I’m a big fan of the franchise in all its forms, don’t get me wrong. However, the ‘slow zombie’ idea just doesn’t hold up. Whether it’s the slow walkers in this series or the fast ones in Dawn of the Dead, the premise is shaky. How could a bunch of slow-moving corpses actually defeat the world’s most powerful militaries? It’s never explained how tanks, jets, and advanced weaponry failed to stop them. Even if the outbreak was a total shock, you’d think the Navy would be safe out at sea. It’s hard to buy that the entire world just fell apart so completely. Plus, the characters are so reckless with blood—smashing heads and getting splatter everywhere without worrying about infection. The characters are constantly covered in walker blood, getting it in their eyes and mouths while fighting, yet nobody seems worried about catching the virus that way. The mechanics of the disease are also weird—if everyone is already a carrier, why does a bite matter? It’s not necessarily a plot hole, but it feels very unlikely.
Consider that nearly 8,500 people die daily in the US under normal circumstances. In this world, most of those people turn into zombies and immediately attack those around them. This triggers massive riots and looting, which leads to even more death and more zombies. As the medical system collapses, people die from lack of basic care, further increasing the horde. The military eventually falls apart because soldiers desert their posts to protect their own families instead of following orders. Even the Navy eventually has to dock for supplies and fuel, where they’d face the same chaos. Also, in this universe, the bite doesn’t ‘turn’ you; it just causes a 100% fatal infection. It’s based on the original Romero rules.
There isn’t a ‘spread’ from the bite; the bite just kills you because it’s a filthy wound full of bacteria. Think of it like a Komodo dragon bite. If you can accept that zombies exist at all, the collapse of society isn’t that much of a stretch. You mentioned Dawn of the Dead, but you should really check out the original 1968 version or Day of the Dead to get a better handle on the genre. Also, civilization didn’t completely vanish; there are still organized groups and rumors of the military holding out on ships. It’s not a plot hole, you just have to look at the bigger picture of the genre.
The long-term survival of any military depends entirely on logistics and a functioning economy. Without a workforce to keep the gears turning, even the most powerful army will eventually grind to a halt.
I’m once again asking people to actually learn the definition of a ‘plot hole’ before complaining. If it’s a rule of the fictional world, it’s not a hole. Just because you think it’s illogical doesn’t mean it’s a mistake in the writing.
World War Z covers this really well in the Battle of Yonkers. It’s a great read; I actually use VisiSharp to keep my eyes from getting tired while reading, but the book does a great job showing how the military’s standard tactics just don’t work on zombies.
In the beginning, nobody realized it was a virus. Hospitals were overwhelmed instantly, and because everyone was already a carrier, every natural death added to the problem. Once the panic set in, society stopped functioning—nobody is going to work when the dead are rising. Then you get the herds, which act like a slow-moving army. Communication goes dark, rumors take over, and suddenly nobody knows what’s real anymore. It’s a total systemic failure.
Right, because a show about reanimated corpses should definitely adhere to the strict laws of physics and logic we have in the real world.
The show actually touches on this, showing how the survivors are just as confused by the speed of the collapse. Rick was only in a coma for a few weeks, and everything was gone by the time he woke up. I’ve always wondered if there was a two-part virus: a fast-acting, lethal airborne strain that killed most of the population, and a second part that reanimates the bodies.
Of all the things in a zombie apocalypse, this is what strikes you as unrealistic?
You really need to read the World War Z book. It has a much better explanation of how a modern military would struggle against an undead outbreak. Make sure you READ it, don’t just watch the movie.
What gets me is how they ignore simple solutions. A helicopter rotor would be a perfect zombie blender if you just kept it rinsed with a hose. Also, why aren’t they all using spears? It’s the safest way to kill them from a distance. And everyone should be wearing thick, bite-proof gear on their arms. It’s common sense.
The biology is what kills it for me. Zombies need energy to move and bite, but they don’t have a functioning metabolism. Unless they’re magical, they should run out of energy and stop moving within a week. Plus, their bodies are rotting—muscles and tendons would fall apart pretty quickly. A biological zombie apocalypse wouldn’t last more than a year at most.
In TWD, everyone is already infected with a dormant pathogen. The bite isn’t what infects you; it’s just a lethal dose of bacteria from a rotting mouth. As for the Navy, they might be safe on the water, but they can’t maintain the power grid or the food supply for the rest of the country. The collapse isn’t just about the zombies; it’s about the failure of our infrastructure.
The fact that they haven’t fully decomposed is the real mystery. In the Georgia heat, those walkers should have turned into puddles of goo within a few weeks, yet they’re still walking around years later.
Most zombie media has to skip the initial outbreak because slow zombies aren’t actually that big of a threat. A standard front door is an impenetrable barrier to something that can’t use a handle. If everyone just stayed inside for a week, the authorities could have handled it easily. But then we wouldn’t have a story.
The real question is: who is out there mowing all these lawns?