I see the cannibal aspect as further proof of the deterioration of mankind during a ZA, so it doesn’t really bother me. I mean, it’s been like 18-22 months since all this went down, right? There is no law and order and our group is certainly not the same as they were pre-ZA. How our characters walk a fine line between keeping as close to their previous selves or devolving into people like the Governer or The Claimers or Gareth and his merry band of Termites makes for fascinating viewing. I am very excited over the start of S5 and look fowrard to seeing how it plays out over the next oouple of episodes. Plenty of time to see if the writers will deliver or fail.
I will keep watching.
I like that we see more deterioration of buildings (although the food bank was extreme) and less mowed lawns. I live in Georgia, and if I let my property go one summer, it is a jungle. Give it 2 and I have small trees coming up in areas I haven’t mowed.
I know. Picky. Look past it. That is what my wife tells me. :-)
Cannibalism has several things in its favor in that scenario. First, the Atlanta Junction folks didn’t have to scavenge nearly as much, because of the cannibalism - food came to them. Second, they eliminated competition, killing those they didn’t want to take in. And it provided sustenance for the living, instead of just killing them. And killing everyone who didn’t stay certainly prevents word of their situation getting out.
It may inadvertently clear their area of zombies, by killing the living before they turn and then consuming them, instead of people possibly dying out their and becoming zombies.
The stream of survivors keeps zombies in their area, though, and dispersing them away from the railroad hub with time explosives keeps a medium density of them around the junction at all times. Heck of a survival defense, if any potential attackers have to go through zombie hordes instead of having an open path to you.