You're absolutely right about the flus and the sneezing, Eol, since that's how real-world epidemics manage to travel so far. But this is zombification we're talking about, so there's two crucial differences:

1. Zombification can only be spread through biting (in most fiction, including Walking Dead as far as we know).
2. When somebody is infected through a bite, it's a good bet more carnage will ensue right away.

Given these factors, it just seems unlikely to me that a person would a) be bitten, survive, and escape, b) hide the fact that he's bitten (high fever, delirium, etc.) to get on a plane, and c) avoid being quarantined by the local government who during the eight-hour flight will have heard of the infection. Any ideas?

...the infection can spread. If you recall the scene in episode 2 where Rick and company were hacking the zombie to pieces in order to "smell like the dead," there were cautions such as "don't get any in your mouth or in your eyes," right? Things like that kind of lead me to believe that, while a bite from an already infected zombie is likely the quickest, most direct way to become infected, it's entirely possible that getting a nominal amount of infected biological material (be it blood, saliva, or whatever) into the bloodstream will also do the trick.

There has to be another way to become infected aside from being bitten, right? I mean, if there isn't, where did the first zombie come from to begin with? He/she surely wasn't bitten... *shrugs*

Ever heard Professor Farnsworth in Futurama exclaim "Sweet Zombie Jesus"? We all know that Jesus was the result of virgin birth, so Zombie Jesus is obviously the first zombie—a, uh, "virgin zombie" if you will. He got infected in a mysterious and inexplicable way that involved biting himself in the face.

Anyway, you make a good point about the "don't get anything in your eyes and mouth" thing; I had forgotten about that one. I'll give it the benefit of the doubt, then!

...after all, had to kick my own suspension of disbelief engine into overdrive when that explosion in the season finale didn't just munch and mangle Rick and Company.

I know, they got out of the building and whatnot but, given the explanation/definition of thermobarics, I find it hard to believe that their 'convoy' was far enough from the blast radius to have kept them safe (sure, maybe they wouldn't have cooked, but they'd have been pummeled into a squishy goo by the shockwave of a blast that size... and I'm pretty sure Andrea and Dale would have been toast)...

Anyhoo, all my theorizing on how the infection reached world-wide pandemic status is just that... theory and speculation... Maybe in later episodes those details will be revealed and we'll find out for sure, eh?

The longest period of recorded time from death to zombification is 8 hours according to Jenner... However... one must consider the time period from bite to death.

Jim was going on several hours and was still alive when we left him. We did not get a clear picture on how long Malcom's wife made it with that fever before she died.

So... if it takes over a day to die from a bite and even longer to turn into a zombie... that could make it over on a plane.

We're all doomed!

M.

In Ep 2, when Rick and Co. covered head-to-toe before going Lizzie Borden on the walker, they were just using what's called Universal Precautions. This is what First Responders like Rick do in a hazmat situation, and an environment where Zombo-guts are flying definitely qualifies as such. Unbroken skin is usually okay against pathogens, but even a paper cut will let the micro-critters through.

While biting is the most commonly used method of infection in Zombie media, bloodborne infection is something no one can dismiss. The stuff mimics meningitis as Jenner said, so it just hacks its way past the blood/brain barrier that keeps most infections from reaching the brain. Nasty stuff.

Lizzie didn't do it...

So according to Wikipedia, the next season starts on Sunday. Anybody have some juicy gossip about the show for those of us who haven't been following the hype? (Reasonably spoiler-free, of course.)

Any cool guest stars? Will we be seeing that rifle-toting dad and his son again? Will Grugg be cast as an epic zombie viking at last?

As a huge zombie fan, I should say that there are several infection theories, depending on your catalyst. If it's the result of a viral outbreak, then like Pit F(r)iend mentioned, tendency among storytellers is that it's a blood-borne pathogen, and therefore contact by infected blood with open wounds, or other areas (such as in your eyes, mouth, or nose, can get you infected, in addition to the bites. However, other mythos' have a mystical/supernatural catalyst, which results in the dead rising and on the hunt for brains, meaning anyone dead is an eventual zombie, and therefore it's not so much being eaten by them that causes it, but the stopping of life.

In so far as The Walking Dead is concerned, I do like the fact there are Romero influences without it being way too George, and still believable enough on some level (aside from the CDC blast, as Eol mentioned) to be engaging. And I enjoy that it's survivor-centric, rather than focused entirely on the zeds.

It's been said that Dr. Jenner's whispered words to Rick will feature heavily in season two, and while most of the webizens are convinced it was about Lori being pregnant, I am pretty sure the series isn't going to be that 90210 about it, and that it was really about the surviving sister being infected, or at least having the viral code in her blood.

Supposedly, we are also going to see more of Merle, and a damaged, grieving Daryl, who was seriously one of my favorite survivors. I know more, but I own't share since they are technically spoilers.

Also, concerning the spread, there's some schools of thought that the area of the bite is in direct relation to how long before the change occurs. Some pose it such that an area closer to hear and/or brain would cause a victim to turn faster tha someone bitten, say, on the foot.

However, other chage-theories have a sort of formulaic reaction time: (constitution + Agility) - (bite location + time) = zombie. So an athlete, say Appolo Ohno, or Tony Hawk, bitten on the neck recently will turn slower than Steven Segall or Val Kilmer bitten on the neck at the same time (porkchops, both of them)

And man it would be so awesome to headshot zombie-Segal. *mutter* I hate that guy.

Tony Hawk and zombies... That gives me about twelve ideas for video games.

30 minutes to the premiere of Season Two!!

What an awesome beginning to the season! Just finished watching the premiere (had to tape it, I work nights) but it was pretty spectacular! I friggin' hated that Rick did not divulge what Edwin Jenner (the scientist from the CDC, if you need a refresher) whispered to him at the end of last season--he was SO close to doing so, too!

I've read the first five hardcovers of the graphic novel, and it's interesting to see how the storylines diverge. As far as the last scene in the TV episode, even though I've seen it happen in the comic books, I was still caught as off-guard when it occurred as I was in the book. As soon as I saw that deer I should have put 2 and 2 together, but nooooo. . .

I like the TV version of Carol SO much more now. Comic book Carol was just way too creepy. So, I guess we'll see a farm in our survivor's near future then? And then. . .Woodbury. That was just too messed up in the comic book!

Can't wait to hear what the rest of you thought!

I haven't watched the episode yet, but I will watch it after tomorrow's exam. Is there any better way to spend a post-exam Saturday night than with braaains?

I missed Walking Dead last year, but we DVRed it (except for the first two episodes, which got skipped... we we got disk one from Netflix).

Started watching last night... yes, please. Loving this show already!