah yes, that was dumb too. There had to be at least one car near by they could have taken to get back to the camp. Very good point Bishop.




On the writers getting fired. It may be a case of them pricing themselves out of a job. They saw how successful the show is and were asking for more money and next they know, they get the ax.

Edit: Ok, just read the article, sounds like they weren't doing much anyway from what the director was saying.

Something changing like them axing the entire writing staff?

1. I imagine that Darabont has been really running things the whole time anyway.

2. The writing has kind of sucked.

Don't take this as abuse, show has been great (though 2&3 uneven).

My Walking Dead - Lost character equivalency primer

Rick - Jack
Lori - Kate
Carl - Vincent
Morgan - Michael
Duane - Walt
shane - Sawyer
Glenn - Miles
Dale - Locke
Carol - Sun
Ed - Jin
Jim - Mr. Eko
Andrea - Juliet
Amy - Shannon
Jacqui - Rose
Morales - The Pilot
Dale - Sayid
Merle - Ben
T-Dog - Hurley
Dr. Jenner - Desmond

In my wildest imagination I can't see where firing the writing staff (and especially one that has made questionable contributions compared to the key person who remains) is going to affect the length of their order.

Unless someone at the network had at least two close relatives included in the group of castoffs, this is barely newsworthy as far as Season Two goes.

I went with my eight year olds to their favorite comic shop (Phoenix Comics - over near GMU). The amount of Walking Dead stuff they had for sale in comparison to this summer (when I first discovered the story) was incredible.

I am a big believer in the series, I love the concept. I think my problem right now has been with the acting and the writing. It's hard to believe some of the stuff that has been said and acted is coming from the guy who did Shawshank. It REALLY feels amateurish. The actor who plays Shane is completely over the top and while I think Rick is a solid actor, he seems to have trouble with that half-accent he uses.

Anyway, I am hoping for some stronger writing and more mayhem in season 2. Maybe some better actors, too.

I'm pretty much right there with you, Subby. Big believer in the series, and if done right, it will be awesome. While I enjoyed the small season one, it wasn't as good as I hoped. I'll definitely be tuning into season two just because of how much I enjoyed the comic, and believe in how good it could be on television.

Glen is totally Hurley. Come on.

I believe the actor that plays Rick is English, which would explain the problem he's having with the accent.

This. You might remember him from the move "Love, Actually" where he plays the guy who is (secretly) in love with Keira Knightley. I didn't realize it until the Wife pointed it out. It was a very "holy shit" moment when I realized that he was actually english.

I can't remember if I've asked this already but .... speaking of the actor playing Rick: While I think he's doing an incredible job with the accent considering what he actually sounds like, does anyone else find him almost disturbingly doppleganger to Christopher Merloni aka Stabler from L&O:SVU?

I had that reaction to him in the first few minutes of ep one & haven't been able to shake it, to the point that it's a consistent distraction to me, as I expect him to sound/act/react just like Stabler.

I just got caught up on the series last night. I've really enjoyed it so far. The dialogue has been rough in a few places and I haven't really enjoyed the romantic triangle scenes, but overall I think the quality has been excellent.

I thought it was interesting that the guy they ended up leaving on the side of the road had a dream about the future. Will this show end up having some Stephen King type of supernatural stuff? I also wonder about the helicopter that Rick heard - who was flying over Atlanta and why?

I really enjoy stories like this and I feel like this has been a solid year. Did any of you guys read "The Passage"?

I think he looks exactly like Henri Lubatti.

this was the hatch guy Desmond replaced, correct?

I don't think so. I think the guy Desmond replaced was Clancy Brown aka The Kurgan.

Yeah, the CDC guy is from The Truman Show and White Collar.

There can be only one!!

Plenty of press on the show & the stars these days, but a couple of interesting tidbits from this one

| Radio & TV Talk
of-the-walking-dead-marvels-over-good-fortune/?cxntlid=thbz_hm

The "CDC" was actually the old Sci-Trek interactive museum space, which some of the Atlanta/Georgia folks on the board are probably familiar with. The exteriors were shot at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center.

Not to give too much away, but Grimes & Co. may soon been leaving Atlanta proper into more rural areas to get away from the high concentrations of zombies. “But I’m loathe to pre-empt what [executive producer] Frank [Darabont] and the team have in store. Frank’s written this exquisite thing. I’ll do whatever he says!”

and

In a later press conference, Lincoln said he was unaware of Darabont’s decision to possibly drop the writing staff and rely on freelancers, news broken earlier in the week by deadline.com. He said he implicitly trusts Darabont.

Robert Kirkman, who created the graphic novels and is actively involved with the TV series, clarified the issue a bit in TV Guide, saying any news about how the writing staff will be configured is premature.

How many of you will pick up the series when the DVD comes out? I wonder how much they'll make it DVD sales. I think they'll do pretty well since it will likely be a bit cheaper since it's such a short season.

I will probably pick it up at some point.

He was also in Beautiful Girls with Natalie Portman.

man, those two guys are easy to confuse

Yeah, but since she was like 14 in that it's just a little creepy.

Decent enough finish I thought,although I agree with a comment I saw from one blogger who said he felt like we'd really just watched an extended pilot instead of a season. A darned good pilot with tons of promise, but where we end up next remains to be seen.

I thought the finale was ok but not as good as the two episodes which preceded it.

re: samifan spoiler -- Fits into the whole "not really thinking clearly all the time" aspect we've discussed here.

Meanwhile, in the suspension-of-disbelief category, I'll just say that I love their great choice in parking spaces & proximity to the building :)

I guess I can go along with that explanation but it did cause me to stop and think about the logic while watching. The writing has been very uneven all season. Too bad the season was so short.

Opening scene was probably the best 5 minutes of the show so far. Extremely intense.

My biggest suspension of belief again came down to the concept of gas being scarce. Jenner's melodramatic screaming to the sky about the foolishness of our dependence on fossil fuels might've made some sense if he was alone, talking to himself, but with all his new friends there, I would've amended my speech to something along the lines of "Hey, you guys should go get me some gas, so this place doesn't blow up and kill us all."

this

Exactly what I was thinking.

Oh, yeah, this, too, but I forgot about this as soon as the grenade came along.

I don't think it's that much of a reach to say that gas ran out after over a month off the grid with no refils, refining, or transportation being available.

Plus the story did setup that gas was a very limited resource. (plot device)

The final interaction between the old man and the lady was a great moment. I felt the actors really sold that scene.

I had no issue with this. Jenner was a broken man at this point. He had pretty much given up. He killed his wife and promised her that he would do everything he could to find a cure and not make her death useless like so many others. She was brilliant and he was going to make sure he could make her proud, make her death meaningful. He fucked up. A stupid mistake on his part led to the de-contamination of the room and the destruction of all of the samples.

You take his wife's death, everything that had happened, his failure pile it all up and he clearly wasn't in his right mind. He was ready to die. He wanted to die. He thought that would be the best fate for Rick and his crew as well.

He wasn't in "Mad Max" mode anymore. He didn't care about the sweet, precious juice. He didn't care about keeping the CDC up and running. He wanted out. He wanted to end the pain. Quick and simple. He thought he was doing these people a favor by offering them a quick, painless escape from the hell and misery they were living in.

He also didn't think that he could open the front and wasn't aware they had the grenade.

So, yeah, if he were still sane and in "survival mode", I could see this being a big "suspension of disbelief" moment, but given where he was mentally and emotionally, not at all.

They don't seem to have any trouble with it - they've been driving back and forth to Atlanta throughout the show, in all kinds of vehicles, with no trouble. Clearly they are getting it from somewhere.

While they could get gas by siphoning off of other cars, how would Jenner go out and get gas by himself, even if he wanted to, which, as explained above, I don't think he had much interest in after the last samples of his wife were destroyed.

While I am no expert at all on "gas", do we even know that the gas they use in cars would have been able to run the generator? Perhaps it's some special compound or something.

This.

Definitely, it could be some kind of fuel oil or something. I don't think we're asking for much here - just the idea that someone would think of it. It wouldn't even have to be Jenner - once they found the empty drums having one of the survivors say "Maybe we could get some more gas" would be enough for me. The reason it's so immersion-breaking is that no one even considered it, even though there would have to be gas stations within a couple miles.

Considering they were completely freaked by the need to avoid being outside until they faced becoming crispy critters, my impression is that the zombie horde is considerably larger & more active in the area surrounding the CDC than the handful of extras we've been shown.

And with 30 minutes left on the clock, I really don't see any way they could have gotten out, avoided being eaten, found gas, siphoned gas, avoided the shuffling dead, and bought themselves another hour.

The gas thing doesn't bug me at all because Jenner screwed them by not letting them know until there was less than an hour left.

By that time, they were hungover, would have had to figure out what type of fuel, find containers (large enough to meaningfully extend their time), find enough fuel on the outside (while dodging zombies), a way to transport them (full of fuel) down to the basement, and then figure out how to get their new fuel running through the system. I think my reaction would have been to get the fuck out, rather than try to pull that off in 59 minutes or less.

If Jenner had told them the night before that it was imperative for them to get up early and find fuel and they react the way they did, then you have a plot hole, in my opinion.

Yes.


And yes.

Given how much time they had when they finally realized what was going on, I think "getting more fuel" was not an option. The only realistic options were try to get out or stay and die. The idea of trying to get more gas never even ocurred to me.

Why did he get ready to shoot himself in the head in the last episode when the he knew the whole thing was going to explode in less than 24 hours?

Also, they were eating dinner before Jim got bit. Given the time the sun sets in atlanta in July, that places their eating around 10 pm or so. The next day, they were caravaning out to Atlanta some time after the sun rose (seemingly a while after). That would mean that it took Jim well over 8 hours to turn, which would destroy the doc's estimation of 3 min to 8 hours.

Yeah, it would. I think they were right to have Jenner say that the re-animation time varied so wildly. Gives them plenty of room to play with and can ratchet up the tension at any time.

While I tend to be pretty forgiving, the one thing that does bother me is the fact that they are driving so many different cars. It looked like at the end of the show, their caravan had at least 4 and I believe it was 5 different vehicles. With gas obviously being an issue, if not now, definitely later, why have 5 cars, including one massive RV, for so few people? I understand the desire to have at least one, perhaps two, other cars than the rickety old RV, but 5?

Oh well. Small nits. It definitely doesn't detract that much from the show. I really enjoy it and can't believe I have to wait 10 months or so until the next episode. Bummer.

I thought it was 3 minutes to 8 hours after they died. Jim is the guy they left by the side of the road, right?

For what it's worth: Jenner did say the door could withstand a rocket launcher attack.

Ah, that is right. That was the re-animation time and we never saw Jim die.

The only person we saw die and re-animate was Amy and that seemed to fit within the 8 hour time frame.

Before the CDC opened it's doors and the group was in a panic as to what to do, it was mentioned that there gas supply was very low.

They didn't have enough gas to get to Fort Benning.

They also took all the gas from the mustang because there was a great need.

Rick had to use a horse because gas was out everywhere he looked.

Of course as was mentioned, having 5 cars when 1 or 2 would suffice causes me to raise an eyebrow. I'm thinking some of the people wanted independance from the group if needed. Or the director liked a shot of a lot of cars leaving the CDC.

I loved how, even after hearing that fact, Darryl still kept trying to take an axe to it.

It was great and completely fit the character.

Yes! That was very good. The guy playing Darryl is doing an awesome job.

Even if they're stuck only siphoning gas off vehicles, and suggesting that it's tough to find in bulk, there's just as many suggestions that there is still plenty to go around. The shot with Rick approaching Atlanta on horseback also had thousands of outbound vehicles heading in the other direction. Those vehicles obviously had gas when they started, and I can't imagine everybody involved left their engines and AC running. Likewise, as someone else noted, if gas is in short supply, everybody getting to drive their own choice of wildly inefficient vehicles manufactured in the '80s presents it's own problems of disbelief.

Hell, that generator was running off of a 55 gallon fuel drum, and every tank they pass by represents about 500 gallons of fuel.



...wouldn't know where you could find one (or two) of those, though...

As mentioned above, I'd buy just about any excuse for why the doc was ready to die and/or ignore the fuel supply, but there's no discernible reason why one of Rick's crew shouldn't have at least asked about the possibility.

Other than the fact that once they realized that there was no gas left and what would happen when the clock expired there was about 30 minutes left. As noted above, it'd pretty much be impossible to get out there, get enough gas, avoid zombies, get back, get it back down to the generator room and hook it up.

Sure, I guess someone could have had a throw away line like, "Can't we just go out and get more gas for it?" and then have someone else shoot it down for the blatantly obvious reasons, but they had some more pressing matters to attend to like, getting Jenner - who had made up his mind that, like Roy Batty, it was "time to die" - to even open that door in the first place.


Again, assuming that (1) the tanks have any gas left in them and (2) that the gas that runs the tanks would run the generator.

Realistically, with under an hour to complete the task, how long do you think it would take to get one 55-gallon (gasoline weighs about 6 lbs per gallon according to my google research) syphoned and carried downstairs and set up while fighting off zombies (and waiting for the drum to fill from the syphon)?

You have 3-4 pretty healthy, fit guys and then Glen and the older guy to carry the drum (which probably weighs close to 400 lbs between the gas and drum), probably only 2-3 can handle it at a time based on its size (not sure if it has handles), and several of them or the women will have to shoot at the zombies. Maybe there is a hand truck/dolly or cart that can lift 400 lbs somewhere, but it still isn't going to be easy to handle it.

I don't see why so many people think it is such a slam dunk that folks could pull this off in under an hour. Again, if Jenner had told them the situation the night before or early that morning, it would be worth trying, but not with the time given and knowing that you get de-atomized if you fail.

From a Q&A with Kirkman (spoilers in the link):

Q: Who is your favorite character so far in the TV series, and does it differ from your favorite character in the comic? -- Megan Wallace

A: I hate to play favorites, and everybody's doing a good job, but screw it: Daryl Dixon is probably my favorite character. And there's a very clear reason for this... He's new to me and he's exciting to me. Rick is super-exciting for the viewers, but I know Rick. I've been writing Rick for almost eight years... Norman Reedus playing Daryl, he's just a great addition to the cast. I love his behavior, I love his dialogue, I love his crossbow! I'm so jealous that I haven't had anybody use a crossbow in the comic book. I was totally asleep at the wheel on that one. I need to get some crossbow action in the comic now!

Did T-Dog ever get a proper name? Also, did I miss a relationship between T-Dog and the black woman who stayed behind? It sounded like she called him "honey" or "dear" or something similar when the group were leaving the main room. Did I just miss the fact that they were in a relationship?

What I loved from the Chud.com write-up:


Re: the clock. Why did the doc keep working until nearly the end given the clock? I know the lab blew up the day before we see the clock, but he already seemed to believe no one else was out there he could benefit from the cure. He saw the clock every day, he had to have know he had at most a week or two of power left. Why freak out only once the lab blows, since it was a pointless endeavor. It just seems like a lazy plot device that makes the doc's actions pointless until our survivors come and imperils them.

I got the feeling that he would have tried to take the samples and continue the work off site of the CDC. I think it was the samples being destroyed that gave him a release from his promise. The CDC just allowed him to have more hope to carry out his promise.

I had assumed he turns into Tyreese (or assumes much of that character's role from the comics) but some Googling seems to indicate a strong belief that isn't going to be the case.

No, T-Dog is still T-Dog.

I don't think they had a relationship. She was always portrayed as being pretty maternal. She was the one primarily taking care of Jim when he was sick, she was rubbing Glenn's back when he had a headache, etc. She had a caregiver personality and I think just calling T-Dog "honey" or "dear" was just an extension of that. I am sure they bonded along the way.

Now THAT is what you call a successful launch. Most watched basic cable drama series ever.

New York, NY – December 6, 2010 – Sunday night’s finale of AMC’s “The Walking Dead” attracted four million viewers in the Adult 18-49 demo. With a series average of 3.5 million Adults 18-49, “The Walking Dead” is the most watched drama series in basic cable history for the demo.* The finale was the most-watched episode of the season, garnering a 4.1 HH rating and attracting six million total viewers. The final episode ranks first for Adults 18-49 delivery among basic cable for a drama series.

*Source: NMR (1993-12/05/2010), Adults 18-49, program indicator general drama, ad supported cable networks.

Key Ratings Highlights for the finale of The Walking Dead:

* 10pm airing – 4.1 HH rating with more than 6 million total viewers;
* 10 pm, 11:00 pm and 1am airings – Gross audience to a 5.7 HH rating with 8.1 million total viewers;
* Adults 18-49 – 4 million viewers;
* Adults 25-54 – 3.5 million viewers.

“Walking Dead” Finale Draws 6 Million Viewers, 3.0 Adults 18-49 Rating

Any thoughts on what Jenner whispered in Rick's ear? I'm kind of assuming there was likely video evidence of how Shane got those scratches that Jenner was privy to. The bigger question (if I'm right there) is whether or not there was the accompanying audio to supply the back story or if that looked like it could have been a first/one time situation.

That or it could be totally unrelated to any of the main characters and be some sort of hint on where to go next, etc, but I'm leaning more towards a character confrontation setup.

I think that's a good guess. My first thoughts, and I haven't read the comics so I'm just guessing, was that it had something to do with the virus or whatever it is that causes zombies. Something along the lines of, "Eventually it'll go airborne."

Your guess is better...

Awesome! I like the Daryl character much better than his brother, even though I do like the actor that played his brother. I hope Daryl is one of the longer lasting characters in the series.

I think someone is pregnant. Andrea was puking her head off after she was done in the shower and they all had blood work done. I'm guessing and I haven't read any of the comic series, just putting two and two together. However, I could be way off base.

My guess was that he directed them toward another location, or offered some other guidance on their next move that will set up the next conflict among the core group.

My other guess is that Andrea is infected but that it's some sort of dormant strain or something along those lines.

Actually, I think this is it, but I don't think it's Andrea, though that would make sense. I think it could be Lori, which could make the baby Shane's.

Awkward!

I was wondering if Andrea was infected, too, but then Jenner said all the blood screens came back negative for the virus.

FWIW the CDC story line completely departs from the comic so it's anyone's guess there.

Loved that the grenade came back!!!!!!!!!!! I had that complaint as a joke after every episode since the first one (where he got it). I wanna see zombies being blowned up!!! And then all of a sudden, grenade! Hahaha, that was awesome.

The fuel thing is yeah, confusing. And I still don't really get why no zombie ate Rick during all that time. They could open a door and get over the bed, no?

Really curious about what was whispered in Rick's ear too. I thought it was about someone being infected.

Kinda odd that the older black woman and the black man were a couple or something? Mom/son? I didn't think there was a connection there, but she called him honey or something?

Actually, what Jenner said was "Nothing unexpected". I just got to watch this tonight and that line really jumped out at me as three possible conclusions.

1. The blond is infected.
2. Rick's wife is preggers.
3. Rick is somehow oddly infected, and he's been zed since the beginning, just very differently.

Hoping they sign Norman Reedus as a cast regular for next season. Between him and the old guy, that's the only real acting they've got in this show. The guy who plays Shane sucks, Lori sucks, Rick is ok. Well, time to stop thinking about this for 9 months.

The premise of this show, and thus the overall story, is so strong that it overcame a lot of little issues that popped up during the six episodes. I mean, the part where Shane was drinking in the shower made the group I watched with laugh which I don't think was the intent. It was just so damn melodramatic the way it was contrasted with Rick and Lori's shower.

I worry that as the show goes on, the novelty wears off, and the holes just bigger. Still hoping that doesn't happen and anxiously waiting for next season.