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Subject: Science Fiction Interpretations

Posted by: brm50diboll
Date: Jan 02 17

I have debated with myself starting a Virtual Blog for months. I have so little free time nowadays that I may not be able to keep it up, but I think I'll at least try. This is intended to be wide-ranging, so it wouldn't fit in the Television, Movies, or Literature boards categories and I don't want to clog up General with just my observations but here I can rant if I choose and people can choose to ignore me or engage my flawed analysis if they wish.

469 replies. On page 13 of 24 pages. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

brm50diboll

I didn't see Under the Dome when in aired. I just Googled it and it looked interesting. My understanding of Manifest is that it is an airplane that somehow flies five and a half years into the future. There were a couple of old Twilight Zones about time-travelling airplanes. I don't know how you can make that premise work over a whole season. LOST was an OK show, I just finished watching it on Hulu a few months ago (didn't watch it when it was on the air.) LOST was a pretty cerebral show. By that, I mean you really needed to pay attention to it and watch all the episodes in order to follow what was going on. It was not "light viewing". This was not the sort of show you could have on "in the background" while doing other things.

Reply #241. Sep 28 18, 9:38 AM

Skyflyerjen

My Sim babies were always busy. I loved making them smart thanks to the toys that helped them develop skill points, as well as the magic milk you could buy in the special menu that helped them learn much faster.
Whoa… there were more ways to mess with a Sim’s life than I realized! That was clever of you to have your zombie Sim killed, then resurrected again in such a way that the personality points were reversed in your favor!
Wasn’t there a way to bargain with death when a Sim died? I could be wrong.
When it came to personality points, I never had a clue that they could be maxed out! I always tried to make mine nice and athletic so they would be willing to work out. I never paid much heed to being sloppy since mine often—not always—had maids. I just learned that sloppy Sims with free will can take quick sponge baths in sinks; it’s not a command we can give them. Weird!

Reply #242. Sep 28 18, 9:45 AM

Skyflyerjen

I enjoyed Lost a lot! My buddy watched it live when it originally aired and I got lucky because I rented it on DVD from Netflix a few years ago where I hardly had to wait between seasons/cliffhangers!

Reply #243. Sep 28 18, 9:47 AM

brm50diboll

The Grim Reaper phone (officially the Resurrect-o-Nomitron) appears as a reward for reaching the maximum job level in the Paranormal career track (Cult Leader, I believe.) It appeared in the University expansion pack. If one didn't have the University expansion pack, then no Grim Reaper phone. But even the base game allowed for bargaining with the Grim Reaper at the time of a Sim's death. The phone was better, of course, because you could use it to resurrect long-dead Sims, whereas bargaining only could happen immediately after a Sim's death and also, bargaining was *always* an iffy proposition (your chances of successful bargaining were higher if the Sim doing the bargaining had very high relationship points with the recently deceased Sim, but even if the relationship meter was at max (+100), bargaining could still fail. But with the phone, if you paid the Grim Reaper the max amount, you were *guaranteed* of a successful resurrection.

In my version of the Sims 2, the supernaturals were:

Base game: aliens, zombies, and ghosts
Nightlife: vampires
University: no supernaturals added
Open For Business: Servos
Seasons: PlantSims

I did not have Pets, Bon Voyage, Free Time, or Apartment Life. Pets gave the Wolfman, Bon Voyage gave Bigfoot, and I believe Apartment Life gave witches. I forgot what Free Time was supposed to have given.

I was extremely obsessive about the game in those days, reading extensively about it on the internet (I've since forgotten a lot.) But in those days, you could guarantee that if I could do something without cheat codes with my version of the game, I knew about it and did it. So yes, I was very familiar with growing crops and fishing and the magic juicer that gave Sims special powers for a short time if you put the right combination of fruits and/or vegetables into the juicer. I knew all the combinations, including the Platinum mood one, the skill point one, the love potion, etc.

Sending vampires to college was one of the coolest things I did. First, the youngest a Sim could be turned into a vampire was as a teenager. But once a Sim became a vampire (by having their neck bitten by another vampire they had high relationship points with), they would not age. So one might think that a teenage vampire would stay a teenage vampire forever. But Sims don't go to college by aging, they go to college by selecting "Go to college" on their computer. Then the teenage vampire Sim would transform into a Young Adult Vampire Sim and would be enrolled in college and progress through the eight semesters just like any other Young Adult Sim. This was tough for the vampires, though, because they sometimes had day classes, and exposure to daylight kills a vampire in just a few seconds, so I had to have them run to and from classes, and fill the dorms with lots of pink snapdragons and other objects so that when the vampire Sim ran back after a daytime class, they could regenerate their need meters in the dorm before they died from the effects of sunlight exposure.

Nevertheless, *all* my Sims that I sent to college, including the vampire Sims, graduated with perfect 4.0 averages. Upon graduation, the Young Adult Sim, including the vampires, would transform into Adult Sims and be returned to the regular neighborhood. In the case of the vampires, as Adults, they would never age (also true for zombies and Servos, who couldn't go to college, although could be servants to the students there.)

Finally, except in my earliest inexperienced days of playing before I mastered it (and I could do just about anything), I sent all my teenage Sims to private school and got them maximum scholarships before they went to college. The "meet the Headmaster" routine to get the Child Sims into Private School was always a hoot. I'd serve the Headmaster a lobster dinner and have them in the hot tub. I could always get the kids into Private School.

Reply #244. Sep 28 18, 1:46 PM

Skyflyerjen

When I first started playing The Sims, I’d stay up until the wee hours of the morning, so obsessed was I. Then I got my sister into it, and it became a tradition that with every one of her birthdays, and/or Christmases, I would get her the latest expansion pack.
That’s something I never did: send a vampire Sim to college! What a hoot, I never would have thought to do that. I wonder then, if your teenage Sim became a vampire and didn’t go to college, would he be a teenage Sim forever? What an interesting experiment!
I used that machine that had I believe 4 or 5 uses where (if your Sim was in a decent mood only) it would raise every single one of your Sim’s needs except Environment, I believe. That thing helped me so much throughout the years, whether it was a Sim preparing for a final exam or a Sim needing a break from work.
Oh, yes! You simply must serve lobster to Headmasters! That was part of a one-two punch to get your kid into Private School. Lobster and the hot tub, which always, always helped! I think many of my parties would be so-so if not for that magical hot tub! I had a wedding that I thought I was going to be great—I had a bartender, food, music playing. Things weren’t going well until one guest decided to hop into the hot tub, then I made everyone else join. Whew.
Do you still play?

Reply #245. Oct 01 18, 11:37 AM

brm50diboll

No. I misplaced the disk I need to start the game a couple years ago. I'm sure I packed it somewhere, but I can't find it. Since it's Sims 2, and the franchise is currently on Sims 4, it is not supported. I could get a replacement disc off Amazon, I guess, but I still keep thinking that disc will turn up.

I know the machine you're talking about. I had one in almost every lot, including the college dorms. The one key thing to remember about it is, like the eternal youth serum (which is shaped like a giant hourglass and deages a Sim three days when drunk) , the Sim must have at least a green or platinum mood for it to work correctly. If the Sim has a bad mood (yellow or red), it does the exact opposite. The machine will *kill* a Sim in a bad mood, and the youth serum will make the Sim in a bad mood three days *older*.

And yes, a teenage vampire Sim that does *not* go to college will remain a teenage vampire Sim forever and never reach adulthood, unless cheat codes are used. I experimented with the cheat codes, so I knew what they could do and how they worked, but I did not save games after using cheat codes.

Reply #246. Oct 01 18, 1:36 PM

Skyflyerjen

That’s one good thing about buying games online, at least we’ll never misplace the discs. I have had that happen to me way too many times! I couldn’t play for the longest time (for the original game) because I misplaced Sims University. Then I fretted a lot over scratching the discs. I try to take good care of mine, but accidents happen. Here’s hoping you’re able to find your disc at some point!

I’ve always been afraid to use cheats because I worry it’ll destroy the game. But I cannot lie… rosebud has been my friend in most of my games. Even then, I worried because I fret too much! I remember in the first game it was something like “klapacius”. I used that cheat to get free money. It’s because I love making that initial house for my Sim and I wanted it to be nice, with lots of art to raise environment. I like my Sims to have the nicest bed, computer, chairs, etc.

Environment was something I always struggled with. I tried to make rooms bright with good window distribution, but perhaps my rooms tended to be too crowded. I remember Sims like bright homes but my Sims were always sloppy and left puddles after showers and dirty plates out after eating. I constantly bought new and expensive art, whether it was pictures, statues, plants, etc. but I never could quite get a room good enough for my Sims.

Reply #247. Oct 02 18, 9:36 AM

brm50diboll

I can't emphasize enough what the good snapdragons do for environment. Open For Business was definitely worth it. I had only a few "original" sloppy Sims. I bred that trait out of them fairly quickly. And Servos (which every family had) are compulsive cleaners. No messes in my houses.

Reply #248. Oct 02 18, 1:36 PM

brm50diboll

Now that the Halloween Challenge has begun, and knowing that it features zombies, I thought I'd comment a bit about zombies. They seem almost to be a sort of "fad" right now. I'd like to analyze that a bit.

My personal view of zombies is that they really aren't a very interesting type of supernatural character, but their prominence makes them worthy of some consideration anyway. I much prefer vampires over zombies, as vampires are capable of intelligent conversation, whereas zombies are almost mindless reanimated corpses with very limited abilities.

There are several variations on the zombie theme, but I will simplify them into two broad categories: zombies that are under the control of some other intelligent being(s), and zombies that are purely reflex-driven.

The literary and dramatic history of zombies seems to be shorter than that of other supernaturals, such as vampires, mummies, aliens, and the like. The prominence of zombies began to take off with George A Romero's Night of the Living Dead in the late 60s, and its subsequent sequels. Interestingly, Night of the Living Dead does not refer to its creatures as zombies. That term was applied to them later. In many zombie stories, as a matter of fact, the zombies are intentionally *never* referred to as zombies. The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead are great examples of this. In the books and the TV shows, the zombies are called such things as "walkers", "biters", and "skin-eaters", but never zombies. The actual use of the term zombie seems to derive from the Haitian voodoo mythos where zombies are under the control of their creator that reanimated them under some ritual. The Haitian-type zombie is quite different from the zombies of The Walking Dead, which are under reflex control only.

But why do I claim zombies are a fad nowadays? Oh, my, let me count the ways: in addition to the previously mentioned stories, we also have:

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
Manuals for how to survive the coming "Zombie Apocalypse"
World War Z
Waifs in Game of Thrones
Resident Evil
My favorite: Plants vs Zombies
Zombieland
and much, much more

So what is the deal with all these zombies? I think it a reflection of a kind of subconscious creeping dread of the direction our whole society seems to be heading. The "Zombie Apocalypse" is a subtype of the whole dystopian theme. Things seem to be constantly getting worse and worse, good and innocent people suffer while "monsters" seem to thrive, and no one seems to have any control over the whole situation.

In my mind, it is similar to the first part of Stephen King's The Stand, known as The Plague, where a superflu rampages through the population, killing 99.9% of it, and the few survivors start fighting with each other over what is left. The obvious difference is, in The Stand the superflu kills people in one step, but in the Zombie Apocalypse whatever the causative agent is (more on this later) first transforms the afflicted into zombies that then have to be killed again by some additional method.

Zombie stories tend to be vague about the cause of the outbreak. There is speculation in both The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead that a virus is somehow involved, but it seems to be more complicated than that. Here are The Walking Dead "rules":

Whatever causes it is infectious, as being bit by a zombie causes a high fever, followed by inevitable death that no medical treatment can stop (except rapid amputation if it was a limb that was bitten). After death, within a few minutes to hours, the individual will reanimated as a zombie

Zombies cannot speak, but snarl. They are driven by instinct to kill and eat living creatures, mainly humans, though they will settle for animals if they can get them. Zombies do not attack other zombies; instead, they travel in "herds".

Zombies walk slowly and clumsily, but they are almost unstoppable. Only head (brain) wound will kill them. Even losing limbs and whole chunks of their bodies does not kill them. A zombie whose head is cut off, for example, will still have a decapitated head that bites, even though it cannot move.

Zombies apparently still have some sight, smell, and hearing, as seeing, hearing, or smelling live humans attracts them.

They cannot swim, use tools, turn doorknobs, or show any evidence of higher order thinking. Starvation apparently weakens zombies, but I never saw evidence on The Walking Dead of a zombie that was completely starved to death.

Even humans that were not bitten will "turn" into zombies after death of any nature (except brain wounds or being burned to a crisp.) This suggests that a causative agent is present in all humans, but transformation into zombies involves more than one agent.

Now, of course, from a scientific point of view, zombies and the Zombie Apocalypse are totally ridiculous and implausible. But suspension of disbelief requires some hypothesis, so here's mine: Although never explicitly discussed in the comic books or TV shows to the degree I'm going to put it, zombieism appears to be the synergistic result of two separate factors, one infectious and the other opportunistic and sometimes infectious, but sometimes not. The first factor appears to be a virus with an extremely high (100%) communicability rate. At the beginning of the Zombie Apocalypse, the entire human population was rapidly infected by this virus. Those that did not become zombies became "carriers". The second factor, perhaps bacterial and associated with necrotic (dead) tissue, is responsible for the zombie transformation. All animated zombies possess the second agent, which is transmissible through bites, but not through the air (the first agent, the virus, may have been transmissible by both biting and air). Live people who are bitten develop a high fever and die, then turn to zombies because of the second agent, which has a 100% fatality rate (except early amputations).

Individuals who die from some other cause activate "dormant spores" from the second agent which take a few minutes to hours to "germinate" in the presence of necrotic tissue after death. These "spores" cannot germinate in live tissue, only dead tissue. In The Walking Dead, although animals may get sick and die of viruses (which may or may not be the virus involved in human zombieism), animals do not become zombies.

Contrast the zombieism in The Walking Dead with the waifs of Game of Thrones. The waifs are not reflex-driven, they are under the control of White Walkers. In Game of Thrones, animals (particularly horses) may become waifs. The way to kill waifs is not by brain injury, but by burning. Apparently any deceased individual that was not burned may be reanimated by White Walkers to become waifs, even many years after their deaths. The reanimation apparently requires contact with the White Walker.

There is much more I could say about this strange zombie fascination in our culture, I am tired now.

Happy Halloween!

Reply #249. Oct 30 18, 1:28 AM

Skyflyerjen

I definitely get what you mean when you said zombies are a fad. Much like vampires were during True Blood’s (books/TV show) run.
Just like there are different types of zombies and how they function, movies have portrayed zombies as slow, stiff monsters (i.e. Night of the Living Dead) or fast runners (like in the Dawn of the Dead remake). I’ve debated which would be more frightening to encounter.
(As a side note, I can only imagine reanimated corpses becoming slow creatures. Friends have argued that zombies would be fast because they have lost flesh and muscle. But I stand by my opinion)

Sorry, I hope you don’t take this as a rude interruption. Ever since I was 6 and watched George Romero’s masterpiece Night of the Living Dead, I have been terrified, and therefore fascinated by zombies. I always thought it was interesting that they called them “ghouls” in that movie. I enjoyed reading your post!
Happy Halloween!

Reply #250. Oct 31 18, 10:16 AM

brm50diboll

Far from taking it as an interruption, I welcome comments on this blog. There is no universally accepted "standard" that all zombie fiction must adhere to, just as in the case of vampires. I mentioned a couple of variants in my last post. That doesn't mean we can't have our own opinions about what we think is "right" or "wrong" for zombies. Digressing a bit back to vampires, one of the things that irritated me about the Twilight series on vampires and which has made me not want to read any of the books or see any of the movies in that series is the notion that vampires aren't harmed by exposure to direct sunlight; instead, they sparkle in it. An abomination I say! Vampires should be harmed by sunlight! That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it. Back to zombies. I'm not really comfortable with fast zombies. I like the more traditional slow, clumsy, staggering zombies.

Now that I have won the 2018 Halloween Challenge, I am now an official ace zombie killer. The Archery thing was cool. A bit like Daryl in The Walking Dead.

Reply #251. Oct 31 18, 10:59 AM

Skyflyerjen

Ahh yes, Twilight. Loved by so many, sneered at by more. I read the books and compared them a little bit to Harry Potter… with no magic. I enjoyed them alright, but there is no disputing that unforgivable rule about sun not harming them. Sun and vampires! There is no going against that, unless you happen to be Blade, vampire killer. But he is the lone exception, in my opinion.
Well done on the Halloween Challenge!

Reply #252. Nov 02 18, 10:38 AM

Blackdresss

Our heroes near Atlanta in "The Walking Dead" learn at the CDC that everyone is infected with the virus, so if you die, you're zombified. The last guy there whispers this to Rick Grimes right before he blows the whole place to kingdom come. I can't remember how Rick lets everyone else know. Maybe they just figure it out themselves as they begin to die off, one by one.

Also? The Walking Dead refers to the living, not the dead. The dead are just slow-moving rotting corpses. The living are the truly walking dead.

I'll probably stay out of the Twilight Vampires conversation, just like I decided to stay out of the "The Hunger Games" pending conversation in a thread in Literature. I don't want to start a war. But honestly? Three words: Young Adult Fiction. How can you be vehemently against anything that gets kids to read? I haven't read any of the Harry Potter books, but after watching a documentary on J.K. Rowling, I think I just might, for that very reason. She almost single-handedly got kids to READ AGAIN! She's a hero, for God's sake! She's also the first person to become a billionaire from book sales.

And yes, this is me, staying out of this conversation. Because I'm food- and sleep-deprived, making me not unlike a zombie.

(And don't forget "The Serpent and The Rainbow" -- that was one freaky movie and a lot of wild things really happened on that set while filming. There is also a good documentary out there right now on Haiti and Reanimated Corpses that was even creepier than the film.)

Reply #253. Nov 02 18, 11:05 AM

Blackdresss

Wait, wait, wait. Who are the Waifs in "Game Of Thrones?" I thought that little assassin girl who was after Arya Stark when she left The House Of Black And White was known simply as "The Waif." Are you talking about the things that Hodor tries to hold back while Bran escapes? While he is Holding The Door? Taking us off-book and into the land of who knows where or what?

I read the books, too, and I don't recall anything being referred to as Waifs. And I'm fairly certain they're called Wight Walkers, not White Walkers. I know, I know, potato/potawtoe. But these conversations are always fascinating.

Hi Jen!

Reply #254. Nov 02 18, 11:12 AM

brm50diboll

Sorry. Really must've zoned out on that. Obviously, I meant wights, not waifs. Usually, I catch my mistakes especially if I do it more than once, but not here. Thank you for pointing that out. A *wight* is the Game of Thrones version of a zombie. However, the masters of the wights *are* called White Walkers, not Wight Walkers. And The Night King is the leader of the White Walkers. And I disagree on what the Walking Dead are. They are the zombies, the "walkers", not the living. The living, for the most part, have *hope* which keeps them going despite tremendous suffering, much of it from other living, not just the walkers. The living are not "walking dead". But much of the drama of this show involves the moral choices people are forced to make to try to rebuild a functional society in such adverse circumstances. Too soft, and you don't survive. Too hard, on the other hand, and tyranny develops. So what *is* the right balance to strike in such a situation. It would be incredibly naive to believe a liberal democracy can exist in those situations. A realistic appraisal of what would happen to society in any apocalyptic near-extinction event is that society would revert to primitive tribalism at first, very autocratic, with emphasis on communal values, not individual rights. I find this sociological angle quite interesting. This is why I don't believe we should judge past cultures by present standards. The ancient Babylonians should be considered enlightened for their times, not condemned because of all the torture, summary executions, and so forth that went on. A modern Western Democracy simply could not have existed without the technology and education of today. Nebuchadnezzar would've just wiped out a group of several thousand time-travelling Americans from the 21st century who happened to stray into his area (without their technology) before they could even begin to "negotiate with him".

I can just see it now: "Hey, Neb. What you're doing is a violation of the Geneva Conventions. Expect the UN General Assembly to vote on several resolutions of condemnation of your activities -- aaaaccck [sounds of multiple throats being cut and spears impaling people]."

No, the "walking dead" are the zombies. The living are trying to rebuild society. But life isn't fair. Good people die and Evil people sometimes thrive in situations like this. I think that is true in Game of Thrones, as well. Part of George RR Martin's success is inverting traditional modern literary tropes. So he deliberately kills off characters the audience has sympathy for and has the characters the audience hates thrive for awhile. He can get away with it by setting it in a fantasy world with magic and dragons and wights and a primitive feudalistic society (and it being on HBO, where he can dodge the censorship that would exist on networks.) But, just looking at Season 1 to pick one example from a very, very complex story: Who was the most moral individual and fairest, most competent leader in the first season? Ned Stark. What happens to him? Is he rewarded for his commitment to truth and fairness and exposing the corruption of the Lannisters? No, despite even *Cersei's* attempt to stop it, Joffrey has Ned's head cut off. So people debate what *should have happened* at key points in this story endlessly, which is its very appeal. The show would have been very boring if Cersei, upon reading Robert's letter naming Ned regent, had said "You're right. My children are all bastards. Stannis is the rightful heir. I pledge my full cooperation with the transition. Thank you, Ned." Nobody would have believed that's what would've happened in a feudal culture.

Imagine Stannis' peaceful arrival in King's Landing with Ned as Hand of the King issuing his first proclamation: "I am dedicated to greater diversity on the Small Council. We shall welcome back Danaerys Targaryen and her dragons in a spirit of progressivism for all the citizens of Westeros."

Problem solved. And they all lived happily ever after. The End.

Reply #255. Nov 02 18, 2:23 PM

Blackdresss

Haha! "The End."

No, the Walking Dead are the living who have been slogging across the country, trying to find or create something like a life for several years now, or just two, depending on Maggie's pregnancy. (And in a real world, why aren't there more pregnancies and babies? This baffles me.)

Do you recall the episode where they were once again homeless, and starving, and baking in the sun, with no water or shelter, walking on a highway, staying just a few feet from the horde of zombies behind them? I think Maggie asked Michonne something like, "How much longer do you think this can go on?" and she was reassured, "Don't worry, we can stay ahead of them," and Maggie answered, "I meant us. Not them." Making them The Walking Dead, because that's what they feel like. The horde of the dead behind them don't "feel" like anything.

I realize things are better now, but not for long. Whatever peace they find or create, it tends to crumble quickly.

Also, this is all based on a current comic book, so this series could go on forever.

As for George R.R. Martin, he just sticks to the writer's code of "don't be afraid to kill your darlings." Ned Stark was the first of many shocking deaths. And now that Game Of Thrones is off-book, I'm surprised any of the original and beloved characters are still alive. Or maybe that's why -- because while he may be a resource for the series, I don't think he has final say about who can and cannot die. Jon Snow, for example. He wasn't dead, he was just "mostly dead." I have a feeling if GRRM had continued to write his books, none of that arc with Jon Snow would have happened. It just created a really whacky cliffhanger for the TV series.

But I don't read the comic book The Walking Dead is based on, so I don't know if the most current shocking death happened in the novels, so it had to happen on the show, too. My guess is, that actor just wanted off the show, so they wrote it in.

Brian, I love to read everything you write and I love this Blog. And it's great to see Jen in here, too.

Reply #256. Nov 03 18, 5:38 AM

brm50diboll

The Walking Dead TV show doesn't even try anymore to follow the comics. I think the reason they keep having setbacks and main characters keep getting killed off is because the show keeps getting renewed, but AMC, the parent network, has a limited budget and can't keep giving raises to its veteran actors, so they leave in search of more lucrative opportunities after they've made a name for themselves. I think that when the day comes that AMC does decide to cancel the series, they will actually engineer a relatively "happy" ending for the show with whoever happens to be the lead actors at the time having their characters finally achieve stable, peaceful, zombie-free lives somewhere. They aren't bound by the comics *at all*.

As for Game of Thrones, even though George RR Martin hasn't finished the books, it is important to remember that he *does* have an outline of how he wants it to end which he keeps to himself, but has told his people that if we're to die unexpectedly, that outline is kept in a safe. Furthermore, he is an executive producer, consultant, and even screenplay writer for the TV show. I suspect he has *intentionally* not finished the books because he doesn't want the book readers to guess the ending of the show, as it has been announced the current season is the last season. There *are* differences between the books and the show, but mostly character cuts, consolidations, and simplifications. Not nearly the radical differences found in the Walking Dead. Also, the directors intentionally film false death scenes and film scenes out of order to keep word from leaking out about what is going to happen. Nevertheless, I don't think Martin will be *so* iconoclastic as to have Queen Cersei alive and victorious at the end, having just slaughtered Danaerys, John Snow, and Tyrion in the final scene. I don't think that's what's going to happen. But Martin wants speculation and "team-choosing" to keep up interest (and ultimately ratings) for the show. When the show ends, he'll try to end the books, but will probably make the book slightly different from the show just to cater to his faithful book readers, who expect a more elaborate, complicated story.

Reply #257. Nov 03 18, 8:06 AM

Blackdresss

If he lives that long...

I think he's having way too much fun on the show to focus on his book. And didn't he promise us that last book 10 or 11 years ago?

And we have a serious problem right now with Dany and Jon Snow, but I suppose if it works for Cersei and Jaime, it works for everyone. But the former aren't aware of their relationship status, and may not be as happy about it as the latter.

I'm trying to imagine a "The Walking Dead" without Rick Grimes, and that plot line was leaked. I don't care how many of the remaining cast assures us the series will be amazing, I just can't imagine it. But Carl was a blow, too.

But Brian, as a science teacher, aren't you a little confused and dismayed that only Maggie and Laurie have had babies, or even the hint of having babies, in the post-apocalyptic world? I decided early on that if no one on "LOST" got pregnant, it wouldn't be realistic and I wouldn't watch it! And then that didn't happen, but nothing else about that show was realistic, at all and I loved it.

I'm telling you, this Blog is so much fun.

Reply #258. Nov 03 18, 8:37 AM

brm50diboll

I hate to be a bummer, but a lot of the decisions showrunners make are based on practical considerations, not plot considerations. Regarding babies: Babies are *extremely* difficult to deal with on a TV show. There are all sorts of laws and regulations about how long they can be on a set, and who has to be there with them, and they aren't really actors, so it is difficult to get them to do what the script wants them to do. So, yes, having lots of babies would *definitely* be something you would want if you were trying to rebuild a society from the ashes, but, as a practical matter, you just can't have lots of babies on a TV show. Even Judith has to "disappear" frequently for practical considerations. I think the show *has* shown that reasonably stable communities *are* beginning to be established. They just can't have lots of babies with screentime on the show.

As for Martin's writing plans, I saw an interesting YouTube video where Martin and Stephen King discussed their writing techniques. Martin asked King how he overcame writer's block, and King said he tries to write six pages a day, and Martin just couldn't believe King could maintain that pace day after day. The fact is, they're completely different types of writers. King is just more disciplined than Martin. Remember, when the HBO show was in its pilot phase, there was no guarantee the show would be as successful as it turned out to be. So in the early going, Martin naturally focused on his writing. But when the show became a breakout hit (with all the money and attention that came with that), Martin became, how should I put it? - *distracted*. But the show is in its last season. I think Martin really does intend to finish the books after the show ends. But there is no external time pressure on him, and, given his lack of self discipline as compared to the monumentally prolific Stephen King (who also is deeply involved with various movies and TV projects, including cameo acting appearances), it is a question as to whether Martin actually finishes the books or not. But I believe he *does* have an outline, and I think he will make some progress in writing.

Reply #259. Nov 03 18, 9:46 AM

Blackdresss

Brian, I didn't mean babies on the show, I meant babies in the "real world in which they now live," and if that involves the "problem" of babies on the show, how about just a few pregnancies to make it more realistic? Only two women have conceived in all these years? It doesn't make any sense. I don't imagine birth control is readily available. I also don't imagine all those men and all those women are staying apart and away from each other.

It's not that hard to have babies on sets, since they don't appear in many scenes and they're all twins. Other shows manage it. A show like "LOST" and "The Walking Dead" where they don't have the luxuries of a modern world would have more pregnancies, not less. And little Judith and now baby Hershel show up for mere moments, occasionally. It's not like they have speaking roles.

Stephen King also said his goal is to write and publish two books a year. It's lofty, but at least he's writing.

I still maintain GRRM is having too much fun on the TV series, and he's never going to finish those books. Isn't he in his late 80's now? He doesn't need to finish them; he's made his fortune off the TV series. I also thought for a long time he must be British, just based on the way he writes and his characters. But no, he's from Albuquerque or maybe Santa Fe. Who knew?

Reply #260. Nov 04 18, 2:36 PM

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