The Walking Dead

[Klaus]

Yep, rotted flesh against steel or concrete isn't much of a contest. The walkers shouldn't really have posed that much of a threat once you got all of the healthy soldiers and officials on one side of a nice, solid barrier. I'm sure our military has plans in place against a mass uprising and plagues and likely both at the same time, and in many respects living, intelligent, *armed* people are actually far more dangerous opponents than zombies. To say there's no power and no communication globally is kind of far-fetched. Zombies can't have knocked out every antenna or satelittle tower.

I'm convinced that, in zombie stories, zombies have an "entropy aura" that creates a "Murphy's Law field". Because anything that can go wrong in a zombie story *will* go wrong.

 

[Remus Lupin]

"You must spread some experience around before giving to Klaus again." Dang.

 

[Felon]

kind of surprised we did not see napalm damage in the city, zombies packed in the streets; would take out a lot of walkers. Maybe New York and LA.

See, that's sort of my guess about what scientist-guy whispered into sheriff-guy's ear. "More HIT's are coming. Then nukes. It's all automatic. Nothing anybody can do to stop it. Doomed, I say. DOOOOOMED. Okay, now get out."

You know, it really does not speak well to the show that I'm not invested enough in any character to learn their name. Except for Merle.

 

[NewJeffCT]

Yep, rotted flesh against steel or concrete isn't much of a contest. The walkers shouldn't really have posed that much of a threat once you got all of the healthy soldiers and officials on one side of a nice, solid barrier. I'm sure our military has plans in place against a mass uprising and plagues and likely both at the same time, and in many respects living, intelligent, *armed* people are actually far more dangerous opponents than zombies. To say there's no power and no communication globally is kind of far-fetched. Zombies can't have knocked out every antenna or satelittle tower.

I was thinking that as well - why not just run a line of tanks over the zombies?

This has a decent explanation of how things can go wrong with well equipped soldiers against zombies: The Battle of Yonkers from World War Z:

Battle of Yonkers - Zombie Wiki - Zombies, Undead, Survival Guide

 

[NewJeffCT]

I hope Key Dropper doesn't take the place of Tyrese in the show. For one thing, I don't know his name either.

I think I read an interview with somebody involved with the show, and T-Dogg (the key dropper) is NOT going to be Tyrese.

I wonder who will get cast as Michonne? I think Gina Torres might do well in the role - she can play a bad-ass tough chick.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I swear, its amazing how incompetent the military in zombie horror fiction must be. If ever there were an opponent you'd want to use special weapons & tactics for (not S.W.A.T. in the police sense), it's zombie hordes.

Screw most small arms & artillery; thet the sharpshooters do their work picking off zombies one at a time from 1000 yards with all the ammo they want and good reloading teams: they won't have to move unless in danger of being overrun, because zombies don't shoot (except for a very rare few).

Otherwise, use water cannon to herd them or draw them into killzones with bait (trained volunteers), then light them up with:

1. Flamethrowers
2. Napalm
3. Fuel air explosions
4. Acid sprays (to be developed)
5. Daisy cutters & bouncing bettys

And the list goes on...shaped charges with copper plates, for instance, can cut a huge swathe through massed zombmanity, as would good old fashioned chain/canister/grapeshot If nothing else, their mobility would be impaired as they get cut in half...and slow zombies are easier to kill.

Even at least one of the new non-lethal weapons systems out there would be useful: the goo guns that spray adhesive foam.

Controlled demolitions of abandoned buildings could clear blocks at a time, crushing them under tons of debris.

(I do admit aerosolization could be a risk, but thats what evacuations are for.)

 

[Felon]

I was thinking that as well - why not just run a line of tanks over the zombies?

This has a decent explanation of how things can go wrong with well equipped soldiers against zombies: The Battle of Yonkers from World War Z:

Battle of Yonkers - Zombie Wiki - Zombies, Undead, Survival Guide

Yeah, I've read that before (nice bit of sophistry), and listened in on such discussions (all perks of living a full-on nerd life). I'm no military man, but there are a few things that are just basic facts. I do know that once you start getting into the assault rifle category of firepower, bullets go from just poking holes that induce bleeding, organ falure, and nerve trauma--i.e. the stuff that doesn't take out zombies--to becoming essentially giant ice-cream scoops that rip the body apart in sizable chunks. Popping the apricot becomes more akin to an ideal than an absolute necessity.

Anyway, if you're facing millions of zombies, it's safe to say the military is likely to abandon digging in with infantry in preference of airstrikes. And regardless of whatever ambitious planning might be in place, getting some jets to drop air-fuel bombs on home soild could actually be executed very quickly as a fallback plan. And such contingencies are likely in place right now to respond to a catastrophic outbreak in a matter of minutes. We're not talking about dicey ways of destroying a person, like boiling their blood. We're talking about an attack that vaporizes.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I'm reminded of Rod Steiger as the General, pointing wordlessly at Glen Close as the First Lady in Mars Attacks when she agrees with him about bombing the bejesus out of the Martians.

That's my desired response from the military.

 

[Klaus]

I think this thread begs for this article:

7 Scientific Reasons a Zombie Outbreak Would Fail (Quickly) | Cracked.com

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Thanks for the link!

1) nice article with few holes in the reasoning. The one flaw that sprung immediately to mind was the thing about predation: the animating infectious agent may also make the zombie flesh unpalatable to all but carrion eaters. Still, that means a FEAST for the California Condor and others!

2) Favorite quote:

Their main form of reproduction is also their only source of food and their top predator. If they want to eat or reproduce, they have to go toe to toe with their number one predator every single time. That's like having to fight a lion every time you to want to have sex or make a sandwich.

3) I want the phone number for the busty brunette "Irrelephant" t-shirt model.