The Problem with Cannibals
Firstly if like to say I really enjoyed the Walking Dead games, but there are a couple things driving me crazy about the series. Particularly in Season 1 Episode 2. The episode isn't bad by any means, my issue with the episode us how freaking early it happens.
It's simply too early for cannibals to be running around. Honestly, it's a long road to get to the point where people are butchering others for food. It's something that has happened in tragedies when food becomes non existent and the only choice left is to eat humans or die. I imagine that it's not a light decision and heavily weighs on the survivors. Understandably, a zombie apocalypse is a very different situation. But the same principle applies.
When we get to the farm, roughly 2 months have passed. We are with Lee and Clementine basically every step of the way. There's a small time jump, but it's not significant. The time is an important fact because there are still plenty of resources. The small town hasn't been fully raided yet and the surrounding areas would still have food. It's not like we are a couple years in, where finding food is a constant struggle. Food can still be found easily. Which is why it drives me nuts seeing cannibals in Episode 2. If they are going to use cannibals, it should have happened in Season 2 and become a prevailing threat.
It is hard to believe in 2 months this family of farmers decided, let's eat people. And here's the kicker. They have been doing this long enough to have a horde of clothing and other materials. That means they started eating people right away. "Well gosh, the Zombie apocalypse started, I guess it's time to eat people." No just no! There was no struggle with their decision like you would expect. The farmers act like its a normal thing. Now I could believe all this if it happened later. Where the starving farmers have had enough time to rationalize their decision and become desensitized to their actions. But not in 2 months! The last option is they have always eaten people. However, in the episode the farmers make it clear they only resorted to cannibalism after the apocalypse. We also know they were relatively regular people before everything happened. They were prideful of their dairy farm. All this makes it very hard to believe this could have happened in Episode 2. The farmers were crazy, but they weren't THAT crazy.
I think this episode would have been much better suited for season 2 or 3. It just doesn't fit for me. Well that's the end of my rant 
. Does anyone else agree that it was way too early? What are your thoughts.
Comments
I can agree that it was a bit early on in the timeline. However, you can actually somewhat justify the decision due to the bandits heckling them. They made a deal with them for food, right? So that means they have to keep themselves fed, the cow fed, and the bandits fed so they don't attack and kill all of them. It's also implied that they've done trade with other people as well, so then you have that factoring in as well. And furthermore, they need to trade for gas, like they tried doing with us, so there's that too. When you combine all of that together, they'd most likely be going through food like crazy, since it's about the only thing they can really offer to people. Which would lead me to believe that the cannibalism was more of a desperation move in order to keep the deal with the bandits going, as well as to ensure that they have enough food for themselves. Then, as you probably expect, they started getting used to it, and maybe even started to like doing it.
I feel like the Motor Inn, St. John Dairy and Save-Lots dynamic might have been slightly inspired by Alexandria, Hilltop and Saviors, respectively. We have the settlement in which our protagonists live, which at one point is in severe need for food. They meet a second settlement, with tons of more supplies—although they require something else in exchange—and they establish a trade system. However, a third group without defined base appears, having the role of the bad guys. Eventually, our first place signs a deal against their will. The bad guys lay off for some time. Finally, the bad guys are defeated in a showdown.
This just dawned on me but weren't the season one bandits quite similar to the saviors and Negan in ideology? As with the saint John's and the comic's hunters? I am wondering if season 3's enemies will have similarities to the comic just with a different name tagged to them like having taken inspiration from the whisperers.
I've been waiting for a villain completely original from telltale that has no sort of inspirations dreamed up from the comic. but all that comes to mind is the stranger which might be debatable..
They could have been canibals before the zombies came about
weren't they selling and trading the meat to people too? maybe they kept the frozen regular meat for themselves and sold the human meat.
Very good points man; to me it seems the main reason they became cannibals was because of the power it lets them exert over the other survivors outside their small 3 man operation. The people that attack with bows and arrows I think killed the father figure on the farm and thats when they all vowed not to trust anyone in this new world. It gives them more options when people come to them seeking aid and refuge which many people would do early on in the zombie apocalypse. their job will only get harder the further they get into the apocalypse, especially with so few people; they would need to create increasingly more elaborate systems of catching people like on Z Nation with the roadside dentists lol.
These people are simply getting while the getting is good from their perspective which is rule #1 of survival. If they didn't harvest people as food they would run out of crops and animal products quickly because it seems they would often trade meat for gas. and so would you rather butcher your last cow for some gas and in doing so feed some people who will probably kill you in a few weeks; or feed them a group of people who were trusting and weak like Lee's group who will probably just become rotten meat in the end. These farmers likely did not want to see the only main and easiest source of meat for them go to waste and just wind up frying on their electric walls in the end lol. I agree its very early for cannibalism but it was influenced by a lot of things. They prob put the numbers on paper after the father figure died and were like yupp this is what we have to do..
Thanks for the question it was very provoking, hopefully the cannibal part won't bother you as much if you play through again
Good points. It was probably just sloppy writing on Telltale's part.
I think that the family already had several screws loose to begin with, especially Danny. They probably threw in the towel pretty early and ate their old foreman at Danny's encouragement most likely.
I don't know what you're talking about? The second the power stops in my apartment or I get lost when I go hiking with friends, it's time to start imaging them as talking hot dogs and hamburgers.
Jk I don't go hiking.
I don't think so, to be honest. Andy mentioned that schools used to take their children on field-trips to the dairy, and there is no reason not to believe him whatsoever. It would be a little complex to host field-trips while hiding the dead people and their clothes, don't you think? The dairy also had won many prizes, which pretty much rules out that theory. They would've been discovered if something fishy had been going on.
Yup. Danny has deleted files of him confirming he's a paedophile. That was all I needed to drive the pitchfork through his chest.
I understand the rational behind what was happening, but that would be a big leap to become a cannibal. We know the bandits give them enough space to freely walk around, as we see the Farmers walking the roads without much protection. So it stands to reason they have the ability to scavenge for food. It has only been 2 months, there is still A LOT of food available. Even if the Bandits take half the farmers food, they could still scavenge enough to get by. On top of that, we see that the farm has a TON of produce. There were fields of un touched corn and a large garden. Farmers are also (generally) good at hunting. My dad grew up on a farm and they would often hunt deer or moose. One large buck would feed a family over the winter. After 2 months, there would still be plenty of wildlife around to eat. Even if it's just a squirrel. Which furthers my point. Even if you have just scraps, that would get you by for a long time. I can't see anyone resorting to cannibalism in 2 months when they still have easy access to food. Cannibalism is pretty much your last ditch effort to survive. Unless someone is completely insane, this would be a struggle to start doing.
Furthermore, The Human body can survive 3 months without food and the farmers still had plenty. Even if they are trading a large portion away, they would still have meals. The farm was full of vegetables and wildlife in the countryside.
The cow had plenty of hay to eat, so it wouldn't have been an issue. It was sick, that's why it was so thin. So I don't think they had to struggle feeding that one cow. As for gas, there would still be plenty around in a 2 month period. Resources aren't hard to come by at that point.
I agree with you that cannibalism is a desperation move, which is why I can't believe the farmers would eat people in a 2 month period. They weren't that desperate. Their farm and garden still had plenty of crops. Wildlife would still be abundant and resources in the surrounding areas would be easy to find. They weren't desperate enough. The family was even overweight. They were all well fed and a well fed person doesn't start eating people. Unless they are crazy.
The crazy factor is the only rational explanation I can come up with for why they resorted to eating people so quickly. However, as I listed in my previous post, these were prideful people. They won awards for their farm. So cannibalism still doesn't fit. Not in 2 months. That's not enough time to struggle and become truly desperate. Unless they were overwhelmingly weak people. But I in my experience Farmers are tough as nails. I've seen a farmer lose fingers without flinching. They calmly picked searched for their fingers and wrapped their hand. They live off the land. That's why I don't think these guys were desperate enough for this to make sense. Even with the reasons you listed. It's still way too soon. After years of struggle, then I'd believe it.
if they were deleted, then it isn't canon. Not that he doesn't deserve a few extra holes in him, mind you.
They are hungry.
I don't think so, they ate Mark for dinner. They knew it was human meat, and they still decided to eat it.
Yeah I think it was a bit too early, but, they were psycophats, it isn't very surprising, maybe they even did this before the outbreak...
I read this as "The Problem with Cannabis" and was like woahhhhhhh forums, chill...
A store has roughly 3 days worth of food. Most food rots without being stored in fridge. It's no surprise that people were out of food. Check out news footage of stores when a blizzard is on the way. Shelves are empty in hours.
:P
No, not really, if we're being specific to Negan and the rules he sets up. First and foremost, Negan despises rape and would never allow it. Negan actually believes in humanity and rules, punishing those who break them. He just goes about reaching a future "civilized" society in the wrongest way, enforcing it through fear and brutality. The Save Lots shitheads, on the other hand, didn't draw any lines. They raped, killed, and weren't above stabbing each other in the back for personal gain. No code, and no rules. The only similarity is that both extort, but the ideologies are very different.
The Stranger is definitely the most unique villain of Telltale's TWD. Wanting to kill for revenge or being troubled by the loss of one's family is nothing terribly interesting at this point. Genuinely and correctly thinking that a little girl needs protection and family, but being blinded by one's own desire for revenge and the need to right the wrongs that destroyed one's own family in the first place, ultimately destroying the closest thing to family the little girl could have had in the wake of her lost parents in the process, on the other hand, is a tragic and truly fascinating dynamic.
I agree, like how 28 Days Later had that army unit that had devolved into luring women in to rape them, under the guise of "continuing the species". Less than one freaking month into the apocalypse and they've jumped to this?
Your post put into words something that has been eating me for awhile.
i think?????? the problem isn't???? that they exist too early????????????? bUT THAT THEY EXIST????????????
Okay, but seriously:
Actually, it's 3 months. And I honestly think that's plenty of time to go cannibalistic, considering their circumstance, having to trade food for their own lives. And who knows, they could have been mentally fucked up before the apocalypse and decided to go cannibal soon after.
Yeah , but a bunch of bandits have taken over the Save Lots , they're miles away from anything , and they have to trade away food for gas to power their generators. And none of them are prime candidates for sanity , either.
Telltale staff love weed confirmed ✔
It's been implied that some of the Save-Lots bandits, along with Jolene, actually worked at that store before the outbreak.
Well they are in Cali, right? :P I'm envious
Nearly all of post-apocalyptic fiction is highly unrealistic, and I'm not just talking about zombies. People are almost without fail awful to one another post-apocalyptic fiction, and the cannibalism in that episode is an example. The thing is...people don't generally behave that way in a crisis. There are always exceptions of course, but they're not the norm. We're biologically programmed to cooperate.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-the-stress-of-disaster-brings-people-together/
In fact our species already went through a post-apocalyptic period. Around 75,000 years ago a supervocano eruption triggered climate change that nearly caused humans to go extinct. There may have been fewer than 10,000 people who survived it. We probably wouldn't have made it out of that period if the response to the crisis was to kill every stranger you met.
Of course no one would want to watch a TV series where nearly every group Rick & company encountered was friendly and willing to aid them or barter, and it would make for a really boring game.
Maybe they were "THAT crazy". Father's absence, lack of food, bandits, walking corpses have worsened their mental condition.
The St. John's just figured out early on how to stay alive in the best way they knew how. They weren't really thinking about a future-just staying alive. It was safer to stay on the farm and hunt for whatever is available nearby.
It's also how obvious they are cannibals. The dirty clothes, Mark not coming back sooner than expected, and the lack of farm animals of course.
I don't know, it could be true yeah that it happened too soon, but I think it really depends on the person and their mental well being. It could be possible when all the dead walking business happened, the St. John's lost their minds and thought 'okay this is how we've got to survive now' and just accepted cannibalism quicker, much like people who can take a life without hesitating or feeling any remorse for their actions. Seems they just saw people as cattle, and on a dairy you'd have calves and there'd be times you'd have to put your animals down and often the case it's with a gun.
It's possible they did butchering too to sell meat, since I think there were signs they'd done that before the ZA with all the equipment they have in that barn. It's probably how they knew how to cut up human meat. I mean in general you've got to have a strong stomach to be able go through all that because I'd find it hard cutting up an animal for food, so maybe humans weren't any different to them and with the whole bandit business going on, it sped up the process of the St. Johns becoming cannibals.
Lol nice
This begs the question: What type of munchies do cannibals get?