Some of Hubbard's earliest converts were his fellow science fiction writers. John W. Campbell, publisher of Astounding/Analog, published Hubbard's first dianetics essay and was adherent. A.E. van Vogt became a Dianetics missionary and it nearly destroyed his career. Adventurous minds are sometimes the most easily taken in.
@roguedandelion: The comic series implies that the transmission vectors differ from standard bite-and-turn. I'll say no more, since the show may choose to duplicate this approach.
@Spirit Fingers: I think the fact that "lady in the survivor camp" is the cop's wife is actually supposed to be a secret/spoiler. Not to be revealed until they lay eyes on each other.
@Spirit Fingers: I kind of like the idea, if it's done subtly, because a) it gives the audience a villain to hate/root for/identify with beyond "mindless horde of hungry corpses," and b) he looks like the kind of guy who was a shitheel while he was still alive, and would obstinately continue his shitheeldom even past the point of decomposition.