The only warning I got before tuning into a replay of this week’s “The Walking Dead” came from my mother, of all people. I told her I needed to catch up, she replied, “All I’ll say is, when Daryl is the sane one, you know things got bad.” With that statement in mind I tuned in… and quickly realized how right she’d been.
I’ll get back to Daryl in a moment, but we’ve gotta talk about Shane. This man strives to be the hero that Rick is, and fails miserably. He tries too hard. Doesn’t plan his strategy. Shane barges in headfirst and damn anything or anyone that gets in his way. That would be a good trait except for the fact that Shane’s motives are purely selfish. He didn’t go off to fetch supplies for Carl. He rode into the sunset, hoping that the display he made would get him back in Laurie’s good graces. I spent a good chunk of the hour grinding my teeth at Shane.
And because Shane has his head wedged, Glen is beginning to have an identity crisis. His main purpose in the first season was to be the sidekick to the hero. Well, our actual hero isn’t in the game. He’s sidelined with his family, holding their breath to see what the future holds for Carl. Glen can’t help there and he realizes it. The guy trying to be the hero isn’t, leaving Glen to flounder around searching for someone to connect to that he can help. It seems he’s found that in Maggie, but what will happen when Rick is ready to don the white hat again? Will his Tonto abandon the potential Maggie presents to be just a sidekick again? Only time will tell there. I don’t even try to predict what TWD’s writers will do. They’re kinda crazy.
Speaking of crazy… I can’t believe my mother was right about Daryl. It is a trip to watch this character slowly open up to the other survivors. From the get-go we were supposed to think he’s like his brother, but this episode shot that to hell. We actually see Daryl for the first time. It isn’t the hardass squirrel killer in those woods with Andrea, but an intelligent man who was given the short stick in life and still managed to make the best of it. The way he dealt with Andrea and her determination to opt out of life was brilliant. This is a character to watch, not that you guys weren’t already.
The overall tone of this episode was hopelessness. Each character had a moment when they looked at the world around them and the pressure became too much to handle. Our survivors are beginning to buckle. They are getting desperate and we all know that desperate people do stupid things. The next couple of episodes are going to be interesting, to say the least.
We love our commander of the Green Brigade, Iron E Singleton, and he shows us his love again in a fabulous shout out to the Zombie Survival Crew in his interview with CultureMob.
Here’s what Culture Mob had to say: Another character who has been there from day one (or in the real world, episode 2) is T-Dog. Best known in the show as the guy who drops the keys to the handcuffs that led to Merle Dixon cutting his hand off to escape the cuffs. I had a very cool opportunity to speak exclusively with T-Dog, actor IronE Singleton. Now that the show has been picked up again (there will be a season 3 already announced) the writers are going to have the time to explore and develop all of the main cast including T-Dog.
Season two of AMC’s “The Walking Dead” kicked off with a groan, lurch, and the bang that made viewers jump off their couches. For a show that went through more than a few growing pains during filming of the current season, TWD creators are proving that despite the changes, they are still striving to deliver one of the best-made programs on television. And the proof isn’t in backroom antics; the numbers for the season premiere alone are amazing–7.3 million viewers tuned in to catch the flesh-munching goodness, shattering previous records for a basic cable TV show.
The first episode was light on the bloodshed, but heavy on character focus. We got a serious look at the women who provide the backbone of the survivors. You’ve got the widow finally finding her footing in life after the death of her abusive husband. There’s the woman who has lost everything and everyone she loves and wants nothing more than a way out. And, of course, we have the once-thought widow who is reunited with her husband, but not until after sleeping with his best friend.
There’s a saying, “Behind every great man, there’s a great woman.” We were shown in season one that the women handle more than their share of the work in camp. Since leaving the camp, that work has translated to emotional support, and basically the three have become a collective “mommy”–a mommy with a gun and short temper, apparently. The best thing the creators did with that first episode was hit the women where it hurt–their children. One child goes missing in the middle of a zombie attack, and the other…well, remember that bang mentioned before? It wasn’t a happy moment for our survivors.
Episode two carried on with the deep look at the women in camp. Almost instantly, Laurie knew something was wrong. It’s always been a little creepy when a mother does that; how despite distance, she knows her family is in danger. Too many times it has happened in real life to be simply a story mechanism. This story line is really putting the focus on Laurie and when she tells Rick his place is by her side with their son, you knew he’d sit, stay, and do what she wanted.
We’re also introduced to a new group of survivors out on the farm. You don’t take notice of their women until after the men have all taken off to do what men do, risk their necks without a solid plan. But when Maggie decides to make her presence felt, it is a solid blow that snags your attention. As we put it while discussing the episode, Maggie is the face of girl power in The Walking Dead, no doubt.
On this show, the women are a symbol of hope, while the men try to be realists…to a fault. Survivors of any disaster need hope in order to keep putting one foot in front of another. Without it, they’d be like the corpses in the cars on the freeway, laying there waiting for a slow death. Now we just have to wait and see if that hope can survive the horrific situations thrown their way by fate.
Need something spooky to get you in the mood for Halloween? The Zombie Survival Crew recommends, Undead Is Not An Option. It will give you chills and have you checking the locks and closets before going to bed.
The first entry in the anthology was a piece from one of our loyalists summarizing the situation in which we’d found ourselves, and helps us to understand how the Zombie Survival Crew came into being and some of the forces we are up against.
Classified Warning Order
by Kelene Toups
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CLASSIFIED MESSAGE
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TASK ORGANIZATION: Zombie Survival Crew (ZSC)
SITUATION: Several weeks ago, your organization was called upon to build a force and recruit for the imminent zombie apocalypse. Your orders are to serve as a front line force to protect the living, and annihilate the undead.
Enemy Forces
Recent reports indicate attacks and sightings in major cities in the United States and other countries around the globe. International recruiting has ensured our allies are well prepared for the attack. And these allies have pledged their full support to the ZSC. Intelligence obtained from our most recent reconnaissance mission suggests a large-scale attack is approaching. The Zombie Survival Crew is now, officially, on full alert. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.
The enemy, easily identified by their pale grey skin, unhealed wounds, shuffling gait and colorless eyes, travels in packs and is extremely dangerous. Use maximum caution when approaching large numbers; strive to isolate the enemy or reduce to small groups for ease of dispatch. Our research subject has shown the enemy possesses an excellent sense of smell and hearing, poor vision, nonexistent thought process and an insatiable appetite for human flesh. These vital bits of intelligence will aid you in combat against the enemy; use these weaknesses to your full advantage to neutralize the strength of the enemy and diminish the chance of increase in numbers. The most effective means of destruction is to discontinue the neurotransmission process, accomplished by destruction of the brain. I.e. axe blow, bullet, pick axe, crossbow etc…
Recent intelligence reports indicate enemy forces are increasing faster than originally anticipated, with the potential to reach epidemic proportions. The lethal virus is introduced to the host from the saliva of an infected enemy by means of a bite during an attack.
The first time your Commander-in-Chief encountered Sam Trammell in person, I really wasn’t sure how much a man known for battling with vampires, witches and werewolves would know about battling the shambling hordes. I found myself immediately and deeply impressed not only by Sam’s kind nature but his razor-sharp strategy instincts.
During subsequent meetings, Sam turned the tables on my attempts to assess his command credentials and instead, I found myself searching for answers to some pretty tough questions about disaster preparedness, response plans and the kind of survival tactics we in ZSC Command advocate.
Sam’s experience with supernatural forces and the vampires of the True Blood universe is already being put to use within ZSC Command to enhance our collective preparations for the onset of the zombieapocalpyse or any other global cataclysmic event.
Zombie Survival Crew – please raise your weapons and welcome our newest commander SAM TRAMMELL!!!!
Don’t let the boyish charm fool you. Purple Brigade Second Lieutenant Michael Kenworthy is no slouch when it comes to fighting back the horde. With his finely-honed evasion and clandestine operations skills Michael knows exactly when to make a stand, and when to retire from the field of battle.
A little note of warning though, Michael’s enthusiasm for the disaster preparation efforts of Zombie Survival Crew command might just be contagious.
We’ve been talking about the three day zombie extravaganza called the 2011 Halloween Zombie Event and how you can participate in person. If you missed the video teaser about it, check it out here. We have also posted the live event instructional videos here and here. But what happens if you are unable to participate in the live event? Will you be left out in the cold wondering when YOU will have a chance to kill zombies? Not on this Commander’s watch. I tossed the problem to Commander RC Murphy, and she came up with the way to participate online via Twitter. If you haven’t read her brilliant plan, the click here an then come back to read the rules and guidelines.
In the previous post we mentioned the use of Twibbons, but found that they would be a little cumbersome for everyone to use, so thought we’d give everyone the graphic to copy and you can either use it to REPLACE your Twitter avatar, or you can MODIFY your Twitter avatar — whichever you like. The avatars will all be the same, but the color signifies what type they are: survivor (green), zombie (red), or idle (yellow). Click the images below and then save the file to your machine. We recommend saving all three up front, so you don’t have to scramble to get one you need during the event.
Survivor
Zombie
Idle
Rules and Guidelines: The Basics
In order to participate in the Halloween Zombie Apocalypse Role-Play you must:
Use the HZA hashtag- #HZA11 or a coordinating map sector hashtag such as- #HZA11S3 #HZA11S6, etc…
Apply the image to your Twitter avatar that designates you as a Survivor or Zombie in the Role-Play scenario.
Please refrain from using curse words or engaging in sexual scenes during the 3 days of the HZA event.
Be sure to clarify what is an “action” and what is “dialog” in your tweets. This can be accomplished by putting asterisks (*), dashes (-), or double colons (::) on either side of your action sequence.
Example: @UserName77: Friggen zombies! ::RC grabs her sword & charges into the fight:: Eat steel, suckers! #HZA11
To sign in to the event use an action such as: walking outside, waking up, etc. This will establish your presence in the Role-Play scenario.
To sign out of the event while you are away from Twitter do the opposite: lock yourself inside a secure building, fall asleep, etc.
In conjunction, players must change their avatar image to the “Idle” image.Fellow players — respect the fact that your comrades aren’t available to play and do not attack when they are not present to defend themselves.
Rules of Combat:
Do not attack “sleeping” or “idle” participants. Players with the “Idle” image are “safe” within the HZA on Twitter event in order to give a fair playing ground to those that cannot participate on all 3 days of the event.
Each attack that is attempted cannot be completed until your opponent has an opportunity to retaliate.
Example:
@UserName77: @ZombieLuv42 Back off, Bub. ::swings her sword at the zombie’s neck with what little strength she’s got left:: #HZA11S2
@ZombieLuv42: @UserName77 – snarls, sweeping an arm out to block the sword and suffers a deep gash in his forearm – #HZA11S2
The victim of the attack will be the one to determine a “kill” or “bite”. Please be fair about how you fight. If an opponent attempts what should be a mortal blow, accept defeat. This Role-Play scenario is for fun, not ego.
If a Survivor is bitten during play, they must replace their avatar image with the one for Zombies and then continue playing the event as a member of the undead.
If a Zombie is destroyed during play, they have the option to drop out of the HZA event to sit back and watch, or they may change their avatar image to Survivor and take a turn as one of the living.
Keep your actions within fight scenes realistic. Play injuries as though “real”. Meaning, if your hand has been injured in a fight, you cannot hold a gun properly for the next round of fighting. Humans are weaker than the undead, play that as well. (This all gives “depth” to the scenario and lends for more entertaining play.)
The Zombie Survival Crew considers the Halloween Zombie Apocalypse on Twitter a perfect chance to test your mettle against the potential of what is to come. Crew members are encouraged to give it a try. Hey, any excuse to take a sword to an undead menace, right? We’ve posted the map again for your reference below: (Click the map to make it larger.)
Green Brigade Commander, IronE Singleton, took some time out of his busy schedule to bare his feelings (and his chest???) about his beloved brigade. So Green Brigade members are you going to answer his call? Show your pride and leave your commander a message to let him know that YOU are on your toes and READY to face the Zombiepocalypse with him.
Disclaimer: The Zombie Survival Crew is not responsible for the whereabouts of Commander IronE’s shirt and cannot be held accountable for its absence. No shirts were harmed in the filming of this public service announcement.
Want to know more about how to participate in the LIVE 2011 Halloween Zombie Event? Joseph Tremblay, the originator of the event has put together the below instructional video to help you plan your halloween zombiepocalypse.
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Don’t forget that if you are unable to participate in person, we’ll be tearing it up on Twitter. For more information, read about the virtual event here.
Somehow, someway, you’ve found yourself neck deep in the Zombie Survival Crew website. Don’t worry, this is a good thing. Whether you wandered in off the street after meeting us at a convention, or had a well-meaning friend slip the link onto your Twitter/Facebook page, you are welcome and encouraged to participate and browse around the site.
You may be asking yourself, why do I need to be prepared for the zombie apocalypse? We ask, why aren’t you already? The survival skills imparted on this website will not only help you escape being eaten by a reanimated corpse, but also ensure you are capable of surviving any number of natural or man-made disasters such as flooding, tornadoes, or even a full-scale riot in your home town. You can never be too prepared, a motto we take to heart.
There is a softer, though far from cuddly side to the ZSC. When we aren’t scouring the globe for new recruits, your commanders let their hair down and get to know site members better. We introduce fans of the zombie, horror, and sci-fi genres to movies, television shows, and art they may not have been aware of before. There are also numerous contest opportunities coming up in the near future. (Our prize room is getting somewhat cluttered…)
The ZSC also does it part to help those in need when disaster DOES strike. When we can, we help our celebrity commanders pass on information and aid relief efforts the world-over.
So how do you become an official member of the Zombie Survival Crew? Our registration page is easy, straight forward, and FREE. Once you’ve signed up and confirmed via email, you will be randomly slated into one of our Brigades. Each brigade has a commander and a certain set of skills they are to master in order to help the ZSC as a whole continue to move forward with our efforts. From there on out, how much you want to participate is purely up to you. If you wish to sit back and absorb information posted by the command team, go for it. Feel like you have something to say? We encourage members post their thoughts on the articles posted. Or, if you are an artist, writer, or filmmaker, we’d like for you to contribute articles, stories, art, or videos.
Get it? Got it? If not, feel free to ask us whatever questions you have about the site. We don’t bite, honest! The Command team is here not only to teach you how to survive, but to help you.
The only warning I got before tuning into a replay of this week’s “The Walking Dead” came from my mother, of all people. I told her I needed to catch up, she replied, “All I’ll say is, when Daryl is the sane one, you know things got bad.” With that statement in mind I tuned in… and quickly realized how right she’d been.
