At the end of last night’s episode we see newcomer Patrick die from some sort of ailment. Tons of speculation from Twitter and at the office. What could kill someone that quickly? Here are some quick killers:
Appendicitis: Although not typical, sufferers can die hours after the appendix bursts, although this will generally be preceded by days of pain and fever.
Ebola: Symptoms can be very flu-like, with abdominal pain, vomiting, cold sweats, coughing, etc. End-stage symptoms include bleeding from mucous membranes, rashes, and hematomas. Death usually results from organ failure, but only after days or weeks of intense illness.
H1N1/H5N1: Related to swine flu and avian flu, symptoms include your typical flu symptoms: chills, fever, headache, coughing, and weakness. The difference being a much higher mortality rate amongst this more advanced flu type. Like Ebola, H1N1 and H5N1 are generally quick killers.
Botulism: A person can come down with botulism after eating contaminated food, including canned goods. Symptoms can hit in as little as 6 hours. Symptoms include slurred speech, droopy eyelids, and fatigue, all results of the botulinum toxin’s paralytic effects. Up to 60% of botulism cases are fatal if left untreated. Death can occur in less than a week after infection.
Staphylococcus Food Poisoning: Ingesting food infected with Staphylococcus bacteria can lead to onset of symptoms within 30 minutes, and death within days from complications if untreated. Staphylococcus has been on the increase in recent years due to antibiotic-resistant strands and thrives in unsterile environments. Like dirty zombie-infested prisons.
Poison: Any good Breaking Bad fan knows about Ricin. What if Patrick were poisoned? Ricin is (relatively) easily made and hence it’s literary popularity. Ricin can take up to a week to kill an infected adult. More quick acting, but far more exotic, are nerve gases like Sarin or VX. These nerve agents can kill in less than a minute. There are various other poisons that have actually been used through history, ranging in scarcity and lethality, but they all take a week to months to kill.
So what killed Patrick? I’d say poisoning is the least likely (who would want to kill nice little Patrick?) followed by Ebola, given it’s geographical limitations (it’s mostly limited to central Africa). The rest, while slower acting than the short window we see on the show, are all somewhat reasonable. Remember that at the end of Season 1, the CDC doctor told Rick that everyone is infected, hence the need to destroy the brain of any person who dies. It’s entirely possible that whatever this infection is, it speeds up viruses and bacteria and hampers the immune system. After all, people die from walker bites in short order.
What do you think?
New walker viruse. There is a walker at the fence we see a couple times who’s eyes are bleeeing rather similar to that of patrick. Either they contracted the same viruses or somethings going on with the already present viruse.
I absolutely saw this shot, too. Good call.
I noticed that too, and I kept pausing it thinking it was someone that had been killed off in earlier season, but couldnt pin point it, but it makes sense..That walker’s eyes were bloody, just like Patrick
vicious swine flu :)))
I was quite confused by it too. I would of thought maybe he drowned himself until there was blood all over his face once he went down. It’s pretty confusing right now and probably won’t make sense until next episode
I only hope we don’t start seeing zombie pigs! But,after all, pig and human physiology is a lot alike!
The pig was also sick, and the one in the woods clearly was already ‘turned.’ I think the virus has mutated into something more potent.
I think so too, I forgot the pig from the woods, good catch.
it’s not a walker virus — it’s some sort of viral infection along the lines of Ebola or ‘Swine/Spanish Flu’. The reason for the accelerated death of Patrick? I Would say that because all humans are infected with the ‘zombie virus’ that when another viral infection hits us such as this new deadly one — it’s going to deteriorate the human body faster than it normally would.
This makes a lot of sense.
Spanish Flu hybrid.
Yea, and how do you explain the bare footprints across the cellblock floor when he was heading to the shower? Was he bleeding from the feet?
sweat
Can you sweat from your feet? Never seen that. I can see one or two light footprints from sweat, but he had like 8 or 10 solid prints. Maybe it’s the art of filmmaking in progress….
Of course your feet sweat. What do you think makes stinky sneakers! Granted your fever would have to be very high to produce footprints, but it’s possible in theory.
guys the footprints are there from past showers.
With the ebola theory, it could have been blood or, rather, his internal organs turned to fluid by the virus. You bleed from your poors with ebola. It is a rapid virus, meaning it hits you and then you’re pretty much dead within a day or two. Could be that the ‘zombie’ virus mutated into an ebola-like disease, or the virus is causing other illnesses to metabolize rapidly. With all that dead flesh around (animated or not), there’s bound to be a lot of diseases running rampant. And I think the woman in the woods was eating walkers; certainly she was eating other people. But she’s a huge component in this season’s turn of events. So is the handshake Patrick gave Daryl.
his footprints weren’t bloody — that appeared to be sweat. Kirkman and
Nicotero already revealed that it’s some sort of typical virus that
exists in the real world — they’re just applying the possibility of an
outbreak set in the Walking Dead universe and how it would affect a community that is unable to combat such a scenario without the use of modern medicine. Boom.
Okay, if it’s a typical virus, then someone elsewhere suggested Trichinosis which fits everything we’ve seen so far.
Susceptibility to other viruses/diseases could help to explain the wide variation of times it takes for people to turn once they die. From the diseases listed above, staph seems the most likely to me (not just from ingesting it, but from the showers – i.e. staph infection).
I believe whatever it is, could be related to the sick pig, Violet, that later died during the episode. I didn’t even notice that Walker Patrick’s eyes were different than the Walkers we’ve seen so far, that’s interesting.
they didn’t show Patrick as a walker, did they?
Yeah, at the very end of the episode, just after he turned.
I’m thinking some kind of virus like the flu its going hit the water supply since he hacked all over it, Don’t drink the water !
the guy with the bleeding eyes was the zombiefy yourself winner
Def all linked some how with Violet (the pig) that died and the walker on the fence with the eyes…poor patrick
Perhaps some in the group will be immune? I wonder if those who’ve been more active in killing the walkers have developed some sort of immunity… Patrick seems to be more like Milton in that he would not have had a lot of experience chopping walkers in the head and such. Also, I noticed the rubber gloves and other protection that Karen had on. I’m trying to connect that to what I’m saying but it seems conflicting now. Any thoughts….
Also, I definitely think something waterborne is going on…too many clues with that one. I noticed the water purifiers in the store immediately, not to mention the barrel of water at the end with Patrick.
I just read an article in my local newspaper that killing off Glen was under consideration. Please, please do not KILL OFF GLENN!!!!!!! It would not only break Maggie’s heart but mine also. I was so scared last season when Maggie & Glen were rejoicing at the win over the Govenor that suddenly a bullet would take one of them out. But, Thank God that didn’t happen. So please do not kill either one of them.
I think Daryl contaminated him from the dead deer after licking his fingers before shaking his hand. Daryl could be immune to the bacteria/virus he passed. OR I really like the swine flu theory. It makes sense that the walker virus everyone has has mutated to where it boosts the speed and verocity of any other virus or bacteria in order to kill humans and, thereby, ensure it’s own existence.
Yeah there’s definitely something with Daryl licking his fingers to shake Patrick’s hand, or the water somehow- the pig drank it too- it could be a water-born disease possibly- that shot of the shower head made me think so!
After doing a little research it sounds like it is a Viral Hemorrhagic Fever…most likely Ebola. Starts like the flu, causes bleeding in the eyes, and is transmitted from animals. I’d say it is going to be quarantine time…this will be a tough situation for sure.
After doing a little research it sounds like it is a Viral Hemorrhagic Fever…most likely Ebola. Starts like the flu, causes bleeding in the eyes, and is transmitted from animals. I’d say it is going to be quarantine time…this will be a tough situation for sure.
And…1) that zombie on the fence probably died of same thing, 2) I HOPE Darryl doesn’t get sick from shaking that kids hand and eating!
One last thing…just remembered that kid tainted all the water in that one shower!! Man…this is going to be a Plague in the Prison!
Did none realize, Daryl shook Patrick’s hand at the beginning of the episode, just after lickingis fingers. Will Daryl get infected? Will he die?
Good point..I caught that because I said ewwww when he did it..LOL
why would he get sick unless he had cuts on his hands that allowed whatever virus to enter his body.
Is it a must to have an open sore in order to get a virus? The answer is no. And how do you know he didn’t have a cut? All I do know is Daryl shook his hands while eating. He licked his fingers before he shook it. He could have licked them again. Point is, the transfer of germs. He may not be infected, but he would still be carrying the disease for potential infection. Dude, I’d hate to be around you when you sneeze and cough. Didn’t you learn how germs and bacteria are transferred?
At the begining of the episode Patrick thanked Daryl for the deer. Later Rick finds an animal dead in the woods. Then he finds the pig dead. So it’s kinda obvious what ever happened to Patrick was most likely from eating a bad piece of meat. I wonder if this is their way of introducing tainted meat from issue 64 of the comics.
Tainted meat!! (maniac laughter)
looked like he was having an asma attack, maybe he died from asma and , was obviously infected with the walker disease, however what if the disease is evolving to a more advanced stage, making it a more effective killer, his eyes were different, I think hes infected with a new and advanced zombie disease
the footprints are going to the shower, not from it. And if you look closely, they don’t dissipate like they’re drying. And they are on top of the concrete, not seeping into it like water. Blood has this tendency.
In reference to the dead pig…hope Hershel will soon remember that he used to be a veterinarian. However, without modern technology to test bio samples…….
Im thinking that it really had something to do with the deer that Darryl cooked, but then again because no one else seems sick as of now, but you never know..Watching the previews it looks like all sort of hell was goin on up in that prison
Is this how it all ends? You can’t run from it… the only solution to a virus you can’t keep from getting is… just wait to die. No Action In That!
I actually thought at first he was sick, and when he was coughing and stuff that he just pasted out and callapsed, smashing his head off the sink. causing death, a hard hit to your temple could cause death if hit in a certain spot. thats what it looked like to me. like he callapsed and hit his head because his face was all bloody. then he turned after death. my second therory. there is a new breed of the virus. we all know the virus it “in everyone” but i started to think the virus can’t effect animals but animals can carry the virus. it may or may not be the case but i think it may be due to the pig dying.
i’m thinking its some kind of virus in the water and i agree with colten pretty it could be a new strand of the virus that could be way more contagious than the previous version
rotten dead zombie corps’s decomposed in the soil… Maybe !!!
Pigs and humans have similar body makeup. Forensics sometimes uses dead pigs to see stages of a human decay. It was a dead pig and a dead boar. Probably not the deer.
The kids eyes looked different when he turned also, more milky white. Daryl licking his fingers may or may not mean anything. The group will be searching for answers for a while.
My theory is it affects animals now, not making them zombie animals though, at the start Patrick thanks Daryl for the deer, he then goes on to die, not only that, but he bleeds from his eyes, like the geek you see repeatedly throughout the episode, who was located near the half eaten deer Rick walks past, also, Violet falls ill and dies, so my theory is that the virus now affects animals, killing them when they contract it, but not resurrecting them, instead their meat becomes tainted and those who eat it die, one tell-tale sign of them having eaten the meat is the bleeding eyes upon death
I think him and possible some of the kids was feeding the zombies at the fence and one bit his finger.
However Patrick died, here’s to hoping his first victim is that girl who back-talked to Karl in the yard.
When she turns, Karl can give her a new name before squeezing the trigger. That’ll show her whose boss!
He cracked his head open on a tile floor.
All the illness needed to do is make Patrick collapse.
I think we have to be more medical on this, looking at what happened i think its the dreaded “Miss Piggy” flu
I think it something along the lines of Staphylococcus Food Poisoning. Patrick did thank Daryl for the deer he killed at the beginning of Episode 1 and later on Rick found dead boar in the woods. Well, in Episode 2, you see Rick and Carl putting compost and worms in the trough for the pigs to eat. This could quite possibly be a cause for infection, especially if those pigs end up being eaten by the people in the prison. And if everyone is already infected with the walker virus, then they all have weakened immune systems and this causes the increased speed of death and transformation.I noticed at the very beginning of the season premiere that something was different about the walkers. I noticed the bleeding eyes and also the way they were grouping to knock over the fence caught my attention. It is almost as if they have a sort of thought process now and are “thinking”. Obviously they knew what they were doing when they gathered by the fence.