| “ | You know, this place was the first of its kind? Now there are six others spread across the state, only bigger. Stadiums, arenas, all operated by trained military personnel, all playing a role in an experiment in mass culling. And if the modeling's right... we can clear out the state while the measures keep more from coming in, we can gain a foothold. We can start to bring back what this place had in energy, agriculture, commerce. This? This is a training ground for that. That's what we're doing here. Starting over.
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Culling Facilities are locations in AMC's The Walking Dead: World Beyond, and The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live. They are a series of locations in at least two states where CRM consignees clear out herds in an effort to clear the state of walkers.
Post-Apocalypse
At some point after the start of the Trials, the Civic Republic Military set up culling facilities to try to clear out the walkers overrunning the United States of America. At least seven were created in New York with Civic Republic Cull Facility 1 being the first, built in Ithaca, New York and close to the Civic Republic Research Facility. The other six culling facilities outdid the first in terms of size and scale. Some of these were located in stadiums or arenas, and were manned by professional military personnel unlike the first which was staffed by CRM consignees eventually overseen by former Master Sergeant Dennis Graham. It was estimated that if all seven decontamination centers were fully operational, that they could potentially clear out the entire state of New York of the undead.
The Harvest Point was built in Pennsylvania outside of the Civic Republic Military Base, close to the Civic Republic of Philadelphia itself. Overseen by watchful CRM soldiers, consignees worked for six years at the Harvest Point before they were allowed to become citizens of the Civic Republic.
World Beyond
Season 2
"Foothold"
Silas Plaskett is brought by Dennis to work at Civic Republic Cull Facility 1 where Webb, Grady and Tiga are dealing with the aftermath of one of their cullings. Arming Silas with a kill stick, Dennis has Silas help the others put down the surviving empties and clean up the remains. Grady explains to Silas that a few times a week they use lights and music to draw herds to the facility before eliminating them with C4 and using trucks to cart the remains off-site.
After the group finishes, Dennis provides Silas with a sleeping bag and a trailer to stay in. Dennis explains to Silas the facility's mission to help clear New York of the undead working in conjunction with the other six culling facilities in the state. Leaving Webb in charge, Dennis departs with a captured CRM test subject to return it to the research facility.
"Family Is a Four Letter Word"
At night, Silas, Dennis, Webb, Grady and Tiga lure a massive herd to the culling facility with bright lights, loud music and fireworks where they are blown up by C4 planted in the ground as they cross the yard. As Silas watches from behind a gate, Webb, Grady and Tiga move in, clearing a path to and capturing a CRM test subject that is a part of the herd. On Dennis' order, Silas helps him to open the gate and let the others in with the empty, closing it behind them. Dennis orders Grady to put the empty in the cage while Webb and Tiga are to put down the strays. Leading the empty away, Grady comments upon Dennis' bad mood while Silas becomes distracted by a CRM helicopter flying overhead. After yelling at Silas several times to get his attention, Dennis orders him to cut the music and prepare for cleanup. Dennis angrily berates Silas for not paying attention and throws Silas a thermos which he drops due to it hitting his injured hand. Seeing this, Dennis orders Silas to come with him once they are done here.
After finishing with the empties, Dennis stitches up Silas' hand wound, and Silas looks around to distract himself from the pain, checking out Dennis' records, including one of Half Moon's. Dennis wonders if Silas is a fan and Silas explains that his father was into music, rock mostly while Silas was more into guitar riffs. Dennis asks if Silas plays, but he admits that he doesn't as Silas isn't too coordinated. Dennis asks about the origin of Silas' hand wound and Silas remembers injuring himself as a distraction so that Elton and Percy can get away from the CRM. Changing the subject, Silas asks if the music ever brings people to the culling facility such as people from the research facility or people looking for it. However, Dennis tells Silas that the only people that he needs to worry about are the ones that are no longer breathing. Dennis intends to have Silas down in the action with the rest of the crew soon as there's no point in having a kid Silas' size working the lights and sound forever. Dennis has Silas exercise his hand, stating that if he doesn't, the nerves won't heal right. Looking at Dennis' bulletin board, Silas notices a brochure for the Ithaca Underground Research Facility pinned up that contains a map to it.
Later, Silas waits for a patrolling Webb to walk out of sight, checks the map and sneaks out of the culling facility. However, Silas is caught by Webb, Grady and Tiga who know that Silas was trying to bail on them despite his protests. Silas asks if they are going to tell Dennis, but Webb tells him that "out here, we take care of shit our own way."
After the events at the Parade, Silas loads up his backpack with supplies, but he's caught by Dennis. Dennis asks where Silas is off to, noting that everybody's running from something. While the crew and the work can be tough, this isn't the end, but rather them saving themselves from the end. Dennis reveals that Webb just got accepted into basic training and he is leaving the next day. As a result, Dennis is going to need Silas to step up. Silas explains that he was trying to find his friends and they were going cross-country together before they got split up. Someone in the group is dangerous and a killer and Silas is worried that the others might not know about it. Dennis suggests that maybe Silas' friends do know, and they have already handled it, but Silas states that Dennis doesn't know Huck. Dennis tells Silas that no matter what she's done, "you're not allowed to be afraid of some battleaxe named Huck." Silas isn't willing to give up, but Dennis suggests that he could be a part of something at the culling facility instead. Silas' friends are probably a lot stronger than he thinks and wonders how going off to find them in the great big nothing works and how he does that. Silas has no answer and Dennis states that it doesn't work and that running away is giving up. With the crew having an early morning, Dennis suggests that Silas gets some sleep. As Silas begins to leave, Dennis asks him to take the bottle of alcohol with him. Dennis is sick of staring at it and Silas can use it to clean his hand. Stopping Silas again, Dennis tells him that he only gets one screwup here and that was it which Silas acknowledges before leaving.
The next morning, Dennis congratulates Webb and reveals that the transport is picking him up for CRM training in two hours. The excited Webb celebrates with Grady and Tiga and exchanges a high five with Silas. As Webb, Grady and Tiga celebrate, Dennis silently leads Silas away to allow the three to enjoy their remaining time together alone.
At the same time, Huck reveals to the Endlings that she had sent Silas to the culling facility and that he's safe. After hearing that Silas is at the facility, Will Campbell tells Felix that he might know a way to get their friends out of the research facility.
"Quatervois"
Iris, Percy, Felix, Will and Elton make their way through the woods to the culling facility as a large herd of empties is drawn in by Dennis' music. Felix warns the others that it won't be long before the music fills the whole area with empties. Seeing that the area is filled with empties, Will comments that they are going to need an exit strategy. Spotting a creek bed filled with the undead, Felix decides to lure as many as he can into it and keep things clear while everyone else keeps moving with Will deciding to remain with him. Left alone, Felix and Will begin luring empties in and knocking them into the creek bed.
Closing in on the facility, Iris, Percy and Elton stop as they see Grady and Tiga emerge through a break in the fence, followed by Silas. Grady and Tiga give Silas instructions on how to fix the fence and leave to cover the north end until Silas is back. Once they're gone, Iris moves to greet her friend despite Percy trying to get her to wait. As they approach, Silas puts down an empty with his kill stick and is surprised to see his friends there. Telling Silas that he's glad that he's okay, Elton hugs Silas while Percy pats him on the back, telling Silas that it's good to see him before moving towards the break in the fence and Iris just smiles at him.
Silas leads his friends to Dennis' workshop which is safe as Dennis is at the research facility and Grady and Tiga hardly ever enter it. Iris, Elton and Percy reveal the destruction of Omaha and the Campus Colony by the CRM to Silas and ask for his help to break out Hope and Leo. As Dennis has a key card to the research facility, the Endlings ask Silas to borrow it and one of the culling facility's trucks to pick everyone up at the Detritus Service Terminal at 2 p.m. the next day, using the key card to let them out. Silas eventually agrees to their plan and the others depart.
The next day, Silas uses disposing of the empties trapped in the creek bed to borrow the culling facility's box truck and Dennis' key card. Dennis orders Silas to get the truck back by three. As Silas starts to leave, Dennis commends his work over the past couple of days. Dennis warns Silas that it's going to get harder when the rains come and the heat of the summer when the new recruits come in, but by then, this will be old hat for Silas. Silas thanks Dennis and leaves in the box truck.
"Blood and Lies"
After Dennis gets Silas released, they return to the culling facility where Dennis tells Silas that he's on guard duty tonight and there's a big supply drop coming in and Dennis needs the North Pads cleared off. Silas admits that he had lied to Jadis about being lost, but Dennis already knows that Silas was looking for his friends again, having backed Silas up out of fear of what would happen to Silas if he didn't. Silas appears to consider telling Dennis the truth, but ultimately changes his mind.
That night, Huck visits the facility and reveals to Dennis the truth about the CRM's genocide in Omaha and the Campus Colony using chlorine gas and their plan to do the same to Portland. A horrified Dennis agrees to help the Endlings stop the CRM while Silas, returning from guard duty, is reunited with Huck for the first time since she framed him for Tony Delmado's murder. Approaching the angry Silas, Huck acknowledges that they have things to talk about.
"Returning Point"
Dennis and Silas help Huck to load up tools, weapons and explosives from the culling facility into a jeep to give to the others at the research facility. Huck warns that Jadis could trace it back to the culling facility and Dennis knows what will happen if she does. Huck reveals that she had been the one responsible for sending Silas to the facility so that Dennis could take care of him as Dennis is a good man. After Huck leaves, Dennis and Silas depart for the Perimeter.
As they head to the Perimeter, Dennis tells Silas that he had ordered Grady and Tiga to stay behind and continue luring walkers towards the culling facility before reporting to Cull Facility 6, having kept them in the dark in order to protect them.
"Death and the Dead"
At the facility, Silas and Elton treat Dennis' wounds while using music to draw a herd into the kill zone as part of their plans. Under Dennis' instructions, Elton manages to remove the bullet, but it is discovered that Dennis is out of antibiotics. Dennis orders Silas and Elton to take the empties that have been gathered and meet up with their friends and they reluctantly leave him behind.
Later, Huck arrives at the facility where she finds the severely wounded Dennis. Emotional, Huck goes outside and leans against the cargo containers on the North Pads, only to realize that they contain the missing Chlorine Gas. Huck contacts the others, asking if they still have the C4 so that they can finally destroy the gas and save Portland.
"The Last Light"
Carrying the C4, the Endlings fight their way through the herd to the culling facility where Huck and Dennis discuss their plans for the future once the Chlorine Gas is destroyed. After getting the C4, the two send the kids to safety as there is a 3 mile minimum safe distance, but Silas decides to stay and help Huck and Dennis get to the Civic Republic afterwards in order to warn everyone about the CRM's actions. However, Jadis' radio jamming of the area blocks the remote detonators, so Huck sends Silas and Dennis to Dennis' Cache to look for timers.
At the same time, the CRM is able to trace the C4 used at the research facility to the culling facility. Realizing that the gas is in danger, Jadis flies to the facility to secure it, leading to a fight between her and Huck using Kill Sticks. Jadis kills Huck, but not before Huck reveals that she had rigged up her father's watch as a makeshift timer on the C4. As Jadis and her men flee in Jadis' helicopter, the C4 explodes, destroying the gas and the culling facility, releasing a large green mushroom cloud into the air that could be seen for miles around.
Hope, Iris and Elton are able to reach safety in time with the help of Asha and Indira while Huck had purposefully sent Silas and Dennis to a place safely out of range of the gas which Dennis realizes after seeing the mushroom cloud from the explosion. The destruction of the culling facility and the gas foils the CRM's plan to destroy Portland and buys Iris, Elton, Asha and a number of Perimeter residents time to reach the city and warn them of the CRM's plans.
The Ones Who Live
Season 1
"Years"
The Harvest Point will appear in this episode.
"Bye"
At the Harvest Point culling facility, consignees bang their Kill Sticks on the wall, including Michonne, as a truck leads a herd of walkers to them. As the walkers approach, Michonne looks at a nearby sign reading "GRIMES 68", presumably a record that Rick had set while killing walkers as a consignee at the facility. When the walkers get close enough, Michonne and the other consignees begin dispatching them with their kill sticks.
In the aftermath, Michonne and Cleo load corpses onto carts while an announcer congratulates the consignees and states that they are two hours to transport to Richmond Power Station. Cleo notes that Michonne had cut through the walkers quickly, and asks if she's been out there for awhile. Michonne confirms it and introduces herself as "Dana Bethune," claiming that she's just taking it all in. Cleo, who was also out in the world for awhile, is excited to be on the doorstep of paradise. Although Michonne is dubious that it's paradise for everyone, Cleo thinks that it is, noting that she was eating crickets and living in a tree when the CRM found her. Hearing distant explosions, Cleo explains that it's Disruption Charges to scatter the walkers if too many build up in one area and it's the second time this week, but Michonne is visibly suspicious given her own experiences with the organization. Cleo asks if Michonne is on a three-day or a six-day training, explaining that it depends on how much steel the CRM thinks the consignees have after sizing them up. Cleo guesses that Michonne is on a three-day training, admitting that she's just glad to be with someone new who knows what they're doing.
As Cleo moves bodies from a pile, two of the walkers turn out to be non-kills. Although the CRM soldiers guarding them orders the consignees to get down so that they can shoot the walkers, Michonne impales one through the head with her kill stick, decapitates it, and throws the head into a walker that's sneaking up on Cleo from behind, smashing the second walker's head and saving her new friend's life. The soldiers and Cleo are impressed, and the soldiers move in to check for any more walkers that haven't been completely put down. The consignees are ordered to clear out for station assessment while Michonne and Cleo are ordered to return to transport for a health check and incident report. Michonne passes by Rick, who walks up on the aftermath of the incident, without a word. Concerned, Rick notices Thorne talking to one of the soldiers who had been overseeing the consignees.
Responding to a page, Rick joins Thorne at the culling facility where she tells Rick that he's in real trouble now. Michonne is amongst the consignees putting down walkers, doing so with a fury that surprises and impresses Cleo and the other consignees. Thorne recalls that Michonne had said during intake that she was looking for safety in numbers which had helped Thorne to make her case. However, Michonne doesn't look like someone who relies on others for safety. Michonne exchanges a look with Rick before wordlessly walking away and Rick looks the sign with his score on it.
On another day, overseeing the consignees alongside Rick, Thorne pulls Michonne aside and introduces herself, asking how Michonne had enjoyed orientation and her first trip into the city. Michonne pointedly states that she saw some interesting artwork, and Thorne notes her lack of enthusiasm, asking if that life isn't for her, but Michonne just asks if she has another choice. Thorne has Michonne leave with herself and Rick.
After the events at Cascadia Forward Operating Base, Rick promises to send Michonne back to the Harvest Point until she's more ready.
"Become"
Civic Republic Cull Facility 1 appears in a flashback to Jadis killing Huck as the dying Jadis laments all of the friends that she has lost along the way.
Known Culling Facilities
- New York
- Civic Republic Cull Facility 1 - Ithaca, New York
- Civic Republic Cull Facility 6 - Binghamton, New York
- Pennsylvania
- Harvest Point - Outside of the Civic Republic Military Base
Deaths
Appearances
World BeyondSeason 2 |
The Ones Who LiveSeason 1 |