I'm in the middle of watching season nine of the series, and we're something like 8 years after the fall of civilization to the "zed" hordes. As I watch, one thing grinds my gears over everything else:
What are These People (actually, the writers and show runners) Thinking?- The most common weapon for zombie elimination, now that ammo is mostly gone and reserved for emergencies, is a small-to-medium-sized fixed blade knife. WTF?
- They're stabbing a dangerous creature in the head, with an inadequate tool, not far from the most dangerous part (the teeth), and their hands are bare?
- A few characters use spears, and a small number of swords are in evidence, and bows are finally appearing with some regularity, but with very few exceptions, that's it.
- There are serious problems with knives:
- A typical hunting knife is barely adequate, at best, for punching a hole in a zombie skull, even though that cranium is probably weaker that that of a living human.
- It's a very short-range weapon, bringing the user into close proximity with the threat.
- A knife offers no means of creating space or blocking attacks: it is a purely offensive weapon, while the people in TWD are frequently outnumbered and fighting defensively.
Some Suggestions:- Get some better knives! A few characters, like Daryl, use large, sturdy knives that have a guard to keep the hand from sliding onto the blade. Blacksmiths could imitate something like the Roman pugio or the Japanese hori hori. This last is a simple, very sturdy Japanese gardening knife that can have a thick blade that is sometimes shaped like a very shallow trowel, and is meant for digging and plant trimming. It's also very tough. My hori hori is thick-bladed, tough, and well made. It was also inexpensive and came from Japan. It would be my choice for facing Zs with a knife, though I'd add a good guard and make some changes to the handle for its new purpose.
- Add some polearms! A fairly short, two-handed weapon -- like a poleaxe, naginata, hewing spear, flail, or maul -- offers a great deal more power for the task. In the Society for Creative Anachronism, I used an English billhook: a martial version of a gardener's brush hook. I quickly learned that I needed little force to strike a serious blow. Contrary to what we see in movies, I never swung 180 degrees -- heck, I rarely used a 45 degree arc. This makes the weapon quicker than people expect, and it keeps it in front of the fighter, making him or her less vulnerable to counterattack. A poleam -- even a short (4- to 5-foot overall length) polearm -- allows the user to keep some distance from the opponent. Less risk of being bitten. Moreover, the butt and the haft of the polearm can be used to block, strike or shove an opponent. Look how effective Morgan and Henry have been with a staff! Put a small axe blade and spike on one end, and even more things are possible.
- Use shields! Small- or medium-sized shields are easy to make, not hard to carry, and multiply the options for the person using one. Rather than having an empty hand, a shield can be used to block, to trap (prevent a strike, rather than blocking it), to shove, or to strike -- with the flat of the shield, with a shield boss (a raised metal dome, usually at or near the middle, often with a handle behind it), or with the edge. Smaller shields are used actively, rather than hiding behind them passively. Some methods include a large dirk or dagger in the shield hand, or a spike in the middle of a small roundshield, and/or a metal-reinforced edge. A small round, like the highland targe, can probably do more damage to a zombie than most of the knives we see on the show.
- Work together! We see some of this on the show, but the survivors should have figured this out long ago. The Roman Army had several key advantages, but one of the biggest was an organized, systematic approach to combat. If a Roman century, legion or other unit could deploy in formation to meet a foe, they could often defeat more numerous opponents. Now imagine the survivors facing the Zs with a line of fighters with shields and short swords or one-hand clubs or maces, whose job is primarily to tie the zombies down and make them easy targets for spear users behind them. Other fighters with bows and other missile weapons work the flanks and rear of their group, protecting the others and picking off Zs that try to go around the line. Ideally, the line would be deployed in a place where the flanks are protected by rocks, water, buildings, whatever.
On the positive side, we've seen armor being worn from early in the show, and it has improved and now looks much more practical as the show progresses. The concept is simple: protect the places that tend to get bitten most, like the hands, forearms, neck, shoulders and face.
I know this is silly, but I wish TV writers did more research. Instead, we see characters behave in super-risky behavior over and over. Only rarely (Carl Grimes is a recent example), does their usual, dangerous, grab-and-stab method turn out badly.
Sorry for venting! The show's gotten better, but in nine seasons I can't remember a single shield! Really? The folks running the show would probably be shocked to see how a highlander's targe, dirk and sword are used together by a skilled fighter.
</RANT>Dirty Bob
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