Preparedness Review of The Walking Dead Episode 403: Isolation

Spoiler Alert !!!!  

Hershel:  You take a breath, you're risking your life.

Synopsis:  The outbreak at the prison officially spirals out of control, with multiple people becoming symptomatic, including Sasha, Doc S, and Glen.  Tyreese becomes aggressive and angry over Karen's murder, and Rick beats him down after being punched while trying to calm him. Hershel brews up an herbal remedy to help the sick while Daryl, Michonne, Tyreese and Bob go on a run to a veterinary college for medicines that will work with humans. Maggie and Beth deal with the fact that their dad is in harm's way and may not survive.   Carol admits she killed Karen and David in an attempt to stop the illness from spreading.

Isolation is a story about control.   It's about losing control of the infection, trying to maintain control of the prison, and maintaining personal control and calm in the face of horrific suffering.  Twelve people have died of the illness and subsequent walker attack; two more have been murdered. Rick surmises that they were killed to stop the spread of the disease.

You won't like me when I'm angry.

Tyreese, meanwhile, is inconsolable and filled with rage.  He wants blood, and demands Rick immediately find the killer.   This leads to a confrontation with Daryl, who keeps calm and tries to soothe Tyreese by explaining that they have all lost someone.   When Rick attempts to further calm Tyreese, the bigger man whirls and punches him in the face.  Rick's facade of control evaporates, and he beats the admittedly bigger man silly.   Tyreese is mad, but he is not naturally aggressive.  Rick is used to handling out of control people as a deputy and touches that inner bit of savagery that helped him lead the group last year.   Daryl has to pull him off a barely conscious Tyreese.

Most of the survivors in Cell Block D, and some of their rescuers, are now confined to Cell Block A battling the illness that killed Patrick. The rest of the group (Carl, Beth, Hershel, and the smaller kids) quarantined in the administrative block to protect them from the disease.   Glen and Daryl are burying the bodies, and the Council is trying to decide what to do next.

Glen and Sasha come down sick, and Hershel says without needed medical supplies, including antibiotics, most of the ill will not survive.   There is a veterinary college 50 miles away that might have what they need, and Daryl, Tyreese, Michonne, and Bob (oh great) head out on a run to get the supplies.   On the way, they hear a garbled radio transmission and run smack into a massive pack of walkers.   There are walkers as far as the eye can see on the highway, and the car gets stuck on a pile of them as Daryl tries to reverse the car to go back the way they came.  The crew is forced to make a run for it, and Tyreese, after stewing for a moment, gets out gets starts swinging his hammer for all he is worth.   His control is gone, as is his humanity for the moment.  This is all about blind rage.  Eventually he and the rest of the group link up and they head to the college.

Meanwhile, Carl and Hershel go into the woods to find elderberries to brew elderberry tea, a natural flu remedy.   Hershel disperses the tea inside Cell Block A and gets exposed to the illness.  He is now stuck inside.  Maggie and Beth have a conversation about needing to do their jobs, and both are teetering on the edge of despair knowing their father and Maggie's husband are among those at risk.  Beth shows that she is not as hardened as previously thought, but both agree to "do their jobs."

Carol, the new Colonel Saul Tigh.

Carol and Rick work outside to get water to the sick, eventually having to go outside the wire to unclog the pump line.    Carol went outside by herself, taking what looks like a foolish risk.  This leads to a confrontation with more walkers and a narrow escape.     We've seen all through the episode that Carol has had moments of breakdown when people are not around.  She seems completely in control on the outside, but is obviously conflicted about something.  The becomes more apparent after Lizzy, one of the girls she agreed to raise, comes down sick.

Finally, at the episode's end, Rick confronts Carol about the murders.  She readily confesses in a matter-of-fact manner. The relative peace the survivors has known is shattered, perhaps for good.

Preparedness Discussion

Sanitation, proper hygiene, and the threat of illness is always a consideration in a survival situation.    The illness that swept the prison is suspected to be a form of the influenza virus by the survivors, but truthfully no one knows.    There are no labs or ways to test the theory, so Hershel and Doc S are really just taking a guess.   These types of bugs can sweep through a facility like this under the best of circumstances -- as a father, I know what happens when an illness hits a modern school -- so there was really no way an outbreak could have been prevented.   The surprise is that it took almost a year to happen.

Some basic biology:  illnesses like this are caused by either viruses or bacteria.   Viruses are smaller than a single cell, and are untreatable by antibiotics. Bacteria are treatable with antibiotics, but only certain drugs are effective against certain microorganisms.  Further, some bacteria have developed a resistance to all but the most potent medicines.   These drugs come with side effects as well.   The Sanford Guide to Antimicrobial Therapy is a good resource for more information regarding these drugs and their effects.  Just get a magnifying glass out, as  it is printed in a tiny type size.

Let me preface my next statement with the following qualifier:   I am not a medical professional.  I am not a pharmacist.   I have a layman's knowledge of biology, anatomy, and pharmacology.  I urge you to do your own research in this matter. Always consult with a medical professional when considering taking a drug of any sort.

Hershel is correct in that many of the drugs used for animals are the same drugs used in humans.    Please see this post at truthistreason.net that covers this topic fairly well (again, do your own research).  The topic of survival antibiotics has been covered extensively on James Wesley Rawles' Survival Blog here, here, and here as well.

Antibiotics don't automatically turn to poison when a magical date passes, but some drugs, such as the -cycline family, might become toxic (see  this post about the hazards of antibiotics).  Hershel should know what he is looking at, so hopefully the group can get something to help the situation.

Tea for two.

The scavenging group should be looking for saline bags and IV equipment as well.  Rick and Carol's constant battle during the episode to obtain fresh water is not just busy work.    Patients with fever, vomiting, and heavy perspiration are at risk of dehydration.   They should also be searching for fever reducing medications like ibuprofen and acetaminophen, which can help control fevers.  Hershel's use of an old herbal remedy deserves mention here as well.   Elderberry extract is a traditional flu remedy that has some scientific backing, and in a long term collapse scenario,  everything must be considered.

For more information regarding survival medicine, another good resource is the Dr. Bones and Nurse Amy web site, http://www.doomandbloom.net/.

The interpersonal dynamics of the people who are still healthy take front and center throughout the episode.   Rick is trending back into a leadership mode, but the brutality that made him so effective earlier last season still lurks just below the surface.  Tyreese is out for blood, and refuses to help do anything but find Karen's killer, but when Sasha becomes sick, he realizes that he cannot help his dead girlfriend, but he can help Sasha.   Hershel wants to help the sick, and puts himself at risk to do so.  At least one third of the the population is dead, with many more sick or dying, and everyone is being tested.   People have to do what they can over events they can influence.

Finally, there is the shocker that Carol killed the two in the cells.   She admits it as a matter of fact, then moves on.   The episode ends on that note, but I am sure it will be explored in the next one. What would you do in her situation if you thought you could save lives by killing two of your group? 

This review is already long, but here are a few more observations:

• How are they sterilizing their water?   If the group is pulling that water straight out of the pond and drinking it, they should have all died of cholera by now.  Likewise with the rain catchment system.  It all needs to be boiled.
• All the patients' cell doors should be closed and locked, with Hershel having the key.  This controls the threat of walkers via expiration.
• Where is Bob's AR clone from Episode 401?   Maybe he realized without a rear sight it was a load.  Just like him.

Preparedness Lessons for Episode 402:

• Hygiene, sanitation, and hygiene.
• Simple infections that are treatable with a dose of antibiotics can kill after a disaster when resources are limited.
• Everyone will be tested in a survival situation, and everyone has to contribute, because there will come a time when the "old reliables" in your group might be incapacitated or dead.

Next week:  Rick and Carol go on another supply run.  Alone.   Last time someone went out alone with Rick he put a knife in Shane's chest.

Preparedness Review of The Walking Dead Episode 303: Walk With Me

Spoiler Alert!!!

Bruce Banner/The Hulk (in the Avengers movie, referring to Loki, but applicable to this episode):  That guy's brain is a bag full of cats.  You can smell crazy on him.

Synopsis:  The Governor is revealed, and at first seems like a reasonable guy just trying to help people.  This wins Andrea over, but Michonne remains unconvinced and is intent on leaving as soon as possible.  The Governor's true colors are revealed when he ambushes a group of refugees and later retreats to a study filled with aquariums hosting decapitated heads. Suddenly Shane seems dispassionate and reasonable.  Oh, and Daryl's brother Merle is back and working for the Governor as his right hand man.  Get it?

It is noteworthy that this is the first episode not to feature Rick Grimes.  This is a Michonne and Andrea episode and reveals the new main antagonist of the series, the Governor.   The episode opens with our pair of heroines, pet walkers in tow, investigating a crashed Army helicopter.  They find the crew dead or mostly dead, and the wreckage still smoldering.   Two SUVs drive up, and the occupants move through the wreckage site, killing walkers and securing the area.   Andrea and Michonne watch as the group rescues the lone survivor and drive knives into the skulls of the other passengers who are deceased.    The ladies haven't yet realized that everyone is infected and no matter how you die, you reanimate as a walker.  Michonne's pets get agitated and start making noise, so she decapitates them.  Then Merle -- yeah, that Merle -- shows up behind them and the girls are captured.

They are taken to the Woodbury community where they are treated for their illnesses and meet the head of the community - the Governor.  He's just a guy trying to keep everyone alive and "take back what's ours."  He informs them that they are guests and can leave whenever they wish.

The community seems ideal.   Battery banks have been installed in houses and are charged via solar panel or generators to provide power;  there is hot water, medical care and a security wall that no walkers have been able to penetrate.   Whenever a group of them ventures too close, guards with surpressed weapons take them out.   Scavenging runs go out regularly.  A strict curfew and light discipline (exactly the opposite of the farm environment last season) keep the number of walkers at night to a minimum.

While Michonne and Andrea convalesce, the governor meets with Milton, his science guy, regarding

The Governor: his elevator doesn't go all the way to the top.

the walker pets recovered from the crash site.  Milton theorizes that they were camouflage and cover.   The arms were removed so they would not grab, and the jaws removed so they would not bite.  Once they are incapable of eating, they lose the desire to eat, and since the Michonne and Andrea were traveling with walkers, they were not attacked.    The Governor is impressed.

He also interrogates the chopper pilot, who is fighting for his life.  He was part of a National Guard unit that was holding its own until someone inside turned and they had to evacuate.   The helicopter was on a transporter truck, and there are other survivors holed up off the highway waiting for him.  The Governor promises to bring them in.

The Governor finds the National Guard troops and ambushes them, killing them in cold blood and stealing their equipment.   Then he returns to Woodbury and tells the residents that the troops were already dead, but that they will use their equipment for the good of the community.

The episode ends with the Governor retreating to a private study. There he gazes upon a stack of aquariums filled with decapitated heads, including the heads of Michonne's pets the head of the helicopter pilot.

Discussion

The Governor is doing a lot of things right preparedness-wise.  Woodbury has a secure perimeter, a competent guard force, practices noise and light discipline, and has restored basic services.   That's the surface.  Beneath the facade of civilization, however, lurks a dark heart intent on garnering power and controlling the survivors of the enclave.  Most living in Woodbury seem happy with the arrangement.  The guards and the Governor do the dirty work, and they reap the benefits.  All that they have to do is not question anything.

Merle and the other guards seem completely loyal to the Governor.  They are willing to ambush and kill soldiers, murder wounded, and do whatever he says.   That is never good.   While every group must have a leader or small cadre of leaders, blind obedience is a dangerous thing.   The guy saves heads for a hobby for crying out loud.

It makes the viewer wonder whether the group Randall was with last season came from Woodbury.  If not, then there are two rogue groups of bad guys out there.

Other than that, I didn't see much worth discussing preparedness-wise.  I admired the efficiency of the Woodbury enclave.   I abhor the psychotic leader and his guards.   This is going to be interesting.

Next week:  Glen asks, "Can't we have just one good day?"  Has he been paying attention?

Preparedness Review of The Walking Dead Episode 203: Save The Last One

Warning:  Spoilers Below!

Editor's Note:  I posted this yesterday not realizing my last two bullet points had somehow been deleted.  The have been added back to the review.

"Save the Last One" is a powerhouse episode that pretty much changes the group dynamic of The Walking Dead's not-so-merry band of survivors forever.   For the previous eight episodes, the characters have been riding that fine line of maintaining sanity and humanity in the midst of a world gone mad. Rick, the moral compass of the group, is preoccupied with the health of Carl, who still lies gravely wounded at the hands of Otis, and Dale, the sage voice of wisdom, is still out on the highway. 

Left to his own judgement, Shane takes one of the most shocking actions of the series to date.  Hounded by the undead at the FEMA shelter, almost out of ammunition, and injured after jumping to safety from a tall window, he shoots Otis and leaves him on the ground as a distraction to the Walkers whle he escapes.

Frankly, I have had several days to ruminate on this plot twist, and I am still unsure of what to think.  Some viewers have said Otis got what he deserved; after all, it was his fault they had to go there.  Others see Shane's action as a cynical maneuver to both survive and get back into Lori's good graces.


Crazy old man eyes:  Can Shane live with himself?

I have said before that Shane is a tragic figure, caught as the third wheel of  a love triangle after trying to do the right thing.   He obviously cares for Lori, but has been trapped thus far by his loyalty to his friend and fellow officer, Rick. Looking into his eyes as he stared at his shaved head, one wonders how long that is going to last.  One thing is for certain:  if the other farm dwellers find out his secret, their new found breathing space is going to get hostile fast. 

How will Rick react?  I'm not really sure Shane cares anymore. He has done something unspeakable, and it has transformed him from within as surely as cutting his hair has changed his outward appearance.  He has always been volatile; after all, he beat Ed viciously in the first season for hitting Carol. He nearly shot Rick in the back in the woods, then he attempted to rape Lori at the CDC.

It's almost as if he wants to be Rick;  he wants to be the one others look to for answers, and to be the accepted leader.  He also clearly still wants Lori's approval after being rejected by her.  Whenever he is in charge of a situation, however, he makes disastrous decisions and reacts with violence and anger.

You need to know who you're surviving with, because when the chips are down, you need to know they have your back.

Rick led a party back into the teeth of the undead swarm in Atlanta to save Merle, a divisive, violent bigot, and retrieve the radio to maintain contact with Morgan and Duane.  Shane tried to torpedo that mission, and when it came to a choice between sacrificing himself or using Otis for a human chew toy, he shot the man.

There are some who would argue that Otis got his rewards for shooting Carl, and that Shane was the more valuable of the two because he was more fit and better trained.  Thus, he was more useful to the group.   I don't buy that for a minute.   First, despite being overweight, Otis was a good shot and kept his cool in the midst of a crisis, first devising an escape plan when the pair were trapped in the gym, then urging Shane not to give up. He always tried to do the right thing in the short time we knew the character -- just like Rick.

If anything, the writers have made it clear that every human life is "worth it" because there are so few of us left.   The "needs of the many versus the needs of the few" argument is ridiculously obsolete when only the few remain.

Which one would you have in your survival group?  Moreover. who would you be?  

The Will To Survive - Gotta Have It

 We have seen Andrea and others in the group struggle with the will to survive.   This episode seems to see Andrea turning a corner, but Lori falters and debates with Rick whether they should let Carl die if he is just going to survive to live in a world filled with death.

If life is to have value, we have to value living and the lives of others.  There is more to survival than surviving.  Daryl and Andrea's talk in the woods, followed by Dale giving her gun back, hopefully indicates Andrea has turned a corner.  The fact that she remains concerned for Sophie is a good sign.  This theme is further explored with the discussion between Maggie and Glen.  

That's a lot to think about for an episode of television.  I am also beginning to wonder about the farm and how much fuel they have for their generator.  Obviously they have a large tank for farm use, but there have to eventually run dry.  Also, a little more light discipline would be in order regardless of the fences they erected to keep out the Walkers.  Clearly they are stocked for a long duration bug-in event and feel secure within their perimeter.  That will change should they found out about Shane's actions.

Preparedness Lessons for Episode 203:

• Every prepper needs to do some serious soul-searching.   Know your values.  Know what you stand for.  When the time comes, you have to be true to yourself.  Are you an Otis or a Shane?
• You need to get to know fellow members of your preparedness group well, and know that you can count on them not to sacrifice you in an emergency.  Likewise, they need to know the same about you.
• You need to think about living, not just surviving.
• Think about light discipline.  Forget walkers.  If you are in a grid-down situation, and your house is the only one with a generator, neighbors are going to start looking your way with envy the longer the event drags out.
• My defense of Otis above notwithstanding, his lack of physical fitness did complicate their escape.  Include a physical fitness plan in your preparations and execute it.
• Include some rope in your preps.  Shane could have avoided injury climbing down from the window if he had used rope to loop around the top rail of the catwalk inside the gym, and lowered himself down.  He could have retrieved the rope to use again.  Just because you don't plan on climbing out of windows doesn't mean you won't.