The Walking Dead 4.3 Isolation (spoilers)

[Dannyalcatraz]

It's an easy mistake to make, but it seems like he should know better.

It's impossible for the human mind to maintain perfect discipline. A momentary slip here or there WILL occur, even with the most hypervigilant. The question isn't whether you will make a mistake, it is whether the mistakes you make are fatal.

 

[Bedrockgames]

I think the bigger issue with the car is how a hardened survivor such as Daryl was dumb enough to take his eyes off the road for so long. It's an easy mistake to make, but it seems like he should know better. If he or anyone else had been paying attention, they could easily have stopped, turned around, and rerouted.

Also, at some point they shouldn't be able to drive anything. Gas goes bad (oxidizes) over time, and I doubt any new gas is being produced.

The other thing that bugs me about this episode is the notion that antibiotics are some huge cure. It seems uncertain to me that the disease is even bacterial (it more closely resembles real world viral infections to me). Even if it is, antibiotics really only give a boost to the immune system in most cases. Unless some of these people are able to survive by their own accord (as happens with even very bad infectious diseases), antibiotics seem unlikely to make a difference. Of course, we haven't seen anything happen with this yet, it just seems to me that Hershel's plan is unreasonably optimistic and he should know that.

The show does continue to have pace and flow and there's a lot of interesting stuff going on.

Without knowing the disease it is hard to say, but herschel did say that the symptoms are what kills people not the disease itself, so he seemed to indicate that the purpose of he antibiotics was to lower fevers, inflammation and (i am guessing) eliminate secondary infections. I have had to take a number of antibiotics over the years and for some reason, certain kinds are also very helpful with certain inflammatory conditions. Not a doctor though, so no idea if they would apply in the case of the mystery flu.

Also, it isnt like we have a concrete diagnosis, unless i missed something. I would think the doctor might have been able to narrow it down just by examining all those patients, but who knows. So it is possible this is bacterial and not viral. It might not literally be a kind of flu. But maybe i missed a scene or line where they clarified what it was.

i have to say, i really am digging this season. The last two episodes have been especially exciting. I was worried it would go downhill with the show runner change up, but this season is shaping up to be on par with season three (which i thought really raised the bar for the show).

 

[Ahnehnois]

Without knowing the disease it is hard to say, but herschel did say that the symptoms are what kills people not the disease itself

That's a rhetorical statement. Any infection that kills you does so through symptoms, not uncommonly these types of symptoms. If anything, the death of the host is a bad event for the infectious agent; evolution tends to favor diseases that allow the host to survive a long time and proliferate and spread the disease.

, so he seemed to indicate that the purpose of he antibiotics was to lower fevers, inflammation and (i am guessing) eliminate secondary infections. I have had to take a number of antibiotics over the years and for some reason, certain kinds are also very helpful with certain inflammatory conditions. Not a doctor though, so no idea if they would apply in the case of the mystery flu.

Valid point. Hard to say what's going on for sure.

Also, it isnt like we have a concrete diagnosis, unless i missed something. I would think the doctor might have been able to narrow it down just by examining all those patients, but who knows. So it is possible this is bacterial and not viral. It might not literally be a kind of flu. But maybe i missed a scene or line where they clarified what it was.

I can't recall any clarification. Like I said, I don't know for sure, but based on the information we have it seems to me like antibiotics might not be of any real use.

i have to say, i really am digging this season. The last two episodes have been especially exciting. I was worried it would go downhill with the show runner change up, but this season is shaping up to be on par with season three (which i thought really raised the bar for the show).

True, they're constantly changing showrunners. But this guy seems to be coaxing strong work out of everyone, and they've already announced that the same showrunner will return for another season.

 

[Umbran]

Also, at some point they shouldn't be able to drive anything. Gas goes bad (oxidizes) over time, and I doubt any new gas is being produced.

Normal gasoline has a shelf life on the order of years. Gas with ethanol mixed in (like E10) has a much shorter shelf life, on the order of months, because the alcohol tends ot draw water out of the air and into the gas.

It seems uncertain to me that the disease is even bacterial (it more closely resembles real world viral infections to me).

There is a moment when they flash the list of drugs to pick up that Hershel has given Daryl. It has (fake) names for both antibiotics and anti-viral meds on it.

Even if it is, antibiotics really only give a boost to the immune system in most cases.

No. Antibiotics don't act on the immune system, they act upon the bacteria.

And, if we want to get picky, we are talking about people with compromised immune systems. They are under horrific stress, likely suffering from sleep deprivation, the air quality in that prison is probably bad, and there's no way they're getting what we'd call a balanced diet. It is amazing they haven't lost anyone to simple food poisoning, to be honest. There's many diseases that are no threat to healthy people, but are deadly to those with compromised immune systems, such that support from medication is required.

Plus, in a show where zombies walk, I'm guessing the medical science we see isn't going to be 100% accurate.

 

[Ahnehnois]

Normal gasoline has a shelf life on the order of years. Gas with ethanol mixed in (like E10) has a much shorter shelf life, on the order of months, because the alcohol tends ot draw water out of the air and into the gas.

It's been over a year at least, hasn't it?

No. Antibiotics don't act on the immune system, they act upon the bacteria.

Yes, but the antibiotic by itself can't defeat an infection, it merely shifts the tide in favor of the immune system's ongoing activity. Many antibiotics don't kill bacteria at all, but merely slow their reproduction.

And, if we want to get picky, we are talking about people with compromised immune systems. They are under horrific stress, likely suffering from sleep deprivation, the air quality in that prison is probably bad, and there's no way they're getting what we'd call a balanced diet. It is amazing they haven't lost anyone to simple food poisoning, to be honest. There's many diseases that are no threat to healthy people, but are deadly to those with compromised immune systems, such that support from medication is required.

True enough.

Plus, in a show where zombies walk, I'm guessing the medical science we see isn't going to be 100% accurate.

Also true enough.

 

[Rabulias]

It's been over a year at least, hasn't it?

Comments from various sources, like Talking Dead, indicate it's about 18 months since Episode 1.