The "he/she was bitten by a zombie but I'll won't kill him/her right away" trope

I actually don't have a problem with this trope, depending on how it's done. I think a lot of people would balk at killing a loved one, even if they know it's for the best.

I'd be impressed to see you kill someone you loved for your entire life without any hesitation. I know I couldn't kill my mother even if she had been bitten.

I feel you. My best friend got bit by a rabid coyote when we were out hiking, and when we got back to the car the first thing I did was beat him to death with a tire iron just to be safe.

I've already made a public declaration to everyone I know that if they get zombified I'll do them in. Gotta harden up your heart.

I would definitely wait. What if they are immune? What if the virus didn't follow movie tropes and could be stopped?

I'm just gonna kill them right away? Id probably secure them in one spot and hope for the best before having to kill them after they turn.

I'd rather kill myself than a loved one.

28 Days Later handles this the best.

Except for the very first scene where the scientist gives the worst explanation of the virus possible.

No hesitation allowed

ahoyhoy said:

28 Days Later handles this the best.

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Yeah, was about to post 28 Days Later. Best implementation of it ever.

Shaun of Shaun of the Dead figured out the right thing to do

Knight in Shining Armani said:

I mean at least tie them up. Them getting the drop on others when they suddenly turn is what really annoys me.

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That's what I meant by "secure them in one spot"

Zombies in general are dumb... There are so few that seem like they could be legit... Most are these magic BS zombies that can survive indefinitely without a heartbeat or food or anything.

Works for iZombie. Functional zombies with brains really turned that trope on its head. Unless it is a long con.

I'd have to get someone else to do it. I know I couldn't shoot a family member or friend in the head.

Depends on how you turn. If you don't turn until you die anyhow, why not wait (unless they tell you to kill them immediately, that is)?
If you turn immediately, or randomly (ie not after you die) of course you're gonna have to kill them immediately.

hippopotamus said:

I feel you. My best friend got bit by a rabid coyote when we were out hiking, and when we got back to the car the first thing I did was beat him to death with a tire iron just to be safe.

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LMAO

KojiKnight said:

Zombies in general are dumb... There are so few that seem like they could be legit... Most are these magic BS zombies that can survive indefinitely without a heartbeat or food or anything.

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Which is again why 28 Days Later is the shit.

hippopotamus said:

I feel you. My best friend got bit by a rabid coyote when we were out hiking, and when we got back to the car the first thing I did was beat him to death with a tire iron just to be safe.

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You did him a service. Would hate to have seen my friend turn into a coyote.

Van Bur3n said:

You did him a service. Would hate to have seen my friend turn into a coyote.

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"Better dead than furry"

Such are the times we live in.

No. I don't hate it because I am smart enough to realize this is an emotional issue not a logic based issue. I know my emotion is the one making the decision not logic. Logically, it is probably a bad idea, but humans are not rational/logical creatures 100% of the time.

Knight in Shining Armani said:

Drives me nuts. I know you love 'em, but fuck it. 'Tis survival of the fittest up in this bitch.

I'm watching the movie Cargo btw, but almost every zombie story seems to have it.

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I feel like the people who openly say shit like this are usually the first ones to cave and break down.

What makes us humans different is that we don't operate on "Tis survival of the fittest up in this bitch" afterall you probably wouldn't be alive if that was the case. When you aren't emotionally invested, it is easy to run your mouth...until it happens to you.

This is always an incredibly interesting trope because on one hand the smart thing to do is to kill said person right away but depending on your relationship with the person it could be a very difficult thing to do

We've seen it go a step further where someone has been bit and turned completely and they've kept that person around as a zombie because they can't let go or are hoping a cure comes around.

I dunno... scenes like this might even be the point of the zombie monster.

If the characters aren't hesitating to kill the monster because it used to be their mother or whatever, then why use that monster?

i mean if the only person you like in a shit world is doomed are you really gonna be so willing to just off them

if i was in a hellscape and the one person i liked was going to become a zombie i would only kill them out of empathy if they wished to die, like i imagine i would be so depressed i would be more willing to save the bullet for myself

The manga "I am a hero" sorta subverts the trope.

Yeah I'd be that idiot that locks them up in the basement.

Unless it was my uncle. I'd gladly cave his skull in cause he'd do the same :P

Can't believe people are bringing up 28 days later. First of all, the disease in 28 days later affects you in less than a minute so you have 30 seconds to react to someone being bit.

Secondly, that gif of the girl beating the guy to death is dumb because she barely knew him. They were surviving together for a very short period of time and were only together by happenstance. It wasn't a loved one.

I think the average person would hesitate when having to kill a loved one.

KojiKnight said:

Zombies in general are dumb... There are so few that seem like they could be legit... Most are these magic BS zombies that can survive indefinitely without a heartbeat or food or anything.

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Wasn't there also some study that said they would be immobile after like a day due to muscle degradation and the sun or something?

Rackham said:

Can't believe people are bringing up 28 days later. First of all, the disease in 28 days later affects you in less than a minute so you have 30 seconds to react to someone being bit.

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It still enforces an interesting concept, though.

28 Days Later does a lot to make its zombie world as interesting as possible.

Its less a trope and more part of the story arch to humanize the zombie just enough and just long enough to bend the narrative. Like any good move or video game or book, there needs to be pacing in the story.

If you're bit you you're already dead

hippopotamus said:

I feel you. My best friend got bit by a rabid coyote when we were out hiking, and when we got back to the car the first thing I did was beat him to death with a tire iron just to be safe.

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You're a monster

There are a lot of really annoying tropes in movies where characters make stupid decisions purely to advance the plot and not because it was the smart choice.

Ironically, OP, you picked the one that I'm probably the least bothered by.

I'd be the person who listens to everyones stories about family turning and anyone who told me they had to put that family member down would suddenly turn up dead themselves, can't be dealing with lack of loyalty even when zombification begins.

starpower said:

No hesitation allowed

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She hesitated when it was someone she cared about. She didn't give a shit about Mark.

if I got bit I would just blow my own brains out. Why put your family members/friends through that?

I liked in World War Z when Pitt cut the hand of the Israeli soldier as a hail mary, but there was already another soldier aiming for her head in case it didn't work. I think it was the only instance of that trope in that movie actually, it also subverted the "I may be infected, but who can tell? So I will ride the journey until it backfires" When Pitt thought he could be infected but inmediatelly run to the building border so he can suicide in case he started turning

Is this a trope?

It's part of the subject matter, this is what makes zombie movies zombie movies.

It's like saying "falling in love" is a trope in romantic movies

Sign My Guestbook! said:

Yeah, was about to post 28 Days Later. Best implementation of it ever.

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28 Days Later does both way. With a friend that she just does considers an ally and has no hesitation, but then she does hesitate when it's someone she loves and cares about

OP's a real tough guy.

F that, I'm holding out till the very end. Like Will Smith and Sam in that saving that bacon movie.

Oh, for a human? Yeah, sure, off with their heads that second. maybe

Unknownlight said:

There are a lot of really annoying tropes in movies where characters make stupid decisions purely to advance the plot and not because it was the smart choice.

Ironically, OP, you picked the one that I'm probably the least bothered by.

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People are emotional creatures and the emotional choice isn't alway the smart choice. That is just reality and human nature.

People not always making the smart choice doesn't make it stupid or just for plot

The real question is

If you were bit, would you have the balls to do a badass last stand for the group.


Or would you cling to life like a wimp awaiting your doomed fate?

No way I will miss the birth of my zombie child!

The zombie apocalypse is illogical anyway.

A zombie's means of reproduction and their food source are the same. That means every new zombie has to first be bitten but still manage to escape being killed and eaten, and yet somehow most of humanity is infected.

TheMango55 said:

The zombie apocalypse is illogical anyway.

A zombie's means of reproduction and their food source are the same. That means every new zombie has to first be bitten but still manage to escape being killed and eaten, and yet somehow most of humanity is infected.

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It depends on the continuity of the zombie outbreak. Sometimes it's a virus, other times its a voodoo curse or cosmic rays or some shit like that.

Also, as people have said in this thread; zombies aren't that brilliant and it's easy to escape from them, but accidents happen where someone will get bitten but get away. Other times, people will get bitten but not say anything to their group and eventually turn. Granted, it's hard to believe that there will be millions (or billions) of zombies in a "virus" scenario, but it makes good television/film/gaming.

My favourite one is the Jeremy Renner film on Netflix

Yachty said:

My favourite one is the Jeremy Renner film on Netflix

Spoiler

The zombie film starts out with Renner doing just this and getting himself bit in the process. Too bad the movie suuuucks

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You mean Martin Freeman? Cargo?