The Colony - pt 2

[monkeylizard]

It's coming back to Discovery on July 27th. New location, new suvrivors, new challenges.

[Il Duce]

what is it about? i never saw part 1

[chadbuddy]

the show is about of "survivors" living in the post apocalyptic world. On the first season they lived in a warehouse and they had to trade with/hide from "attackers" who were actors. It is kinda cool to see some of the gadgets they rig together but there is also a lot of un-needed drama and bickering amung the survivors.

The Colony : Discovery Channel

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Colony_(TV_series)

[Il Duce]

interesting

[farrar]

Extremely interesting show. It really makes you think about how you would handle the situation.

Glad to see it coming back.

[JAB]

I anticipated the start of the first one and liked it, at first. Honestly, though, it became pretty annoying as time went on. Maybe the most annoying thing, to me, is the idea that this whole gang of people fled/survived some kind of disaster and they don't have one, single damned gun among them - not even a single-shot, break action shotgun. Nor did any of them try to obtain one once the disaster started. Heck, they made kind of a big deal in one or two episodes about a freakin' lock blade pocket knife. Yeah, I know they couldn't have them shooting each other or the 'marauders' with live ammo but I think use of even something like paintball guns (or simunitions) by both the 'colonists' and the 'marauders' would make things a lot more realistic. It would also demonstrate that folks who aren't willing to use firearms in such a situation aren't going to last long against those who are regardless of how much they know about martial arts or building solar panels.

Edited July 16, 2010 by JAB

[Guest m14man]

+1

I anticipated the start of the first one and liked it, at first. Honestly, though, it became pretty annoying as time went on. Maybe the most annoying thing, to me, is the idea that this whole gang of people fled/survived some kind of disaster and they don't have one, single damned gun among them - not even a single-shot, break action shotgun. Nor did any of them try to obtain one once the disaster started. Heck, they made kind of a big deal in one or two episodes about a freakin' lock blade pocket knife. Yeah, I know they couldn't have them shooting each other or the 'marauders' with live ammo but I think use of even something like paintball guns (or simunitions) by both the 'colonists' and the 'marauders' would make things a lot more realistic. It would also demonstrate that folks who aren't willing to use firearms in such a situation aren't going to last long against those who are regardless of how much they know about martial arts or building solar panels.

[Guest jmorriss]

I gave up on the first one after the put the "attack here sign" on top of the building.

[Guest bkelm18]

Watched the first 2 episodes of the first season. The usual reality show garbage.

[Guest HvyMtl]

Yeah, there are shortcomings, as with all reality shows (cannot starve them, have them die of thirst, it is just a t.v. show... )

The neat aspects of how to make certain things, like a water filter, solar power system, solar/battery powered car, running vehicles off of wood smoke, etc.

The lack of firearms caught my attention, too. (They were in California, after all...)

In one of the later episodes, the guys trading stuff show up. They are armed to the teeth. 50 cal vehicle mounted machine gun, and AKs. My first thought was,"Why trade? You have the firepower to take all they have." Actually, a few more episodes later, the traders show back up, and one actually says to their own leader something to the same effect...

And the total lack of security by the colonists was shocking.

[monkeylizard]

I thought John's flamethrower was pretty awesome.

TiVo /DVR is great for shows like this. I get to see all the cool stuff they're building w/o having to listen to a bunch of whining cry babies.

[JAB]

In one of the later episodes, the guys trading stuff show up. They are armed to the teeth. 50 cal vehicle mounted machine gun, and AKs. My first thought was,"Why trade? You have the firepower to take all they have." Actually, a few more episodes later, the traders show back up, and one actually says to their own leader something to the same effect...

Those guys showing up was actually when I got annoyed that the colonists had no firearms. Up until that point, I had sort of considered the whole California thing and thought that maybe where they lived firearms were uncommon and a little more difficult to come by so that the non-firearm enthusiasts might consider getting one before the disaster to be too much trouble and that there weren't many firearms in their area that they could pick up after the disaster. Sure, maybe the idea was that the traders were 'survivalist types', whatever that means, and that they had stockpiled weaponry beforehand but if they could get a vehicle mounted 50 cal, AKs, etc. then I'd think that at least one of them (maybe the handyman or the contractor - they seemed a bit less 'peace, love, hippie' than the others) could/would have at least scavenged a shotgun or hunting rifle somewhere along the way.

Oh, well, as you said, it's just a television show. I think the reason I got annoyed is that they tried to present the show as, "This is a very likely scenario," and I don't believe it was. The more likely scenario would be that they would either get ahold of some firearms or become victims or, perhaps more likely, slaves to those who did have firearms.

Edited July 20, 2010 by JAB

[Guest jmorriss]

The show further reinforced my hatred for Aero space engineers.

[Guest Republican]

Its hard to believe/think that in a post apocaolyptic world, that anyone would confine themselves to a warehouse for very long. They are sitting ducks without weapons. LOL, I think its funny that we all see the obvious problems with this show and they aggrivate us so much that it keeps us from watching it. I guess we would do things different in Tennessee than they do in California.

[JAB]

Its hard to believe/think that in a post apocaolyptic world, that anyone would confine themselves to a warehouse for very long. They are sitting ducks without weapons. LOL, I think its funny that we all see the obvious problems with this show and they aggrivate us so much that it keeps us from watching it. I guess we would do things different in Tennessee than they do in California.

Couldn't resist:

"Well, I found a whole semi full of RC Cola. The driver was...well, let's just say he was in no shape to drive. Buddy o' mine got 'hold of a couple pallets of Moon Pies so I reckon if we do a little bit of trading then long-term supplies are taken care of. There's a 'coon been messin' around my chicken coop and he wandered into the trap I put out last night. We've got a few 'taters and onions from the garden to go with him so I reckon that's supper. I guess me and the other guys ought to go check around outside before dark and make sure everything's squared away for the night. Hmmm...which guns you reckon we ought to take?"

Edited July 21, 2010 by JAB

[Guest HvyMtl]

LOL @ JAB. Yeah, that situation might be true in parts around here. 'Cept they would give 1st aid to the driver. Or, if they knew he was going to die, give hospice to him. The people around here treat each other humanely. Unless said driver was trying to steal his chickens.

I'll watch it and see how they do this time. Again, the lack of firearms removes reality. But, it could be a situation where ammo has generally run out? (Considering some of the stats show US citizens bought like 4 billion rounds last year alone, that situation would be a long time coming...)

[vontar]

I would love to try out for a show like that, no voting off, just survive.

[Sandman]

I would love to try out for a show like that, no voting off, just survive.

Me too. I think we should do it!

[vontar]

I watched/have all of season 1. Looking forward to the next one.

So much better then survivor, no voting off crap, no challenges other then to get by and make things better for your group.

[Moped]

It would seem to me that if you didn't have firearms, you'd start figuring out how to make a bow and some arrows. Even if you had firearms and some ammunition, a good bow and some arrows would be a great way to add a little protein to your diet and save the ammo for defense.

[vontar]

well, one lesson from Surivor man, even if you have a Knife, try to save it. If you can use something other then your Knife and save the knife for when you really need it.

Same for making traps, bow & arrow if you are that good. Save your ammo, because anything that goes bang is going to give away your position as well. Remember Red Dawn.

[JAB]

LOL @ JAB. Yeah, that situation might be true in parts around here. 'Cept they would give 1st aid to the driver. Or, if they knew he was going to die, give hospice to him. The people around here treat each other humanely. Unless said driver was trying to steal his chickens.

I intended to imply that the driver was already dead when discovered. And I was only about half joking about the moon pies and RC. I was born in Georgia and have lived in TN since I was about 3. I don't underestimate the power of a good moon pie - especially the double deckers.

As far as the raccoon goes, I have actually done just about that. One killed some of my chickens last year, I trapped it in a live trap in the coop the next night and figured that since there was no sign of disease and since it ate my chickens I'd return the favor. Cooked on the smoker and on a sandwich with homemade barbecue sauce, it tasted about like barbecue beef.

[chadbuddy]

Just watched the first episode. I had forgotten how fake the fights are. The group of 15 that tried to steal the other groups medical supplies were armed with pepper spray. WTF?

I guess none of the survivors read the Zombie Survival guide by Max Brooks. Instead of trying to hold the front door shut, they should have cut down the staircase and replaced it with a retractable ladder.

[kckndrgn]

Actually, I don't think any of the "survivors" in the colony has a clue about security. They're in the middle of 10 acres of run down buildings, and yet there is this "brand new VOPA" tent. That to me, is a great big beacon that says "WE GOT STUFF!!"

I also agree with chadbuddy, put the meds and supplies on the second floor and remove the stairs. There's a carpenter and a general contractor - they should be able to make a ladder or some type of retractable stairway in no time. Since you're now contained on the second floor, find away to keep some "unfiltered" water boiling. The raiders attack, they get a bath with boiling water.

Using the milk to take the "sting" out of their eye was a waste in my opinion. Yeah, I know it hurts, and will hurt for some time. I would imagine that without any soap to wash the stuff off, over the next couple of day as they sweat, it will get into their eyes again.

I will say that the raiders see more aggressive this time around, less chest thumping and more attacking. How would you secure your 10 acres of land?

[chadbuddy]

I think they just picked the house behind the VOPA tent so that they wouldn't have to move their stuff as far.

I think I would cut up the tent and use the plastic to cover the leaky roofs. (inside the house so it wouldn't be sbeen by the raiders) You could also use the large plastic sheets to catch rain-water. The frame of the tent could be used for beefing up doors, builing things, and poking the fire.

This morning I was thinking about taking some plywood and nails from the adjacent houses and driving a bunch of nails through the plywood. If you laid the plywood full of nails over the hole where the staircase used to be, they would have a hard time pushing their way in. You could do the same thing with the front door, to give your group more time to climb up the ladder and shut the trap door over the ladder.

Using the Milk to neutralize peper spray was a waste, but not as big of a waste as giving the group of raiders milk. They should have traded. There are no freebies when your fighting to stay alive.