Episode 760: Unfinished Business

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Dave

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Zombie Cliche Lookout: Duty to Friends

In zombie fiction, people don’t want to come back as a zombie. There are plenty of reasons for this. Foremost is the horror that comes with not being able to be in control of your own actions. Another is the idea that, as a zombie, you could easily take the lives of your friends and family.

There are exceptions, of course. Ed from Shaun of the Dead doesn’t mind the idea of being a zombie. In fact, he seems to get along just fine as a zed.

But let’s forget about the Eds of the world for now. Most of us don’t want to be a zombie. As such, we tend to extend that idea onto the other people in our group. If one person is killed or infected, it falls on the rest of the group to ensure that they don’t come back. Sure, part of this is just pragmatism. After all, there’s no sense having one more zombie out there, posing a threat. But for the most part, this is a simple reaction to the horror of being a zombie.

About this Episode:

A quick reminder, Bricks of the Dead is taking monday off in observance of the Memorial Day holiday here in the US. As always, thank you all for your patience, and we’ll see you next Wednesday.

Discussion Question: Being a Zombie Isn’t So Bad

Okay, let’s get back to Ed. I like Ed. You like Ed. Everyone like’s Ed. So maybe he’s onto something here. Maybe being a zombie really isn’t so bad. You no longer have to deal with all the stresses of the world, you just exists and follow your instincts, right?

Joking aside, what sort of reasons can you come up with for not having your friends destroy you before you come back?

14 thoughts on “Episode 760: Unfinished Business”

  1. Typo alerts: “Everyone like’s Ed.” Remove apostrophe from like’s 😀

    “you just exists and follow your instincts” exists–>exist 😉

  2. I’d reckon, judging by that really clean piece of pipe on his backpack, that, no, he hasn’t made sure they wouldn’t come back! 😀

    Of course i have the benefit of knowing what actually happened, but that’s what I’d think if I were Barb, and could see that pipe on his backpack. She probably doesn’t even care that there doesn’t seem to be any sign of a struggle or violence, at least, not yet! 😀

    • You’d be good in the ZA-Poc!

  3. Way, way back when voodoo was a “black magic” art some people used, they had addictive plant(s) most called a zombie cucumber. It might have looked like brain coral. The plant anistic properties: lowered heart, breathing rates, decreased mental aptitude, and lowered the nerves responsiveness.

    In return you had people that could work themselves on a simple task (slavery, mining, twist hemp rope) to death without a second thought, as long as they had the plant(s).

    In today’s society all you have to do is give them any of the following: computer, alcohol, comfort item (this could be the way they react to it being taken or given back), or drug of choice.
    Also wasn’t there a movie where a guy stuck in a landslide for a long time (500ish days maybe?) responded to orders, but when nothing was ordered the person, just laid on his back with his arms as if holding up a wall? Wouldn’t that seem zed like?

    • Responded to orders? From who?

      • The zed cucumber eaters responded to the feeders and then the one they were told was in charge, that’s what I meant for them.
        The guy trapped inside himself holding up a “wall”, was the first person that talked to him that day. In the movie, it was the medical staff, then on the day the entry level bad guy showed up. The bad guy was first.

        Oh yeah! I saw the movie: “GET OUT” all you zed, classic movie consumers, and twisted comedy lovers…GET OUT and WATCH THIS MOVIE!

  4. One of the main tropes of zeds is that there is no cure. They are either dead or like 28 Days Later can not be cured. Hershel in the Walking Dead had to be violently shown that they weren’t coming back. But what if that wasn’t true? The fiction of zeds is that you can kill them again with no guilt because they are dead. But in the beginning of it all how would you really know this? Maybe you can hold on to hope that your loved ones might be able to come back to you as they once were.

    • Yes. How long would you hold out on killing them? If there are no signs of a rescue. When do you just…give up?Maybe when your former loved-one’s limbs start falling off. 😀 Haha!

      • When to give up is a question faced by those who want to have assisted suicide. One of the scary things about people looking forward to the zed time is that they really want to commit mass murder and not be punished for it.

        Oh and people with Leprosy have limbs fall off, should we shot them?

        • 😮 😓 😯 🤐

  5. Cliche:
    I wonder,if we didn’t see it so much in movies and tv, if we would really make a big deal about putting our friends down. I get, when they die slowly in a bed. Obviously, you put them down then. But in a situation like the comic, would Barb really care about it?

    About the episode:/Other News:
    Stupid Memorial Day. 😝 Haha! JK.
    😆[US Flag Emoji]

    Question:
    Maybe you want to see what it’s like for while. Maybe 30 minutes. I think that’s enough time to get the full zombie experience. Maybe your friends could feed you a dead deer, or something. 👍😀
    Another, would be wanting to become a threat to an enemy. Kinda like a certain character did lately, in TWD.
    Or! Maybe you could walk on a zombie hamster wheel,and power your base forever! 😃

    🏁End of Comment🏁

    Word of the day:
    “Uh…”
    “Uh…um…I…”
    🙃👎

  6. I’d say most of the time, it’s just not worth the risk to prevent someone to become a zombie at all cost.

    But I guess stories needs those moments to build up on the emotional side of things.

  7. Barb: Did you at least make sure they wouldn’t come back?

    I think Clark ran away quickly enough that they wouldn’t follow him once they were turned. That’s what she meant, right? 😉

    • Haha! Yes! 🙂 😀