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The Walking Dead

Watchmen

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
So, in last night's episode, Rick had a hallucination of Shane. Further evidence, I think, that the phone event was all in Rick's mind. Clearly, he's not all better yet.
 

Quiddity

UndertheInfluenceofGiants
So, in last night's episode, Rick had a hallucination of Shane. Further evidence, I think, that the phone event was all in Rick's mind. Clearly, he's not all better yet.

Unless I missed it, I don't think anybody argued against Rick hallucinating; he most certainly did. I just personally felt his hallucinations were not constant and without any reality; he tends to go in and out of them.
 

Watchmen

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
Unless I missed it, I don't think anybody argued against Rick hallucinating; he most certainly did. I just personally felt his hallucinations were not constant and without any reality; he tends to go in and out of them.

There's a poster arguing the phone calls (except the last one, perhaps) were "real."
 

Falvlun

Earthbending Lemur
Premium Member
Okay, so I'm officially hooked. Just have to watch episode 8 of Season 3 and I'll be all caught up. Woot!

But here's my one big beef: the modes of transmission for the virus that makes you into a zombie just doesn't make sense.

It appeared that direct physical contact was required, for the pathogen to enter in a wound in the skin, caused either by a bite or a scratch. So far so good.

But then we find out that everyone is already infected. Death somehow activates the virus. But here's the rub: this seems to make the biting or scratching completely unnecessary-- it is no longer required as a mode of transmission. Why would a bite or a scratch activate the virus?

And furthermore, there is a whole lot of blood spattering going around. You can't tell me that they never get any in their mouth, nose, or eyes. Mucous membranes are just as bad as a break in the skin in regards to direct contact transmission. So you can get zombie blood in your eye, but that doesn't activate your latent virus, but a scratch will? Come on, get real. At least 28 Days Later got that part right.
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
Okay, so I'm officially hooked. Just have to watch episode 8 of Season 3 and I'll be all caught up. Woot!
But here's my one big beef: the modes of transmission for the virus that makes you into a zombie just doesn't make sense.
It appeared that direct physical contact was required, for the pathogen to enter in a wound in the skin, caused either by a bite or a scratch. So far so good.
But then we find out that everyone is already infected. Death somehow activates the virus. But here's the rub: this seems to make the biting or scratching completely unnecessary-- it is no longer required as a mode of transmission. Why would a bite or a scratch activate the virus?
And furthermore, there is a whole lot of blood spattering going around. You can't tell me that they never get any in their mouth, nose, or eyes. Mucous membranes are just as bad as a break in the skin in regards to direct contact transmission. So you can get zombie blood in your eye, but that doesn't activate your latent virus, but a scratch will? Come on, get real. At least 28 Days Later got that part right.
I figger that when a human is bitten by a walker, some pathogen other than the zombifier causes a
mortal infection. Then, once the human dies, their immune system is gone, & the zombie bug takes charge.
Just getting zombie blood in your eye isn't enuf to kill...unless you had cuts in the region.
 

Falvlun

Earthbending Lemur
Premium Member
I figger that when a human is bitten by a walker, some pathogen other than the zombifier causes a
mortal infection. Then, once the human dies, their immune system is gone, & the zombie bug takes charge.
That would be a reasonable answer. After all, the mouth of a zombie has to be teeming with nasty things to cause nasty infections. However, you would then expect a wide range of symptoms, time frames, and such like that to cause death. You would also expect a bite not to be an automatic death sentence, since even nasty pathogens could be thwarted by a healthy immune system or antibiotics and such. Instead, the zombie bug appears to take over rather quickly after a bite, and there are a set progression of symptoms, like the fever.

Just getting zombie blood in your eye isn't enuf to kill...unless you had cuts in the region.
That doesn't make sense. A mucous membrane is the same thing as a cut. There's no difference; they are an entry point into the body, a break in the skin barrier. And besides, they are always all scruffed up and full of cuts. I'm sure they get blood in their cuts all the time, but that isn't enough to activate the virus either.
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
That would be a reasonable answer. After all, the mouth of a zombie has to be teeming with nasty things to cause nasty infections. However, you would then expect a wide range of symptoms, time frames, and such like that to cause death. You would also expect a bite not to be an automatic death sentence, since even nasty pathogens could be thwarted by a healthy immune system or antibiotics and such. Instead, the zombie bug appears to take over rather quickly after a bite, and there are a set progression of symptoms, like the fever.

That doesn't make sense. A mucous membrane is the same thing as a cut. There's no difference; they are an entry point into the body, a break in the skin barrier. And besides, they are always all scruffed up and full of cuts. I'm sure they get blood in their cuts all the time, but that isn't enough to activate the virus either.
Look, bub....or course it doesn't make total sense, but the whole show is just a dream Rick is having as he lies
semi-comatose in the hospital. This means the phone conversations area a hallucination within a hallucination.
On top of all that, I might be imagining watching it, & you are imagining this discussion, which other posters
are imagining watching.
 

McBell

mantra-chanting henotheistic snake handler
But here's my one big beef: the modes of transmission for the virus that makes you into a zombie just doesn't make sense.

It appeared that direct physical contact was required, for the pathogen to enter in a wound in the skin, caused either by a bite or a scratch. So far so good.

But then we find out that everyone is already infected. Death somehow activates the virus. But here's the rub: this seems to make the biting or scratching completely unnecessary-- it is no longer required as a mode of transmission. Why would a bite or a scratch activate the virus?

And furthermore, there is a whole lot of blood spattering going around. You can't tell me that they never get any in their mouth, nose, or eyes. Mucous membranes are just as bad as a break in the skin in regards to direct contact transmission. So you can get zombie blood in your eye, but that doesn't activate your latent virus, but a scratch will? Come on, get real. At least 28 Days Later got that part right.
Seems to me there is no "mode of transmission".
Everyone already has the "infection".
Being dead activates it.
Being bitten activates it early.

Thus i would think that there is an element in walker saliva that activates it when the human body goes into "repair mode".
 

Falvlun

Earthbending Lemur
Premium Member
Look, bub....or course it doesn't make total sense, but the whole show is just a dream Rick is having as he lies
semi-comatose in the hospital. This means the phone conversations area a hallucination within a hallucination.
On top of all that, I might be imagining watching it, & you are imagining this discussion, which other posters
are imagining watching.
Don't you make me get out my .22! :D
 

Falvlun

Earthbending Lemur
Premium Member
Seems to me there is no "mode of transmission".
Everyone already has the "infection".
Being dead activates it.
Being bitten activates it early.
That's exactly it: I don't understand why biting would activate the virus but not other similar contamination events.

Thus i would think that there is an element in walker saliva that activates it when the human body goes into "repair mode".
That's actually a pretty good theory. The virus could (force the cells to) manufacture some sort of activation protein that is concentrated in walker saliva.

Though it doesn't explain the scratches.
 

McBell

mantra-chanting henotheistic snake handler
Though it doesn't explain the scratches.
Two thoughts come to mind right off the bat...

One, it is not the saliva per-say that contains the activating particle but a skin cell perhaps...

Two, I have not seen or heard of anyone who turned from a mere scratch.
 
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