What I Watched Today

(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)

The Walking Dead

When we last left, the headline in the Commonwealth newspaper said: Milton is lying to you. The gates were closed by troopers, and Lance had the women in Oceanside rounded up. He flipped his coin…

In a voice over, Judith tells us, they heard stories about when the world fell, and how there were more dead then living. It looked like the world would grow cold, and they were almost there. People made found families, and others gave into the darkness. That was a long time ago, and it’s now. Will it be tomorrow?

Still running from Lance and his troopers, Daryl stabs some zombies under a bridge, and yells, clear. Maggie says, clear, and joins him. They hear gunfire, and Lance arrives with the troopers, and tells them to fan out. It ends here. Daryl tells Maggie, they’ll take them out one by one, and they get on either side of an entrance, nearly killing Gabriel, who comes out followed by Aaron, then Negan and Annie. Negan says, they’re here to take out sh*thead and his d*ckless troopers, but Gabriel wants Negan to go back to the Commonwealth. Aaron says, the authorities at the Commonwealth know all of their faces, and Gabriel tells Negan that he needs to warn Carol that Lance is going to kidnap the children. Daryl says, they’ve never seen Negan before, and Negan asks if he’s just supposed to walk in there. Daryl says, exactly, and Annie says she’s going too, but Negan says, no. Only one of them is going into the belly of the beast. He needs her be safe. Besides, they’re f***ed either way. What’s the plan? And yes, they said the F-word again, because it’s the last season of the last season, and no one cares about the FCC and their stupid rules anymore.

Out in the used-to-be city, a couple of troopers shoot zombies, but the zombies latch on to one of them. As the other moves to help, a zombie comes up behind him, and bashes him over the head, tossing the trooper’s radio and gun toward a nearby car. Negan takes off his skin mask, and gets in the car. Daryl opens the door in the back, and gets out, grabbing the radio and gun, and Negan peels out. The zombies fight over trooper guts. Lance tells a trooper to get on the radio; no one’s got eyes on the goddam car. The trooper tells him that the signal isn’t strong enough. Daryl tells Negan, the Calhoun contingency protocol, and Negan doubles back to where Lance is. Lance tells the troopers, shoot to kill, and gets shot in the arm himself. The troopers shoot back, and Lance tells them to take Daryl down now; kill him. Lance then takes out a tiny gun, and goes around the car to where Daryl was, but he’s not there. That’s because he’s on the other side of the car, and he gets in, and takes off. The troopers shoot right into the windshield, but Daryl can’t die since he has a spin-off coming up. Negan flies all around the place, and troopers shoot at him. He’s definitely into it, and having a good time. Other troopers chase after Daryl, and there’s a huge car chase. As everyone gets to an intersection, Negan T-bones one of the trooper’s cars, and it collides with another trooper’s car. Daryl gets the hell out of there.

At the Commonwealth, a crowd stands outside city hall with picket signs, shouting that they want justice, and to deliver Sebastian now. Yumiko looks out from Pamela’s office, while Pamela gets on the microphone, telling the public that the so-called report is lies. She knows they’re scared and angry, and the people have suffered enough. She knows her son couldn’t have done the horrible things he’s accused of. He’s a good young man. Kelly signs to Connie, is this what we wanted? and Connie signs back, they had to start somewhere. There are people still missing and they have to find them. Ezekiel tells Magna, this could get could ugly. What if it goes sideways? He thinks they should go, but she says she doesn’t want to leave when there are people who need their help. Mercer says he’s going to secure the station, and asks what Rosita is doing. She says, she has a personal day today, and this is not her problem, or his. A trooper radios Mercer, saying, there’s something he needs to see, and Mercer tells Rosita that he needs her. Suit up. Still trying to CYA, Pamela says, they intend to find the real culprit, and bring them to justice. She’ll answer written questions submitted by citizens. On the side, Yumiko asks Stephanie if she thinks Pamela knows where Sebastian is, and Stephanie says, he’s probably hiding. Yumiko asks if she’s okay, and over the loudspeaker, Pamela says, they’re following leads. Stephanie says she wants to keep going, and Yumiko says, then they will. Pamela tells the people, rest assured, whoever has been spreading these lies will be brought to justice.

Mercer walks into an interrogation room to see Negan, and asks if Negan knows him. Negan says, word gets around the wasteland. A friend told him about Mercer, and said to ask for him when he came looking for her. Her name is April. Mercer sits down, and asks if Negan knows what happened to her. Negan says he thinks because Mercer is asking, that means it can’t be good. Mercer asks why Negan is really here, and Negan says he ran into some trouble with a shirt and tie wearing sh*t and his clamshell a-holes, and Mercer tells the trooper with him to get Negan some water – now. The trooper leaves, and Mercer asks who sent Negan. Negan says he thinks Mercer knows him; Daryl. That Hornsby pr*ck is cutting them up. They’re dealing with it, but the problem is, they have people in there to protect too. Mercer says, that’s his job, and Negan says, yet he was sent here anyway. Mercer says he can’t just let Negan in; they have rules. Negan says, if no one else is playing by them, why is Mercer?

Carol looks at photos of the Commonwealth while the kids sit at the kitchen table studying. Judith tells her that the pancakes are burning, and Carol tells her if she doesn’t like them that way, she’s missing out. Judith checks out the photos, and asks why Carol is looking at them. Carol tells her, to learn about this place, and Judith asks when Daryl and Aaron are coming back. Carol asks if Judith likes their cooking better, and she says, not unless it’s around the campfire. Carol tells her, they’ll be back soon. She looks outside at the people with the signs, seeing a man and woman headed for the building, and Judith asks, what is it? Carol says, maybe nothing, but they’ve got to move. They’ve got to play the quiet game. The man and woman walk into the apartment, but it’s empty. The woman asks if he’s sure they didn’t say anything else, and he says, Dixon was the only name that came through. She looks out the window, and we see Carol out on the ledge with a BIG knife, but she doesn’t. Judith looks out in between cupboard doors. The woman suggests the check the school, and the couple leaves.

Outside, Negan sees Jerry, and says, dude. Jerry asks, what the hell is Negan doing here? and Negan says he’s here to save their asses. Where’s Carol? Jerry nods for Negan to follow him.

A trooper tries to fix the radio signal back where we started. A hubcap rolls out near him, followed by Annie. While he’s distracted, Maggie comes up from behind, and stabs him. She tosses the radio away.

Carol tells the kids that they’re going on a little adventure. She tells them to go to the bedroom, and don’t come out until she tells them.  Jerry comes to the door, and Negan walks in with him, saying, it turns out, Carol might have been right. They should have stayed in that goddam cabin. Lance tried to scare Maggie by interrogating Herschel, trying to draw the kids out. Carol asks if Jerry still has access to the attic, and Jerry says, yes, and it’s stocked with supplies. Carol tells him, they’ll keep the kids there until they’re ready to move on. She tells the kids to get ready at Jerry’s signal, and Negan says, they can’t just stroll out. Carols says, that’s why they’re going to get some insurance for the both of them.

The protestors storm into city hall, and Pamela tries to bullsh*t them. She says she can’t bring their loved ones back, but she’s going to get to the bottom of this. One of the men says, her son did this, and asks where he is, but Pamela says, that’s not the truth. The group gets louder, and the guy asks if she’s going to disappear them. Yumiko says, they’re being heard. What’s happened is unthinkable, and they’ll be updated on every step of the investigation. This appeases them, and they start to leave. Pamela wonders if Connie has any idea who wrote the article, and Yumiko says she’d be surprised if Connie didn’t. Pamela goes outside, flanked by guards, and sees a sign graffitied with Down with the Miltons. She gets in an armored car, looking pretty upset, and radios, B14. Do it right away. The car pulls out.

Sitting on a bench, Yumiko tells Magna that Connie suspects it’s Sebastian, but has no proof. She should have told Connie to talk to her first. Magna says, Connie has never run from a fight, and Yumiko asks if Magna thinks she will, but Magna says, Yumiko has seen this place for what it is from the beginning. She never stood for bullsh*t. They’ve made it through a lot, knowing when it was a good time to go. Yumiko says, they need a strong exit plan, and she can’t leave Tomi, but Magna says she’s not going without Yumiko. If the time comes, then they’re all going, even if she has to drag Yumiko and Tomi. Until then, she’ll help everyone can wait, and wait for the other shoe to drop. Yumiko says, Magna is so stubborn, and Magna says, not one of her better qualities, but Yumiko never seemed to mind. Over the loudspeaker, a voice says, lockdown procedure. Remain inside until further notice. Yumiko says, that might be the other shoe.

Lots of zombies walk in a field toward the Commonwealth. Still restless, the crowd wants Sebastian. A guy with a bullhorn tells them, a swarm has been detected five miles out. Anyone out after curfew will arrested for their own safety. They crowd reluctantly disperses, and Jerry herds the kids together, telling them to keep up with him. They run, and the couple that were checking out Carol’s place run after them, but protestors get in the way, and they lose Jerry. Carol and Negan go to an office, and Negan asks what they’re looking for. She tells him, blueprints or schematics. She thinks the person they’re looking for is in the building, and she wants to get to him before people are calling for his head. Negan says, he must have one hell of a hiding spot, and they look through files. Negan asks if he told Carol that he got married, and she wonders why he’s telling her. He says, because she’s out there and carrying their child, and Carol says, she’s going to be okay. Negan thanks her.

Maggie and Daryl hear troopers coming, and hide as the troopers run down an alley. Daryl asks where they others are, and Maggie says, they’ll be here. She says, what he did… She knows what Leah meant to him, and she’s sorry. He says, Glenn would want him to look out for her. She doesn’t every have to say she’s sorry to him. Gabriel and Aaron show up, and tell Daryl that Lance is dug in with his men; they can’t get close. Maggie asks if there’s any way they can go behind them, and Anne says, not without being spotted… unless they never see them coming.

Jerry pulls down a fire-escape ladder, and the kids go up. Jerry follows, and pulls up the ladder. The couple has nearly caught up to them, and they look around. The guy tries a door, but it’s locked. They start to leave, and the guy looks up at the fire-escape landing, but sees nothing, and continues on. Jerry breathes a sigh of relief. Me too. A woman looks out her window, and Jerry says, hello there. Could she do them a small favor, please? She nods.

Rosita meets Mercer, and he says she made it. She says she couldn’t resist. A man tells Mercer that the swarm is past the 2^nd checkpoint, and Mercer says, tell them hold their position; they’re on their way. He and Rosita leave in a jeep.  

Down in the sewer, Maggie asks if Anne wants to take a minute, but Annie wants to keep going. They hear growling, and a couple of zombies pop out, but they dispatch them, and keep on walking. Annie says, if they keep going, they should come up behind Lance and the troopers. Daryl kills another zombie, and says, maybe they should get them to come down. Gabriel fires some shots up through the grating. Back at the Commonwealth, Negan tells Carol, he hates to say it, but they’re running out of places to look. Carol looks at a diagram, and says, there should be a door here. Negan moves a bookcase, and there’s an outline of a door. Carol pries at it, and slides it out. Sebastian is asleep, face down on a mattress on the floor, and it looks like a frat house room. He wakes, and says, what the hell? How did they get in here? Negan rolls him off the mattress, and picks up his gun. Sebastian asks if Negan knows who he is, and Negan asks if Sebastian knows who he is? Sebastian asks, what do you a-holes want? and Carol tells him, get up. They’re taking him home to his mother. Sebastian says he’s not going anywhere until this blows over. His mother doesn’t care about him. The Commonwealth is her kid; he’s just a prop. Negan says, Carol is a goddam magician. He’s seen her pull bunnies out of her ass with his own two eyes. She’s offering Sebastian a life-raft, and he recommends Sebastian jump in and save himself. Sebastian says he really wants help.

Outside, the troopers are told to stop any violation of curfew. The people lingering are told, the swarm is past the 2^nd outer checkpoint. Go home immediately. A guy says, they’re not moving until Sebastian is brought to them. Some guy named Henderson tells the guards that they have a situation. Carol and Negan bring out Sebastian, and a guy announces, they found him, but Negan says, he’ll take care of this. A trooper says he’s mistaken, and knocks him down. He says, a final warning. Go home; it’s not safe. The group starts yelling, Pamela lies, and Sebastian kills, and Henderson says, it’s for their own protection. Shut the hell up and listen. They can hear the rumble of the zombie horde in the distance, and Henderson tells the troopers to clear them. Tear gas is released, and everyone starts coughing and running.

Out in the field with Rosita, Mercer is told the zombies have passed checkpoint 3. Rosita asks, what happened? and he says, somebody’s not doing their job. She says, it happens a lot around here, and he says, about the other week; it shouldn’t have happened. He appreciates her having his back. Having sh*t upside down around here, he needs people he can trust, like her. She says she can’t. She’s sorry. If he needs help out here, she’s his girl, but in there is not for her. Her daughter and family come first. He says he respects that. If the time comes, and she needs help getting out, he’ll get her a vehicle. They see another jeep overturned, and two troopers shooting at zombies. Rosita uses the machine gun to mow some of them down, and one trooper makes it into the back of the truck. Mercer tries to grab the other one, but the zombies pull at him from the other side, and he gets literally torn in half. Mercer looks stunned, but I laugh. The trooper in the jeep says, they’ve got to go, and the zombies eat the downed trooper as they drive off.

Yumiko sees Pamela, and says, Pamela teargassed her friends. Pamela says, only those who were in defiance of lockdown. It’s about what could happen. Yumiko says, so it’s about safety, and Pamela says, it always is. Yumiko asks if Pamela doesn’t care if it makes her look guilty, and Pamela says, if Yumiko has an accusation, make it. Yumiko asks if Pamela can really sit there and say there’s no way her son did it? Pamela says, he was always a renegade. His grandfather and uncle were the same way, but as they matured, they mellowed and became leaders. It’s youthful rebellion, but he’s not a murderer. She points out that Yumiko is friends with the most prominent journalist, when they’re interrupted by Carol bringing Sebastian into the office. Pamela immediately hugs him, then slaps him across the face. saying that he humiliated her, and himself. She asks what he had to do with this, and he says, nothing. The story is a lie. They want someone to blame, and he’s an easy target. She says, he’s going to need more than that to save his ass, but Carol thinks she can help. She’s hunting for a friend that needs help. Pamela says she doesn’t see how that helps her, and Carol says, someone did what Sebastian is accused of.

The troopers walk through the sewers, and see a zombie all hung up in some lines of rope, keeping it at bay. The walk past a hidden Aaron, who cuts a trooper’s hamstring through the joint in his armor. The rest come out with guns, and Lance says, this ends now. He tells them to drop their weapons, but Daryl quickly comes up behind him, grabbing him by the hair, and holding a knife to his throat. Daryl tells the troopers, guns on the ground now, and Lance smiles at Maggie.

Next time, Gabriel says, the end of the story is important. And, you know, the usual.

🥳 Having a Kiki…

Join me tomorrow for soap and what’s going on in the Mediterranean. Until then, stay safe, stay never being the first to arrive or the last to leave a party (unless it’s yours), and stay jumping in and saving yourself if someone offers you a life raft. Especially if it’s someone who can pull bunnies out of their ass.