Category Archives: horror

Jun18

June 17, 2018 – What’s Not on TV, a Visit from the 70s, NOLA Split, Father’s Day & My Dad

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What I Watched Today

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

 

There was no Fear the Walking Dead tonight, and how will they ever top last week anyway? I was able to watch 90 Day Fiancé: Happily, Ever After? fresh (dissection of it coming soon), and Westworld on the first rerun encore performance. I also checked out The Real Housewives of Potomac, but I’m just not feeling these girls. I’m not sure I ever did. I think if you look up the definition of boushetto in the urban dictionary, their pictures are there. Although Karen did give up a good quote – You don’t know me to be a liar, but we do know you to be a fool.

And of course there’s the elephant in the room, Talking with Chris Hardwick, that was supposed to premiere tonight, but didn’t. That whole thing has bummed me out. I find it sad that, as beautiful a thing as the internet can be, it seems to create an easy judge and jury for just about everything. Maybe it’s just me, but I like getting all the facts first. The only fact I have so far is that he was possibly a d-bag and took advantage in a previous relationship. If people start losing their jobs over that, there will be precious few people working. Especially in the entertainment business where egos are humongous. In other words, I fail to see how this situation is anything close to that of a Harvey Weinstein or Bill Cosby, or even a Louis C.K. Yet this guy has already been hung out to dry. And the internet makes it way too easy. The Wicked Witch of the West said it best – what a world… what a world.

That being said, moving on…

🚀 Recommendations from the Wayback Machine…

Last week, I stepped back to the 70s with The Warriors, a surprisingly well-crafted film for its time, 1979. The scene symmetry and use of place are sophisticated, and the costumes alone make it worth watching, although the dialogue is often unintentionally funny. While completely unbelievable, the plot is simple. All the gangs in NYC are called to a meeting. One of the leaders suggests all the gangs band together, making them a force to be reckoned with. He’s shot and killed at the big rally, and the wrong gang, the Warriors, are blamed. They have to make it from Coney Island to the Bronx, various gangs coming after them along the way. One of my favorites were the Furies, who wore baseball uniforms and Kiss/Rocky Horror-ish make-up. It was also fun seeing Deborah Van Valkanburgh (Too Close for Comfort) acting like she was in a high school production of Grease. I’m endlessly glad they did not remake this film.

Check out the costumes: http://mentalfloss.com/article/55223/21-street-gangs-featured-warriors

Sadly, The Hills Have Eyes – the 1977 gem I followed The Warriors with – did get remade. It was horrifying all right, but not in a good way. And as far as I’m concerned, it’s just not the same without Michael Berryman. Forget Hills Have Eyes II, which is basically clips from the first film, strung together in a barely cohesive way. Stick with the original. Another straightforward plot. A family from Cleveland (which has never ceased to amuse me, since I’m originally from the area) get lost in the desert, and become the unfortunate victims of a feral family living in a cave. A true B-picture, a lot of it is over-the-top fake, but there are a few chills, a few laughs, and like I said, Michael Berryman.

🍹 I was sad to hear that Reagan and Jeff from Southern Charm New Orleans were splitting up. Who gets the little dogs??? http://extratv.com/2018/06/07/reality-stars-reagan-and-jeff-charleston-split/?adid=extra_eme_26606_2018-06-07_rightnow1

👔 Last But Not Least…

A heartfelt, albeit late, Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers out there. No matter who or what you are the father of, be it blood relation or a chosen role. Here are some quotes for you:

https://parade.com/303081/viannguyen/fathers-day-2018-50-funny-and-inspiring-quotes-about-dads/?utm_source=paradenewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=homepage_newsletter_June%2017,%202018_08_44_15

🏆 It Takes Someone Special…

Anyone can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a dad, and that’s why I call you dad, because you are so special to me. You taught me the game and you taught me how to play it right. – Wade Boggs

I was raised by my father most of my life. I’m part sailor, part farmer, part craftsman. I was taught I could be anything I wanted to be, but that I needed to work for it. Although he worked an eight to ten hour a day job, he never missed an awards ceremony or a school assembly where parents were invited. He always took time to listen, and was never less than fair. As he said about his own father, the older I got, the smarter my father got. I also realized that, even though it embarrassed me how we opened the refrigerator door with a screwdriver, everyone loved to gather at my house. They knew that no matter who they were, if they were my friends, they’d be welcomed with open arms and an open heart. He passed away shortly before I got married, and I’ll miss him until we meet again.

👑 My Dad…

 

Jun11

June 10, 2018 – The Final Stadium Showdown & Weekend Time

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What I Watched Today

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

 

Fear the Walking Dead

[Then] Madison is out in the woods. She slips under a zombie alarm. She tells someone not to turn around, and hands where she can see them. She doesn’t know them, but saw their vehicle, and has a good idea  of what they’re capable of. They don’t know her either, and they’re not going to. She tells them to toss the keys, but they drop them, saying they’re not tossing sh*t. It’s Al, and Madison shoots the cup she’s holding. Al says that was her dinner. Madison says it wasn’t an accident. She’s lost everything, and has nothing else to lose. Al says she thinks she’s been through a lot? She has no idea.

[Now] Zombies scrabble at Al’s truck. The camera pans out, and there’s an unbelievable number. John is still breathing, but Naomi has to get the bullet out. Everything she needs is inside. Morgan asks if Al can get closer. Al asks Charlie to keep filming. One day someone will want to know what happened.

[Then] Madison is holding a gun on Al, who’s tied up in the back of her truck. She says the sooner Al gives her the keys, the sooner she can get out. Al asks if Madison knows how many times she’s been zip tied? If Madison wants something, she has to give Al something. Madison sees a box of Al’s tapes, and asks what they are. Al says that’s not how it works. Madison says there are people out there who need her; the truck will make it easier. Al says she interviews people she comes across, and Madison thinks maybe she talked to them. Al tells Madison to cut her loose, and they’ll talk about a deal. Madison wants the keys and the tapes. Al says she tried to do it the nice way. She’s freed herself, and grabs Madison. Al wakes up on the floor of the truck, and says, sh*t. Madison is driving.

[Now] In the stadium parking lot, Al says she can’t get much closer. The zombies will get jammed in the wheel well, and they won’t be able to get them out. Morgan says he’ll move fast, and Al says it’s going to be loud. John tells him not to go; he got Morgan into this. Morgan says John got him out of something; now he’s getting John out of this. Naomi says she’ll be right back, and kisses John’s forehead. Al opens the gun window, and guns down a good number of zombies. Naomi and Morgan make a run for it. They’re barely inside, when the entrance blows up.

Al radios, asking if they’re all right. Morgan says they’re good in here. Charlie calls to Al from the front seat. We see Alicia in the stadium, with a gun trained on them. Al tells Morgan they need to hurry. They’re here. They found us.

[Then] Parked under a bridge, Madison looks through the interviews, hoping to see Nick and Alicia. She gets frustrated, and pounds the dashboard. A zombie comes to the window. She rolls it down, and pikes the zombie in the head. The zombie falls to the ground, and Al is there with a gun, saying, remember me? Madison gets out, and Al tells her, everything better be there and working. Madison says it is, and Al says Madison is going to tell her a story, starting with who she’s looking for.

[Now] Alicia, Victor, and Luci shoot at Al, who shoots back. Victor tells Alicia to radio Al, and she does, saying it’s not going her way. She knows how much ammo Al has, and it won’t last forever. She thought Al just wanted a story, and Al says she thought she’d mix it up today.

Morgan and Naomi go through the zombies in half-darkness, killing them as they go. The shooting continues outside. John falls unconscious, and I freak, thinking he’s dead. On the radio, Naomi tells them to keep applying pressure; he can’t lose more blood. Al tells John it’s not going to end like this, and he says it’s okay. Charlie films everything. John tells Al that when it’s all over, to stop running from people, and Morgan should do the same – or not. Morgan knows what he means.

Naomi grabs supplies. Morgan radios that they’re coming back now. The truck rocks with a blast, and Alicia asks how Al likes it. Al says, nice try, bitch. Her truck is built like a tank in a tank. The door falls off, and Alicia is standing there with a gun. Al asks if she’s going to help with the door, or what?

[Then] Al asks if Madison always uses a gun to get what she wants, and Madison says, if that’s what it takes. Al wonders what makes it okay, and Madison assumes she hasn’t lost anyone she’s cared about yet. Al asks who was it, and what happened to her? Al guesses it was her kids, and asks if someone did something to them or did they do something to her? Madison wonders why any of it matters, and Al says, because it’s the truth, facts, reality. Just admitting that there is one reality, and they share it. That they’re connected by a single, screwed up world. That’s the truth, and it can change things. Madison asks, how? Al say she’s been doing this a long time; since before things went bad. It was always bad, but it got worse. She was in a village on the other side of the world, and there was a warlord who called himself Twisted Round, who thought he owned the place. He was shaking people down for things they didn’t have enough of to start with. No one talked because they were too scared, but she talked someone into talking about it. In the end, they found out he didn’t have an army or guns, and didn’t last much longer. The only thing he had going on was that the truth wasn’t coming out – until it did. She knows she doesn’t have the story Madison is looking for, but someone might be interested in hers one day. What happened to her kids? Madison says she made them a promise they’d be safe, and she wasn’t able to keep it.

[Now] Al asks Alicia not to hurt Charlie. Alicia asks, why not? Charlie hurt her. On the radio, Naomi asks if Al copies her. Alicia tell Al to say it’s safe to come out or Charlie dies. Charlie killed her brother, and she’ll do it. At the stadium, Luci and Victor aim. Al tells Naomi it’s safe. Al looks at John, and asks if she can get her camera. John secretly turns the radio on, so Morgan and Naomi hear what’s going on in the truck. Victor says they’re not coming out. Alicia and Al struggle in the truck.

[Then] Al tells Madison that she doesn’t have to give the details; just the truth. Madison says she promised to find a place to live. Something that wasn’t just walls; they’d had those. What she was looking for was different. She was looking for a place where her kids wouldn’t have to do what she did to Al today. Al asks if she found it, and Madison says she thought she did. Al asks, what happened?

[Now] Alicia pushes Al down, and her head hangs out the door into the crowd of zombies, who grab at her. Charlie gets the radio, and tells them to hurry. Naomi says she’ll go, but Morgan tells her that they don’t want to kill him, and hands her the radio. He tells her to let him know what to do to keep John going. In the truck, Charlie grabs Alicia, and they end up on the floor. Al gets the gun, and Alicia sees the cup o’ noodles soup. She asks where Al got them, and Al says there was a semi with a bunch of them; she traded with them for an interview. Alicia grabs the tapes, and sees one that says Amina. Al asks if she knew her.

[Then] Madison tells Al it doesn’t matter; what she was looking for might not even be possible. She says for certain things, you don’t need a camera; it just sticks. She talks about renting a house in the mountains one summer. It had big windows and one morning, a bird flew into one. It was injured, and the kids kept it in a shoebox, naming it Willomina, Amina for short. They nursed it for weeks, taking turns staying up all night. Whatever they did, it just seemed to get worse, but her son was a sensitive boy, and her daughter decided it would live. Every morning, Madison dreaded what she might find, but one day she heard chirping, and Amina was flying around the living room. She lived because her kids didn’t give up on her; they gave her a chance when no one else would. There’s not a whole lot of that left. Al says, no, there’s not. Madison says that’s why she needed a different place, where things were different. We see Alicia watching her interview on the camera. Madison can’t imagine that part of them dying, and says you do what it takes to keep it alive. Alicia tells Al, eff you. Al looks at her and says, Madison never tolf her their names. She asks if the stadium was the place Madison was looking for.

[Now] Alicia goes into the stadium, and sees Morgan. She points the gun at him. He says he’s just trying to help his friend, and she says he can, after he steps aside. He doesn’t understand, and Naomi says she does. Alicia’s mom is dead because of what she did.

I’m getting all the feels, and realizing that I’m one with Al.

Morgan says she’s been doing this a long time. She’s thinking this is who she is, and what she’s got to do. He says let her save John. Alicia says she doesn’t get to; she doesn’t get anything. Naomi says, Alicia brought her there; she helped her. Alicia says she’s not that person anymore. Morgan says she can be. She just has to decide to get out. He says he tried to get away from people; everything and everybody. He thought he had to. Someone told him that he’d end up with people again, and he didn’t want to believe it, so ran halfway across the country to prove them wrong. Now, he’s standing between a gun and someone he just met. Things can change. They did for him, and can for her too. Alicia starts crying. Morgan says they already have; he’s not dead. He asks her to step aside for her brother, but she says she won’t step aside for Naomi. Naomi says no matter what Alicia thinks she lost, what her mother wanted for her is still in her, and she sees it. Alicia puts the gun down, and Morgan holds her. He tells Naomi to go to John, and gives her the gun.

[Then] Al writes Amina on Madison’s tape. She says, deal, and cuts Madison loose. She asks where Madison is heading; where her kids might be. She doesn’t need details, but wants to figure out how far it is when she gives Madison food. Madison says they got separated outside of El Paso. Her kids escaped, and she barely got out. Naomi gives her some noodle cups, and Madison asks what she owes her. Al says, nothing. She gave Al a down-payment, and can tell the rest of the story when she finds them. Al says she moves around a lot.

Madison drives. She sees a station wagon, and stops. She puts the radio on, and hears Alicia say, mom. She finds Alicia, Victor, and Luci at the motel. She tells them that she’s been to every motel between here and El Paso; they had to be at one of them. She sees Nick and hugs him. Victor asks where she got the MSG jackpot. She says from someone up the road, and he tosses Alicia a cup o’ noodles.

Madison shows them the stadium. Victor says it’s a little big, but she says she’s not just of them; they’ve been thinking too small. Nick asks if she wants to bring people in. She says someone helped her when they didn’t have to. She thinks it’s time to do the same.

[Now] Al drives in silence with Alicia in the passenger seat. Naomi has John hooked to an IV. Victor asks why Madison didn’t tell them about her. Al doesn’t think she was proud of how they met. She quietly asks what happened to Madison. Alicia says if she wants the rest of the story, pull over.

Naomi tells John it’s going to be okay. She tells him that her name is June. Now he knows. He says it’s his favorite month.

Al films, as Alicia, Victor, and Luci contribute to the story, while sitting around a fire. She asks them to tell her about that night. What she did. What they remember. Alicia says she and her brother were in the parking lot – surrounded.

We see the zombies around their car. Victor says they’re not leaving them out there. Madison, Luci, and Victor try to get to them. Alicia says, they cleared a path, but they had to get to the stadium. Victor says it was easier said than done. Madison told them to stay inside. She said the walls would hold, but they didn’t believe her. They didn’t have the same faith that she had in the place. Luci say she doesn’t think anyone did. Not when they saw what they were up against. We see zombies on fire, zombies getting shot, and Cole shooting at them. Alicia says they decided to run. Victor says, Madison tried to stop them. Alicia says they couldn’t get back Mel took their car. We see him driving, with Charlie in the passenger seat. Charlie says he found her in parking lot. They were closing in on her, and he saved her. Al asks what happened. Victor says the people were trying to get away. They didn’t. All the people she brought in were going to die. Naomi says she tried to talk them out of it. She believed the walls would hold, but she couldn’t change their minds. She was going to stay, and when she went to get supplies, she got back too late. The caravan was overrun, and the dead came at her. She ran until she couldn’t anymore. Alicia says, she joined the Vultures. They thought she was still inside; they thought she died. Naomi says she thought they all died. When the Vultures found her, she didn’t think she had anywhere else to go. Victor says she did what she thought she had to. Alicia says, none of them could get out of the parking lot. She couldn’t get beck to the stadium; there were too many dead. Victor says, Madison had another idea.

We see Madison standing with a flare, drawing the zombies away from them. Alicia says when they realized what she was trying to do, they tried to go back, but there were too may dead between them and Madison. Victor kept Alicia from running after Madison, saving her life. They’d reinforced the walls to keep the dead out, and Madison knew they were strong enough to keep them in. They followed her inside. Luci says it was more than they could count. We see them, and it’s a lot. Victor says she led the dead inside, so they could get away. She tried to go through tunnels, but there were still too many outside the gates to escape. So she locked herself in.

We see Madison run out of bullets. Alicia radios. Madison says she was afraid to lose this place. She thought they needed it to stay who they are right now. She tells Alicia, no one is gone until they’re gone. She faces the dead, and throws the flare. It starts a fire. Nick and Alicia watch from the car in horror.

Alicia says it was never about the stadium. Victor says it was about the people. Luci says, it was about them.

They drive away. Victor says she gave up her life, so they could live. Al turns off the camera. She writes Madison on the tape. Victor passes out cup o’ noodles to each of them. A new group is formed.

A folk song plays as the noodles are passed out. I find out later, it’s called *Love, Love, Love by The Mountain Goats.

Next time, zombies in a hella wicked storm, and Alicia wants to be left alone.

*Some things you do for money; some you do for fun, but the things you do for love, come back to you one by one.

😵 Why Does Weekend Time Go Faster?

SupermanTime

Ferris

 

 

Jun4

June 3, 2018 – The Stadium is Under Attack, a Few TV Tidbits & Not Done

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What I Watched Today

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

 

Fear the Walking Dead

John isn’t looking too good, but Naomi tells him to stay with her. He says he got her note. She and Morgan drag John behind a car, and away from the shooting. Morgan tells Naomi he’s john’s friend. She says she’ll get medical supplies, and promises to be back. He says he knows she will.

Mel says they have to get out of there. Alicia hits one of the Vultures. Mel starts the ambulance he’s driving, but Naomi says she needs the field kit from the back. He’s like, too bad, and keeps driving. She runs after the ambulance. As the distance becomes longer between them, the back of it blows up. Alicia is standing there with a grenade lancher, and tells Naomi that they took her in. Naomi says it’s not what she thinks. Naomi runs back to John, and tells Morgan they have to get him out of there.

Luci sees Charlie. Charlie says she’s sorry. Luci has gun pointed at her, but shoots some other guy. Al keeps filming. Morgan tells her they need to get John out. She says she’s not part of story, and Morgan says if she hides, a good man dies. The story is almost finished, and it doesn’t have to be that way for John. Al pulls her mega truck next to John, and opens the gun portal. Alicia puts her hands up, and Naomi and Morgan get John inside. Al says, gotta move.

Morgan tells Charlie they won’t hurt her. Charlie wants to make sure Mel is okay. Morgan says Mel is gone. She needs to come with him, or she’ll die. She gets in Al’s truck. Alicia, Victor and Luci shoot at the back as it’s driving away. Naomi tells Al to go to the stadium. Al says it’s supposed to be gone, and Naomi says, it’s not. Al says Naomi is supposed to be dead, and asks if she wants to tell them what else they got wrong.

[Before] Planting is happening at the stadium, and everyone pitches in. Nick says it won’t be ready for months. Madison says rations will get them through. He asks if she’s ever thought they wouldn’t make it, and she says, plenty of times. He asks what got her through, and she tells him, thinking she didn’t want to be out there; it’s way better in here. Douglas radios, saying they have a visitor. It’s Charlie. Nick asks why she’s there, and she says she needs their help.

[Forward] Morgan tells Al that they don’t have much time, and she says she’ll get him there. Charlie realizes he’s Nick’s friend. He knows what she did. Why did he save her? He says, because this has to stop some place.

Naomi tells John again to stay with her. She finds a tin of Scrabble letters on him. Morgan says he’s been looking for her, and never gave up all this time. Naomi says if you try to protect someone, you wind up hurting them. Al asks what happened; what did she do to them? Charlie says what happened wasn’t Naomi’s fault. It was hers.

[Before] Outside the stadium, a zombie pounds at the car Mel has crashed. Alicia says he’s breathing, but to be careful. He might have lung damage. Charlie insists Mel was trying to avoid the accident. There’s an argument as to whether they should just leave him there. Alicia says, if they leave him, will he make it? Nick says the Vultures lost and know it, and now they have supplies. Charlie says she lied before, but she’s not lying now. She asks Madison to please bring him back with them. Nick says they just started replanting. Madison says, If it’s a trick – Charlie says, it’s not – they’ll handle it. She says Naomi put a gun to her head when they first met; now they’re replanting thanks to her.

[Forward] Alicia sees a Vulture zombie and cuts him down. She tells Victor to wait. She sees someone crawling toward her. She squats down, and Mel reaches out. She asks how long Charlie was with him, and he gurgles something unintelligible. She says, you know what? It doesn’t matter, and smashes him in the head with the butt of her weapon. She should have left him for the zombies

[Before] Mel is handcuffed to a bed at the stadium. He asks what he’s doing there, and Naomi tells him that he has broken ribs. He asks where Charlie is, and Madison says she asked them to help her; she’s fine. He says she needs to let them go. Naomi says he has a serious injury. He says they’re not safe. Madison tells him that he’s said that before, and they’ll make it. If his brother and their crew try something, they’ll handle them. Mel says he and his brother are the ones they need to worry about.

We see a bus load of zombies, trying to get their hands out of the boarded-up windows.

Victor shows the Vultures’ numbered flags to Madison, saying that’s all that’s left. She says maybe Mel is telling the truth. Nick asks Charlie if she thinks Ennis is leading them there, and she says he wouldn’t do that. Madison asks if she’s sure. She tells Victor it will be tough, but they can do it. He says they have cars running the length of the railway. Madison asks if they’re full of dead, and Victor says, they were. She asks how many, and they go through the flags; the highest number is 735. Madison says no one goes in or out without them knowing. She tells Nick to take Charlie to her room.

Mel nearly coughs up a lung. Naomi tells him take the deepest breaths he can. When she gets close to help him, he pulls a knife on her, and tells her to take him to Charlie. Naomi pooches him in his broken ribs, takes the knife, and says not to make her break his cracked rib. He’s here to keep him breathing. He says they won’t listen to him. She’s new; maybe she’s been out there for a while. Maybe she was at another place that went down. Maybe knows what he does; what happens to people who stay. They die, and everything they’re fighting for dies with them. It doesn’t need to be that way for her. This place isn’t worth her life. He asks her to come with them. If she helps them, they’ll help her. He has the feeling she knows he’s right.

Madison pries the boards off of a concession stand. Naomi approaches. Madison says she needs the needs the lumber to reinforce the walls. Naomi says, it’s not safe here, and Madison says it will be. Naomi thinks they should consider what Mel is saying and think about leaving. Madison says that’s what the Vultures have wanted since they showed up. Out there, things don’t get better. She built this place for her kids; so they can have something close to a real life. Naomi says if she wants to protect them, she has to disappoint them. Madison says she thought about walking away. She told Alicia to prep a car just in case. She saw it on Alicia’s face, like she was chipping away at what they built. She told herself she wouldn’t use it. Naomi thinks she should reconsider. Madison asks what he said to her, and Naomi says he didn’t have to say anything. She’s been on the wrong side of where Madison is. Naomi doesn’t want to see it happen to her. What she built for her kids isn’t worth risking their lives – or hers.

Madison continues to accumulate boards off of various structures. Mel coughs some more. Madison says if he wants to go; go. He asks why, and she says while he’s here, he’s going to try to turn the others against her. He asks where Charlie is, but Madison says she’s not going. She can’t let him risk Charlie’s life.

Everyone is helping to reinforce the walls. Madison tells them to open the gate, and get the Land Rover. Mel wants to go. Victor says he might die out there. He’s there because she didn’t give up on him; what’s different? Madison says, open the gate, or she will. Mel gets in the car, saying they won’t make it. Madison says, if Charlie goes with him, whoever Charlie turns into won’t be Charlie anymore. He tells her the walls won’t hold, and Madison says she’ll keep Charlie safe. Mel tells her that’s what her parents said, and died in front of her. Don’t make her go through that again. Madison says she wasn’t there; it wasn’t them. He says they’re trying to be the type of people who are extinct. She draws her gun, and says, no one’s gone until they’re gone, and he drives away, wounds and all. The gates close again. Madison tells them not to think about what Mel said.

Nick tells Madison that she should have made him stay; He wouldn’t have taken Charlie, since he can’t get far. Madison says he’s not getting far without Nick and his sister protecting him. Nick asks if she remembers when he said he was afraid of who he was out there? He was really afraid of being away from her; she showed him the way. She finds him when he’s gotten lost. He felt found here, like he’d finally starting to get it. Letting a guy kill himself because they’re afraid of him. doesn’t sound like what she wanted them to find out.

Charlie says, he’s gone, but he’s hurt? He’s not going to make it, and he’s her friend. Alicia says she put a radio in the car, and it’s on. They should let Charlie see if he’ okay. They call, and Madison asks if Mel can hear her. He coughs, and she asks where he is and if he’s all right. He coughs some more. The signal is lost, and everyone looks grim and sad. Charlie says they have to help him.

More reinforcing goes on, and Cole hopes it holds whatever is coming his way. Alicia says they have to go out. Victor asks Nick if Madison knows they’re leaving. Nick asks, is he letting them out, or what? Victor knows they’re going after Mel, and says their mother did the same thing for him. Who is he to stop them? He lets them out. As they get on the road, Nick says they’re going to find Mel, and help Madison remember why she built this place.

One of the Vultures starts a truck full of zombies. A woman says, you know what to do, and he drives off. Behind him is a whole caravan of trucks.

Naomi finds Madison to tell her that she’s not going. Madison says, in that case, they’ll find her a new bedroom. Naomi says if she starts pulling boards off the showers, she’s chaining herself to the pipes. Madison says she forgot how it was for her kids to look at her like that, but it would it be worse if they didn’t. She guesses she taught them something after all. Naomi says whatever is going to happen, will happen soon. She’s prepping the infirmary.

Nick sees the Land Rover, and radios Victor, says they found him. Victor tells him to get back with due haste. Nick nails a zombie. Alicia says Mel is in rough shape. Nick hears something, and tells her to kill the headlights. They see the trucks coming toward the stadium. The trucks drive past without noticing them. Nick radios Victor, telling him a convoy is coming his way.

Victor tells Madison to sound the alarm. Madison is surprised Victor didn’t try to stop Nick and Alicia. He says they needed to do it, and she says that doesn’t mean she has to like it. Cole says, that’s not a convoy. We see only two headlights. Madison radios Nick and asks if he’s there, but he’s still a half-mile off. It’s an ice cream trail, leaving a trail of… blood? Gas? Something. Nick radios Madison, who tells him to just in get inside. Alicia says maybe it’s a trap, and here come the trucks. Ha-ha! My heart is beating faster.

The trucks line up in the parking lot. Luci asks what’s happening. Madison explains that Nick and Alicia are out there. Lots of zombie rumbling is coming from the trucks. The Vultures set up ramps. Ennis whistles, and signals for the trucks to be opened. Zombies stagger down the ramps. I think it must be gas. Someone is going to get these zombies lit.

Madison radios Nick and Alicia to come inside. and here we go, the gas is set on fire. The zombies crowd Nick’s car. Madison runs down. Victor tells her she can’t go out there. She says her kids in the parking lot. Is he going to stop her? He says, no. He’s coming with her. Luci says she’s coming too. In the car, Alicia asks how much ammo the have, and Nick says, not enough, reminding me of Sheriff Hague (Michael Biehn) in Planet Terror. Madison says there are too many zombies for them to drive through, and Nick says they can’t last much longer. Douglas says they have to get the fire out before anyone can leave. Victor tells him to shut up and open the gate. Alicia radios Madison, saying she’s sorry they had to come out to try and save him, but they couldn’t just hide. They didn’t mean to do this to her, but it was the right thing to do. Zombies grapple at the car. We see the flames reflected on Madison’s face.

[Forward] Al drives past a burned ice cream truck. Naomi says don’t stop; there’s no time. Morgan asks if she’s sure she’ll find what they need. She says she set up the infirmary herself. Any supplies that were taken, were taken from the outside; no one would go in there. Morgan says he thinks he knows who Al is; he’s seen it. She says he doesn’t know who she is. She’s a chick with layers. Me too. I am so one with this show right now. Al tells them to hold on, and she drives through the closed gate into the stadium. The dust clears, and there are a million zombies scattered all around. They grasp at the truck.

Next time, the mid-season finale (sigh) – Madison has nothing else to lose, Al thinks someone will want to know what happened, Naomi tries to save John, and Al machine guns the crap out of some zombies.

Excellent episode!

💍 I only saw pieces of 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After? and will be watching it in its entirety at a later time. However, I saw enough to wonder what the blip is with Chantel’s family? Are they bad actors? Are they on something? Like a high dose of Valium? Even Chantel has inherited their strange, wooden monotone – in two languages! No wonder Pedro is looking to book back to the DR, but I still think there’s something crooked about the mother/sister grifter team. And note to Molly – all men call watching the kids babysitting. Even when the kids are their own.

🎭 Sadly, Imposters has been canceled:

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/imposters-canceled-as-bravo-refines-scripted-approach-1116494?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=THR%27s%20Today%20in%20Entertainment_now_2018-06-02%2006:47:37_ehayden&utm_term=hollywoodreporter_tie

🙏 In happier news, Preacher will be back on Sunday, June 24th.

WeekendMinions2

 

 

May22

May 20, 2018 – The Ball Comes To a Close, VanderReunion Wraps, a Mention of Terror & Sherry Trifle

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What I Watched Today

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

 

General Hospital

Robert drags Valentin off the stage. Valentin suggests they discuss it like adults. Robert says they’ll do that, and cuffs him. Robin asks if Robert is okay; he looks terrible. He says he’s fine, and throws Valentin up against the wall in the hallway. Valentin says there’s an explanation, but Robert says he wants justice. He asks about Henrik.

Spinelli goes to Peter’s office. Sam tells Spinelli that Peter is Henrik.

Anna goes to the pier. She calls out for Henrik, but we know he’s busy delivering a baby. She asks where he is.

Maxie tells Peter there’s no time to go to the hospital. The baby is coming now. Peter calls for an ambulance, and takes her hand. He tells them it’s not an accident; it’s a baby.

At the Ball, Lucy says to give a hearty welcome to Port Charles’s own man of mystery, Robert Scorpio. Then says she’ll be right back. Mike remembers the Nurses’ Ball being crazy, but what was that? Sonny says Valentin just got arrested. It couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.

Robert says first Valentin poisons him, and then imprisons him. Valentin says it was just a diversion. Robert tells Valentin that he knows Valentin took Anna’s child and gave it to Faison.

Lying by the side of the road, Maxie asks Peter if he’s okay. He says he’s fine, and she asks him to help her breathe.

Spinelli types furiously, and says, voila! Henrik’s inbox. He looks for any emails regarding the manuscript.

Felix tells Kiki that her couture is liberating her bosom. Kiki thinks someone backstage can fix it.

Sonny asks Dante what’s going on with Robert. Dante tells him that Robert said he had it under control.

Stella asks if Sonny has seen his father. Mike gets up on stage, and takes the mic. (Mike takes the mic.) He says a lot of people know him, but he might not remember them. He’s Mike Corbin, and has Alzheimer’s. That’s one thing he can’t forget. Sonny starts to get up, but Stella stops him. Mike says he might not remember much, but he remembers that the event means a lot to his son. He tells everyone that the show must go on, and starts to sing Frank Sinatra’s Summer Wind, as a random pianist accompanies him. He puts on a fedora, and an orchestra appears behind him. He suddenly forgets the lyrics, and begins to cry. He was ripping my heart out with just the song, and now he’s stomping on it.

Sonny goes to the stage, and tell the accompanist to continue playing. Sonny help Mike through the rest of the song, and they receive a standing ovation.

Ava says, great, she has to follow that, but Griff says she’ll be wonderful. She tells him from his lips to God’s ears. She leaves to change. Bobbie tells Sonny and Mike that they make a great team. Mike says they should take their act on the road, and Sonny says, maybe they will. Drew tells Sonny it was a helluva thing to do for his dad. Sonny appreciates that.

Maxie tells Peter that she’s reminding herself of the things she loves while she’s in excruciating pain. She tells him that he has to look at the baby, and tell her what he sees – go! He looks, and says the head is coming. She says she’s going to push the baby, and asks if he’s ready. He says, as he’ll ever be. He tells her it’s coming, and she can do this.

Backstage, Kiki gives Amy her dress and thanks her. Amy says it will just take a second. David walks in while Kiki is in her underwear. She asks what he’s doing there. Griff follows him in.

Olivia gives Cook 2 a bouquet of roses, saying she saved the Nurses’ Ball. Cook wouldn’t go that far, but Olivia says she would. The guests were raving about the food; it was nothing short of a miracle. Cook says the staff was competent, and the kitchen was well-stocked, but she should tell the chef to have more seasonal offerings. Olivia says she’ll pass it along, unless… Cook says, unless what? Olivia says unless she’s interested in taking over as house chef of the MetroCourt.

Sam reads an email from Henrik’s mother, saying they should meet. Jason says Anna cut him off. She planned on posing as Henrik’s mother, and Lulu was going to orchestrate something to draw him out, with Jason as back-up. Spinelli wonders why Anna wouldn’t want protection, and Jason says Anna refuses to believe Henrik is a threat.

Anna thinks about Robert telling her that she can’t tell Henrik that she’s his mother. At worst, he could destroy everything they love. Robert says he must never know, and she promises not to tell him. Anna walks around the pier.

Maxie howls and pushes. Peter says, that’s it, and we hear a baby cry, Maxie says, we did it. Peter says, she did it; she was amazing. He wraps his jacket around the baby, saying he’s dressing him for his debut, and hands him to Maxie, telling her, Maxie Jones, meet your son. They laugh, and I think, that baby is pretty big for a newborn.

Olivia says she loves Chef David; he’s done fantastic work, but she thinks Cook is a true artist. Her talent is wasted working in a private home, even if it’s the Quartermaines. Cook says, and with her gone, Olivia will get to have the kitchen all to herself. Olivia swears she wasn’t thinking of that. Cook asks if she’s going to keep her end of the bargain, and never set foot in the Quartermaine kitchen again. Olivia says she took an oath on her favorite skillet, and she’s not breaking that. She just thinks Cook has more to offer the world. Cook says Olivia is right. She does.

David tells Griff that he was looking for the men’s room. Really? He couldn’t do better than that? Griff says it’s down hall; there’s a sign on the door. David says he’s obliged, and leaves. Griff asks if Kiki is okay. She says she’s fine, but starts crying. She tell him that she’s stressed, but don’t tell anyone. Griff holds her while she cries, and Ava sees them.

Robert says Valentin knows all about Henrik; who he is and where to find him. Valentin says he has Anna walking into a trap. They have to find her before it’s too late. Nina has walked in, and listens.

Mike says it’s Sonny’s first time on stage since the Christmas pageant. Sonny says his dad is the star; he’s just the backup. Lucy comes back in another fabulous dress, red satin, with one shoulder, and tied at the waist on the opposite side. She introduces a woman of mystery – the less you know, the better. Ava sings You Don’t Own Me, with male backup dancers in tuxes. She looks pointedly at Griff and Sonny throughout the song. Nice. Bobbie and Sonny scowl. Scotty claps wildly. Griff looks serious.

Bobbie tells Scotty that she’s not sitting with him after he got on his feet to applaud the woman who destroyed her grandson. She’s not ignoring what Ava has inflicted on her family. Scotty says, it’s the Nurses’ Ball. They’re not supposed to be holding grudges. Bobbie says it doesn’t count with this one.

Lucy tells Sonny the only reason she let Ava perform was because she made a substantial donation, and it wasn’t the number she rehearsed. Sonny says the night is too important to let someone like Ava ruin it. Ava asks if Griff enjoyed her performance. Kiki tells her the audience loved it. Griff says it wasn’t the song she rehearsed. Ava says she had some last minute inspiration, and she owes it to them.

Kim gets a text that Maxie is on her way to the hospital. She has to go, but the nearest car is twenty minutes away. Drew offers her a ride.

Valentin swears on his family that he’s telling the truth. Robin comes out, and asks if everything is okay. Robert says everything is fine. She looks at Valentin, and says, there’s that, and Robert looks like he was run over by a steamroller; so forgive her if she doesn’t believe him. Robert asks where her mother is. Robin says she got a message, and she took off. She asks if Anna is in trouble, and Robert says, not if he can help it. He leaves with Robin. Valentin is cuffed and sitting in a chair. Nina says she can’t stress the importance of honesty right now. How long has he known who Henrik is?

Olivia says, the Hotel Elysium? In Rome? Cook asks if she can believe it, and Olivia says, no. What are the odds a recruiter was here on the one night she filled in? Cook says, crazy, right? But she couldn’t have done it without Olivia. She tells Olivia to keep the flowers; she has to pack and write her resignation letter. Olivia says Monica is going to kill her. Cook says, probably, but the bright side is she gets to have the kitchen all to herself.

The EMTs come, and Peter tells her that he’ll see her at the hospital. Maxie says her parents are out of town, and asks Peter to call Spinelli from her phone in the car. He tells her to take care of the baby, and he’ll take care of everything else.

Jason says there’s no way Anna would leave the Ball unless it was important. She’s meeting with Henrik. Sam says they have to tell her that he’s Peter. Spinelli’s phone rings. The call is coming from Maxie’s phone, and Spinelli asks if everything is okay. Peter says it’s him; Maxie asked him to call. She’s fine, and so is the baby. She’s on her way to GH, and she asked him to tell Spinelli to reach out to her parents. Spinelli says, on her way? He asks if she didn’t have the baby there. Peter says it’s a long story, and she’ll want to tell him herself; he’s got to go. Spinelli asks how is it that Peter is spreading the glad tidings? Peter says he delivered the baby, adding, goodnight, Mr. Spinelli. He hangs up, and Spinelli says, unbeknownst to Maxie, Nathan’s brother delivered her baby.

Peter takes a gun out of the glove compartment.

Anna waits. She thinks about Jason telling her it’s too dangerous. She’s way too close to this.

Nina tells Valentin, yes or no. If he’d spoken up sooner, would her brother still be alive? He knew who Henrik was, but tells her it’s impossible to say if his silence changed anything. Faison was on a collision course with both of his sons. He doesn’t think anything would have stopped it. Nina says she believes him. He says they have to get to the airport. Nina says he wanted to take them away, so when things blew up, no one would know his part in it.

Anna says it’s past midnight; he’s not coming. She hears someone, and says, Henrik? When she sees Peter come down the stairs, she says, Peter, but he says she was right the first time, calling her mom.

Maxie asks Kim how the baby is. Kim says a little underweight, but it’s to be expected. Otherwise, he’s in great shape. Maxie wants to be with her baby. Kim has an idea.

Sam wonders what the hell the deal is with Maxie’s baby. Jason needs Spinelli to look at the email again. He tells him to look for anything indicating a meeting with Anna.

Lucy says another fab, wonderful Nurses’ Ball is coming to an end. She thanks Olay, and I appreciate the product placement not being as heavy as other years. She thanks the performers, support staff, and crew who made magic happen. She thanks the guests, saying they broke the record; they’ve raised more money than ever. Since it’s the nurses’ night, they wanted to end it the way they started. Deanna, Epiphany, Bobbie, Felix, and Amy sing I’ll Be Your Champion. The other nurses join them. Nice harmony.

Ava thanks Kiki, who has an early day at the hospital. Ava says Griff has a room there, which is convenient. She leaves with Griff, and David tells Kiki that he’ll see her bright and early.

Valentin tells Nina that whatever she thinks is going on, there’s more to the story. She knows. He says he’ll explain, but she doesn’t know if she’ll believe him. Robert takes him away.

Kim tells Maxie that she can’t bring the baby in, but she has the next best thing. She shows Maxie her tablet, and says they have a webcam set up for virtual visits. Maxie says, he’s so wrinkly and tiny. Kim says she did great, and Maxie says, except for her water breaking in Peter’s car.

Spinelli tells Jason and Sam that the message was sent at 9:57 pm this evening. Midnight. Pier 55. Come alone. Jason wonders if he was going to the hospital, but Spinelli says Peter told him that Maxie was on her way. Sam says she’ll go to the hospital, and Jason says he’ll go to the pier.

Peter tells Anna so this is what the WSB has resorted to; posing as an abandoned boy’s mother to flush him out. He doesn’t know whether to be offended or embarrassed. Anna says there’s something he needs to understand, but he says no, he doesn’t. He takes out a gun.

Tomorrow, Nelle wants to go home, Nina talks to Lulu, and Anna tells Jason to put the gun down.

Today’s episode was dedicated to Rick Pessagno. You can find out who he was here:

https://www.abc.soapsindepth.com/posts/rick-passagno-general-hospital-dead-160450

Vanderpump Rules

Andy wants to talk about the surprising friendship of Jax and James. He asks how Jax went from wanting to punch James in the face to finding him amusing. We see a clip from the last reunion with James making fun of Jax, and Jax laughing. Lisa says they’re similar in the choices they make, and Tom says they’re both needy and compulsive. We see clips of them together, and Andy asks if Jax is a role model for James. Jax admits he shouldn’t be a role model for anyone, and James says they have fun. Lala says she was skeptical; they all know what happened with Jax saying James hooked up with Kristen. She didn’t see how they could be bros after all this time. Andy says she’s done it with a lot of people. James tells Lala to shut up, but Lala isn’t having it. Scheana says Lala is friends with everyone now, but wasn’t for a long time.

Andy asks Stassi about how the event planning started. Stassi says she wanted to be like Lisa, a boss-ass bitch. She wants to be well-rounded, and Lisa knows how to do everything. Andy asks if she was being bossy, but Stassi says she was scared to piss people off, and tried to treat everyone with as much respect as possible. Tom says it’s frustrating because Stassi quit, and then was handed a position of power. He thinks she should have been forced to be a server again. This is just about the stupidest argument for anything I’ve heard from one of them. Lisa didn’t need her as a server; she needed and event planner and had worked with Stassi as a stylist before. Stassi says they should be a team, and wonders why it affects Tom. Lisa says it’s what Stassi wanted to do, and she had a position to fill. Thank you, and thank you. Andy asks about Lala’s event, and Lala says Stassi was her bitch. Scheana tries to interrupt, and Lala asks if she can get a word out. Lala says, this chick, meaning Stassi, shows up an hour before she needed to, and she’s going to give credit where credit is due. Stassi made her job easy, and made the ambiance killer. We flash back to that.

Andy switches gears, and asks if it was about the pasta. We flash back to James using the catch phrase of the season. James says it was partly about the pasta. He was pissed off about it, and drank too quickly. We see a clip of him toasting to getting drunk. Lala says they were all drinking, and he and Logan started having a conversation that went south. He was her boy, and she defended him through thick and thin. James sneezes without covering his mouth, and everyone is like, wtf? Lala says she was joking, and it turned into him calling her man names and discrediting him; it was disgusting. We flash back. Lisa says James shouldn’t drink, and suggests he not even have a sniff of a sherry trifle. Lala suddenly jets off the stage, and Andy asks what’s wrong. Brittany says she could tell Lala was getting mad. James calls Lala dramatic.

Lala goes to the bathroom. Lisa starts talking, and Kristen interrupts. Lisa tells her to shut up, and I laugh. Lisa says James needs to understand Lala was loyal to him. She’d even said if he went down, she would too. She tells him that he needs to go out on a limb and apologize. Kristen follows Lala into bathroom. Lala says it’s not okay for James to say stuff like that. On stage, Tom says, dude… and James gets up. Tom tells James not to roll his eyes, and Andy says he just did. James says it’s just a nervous reaction, and Tom tells him to try harder. Ariana decides to get the other girls, and tosses her heels, since she can’t really walk in them. Lisa says they can’t all just leave, but then she goes too. Scheana pulls out her phone and gets sucked into the iVoid.

Lisa tells Lala to come back; James is going to apologize. She tells Lala that she’s a strong girl. Lisa asks if she’s upset because of everything or is it the place where she’s at? Lala says it’s what he did to her, and Lisa says tell him then. They come back out, and Lisa tells James and Lala to figure it out. Andy asks why Lala left, and Lala dabs at her eyes. Lisa changes places with Stassi, so she can sit next to Lala, and tells her to say it. Lala says James was her best friend. She would never tear him down, or his girl, and it felt like he really came for her. We flash back to James being nasty. She says she’s always been supportive of James and Raquel. Lisa asks why stick by him, and Lala says he’s a hurt person. Lisa thinks it’s coming from a place of jealousy; he’s always had feelings for her. Kristen says this is how he treats the people he cares about. Andy points out that Kristen and James were together for years. Jax thinks James is like a little boy, pushing a girl he secretly likes.

The trip to Big Bear is discussed, and James flirting with Lala in front of Raquel. We flash back to that. James says he loves Raquel, and Lala says he should have been flirting with her. In the past, James made her feel comfortable and confident, but things changed. She was sitting with her man – henceforth known as Randall, since they’re out now – praying that it wasn’t going to air. She doesn’t feel safe around him anymore. Andy asks James if he would get with Lala if she was available, and James says he’d still be with Raquel. Lala seconds that. Andy asks what it would take for them to be friends again. They’re in agreement on time. Lala reminds James of when they went for people about their physical appearance last year, and says she was mortified to see it. We flash back to them body shaming castmates in their interviews. Lala was hoping he’d learn from that with her, and he didn’t. She says the reason she stuck around is that he didn’t have the upbringing. He took on burdens someone his age shouldn’t have had to. But someone she adores might not shake it off as easily. James gets it and apologizes, promising to never say anything like that again. Lala forgives him, and Andy says, nice.

Andy asks Jax about the marketing position in Florida. Jax says it was marketing and social media. Andy points out Jax had said there was nothing holding him back from taking it. Jax says it’s not like he had an amazing job. Andy is like, um, you have a girlfriend who moved to LA for you. Brittany says he didn’t think about her. Lisa says he didn’t even ask her. Jax says he wouldn’t have gone without her, and it was misread. Lisa thinks he has a deeper appreciation for Brittany now. Andy asks him if he can say what Brittany’s professional passion is, and he stumbles around until he kinda, sorta gets that she wants to work with special needs children. He makes excuses for why he didn’t know this information about the person who is supposed to be closest to him that he lives with. Andy suggests that him wanting such a big change might have had to do with Schwartz and Tom moving on. Stassi says she can’t believe they took him seriously about the Florida job, and asks if anyone else saw it. Jax says he’s not making up, and Brittany says she heard him talking on the phone. Yeah, but did she hear anyone on the other end? Stassi says he’s always been the boy who cried wolf. Schwartz says it’s an annual thing with Jax. Andy asks why he didn’t take it, even though it was his dream job> Jax says he was scared, and Schwartz tells him to admit he loves LA as much as he’s said he hates it.

The finale party with Patrick is brought up. Stassi says she couldn’t sleep; she was so shook from the party energy. Andy asks Lisa how surprised she was when Patrick continually talked about her backside. Lisa says it was wrong on so many levels. They’d just met, and he was saying it in front of someone who works for her and is his girlfriend. We flash back to this obnoxious twit, calling Lisa girl several times, which irritated me the most of all of his detestable ranting. Stassi says she felt so bad, and reminds everyone that she was on Xanax and alcohol. Lisa said Stassi was apologizing to him, and was trying to make him feel welcome. She thinks Stassi finally had enough.

Andy asks if Scheana lost herself in the relationship with Rob even more than Stassi did with Patrick. Scheana says she hasn’t seen all the episodes, and admits to fast-forwarding through her castmates’ scenes. She claims she’s just behind in watching. Jax says watching it back, he wanted to punch Patrick, and Stassi should forget him. He says new boyfriend Beau is cool, and we see pictures. Everyone agrees they like him. Stassi says he’s fun, and not screwing up. Lisa tells her to just be herself.

Next up is the trip to Mexico. Andy asks Lala about her baby bottle. She says she’s on a low dose of anti-anxiety medication, and there are various things you can do, like snapping a rubber band on your wrist. She finds it comforting to have a bubba. It helps her not think about her anxiety.

Andy follows that with the rumor about James and Kristen hooking up. James says they were hanging out, and it turned into they fooled around and hooked up. Jax admits they didn’t, but says he didn’t say anything. We flash back to him saying something. He claims he only said the pillows were evidence. Lisa says he went all Secret Squirrel, and claimed they were banging. Kristen says James’s words were on the screen. Tom says there was a reason for that, but Andy says he heard it clearly without the subtitles. He says Schwartz had no idea what was going on, since he blacked out and went to another resort. Schwartz asks who doesn’t black out in Mexico? That would be Andy and everyone else. Andy asks if Jax doesn’t owe Kristen and James an apology, and in keeping with his tradition of being the worst human being on earth, Jax asks why? Lisa says he nearly ruined two relationships. Kirsten says she had to tell Carter before he saw it on TV. Brittany tells him he should apologize, and he does – for misinterpreting what was said. Tom apologizes too, since he thought the same thing. Andy talks about James telling Kristen that he never said it, and her throwing a drink in his face. She says her brain exploded, and she apologized to James. She says for Tom to go to her boyfriend was wrong. Tom says her boyfriend came to him. Kristen says Tom told him about what happened during their time together. He says he wasn’t trying to ruin the relationship; Carter came to him. Something I noticed from James’s unintelligible answer on the golf course, was that he said, a little bit, but not really, when he thought Tom asked if he and Kristen were hanging out. If they’d hooked up, that would be a pretty odd thing to say, even for James.

Andy says Jax lost it when he found out Scheana was trying to hook Brittany up with Adam – in his home. His rant at SUR is discussed. Jax says he decided to flip everyone off, and just then, Lisa and Ken walk in. He says Lisa’s eyes were bulging, and she says he was absolutely out of order. She had to get him out of there. Andy asks what he was thinking as he was storming down the street. Tom says it was like something got knocked loose. He exploded. Tom says he went back out, and Jax adds that the people across the street were watching. Tom says Jax was unstoppable, and Brittany says, like a bull seeing red. Jax says he was embarrassed, and went on a super apology tour the next day. Lisa says what about her? He says she and Ken have been nothing but amazing. She says she’s kept him in his job for years, and he says it’s a helluva thing to do.

Andy wants to talk about the break-up. Jax says he thought about it for a while, and went back and forth. Brittany says he’d bragged about them having sex that morning. The girls concur that it was hard to watch. Brittany was blindsided. Stassi says the sex thing made it really, really bad. Ugh! I agree. Jax says he honestly thought he was doing the right thing, and someone asks, why hook up then. We flash back to Jax saying why does anybody hook up? And answering his own question by saying, to get off. Andy says it’s kind of a mind f**k, and Brittany says it literally came out of nowhere. She couldn’t believe it, after she’d planned Mexico, his birthday at Hooters, and his birthday some other damn where. Jax thought it was the mature, adult thing to do, and Brittany says, beg her to stay with him, then throw it away? He says he thought he couldn’t be good for her. I wonder if his so-called Reiki master put that idea in his head, or just confirmed it? Lisa thinks those in unpredictable relationships should use contraception, and offers to buy Jax a condom. Andy asks how Brittany feels, when even Jennifer Lawrence is telling her to break up with him? Brittany says the first thing in her mind was to get out, since Jax wouldn’t leave. She told the Uber driver to pick a hotel. She’d put up with so much, and then for everyone to see that it was hard and effed up. She wouldn’t talk to Jax for a month. The girls all say she’s a badass. Andy says Jax wouldn’t leave the apartment? Tom said he was like, wtf? Brittany says she never hooked up with anyone, but seems a little vague about dating. She talks about staying in a hotel, and going back when Jax wasn’t there. She also did some traveling. Jax didn’t give up, and the feeling didn’t go away. She realized he’s the person she wants to be with. The pressure of fans wanting more for her was the hardest part. She’s tried to be a good person and live a positive life. She would never say mean things to someone she didn’t know. But in the end, she did what she thought was right, and put her heart first. Not that she thinks it’s okay to be treated the way she was. Andy asks other girls about that, and it’s unanimous that Brittany deserves a prince. I think Brittany should do Brittany, but I also still think Jax is vile. We’ll see if his father’s death changes him. Possible, but not probable.

Andy says what brought everyone together was the untimely, unfortunate passing of Jax’s dad. Kristen says he had to be vulnerable and honest, and stop fronting. Jax says he was tired of himself. Andy asks if he treats Brittany better. Jax doesn’t think he would do wrong again, and he’s been putting her first. Brittany says everything is better. Jax tells her that he loves her. She says he’s more calm, and not talking down to her. Andy thinks his papa would be happy that Jax has found peace and happiness, and hopes it sticks.

Andy asks Lisa why she wouldn’t fire Jax. She says he would have taken on the victim role, saying he deserved it. The only decent thing was for him to resign. Andy asks if she can imagine him working at SUR. Jax quickly interjects that he’d pick up a shift if she really needed him. Lisa says she isn’t that desperate right now. Jax insists he wasn’t a bad person at work. He says maybe he can get a job at TomTom. Andy asks Schwartz when TomTom is going to have its first blackout and panic attack. Schwartz says he’s like a caterpillar who is going to emerge as a beautiful business butterfly.

The question of kids for Schwartz and Katie comes up, and Katie asks, who would want that? That would be everyone, and Katie says, soonish. Andy can’t wait to find out what Stassi’s new boyfriend thinks about Lisa’s ass, and asks if we’ll be seeing him next season. That’s a yes, but not so much Lala’s boyfriend. Jax hopes he and Brittany are together the rest of their lives, and Brittany ays it just keeps getting better. Kristen is happy with two dogs and boyfriend. Scheana claims she’s having fun being single, and is staying that way for a year. Andy says it’s been a big year for Lala, including stepping out in public with her man. He asks what the goal is, and she hopes to be together forever. Andy asks if Ariana has softened toward marriage, but that’s a no. However, that’s not stopping them from also wanting to be together forever. Andy asks what about kids, and Ariana votes no, while Tom is all thumbs up.

Andy asks again if it’s about the pasta, and says, yes, it is. He asks Lisa who’s next in line to get married, and she says, him. Lisa says she loves all of them. Being on a reality show is like looking in a mirror. They might not always like the reflection, but she hopes they grow from it. Andy says usually Ken and Peter bring out celebratory shots at the end, but this time, it’s not about the shots. Giggy! Ken totes the Gigster in, while Peter passes out “shots” of pasta. With no forks. It’s interesting to see the different ways they try to eat it. James suggests they chase the pasta with vodka, and they all say, cheers! Giggy!

Next time – Vanderpump Rules: Secrets Revealed.

😱 The Terror wrapped its first season up tonight. The highlight was when Mr. Hickey offered his cut-off tongue to the spirit bear, and it ate his arm and ripped him in half. That didn’t work. I only half-assed watched this show, and hope to pay more attention if there’s a season two. The scenery was a standout, and I would think the desolation alone would be enough to make anyone go mad. Although I found it intriguing, it did remind me of seeing Jaws 2, or Jaws 3, or whatever installment it was, with my father. He leaned over and said, where’s the music and the shark?

🍨 Following Up On What James Shouldn’t Sniff…

http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/traditional-english-sherry-trifle-strictly-for-the-grown-ups-264327

Trifle

May21

May 20, 2018 – Before & Now Get Closer, Here Comes the Givenchy, & Back to Work

Posted on by
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What I Watched Today

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

 

Fear the Walking Dead

Zombies clamor to get into a store while a dude shops. He leaves the back way, because zombies aren’t the brightest things. He stops suddenly, and we hear John tell him, that’s right. John has a gun pointed at him. John says he saw his flag and knows who he is, and they have a particular person in common. John holsters his weapon, but says he’s quicker than dude on his worst day. He’ll attempt to shoot him in the hand, but there are no guarantees he’ll walk away – or walk away alive. He can keep his hands raised, answer one question, and live. He keeps hands raised and turns. John shows him a Vulture flag. Morgan tells dude not to be stupid; John will beat him. He tries to draw his gun anyway, and John shoots his pinky finger off. John throws him the flag to wrap his hand in. Dude asks what he wants. John says, answers.

Alicia asks if Al rigged her truck herself. Al knows where she’s going, and says her guns aren’t for hire and her bullets aren’t for sale. Alicia asks, why not? Al says she stays behind the camera. How about if they stick to their deal; a ride for their story. She’s heard some of it, but she wants it all. Alicia tells her to ask what she wants, as long as gets them there.

John wants to know where dude and the Vultures are meeting up. Dude says he’s not with whoever John thinks. John pats him down and finds a map. He says he’s seen before, from a guy in an El Camino. John asks, what happened to her? He says dude is carrying Naomi’s gun. Dude says he doesn’t know, and John shoves his gun in dude’s face. Morgan tells John to let him go. Morgan tells dude there are people headed there who want to kill him, and to steer clear. John tells Morgan to hold on to the pistols for the time being –  just in case. Morgan says he knows it’s hard. Does he know where they’re taking them? Morgan says they’ll find them, stop them, and ask what he needs to know abut Naomi. He wants to know she didn’t suffer.

Before

Naomi picks shards of something out of Alicia’s arm, and asks what she found. Alicia says a few canned hams and a lot of dead. She goes to cleaned up, and Madison thanks Naomi. Naomi asks if they’re going out tomorrow, and Madison says there’s not much choice – no matter how dangerous it is.

Victor asks Nick what new and exciting locale are they going to? Nick says they’re going to find a place with seeds and fertilizer. Lucy asks where the truck with the food came from, and Victor says, in a garage. Someone must have loaded it to make an escape, but never made it. Cole says he’s going to get ammo, and Victor follows him, thanking him for the cover. Cole says Victor saved him time by showing him who he really was before he thought Victor was someone else. Victor asks why not tell them, but Cole says he’s just not sure what Victor would do if he did. Cole leaves, and Madison asks if everything is okay. Victor says people are getting irritable because there isn’t enough food. Madison shows him a liquor bottle, and says she found it in the back of the pantry. Does he want to – he doesn’t let her finish before he says, yes.

The Vultures hang in the parking lot, while Richard Wagner’s The Ring of the Nibelung plays over their loudspeakers. Victor says, they don’t give up easy, and Madison says, no, they don’t. Victor asks why she saved him after what he did. She says she wasn’t going to leave him drown. He says she didn’t just pull him out. She nursed him back to health. She could have saved him and left, but she waited for him after everything; why? She says she knows who he is, and she likes drinking with him.

Madison finds Viv holding a gun on Naomi, who was trying to drive out. Naomi says she can explain, and Madison tells her that she doesn’t need to sneak out. She says she wasn’t leaving; she was going here. She hands Madison a pamphlet. She says they might have seeds and food, military rations. She used to be there. Victor asks if there are still people; people who know her. She shakes her head, and Madison asks why she didn’t tell them. Naomi says it’s dangerous. She didn’t want anyone to get hurt. Madison and Victor decide to go with her. Luci tells Nick that they’ll be back.

Naomi speeds along the highway. A sign says, food – gas – lodging, and Madison suggests they park for the night. Victor says they need all three things. They park at a motel, and Madison says, let’s clear it. They go into the office. It’s dark, but we hear zombie noises, and Madison knifes a couple in the head. She sees some guns and canned beans. She says, they killed each other over some cans of beans. Victor shows up with some vending machine food, and they take a break to eat. I wonder why the bean killers didn’t raid the vending machine.

Naomi says Madison and Victor have been a lot of places together, and Madison says it was a long trip from Mexico. She’d started from LA, and it seems like a lifetime ago. Victor asks where they’re going tomorrow, and Naomi says, an abandoned FEMA shelter. Madison asks what happened, and Victor wonders how she knows supplies are still there. Naomi says it was abandoned a long time ago, and no one knows about it. Victor says, except for her. Naomi confesses that she was going to go on her own, but she intended on leaving the map after the gate was closed. Madison asks, why? and Victor says, because she’s a coward. Naomi says, he’s right; she’s a coward. He tells her to hand over the keys. Now she won’t leave because she can’t. Naomi says she didn’t have to tell them, and Victor thanks her for showing them who she is. Madison says it does count for something, and suggests they get some rest.

Madison wakes. Naomi isn’t there, and she tells Victor to wake up.

Naomi is on the road again. She stops at a school. She heads inside, stepping on the FEMA Checkpoint sign. The door is locked, and she knocks on the glass to get the zombies’ attention. She sneaks inside behind them. This is about as much help as you get from FEMA when there isn’t an apocalypse.

Madison thinks maybe they can catch up with Naomi. She wonders why not tell the truth if she wanted to leave. They all have things to be ashamed of, but can take the opportunity to make up for it. Victor admits that the truck with the food was his contingency plan; he’d been stocking it for weeks. People don’t change, and when they’re pressed and cornered, the artifice falls and the curtain flops. They show you who they really are. Madison asks if she should have left him to drown, and Victor says that’s what he would have done. She tells him, lucky for him she’s not him.

Naomi looks around. She comes to a room for children. She sees a crib, small furniture, and kids’ artwork. She tries to keep a grip. She goes to a storage bin, and opens the combination lock on it. There are guns and medical supplies inside. She looks through a notebook that has planting information in it. She finds keys with a tag that says JIC on them. She packs some stuff in her knapsack, and quietly walks behind the throng of zombies at the front. If just one sees her, she’s screwed. She sees a closed door, and freaks a little. She sits down on the floor, even though now is not the time. Uh-oh, here they come. She jumps up, and jets right past them. Good thing they don’t move like those guys in 28 Days Later. She runs smack into an impaled zombie, and now there are zombies on either side of her. By her reactions, I think she knows them. She starts to climb some scaffolding, kicking them away. Now she’s stuck, the crowd beneath her, reaching up. She cries.

Madison and Victor come into the school. Naomi says the truck is at the loading dock. It has what they need. She tosses the keys to Madison, and says Victor was right. Victor says they can’t get to her. He uncovers some rope, while kicking back a zombie. Madison pikes the zombies at the bottom of the scaffolding. Victor says he’s got her; she can do it. Naomi pulls herself back up, and grabs onto the rope. She pulls herself across toward Victor. He slips, and there’s suddenly too much slack in the rope, but he recovers quickly. Madison comes to help him. It’s pretty creepy looking down from Naomi’s vantage point, with all the zombies reaching toward her and moving underneath. She makes it to the other platform, and the three of them run out. Victor padlocks the door.

Naomi tells them that she needed try to make up for what she did. It needed to be her in there; not anyone else. They’re good people. She thought she could be safe there with her daughter. Madison says she doesn’t have to tell them. She owes them nothing. Naomi says her name was Rose. When Rose’s father died, Naomi wore it wouldn’t happen to them. She found a place with food, water, and people who knew how to survive. A woman named Ellen taught her how to make it. She gave JIC classes to be prepared – just in case.

One night, Rose’s cough turned into pneumonia. They didn’t have the antibiotics needed, so Naomi hid Rose in the pantry and locked the door. The antibiotic run took three days. She didn’t eat or sleep, but she found the amoxicillin. By time got back… Naomi breaks down. Madison says it wasn’t her fault. They wouldn’t have been able to keep that many out, even if she was there. Naomi tells Madison that she didn’t tell anyone the truth. She was afraid they’d get kicked out; she’d seen it happen at other places. Rose died before she got back, and turned. Then, everyone else did too. She did this. Madison says she didn’t have to come back, but Naomi says it had to be her. She couldn’t run from it any longer. Maybe some can find way to live with it, but she needs to keep what they have going.

They leave. Naomi says the truck is prepped, in case anything went wrong. They were prepared for everything, just not this. A zombie is flailing around in the truck, and I wonder if it’s Ellen. Madison knocks on the driver’s window, and while the zombie is preoccupied with that, Naomi stabs it in the head from behind. Victor says she did what she had to do; what life seemed to be telling her to do. He did too, but Madison taught him something else; that they can start over. They all can. We see a plant growing out of one of the fertilizer bags.

Alicia, Luci, and Nick walks out to where Mel is. He asks if there’s a problem, but they just want him to listen. He might want to make room. They have food, supplies, and fertilizer; they’re going to rebuild and replant. The Vultures have picked over a fifty-mile radius; they must be running low too. Mel tells the group to pack up, and let’s go. They’re going to take longer than they can wait. Madison drives up with truck full of stuff, and Naomi in the car behind her. Mel tells her to be careful. In his experience, the really the really bad stuff, you never see it coming. They drive in, and the Vultures leave.

Luci asks if it’s enough, and Nick says it is. Madison looks at the JIC keys, and puts them on the dashboard. Cole says he didn’t think they’d pull it off, and Victor says, neither did he. Madison knows him better than he knows himself. He might have been premature in telling Cole who he is.

Victor thanks Madison. She says they won today, and he was a big part of it. He suggests they leave it at that. Madison looks out with the binoculars. It’s all clear in the parking lot. Alicia comes out, and Madison wants her to do something, no questions asked. She tells her to park a truck out back with supplies in it, and keep it quiet. No one needs to know. Alicia asks why, and Madison says, just in case. She gives her the keys, and I wonder who’s highlighting Alicia’s hair.

Now

Standing next to the road, Alicia sees a truck with the binoculars. Victor and Luci arm themselves. Alicia says, they’re coming. Victor asks, how many, and Alicia says, one. Morgan and John get out of the truck. Morgan says they came to talk, and Alicia tells them to get on the ground.  Victor asks what they’re doing there, and Morgan says they came to help. He says, they’re not coming. They found them, and told them to stay away. Alicia says, bad idea, and Morgan says, they still have time. They don’t have to do this. He should have told Nick; what they’re doing is only going to make things worse. Victor says, perhaps they didn’t heed his warning after all. Here come the Vultures.

The caravan stops in front of them. Alicia and the others draw their guns. The Vultures get out, guns drawn. Mel says, hey, who told them to be there, and thanks the guy in the blue shirt, meaning Morgan. Mel tells Alicia, sorry about her brother, and she says, really? She’s not sorry about his. Mel makes some interesting, twitchy faces. Morgan says it doesn’t have to go this way, and Mel says, yes it does, but he doesn’t have to be in middle. He stands between Alicia and Mel, and Mel tells him to get out of the way. Madison radios, asking, where is everyone? Mel says, they didn’t tell her? and Morgan says, no. Mel says they aren’t going to like this. A Land Rover drives up. John asks where they got it, and Naomi gets out. John says, Laura? He moves toward her, and Alicia says, no!

Mel is confused, and shoots John. Morgan runs to him, and Naomi drops to her knees.

Next time, Naomi says, it’s not safe: Morgan says, this has to stop: Madison says, no one is gone until they’re gone; and Luci meets Charlie.

👰 I confess, I watched the Royal Wedding. I didn’t get up before the crack of dawn to watch it live, but checked it out later. I’ll never get up before the crack of dawn for a wedding again after Prince Charles and Diana Spencer. I did it for them, and we all know how that turned out. It must be weird for Meghan Markle, suddenly going from making movies to having movies made about her. Like a skabillion other women, of course I wanted to see all the fashions, but most important, the dress. Meghan Markle’s, now Duchess of Sussex’s, dress. It wasn’t a wow. It was from Givenchy, but very plain, long sleeves and a boat neck. Although I do love a boat neck. While Princess Diana floated in a cloud only she could carry off, Kate Middleton’s gown has been my favorite of more recent royal brides so far. That being said, I reasoned that she might have wanted the focus to be on Queen Mary’s tiara (which was stunning), and the sixteen-foot veil, which had the individual flowers of the fifty-plus commonwealths embroidered on it. Along with Meghan’s state flower, which I suppose was nice of them. I would have loved to have gotten a better view of the veil. It was hard to see the detail on most of the time. Anyway, it was fun to see what all the guests wore as well, including the always adorable Queen Elizabeth, and the grandeur of the whole thing. I especially loved the fairytale carriage ride at the end. Probably the best thing about it, is how the young royals have kept the beautiful traditions, yet bucked some archaic ones. Meghan is an American actress, half African American, and divorced – even one of those things would have been unheard of not that long ago. Too bad it comes a little late for King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson.

😔 Sigh…

BackToWork-Office

BackToWork-GetOut

BackToWork-Cry

 

 

May14

May 13, 2018 – The Story of John & Naomi, Extra Useless Information, Talking About Fear & Mom’s Day

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What I Watched Today

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

 

Fear the Walking Dead

John opens the box with the matching pistols, and cleans and loads them. He sees a zombie wading through the creek. He puts a board over his ditch moat, and whacks it with an ax. Smart move to save bullets.

He lies in bed listening to Billy Bass, who I guess is his alarm clock. He washes up, makes the bed, and plays Scrabble with himself. He says, people, as he washes the breakfast dishes. He runs down a list of various words as he has coffee on the porch. He continues as he does chores. He says platypus, and uses it in his next Scrabble game.  As night falls, he watches DVDs.

There’s a sound outside. John says, not another one, and asks himself where they’re coming from. He finds Naomi in a canoe on the shore, barely conscious, and brings her in. She says she has to get back, and he tells her she’s safe, but injured. He looks at a gash in her side. The good news is, it’s not a bite. He tells her he’ll take care of it as best he can.

The next morning, he finds Naomi looking in the truck for his keys. He tells her they’re on the top of the visor, and she might want to avoid reverse. He says she has a pretty bad cut. She gets in the truck and closes the door. It won’t start, and he says it needs a new battery. He tells her if she wants to go, he might as well set her up with food and water. She should get some rest, and change the bandage on her wound too.

Inside, Naomi looks at her wound. She starts to stitch it up herself, and says she can’t. She asks John to do it, and gives him instructions, saying, just do it.

John makes fish stew for dinner. He tells Naomi, the French call it bouillabaisse, presenting her with a bowl, saying, soup is the blanket of food. He tells her to enjoy, and introduces himself. She thanks him. He says she looks like a Laura, and asks if it’s an acceptable substitute. He tells her about a job he once had, teaching kids at a pea shooting range, and says she can stay as long as she likes. She says she’ll be moving on, and he offers her food and shelter until she’s ready, but the next time she wants something, ask. He wonders if she’s a doctor or nurse, and tells her to take the bed; he only sleeps an hour or two if he’s lucky. She asks how he knew she was a nurse. He says he doesn’t know many people who could stick a needle in their side. He asks if she was a nurse until… and she says, yeah. He says it seems like forever ago, and she agrees.

Naomi is restless. She sees the couch is empty and gets up. John is cleaning the pistols. He hears her but when he turns around, she’s gone.

John whacks some more zombies in the creek area. Naomi comes out, and asks if they wash up. He says, there’s something amiss up river. He tells her that he goes to the store on Tuesday, and she says she’ll come. He thinks she should rest, but Naomi is insistent. He supposes he wouldn’t mind he company, and gives her a pair of boots, telling her there are snakes. She declines, saying she won’t be able to run in them. He leaves them on the porch in case she changes her mind.

They take the canoe down the river. She asks if he’s been there long, and he says, a good while. She asks what he did before, and he tells her that he was a police officer. She wonders why he didn’t bring his guns; she thought all cops have them, but he says they cause more problems than they solve. She asks if he liked being a cop, and he says, at one time. Zombies walk the bridge, and one falls in. Naomi takes out her knife, but John pushes it into the water with his oar, and they go past. He notes that a broken part of the bridge railing needs tending to.

John docks the boat, and they head for the store. He says it’s been in Bill’s family for sixty years. Naomi asks where Bill is now, but John doesn’t know. They closed the road for repair before things went south, and he hasn’t seen him since. They walk into a fully-stocked store, and John tells Naomi to help herself. She gets a knapsack. and fills it, while he gets supplies. Naomi moves some merchandise around, and John asks if she’s rearranging things. She explains that people need splints and dressings, and aren’t always thinking. She’s just doing her part. He tells her how his name is Dorie, like the fish, except ie. 

Outside, he says they’re going to need a ladder. They fix the bridge, and John asks if he can call her Laura. She says that’s fine, but she won’t be staying long. A zombie toddles toward them, and she stabs it in the head.

While lying in bed, Laura hears a movie playing, and comes out. John says sorry for disturbing her (which my autocorrect wanted to change to disrobing her – ha-ha!). It’s usually his movie night, although every night is getting to be movie night. She gets some water, and he says he’ll turn the volume down. He asks if she wants some popcorn. She doesn’t, but she sits on the couch. I’m trying to figure out what the movie is from the dialogue we can hear, but I can’t. He tells her about the snacks he makes on movie night, and suggests concocting something.

John snoozes, and Laura looks at him. He opens his eyes, and she says she lost her child. She gets up, and goes back to bed.

Laura wants John to teach her to fish. It’s a resource, so she should know how. They go out on the river, and he instructs her. She hooks a fish, and gets all excited. He teaches her how to clean and gut it. They have it for dinner, and she thanks him. They play Scrabble.

There’s more fishing the next day, and Laura prepares it herself. That afternoon, John clips her stitches. He says she might have a scar, but nothing too bad. She thinks she should be going, since she’s healed up, but she’ll take a couple days to pack some things. John goes outside, and chops a zombie’s head in half. Laura says they need something stronger to block the opening; a car at Bill’s might still have a charge. She helped him, and it’s the least she can do. He gets wheel barrow, and loads up the zombie he downed.

At the bridge, John asks how Laura learned to hot wire a car, and she asks if he’s going to arrest her. He sees she’s got one of his pistols, and says he asked her not to go through his things. She tells him that they might need protection, but he says she’s good with a knife; the noise from the gun just brings more zombies. She says they’re no good in a box, but he wants them in a box, not out there. He gets out of the truck.

John walks through the zombies, whacking them. Laura gets the ones he doesn’t, and it’s a chopfest. They drive a truck to the opening, blocking it. Laura is on the truck, but outside of the cab, guiding John. The zombies begin to gather, and Laura tells John to shoot them. They’re pushing at the car, and one zombie breaks the window with the machete that’s poking through him, and is now six inches from John’s face. He stabs at it, while Laura keeps yelling for him to shoot. John finally deals a fatal blow, but then won’t stop stabbing once it’s over. He and Laura are both covered in the blood that has sprayed everywhere.

Back at the cabin, Laura scrubs at their clothing. John says he didn’t get bit, but she says she’s seen people get sick from being exposed. He tells her that he didn’t mean for it to happen. She says he had a gun. He says that’s not how he does things, and she says it nearly got him killed. He says, better him than someone else. She asks if what he’s talking about has to do with why he doesn’t want to talk about being a cop. She asks what happened; did he take it or fire it? He says he fired. She says, good guy or bad guy? He says that’s not the way he looks at things, but she’d call him bad. She asks if it was a mistake or intentional, and he says, intentional. It was an intentional mistake. He stopped at the gas station, and a guy was robbing the place. John told him that he was a police officer, and to put his weapon down, but he would not. He tried to clip the guy in the leg. John starts to choke up, and Laura tells him it’s okay. John says, the guy turned, and he hit him dead center in the leg, and he bled out. Laura asks if that’s why he moved up there, but he says, no. People thought he was a hero. She says, it doesn’t matter how many people say it’s not your fault; what matters is if you believe it.

On the bridge, the zombies clamor at the truck. It starts to roll, and they start falling into the river.

Laura and John are sleeping, when John hears a lot of zombie noises. That’s because there are a sh*tload of them coming toward his house. He calls to Laura, and starts to whack them as they come out of the creek. Laura whacks and chops at them with a shovel, but they’re all falling into the moat, creating a bridge for the ones still coming. They’re surrounded, and Laura tumbles into the moat. John suddenly has the guns, one in each hand, and shoots with both at once, doing that twirling-the-guns thing. The last one is inches from Laura’s face and it’s hard to aim, but he does it, and kills the zombie. Holy! Even though we know both of them make it, I was holding my breath.

John surveys the mess. Laura sits next to him on the steps. She thanks him. She says he might not think he’s a hero, but she does. He’s an honorable person, and she’s very, very lucky to have washed up in his front yard. He gives her one of the pistols, telling her, if she’s going, she’ll need it, and he needs her to take it.

They sit on the couch. John gets up, and Laura asks what it is; why won’t he look at her? He says he loves her, but he didn’t want her to know. She asks why, and he says because she’s leaving, and he doesn’t want her to. He says if she wants the cabin, he’ll go. He tells her that he needs her alive. If she’s alive, the whole world feels alive. They kiss. At this point, I’m liking him too.

John wakes up to Billy Bass – alone. He looks around, and calls Laura’s name. He sees her shoes where the boots were on the porch. On the table is, I love you too Im sorry, in Scrabble letters.

Morgan and John sit by the side of the road. Morgan says, she loved you, and John says, yes. John says, maybe if he’d waited to tell her… but Morgan says, no waiting; not in this world. Waiting is how you lose people. John says he believed he had a second chance; it was stupid. Morgan says they still do. Madison, Victor, Luci; they’re still here. They think the only thing left is to fight, kill, or die. John says, maybe they’re right. Morgan tells John to look him in the eye, and tell him that’s what he believes. If he can do that, they’ll go their separate ways. John says he doesn’t believe it. Morgan says, they’re alive. They’re part of the world. Let’s not waste another second.

Morgan gets up, and gathers his stuff. John puts the other pistol in his holster. They walk down the road.

Nice episode.

Next time, John uses the pistols some more, Mel tells Madison to be careful, and Naomi says it’s dangerous.

🐟 Apparently, there’s more than one Dory with a y who’s a fish, and is a John. A white-fleshed sea fish found in European waters, John Dory (also known as St Peter’s fish), is an odd-looking creature with an oval, flat body and a large, spiny head. The white, boneless, meaty flesh is firm and flavoursome and can be cooked in a variety of ways: grill, sauté or poach it. – from BBC.co.uk  – Food.

💀 🔊 Talking Dead was a good one too, the guests being Yvette Nicole Brown and Jenna Elfman. The artistry of the episode was discussed, and it really was beautifully filmed. The scenery was gorgeous, but John’s cabin was also an amazing setting. Yvette talked about how she has an investment in the characters after knowing the backstory. I was with her there, but I’ve always had more investment in the characters from Fear than those in The Walking Dead. From the jump, they were more multi-faceted. TWD needs a charming rogue like Victor, trading barbs and sexual tension with Maggie. I was surprised nobody brought up Naomi/Laura having lost her child, but Jenna Elfman was very cagey about where the story was going next. I wondered if her child was Charlie. Also surprising was the gift an audience member went home with – a canoe. A clip of Garrett Dillahunt (John) talking about filming the episode, gave me a quote that I not only couldn’t resist adding, but could relate to: It’s only been six days but I feel twenty-seven days tired.

🍀 Speaking of Quotes…

👵 Favorite Irish Mammy Sayings for Mother’s Day

https://www.irishcentral.com/culture/craic/top-ten-irish-mammy-isms-according-to-poll?utm_campaign=Best+of+IrishCentral+-+2018-05-13&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=Mailjet

This did not include my own mother’s favorite, this is not a restaurant, which I actually heard come out of my own mouth while babysitting my neighbor’s twins. Although my mom wasn’t Irish, that list looks pretty mom universal.

💖 Speaking of Mother’s Day…

HappyMothersDayAll

💕 And My Best Girl Forever Mom…

Juliet&HerBabies

 

 

May7

May 6, 2018 – Burying Nick, a Variety of Rambling & Creepiness

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What I Watched Today

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

 

Fear the Walking Dead

Everyone is stunned about Nick. Al has videoed the aftermath. We see Luci make sure Nick doesn’t come back by stabbing him in the head, Alicia re-killing Ennis more viciously (somehow, he got rid of the deer head he was impaled on), and Victor covers Nick up. In the van, Victor tells Al, let’s get this over with. Al says it can wait until he’s buried, but Victor says that was the deal. She asks how he ended up there, and he tells her that’s a big question. She says sometimes those are easier to answer. Luci says they could have stopped this from happening.

It’s another one of those back-and-forth episodes. Luci watches a guy, who looks like Riff Raff from Rocky Horror, bring some supplies to the Vultures. Charlie laughs with Ennis. She explains to Al that they had to stretch rations with cattle feed. Victor says it’s an acquired taste.

At the stadium, Victor offers to garnish lunch with maple syrup, and Alicia tells him to save it for the pancakes. He says, for when things get better, and they will. Madison says it’s time to be creative. The need to find places their friends in the parking lot haven’t hit, like maybe a bowling alley.

Victor says it was their first misstep, going on runs that day.

Victor and Cole walk through a greenhouse. Cole says he went to A&M University, and knows which plants are safe to eat. He encourages Victor to tell him something about himself, and Victor says he didn’t go to A&M. They find something edible, and look for a cart. Cole asks how long Victor is going to act like he’s afraid of him. Victor says that’s not the case.

Al asks if he was afraid of Cole, and Victor says, of course not. He says they’re supposed to be talking about Nick, and Al says they’re talking about him.

Cole and Victor fight off zombies in the greenhouse. Cactus zombies. They have quills sticking out of them all over. One gets Cole down. Victor pikes it in the head and helps him up.

Nick takes Luci to a nearby library. His mother once brought him there, and he thinks it’s a sign. Luci says she went with him because Nick thought it would be good for her.

Inside the library, Nick whistles. It’s empty because zombies don’t read. He takes a poster down off the wall, and Luci asks why they’re here. Nick tells her that people need a reason to stick around, and not just food. She says there’s nothing left, but he thinks there has to be something. Luci says it’s about her, referring to Charlie. Nick says she thinks they’re looking out for her and they’re family. Luci says she thought Colonia was a good place to be, but it wasn’t. He helped her.

Al says, but he couldn’t help Charlie. Luci says, she killed Nick. What do you think?

John tells Morgan he used to be a police officer. He knew a guy who drank a bottle of rye every night. One night he survived a close call. A guy stole a garbage truck, and it ended up squashing his patrol car. He went a week without touching rye. John says it takes more than a week to change someone. He thinks Morgan will be on his way after Nick is buried. John is going to find Laura, and wants Morgan with him. He wants them to meet. Morgan just wants to see Nick buried, and he’ll be on his way. He’s better on his own.

Al says they can stop if it’s too much; Alicia’s brother died. Alicia says, yeah, he did.

Alicia and Naomi go to a small waterpark. Naomi sees a van she thinks they should take back, pointing out that it even has a tape deck. She looks for keys, but finds nothing. They head into the park, which looks like something from Abandoned, but with dead bodies all over. A zombie stumbles out, and Alicia stabs its head. Another follows, and Naomi takes care of that one. Naomi says whoever camped here moved to higher ground when the fence came down, showing Alicia a site on a platform at the top of the waterslide. The stairs are barricaded, but Alicia says they can get up there from the slide. They look at the zombies wandering around in the water.

Victor says he wanted to do the right thing in the car. Cole tells Victor that if he doesn’t like him, just tell him. Victor says he does like him. Cole asks why he won’t share information about himself then, and Victor says he doesn’t want Cole to know him. He’s done dumb things, and keeps this to remind him not to be that man. He hands Cole what we both agree looks like a piece of a rock. Victor says, it’s not.

Al asks if going on run brought them closer together, and Alicia says, of course it did. They were the only ones still breathing. She and Naomi wade through the pool, and the zombies. Naomi tries to get up the slide, but keeps slipping back down. Alicia gives her a boost, and tries to follow, but she slips and loses her knife. As they struggle to get up the slide, there’s a terrific crane shot showing the cluster of zombies, grappling at the bottom.

They carefully make their way up. It would really suck to get all that way and slide back down into a mess of zombies. They look at the stuff left behind, and Alicia thinks there’s still some ammo. A zombie toddles out, startling them. They struggle with it, and Naomi falls down to a bowl-like attachment on the slide. I’m guessing you could once slide through it, but now there’s a clog of zombies caked in slime in the opening. Naomi kicks at them, but one is particularly aggressive. Alicia slides down, having grabbed a pipe that was part of the slide. She knocks the zombie in the head, and it slides back down into the clog. I have to admit, I made noises out loud throughout this whole scene.

Al asks when she sharpened it. Alicia says that came later.

Back at the top, Alicia and Naomi go through the stuff. Naomi finds the keys to the van, but says nothing. There’s a trunk of medical supplies, and Naomi tells Alicia to take as much as she can. Naomi gives Alicia binoculars, and suggests she look for what hasn’t been picked over. Alicia thinks there’s a possibility, but when she turns around, Naomi is gone.

Al asks, what happened? Did she run? Victor says, they’re all running.

Victor and Cole go to a parking lot. Cole asks where the hell they are. Victor opens the hatchback of a car, and says, when the crops failed, he gathered things. Cole asks why Victor is showing him. Victor says there’s enough room for two. Cole tells him that people are hungry. Victor says the supplies would maybe feed them for a day; it wouldn’t make a difference. Cole says makes a difference between them making it for another day or not. Victor says so could this. Before, he did things where people got hurt or died. He learned self-preservation. He says famine is on the horizon, and he did it to ensure he survived. He wants Cole to know this is him. Cole shakes his head. He can’t do it. Victor says he didn’t think so. Cole says he’ll drive himself back.

Al asks if he left, and if Victor thinks it’s his fault. Alicia says, it’s not his fault. He wasn’t the only one who thought about leaving.

Naomi starts the car. It chugs to a stop because there’s no gas in it. I’m not even going to say it. Yes, I am. You’d think she’d have checked that first thing. She sure made a good guess those were the right car keys. Alicia is there, and says that’s the second time she ran out since they’ve met. Naomi doesn’t have to tell them anything, but she’s either with them, trying to keep it going, or not. Naomi says she can’t try to keep this going. Alicia tells her that she said the same thing once. She went off on her own; no one could talk her out of it, but wasn’t what she wanted it to be. Maybe she’ll realize that too. Alicia says she’ll go with her to get some gas.

Al asks if Luci thought about leaving. Luci says they all did.

Luci tells Nick that they have to go. He says there could be something there for her. He looks around in the back, and we hear zombie noises. A trail of books leads to a zombie who’s tied up, so it can’t escape. Nick puts it out of its misery, and sees that its wrists are slit. Luci sees a book of maps. Luci say she doesn’t want to end up like that. Nick tells her they know what’s wrong, and they’re going to try and fix it. She says what if they find a new place? Start over. He asks, where, and she hands him the book. She says the first place they open to.

Al asks Luci, what page did it open to? It’s the reason she’s sitting here, isn’t it? Luci says she should have never opened the book.

Madison looks through binoculars at the Vultures. Mel waves and holds up a radio. She gets on hers, and asks if he needs help. He asks if they have relish. She goes down to the parking lot, but I don’t see her bringing any relish. He says they’ve finished it, haven’t they? And the ketchup and mustard. Condiments are the first things to go, in trying to dress up things they don’t want to eat. The dressing up part is true even in real life. I remember putting Italian dressing on green beans and ketchup on mac and cheese at lunch in high school. Mel is cooking hotdogs. He asks where she’s sending people, and she says, why? So they can beat them there? She doesn’t think so. He says every time she sends someone out, they might not come back. Madison says they will; she knows her people.

Mel says before he lived on the bus, he lived like them, in a settlement; his family’s cattle ranch in hill country. It was a nice place to be, but then wildfires kicked up. Madison knows where he’s going. She says, he’s smart, and saw what was coming. He tried to warn everyone, but they wouldn’t listen. So he and his brother left before the fires hit. She says she’s sorry about the rest of his family. Mel says, people are stubborn creatures. He asks if she’d like a weenie, but she’s good. He says if she didn’t come out for food or company, what is she doing there? She says her offer still stands. If they want relish, they could scrounge some up from the concession stand. They can make a go of it, if they work together. He asks if she believes that. She does, and he says that’s why the place is going to fall. His offer also stands. She turns to leave, and he says she was wrong about his story. He told them that they could save the place, and they listened. He and Ennis were the only ones who made it out alive. They could hear them scream as they drove off. Madison walks away.

Al says that’s why it’s so important. They gave up on the stadium.

In the library, Luci flips open the book.

Victor sits in his car.

Naomi tells Alicia that she was a nurse. After a while, she could tell who would make it and who wouldn’t. She says the stadium won’t last. They have to think about where they’re going next. Alicia says she’ll talk to Madison.

Victor says Al thinks she knows what happened that day, but she’s wrong.

Cole drives up to the stadium, and Madison asks if Victor is okay. Victor drives in behind him. Al asks why he came back, and Victor says he got a reminder of what he stood to lose. He looks at the syrup. Al asks what people thought when they found out about his escape hatch. Madison sees all the supplies, and says it looks like they got a break. Victor tells Al that he didn’t tell them the truth. Al asks Luci what page it opened to.

Luci says they’re going north. Nick asks what if there’s another way of looking at this. They bring the book to Madison. Nick asks what if they went further to scavenge than they have before. Madison says they can’t go that far every time, but he says they only need to go once. He tells her they can get seeds and fertilizer. They can replant, and turn the place back into what it was. Madison says okay, because she’s coming from a place of yes this season.

A tear rolls down Luci’s face.

Alicia tells Madison they have to talk. Al asks if Alicia told her about Naomi.

Alicia knocks on Naomi’s car window as she’s starting to leave. She asks if they ever lived when Naomi thought they were going to die. Naomi tells Alicia to let her do the talking, and Alicia gets in, saying, nice wheels. At the stadium, Naomi says if they’re going to make it work, things will get worse before they get better. She’s going to set up an infirmary.

Alicia says instead of fighting to change everything, she should have told them to leave. Luci says they should have found somewhere else. Victor says he wanted to be a better person, that’s why he’s dead. Luci says they could have stopped it all. Al puts down the camera.

Al stops the van, and they get out. Victor says, this is it. They dig, and John asks, why here? Alicia asks what difference it makes to him, and he says he just wants to know. They continue to dig, and dig up a cache of guns. Al says it’s not about Nick. They’re going after the rest of them, even after what happened to Nick. Alicia says it’s what he would have wanted. Al says answers only matter if they’re true. Alicia says it was the truth, and Al says it was served between two slices of bullsh*t. She tells them good luck without her. Victor says they know where the Vultures are meeting up next, and Al says, they needed a ride. John says she’s been snookered. She asks if they’re really going to lug all this, and Alicia says unless she takes them. John says his seems to be the only story that doesn’t end with someone getting hurt or killed. Victor says if Al wants to know how it ends, come see for herself, and Al tells them to load up the van. Morgan asks Alicia if they’re still planning on burying her brother or are they leaving him on the side of the road? Alicia says they’ll bury him there. Morgan says, he liked growing things, right?

In a spot near a beautiful tree, Victor puts the last dirt on the grave. Luci kneels down and touches it. Morgan leaves a bluebonnet.

As they’re packing the truck, John asks where they got some of it. Alicia says it’s just stuff they’ve picked up along the way. He asks for a knapsack, saying it belonged to Laura.

At the stadium, Naomi asks Alicia for a second alone. She takes out a gun that matches John’s.

John takes out the gun. He says, her name was Naomi. She never told him her real name. He asks where she is, and Alicia says she didn’t make it out of the stadium. Things went wrong. He guesses that trip is off, and asks what happened. Alicia says, she’s dead, and he says that’s not true. She’s out there; she’s gotta be. Victor says, there’s the rub, his story did end up with someone getting hurt. Alicia says they did this. Come with them. John asks them to let him be. Al approaches him. She says she’ll find out what happened, and come back for him. Morgan tells them to go; he’ll stay behind. They drive off. Morgan tells John that he’s sorry. John says he was right. We’re always on our own.

Next time, John and Naomi’s story.

👌 I love the Morgan/John pairing. I have more feels for these characters than the ones on Walking Dead. They just seem more well-rounded. Although I probably enjoy Talking Dead most of all. It’s like the day after a convention (sci/fi, horror, Star Trek, whatever, take your pick), when you rehash everything and look over all the crap you bought.

🏯 I’m not really watching Into the Badlands, although it might be one of those things I consume in one bite On Demand someday. I did glance at it though, and it looks awesome. Like a Quentin Tarantino film, but more colorful. The fight scenes are unbelievable – chicks with swords! – and I’ll bet a lot of the actors go home bruised and sore.

🍷 I didn’t really take in too much of The Real Housewives of Potomac tonight, but there was a stand-out quote, brought to us by Candiace: I think I like her better drunk. I don’t know who she was referring to, but I thought of how well it could apply to anyone in the franchise saying it about anyone else in the franchise.

🐎 Was that Walking Dead’s Simon I saw on Westworld?

👻 Sadly, Ghost Wars has been canceled.

https://www.themarysue.com/syfy-cancels-ghost-wars-after-one-season/

😱 🎢 Imagine Zombies Clogging This Up…

Much worse than spiders. I’m talking to you, Stephen King.

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Apr30

April 29, 2018 – A Lot of Dead, a Little Rambling & Another One Bites the Dust

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What I Watched Today

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

 

Fear the Walking Dead

Nick burns the crops. I guess he’s still not done fighting the weevils. Too bad they can’t feed the weevils to the zombies and get the zombies to do the farming.

Al asks what they did to Nick. She tells him that she’s just trying to help. They’re all breathing, which means they’re on the same team. Victor thinks they should have reached the turn-off by now. Al says she gave them the right directions, just not all of them. She wants their stories, and they want to know where she found the flag. She’s not letting them take her van or threaten them anymore. Nick says this is how it’s going to be, and Al asks if he knows how many times she’s been zip-tied. She manages to grab Nick, getting him to drop is weapon, and tells Luci to pull over. Nick tells Luci not to do it. They see a cluster of zombies, and Al says, change of plans; keep driving. There’s a scuffle, thanks to Nick, and Luci turns, but into a ditch. Nice going. Although a few zombies were creamed in the process.

Nick makes stupid faces as he comes to, and John reaches for the wheel.

Nick is back at the stadium. Madison asks if he’s okay, and tells him she’s going on a run. He says he’s coming; he wants to help.

Nick wakes up next to a pile of zombies, and John trying to get the truck out. Al says they have to get a tow. Then they’ll talk about whatever they have to – or not. They can go on their way if they want. Luci thinks they could use a truck from a service yard she saw. Victor says often the start of a negotiation requires an act of faith. John asks Al if she trusts him, and Al says, probably not. She unties all of them, hesitating when she gets to Victor. She ties Nick to the truck. Morgan says he’ll only slow them down, so he’ll stay. Al asks if he’ll be there when they get back he says if he’s not, something went wrong. John takes the others up the hill. Luci tells Nick they won’t be gone long.

Morgan reads, and Nick asks what he’s reading. Morgan is silent, and Nick asks for something to eat. Morgan cuts his ties, and tells him get it himself. Nick asks if he isn’t worried. He reaches for Morgan, and Morgan knocks him on his face, saying he’s not worried. (Ah-ha! in Nelson voice.) Nick gets a protein bar, and asks if Morgan likes peanut butter. He gives Morgan half, and introduces himself. Morgan says he’s going up to the road and not to move five feet from the truck. Nick picks up Morgan’s book, The Art of Peace, and flips though it.

Nick looks around the truck, and finds the video camera. He fast-forwards through John’s interview, and stops on Morgan’s. Morgan practices with his pokey stick, but his leg hurts. He sees car racing down the roads, and runs – as fast as he can anyway – back to the truck. He tells Nick to get down. Nick sees the car go past, and grapples with Morgan. They cause the horn to go off. It’s stuck, and just continues to blare. Zombies pop out of everywhere. Nick takes off. Morgan asks Nick to toss him his stick, and Nick runs. I’m annoyed that Nick is leaving injured Morgan to the zombies, so he can chase after a flashy old convertible.

We see a close-up of a zombie. Then a close-up of Al slicing its skull. Luci sees a huge wheel of cable, and thinks it would work. John hopes they can get Al’s truck out by sundown. They drive back in a flatbed truck, carrying the wheel. Victor believes Al’s mission is one of benevolence; they’re alive after an aggressive introduction. He asks if she’s doing it for a reason. She says she wants them to clean up the mess they made. He thinks there’s more to it than that, and she says, their stories. He asks, for who? and she says she doesn’t know how it ends. It might be the only thing left. Victor says there will be no one to see it, and Al says, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that it’s captured. She sees a scar on his hand, and asks what happened and why is he trying to hide it? He asks her again, why? She says, the truth matters. That’s the trade; the truth about him for the flag. He says they’re just words, and she says, more than that. Luci joins them, saying she gets it. She says Al knows her sh*t, except for the sh*t about the truth. Victor says he’ll consider the offer.

Nick runs. He looks into the woods and sees some bluebonnets.

Nick and Madison drive past Mel and the Vulture gang. Ohh, the blue convertible is their car. Mel greets Madison, and tells her it’s slim pickin’s unless you know where to look. Madison says they’ll manage. He’s glad to see Nick is back out again. He tosses The Little Prince into their car, asking Nick to tells his girlfriend that Charlie doesn’t like children’s books. They drive away, and Nick says she didn’t stand a chance. Charlie was never staying with them, no matter what. Madison says they’ll get her back. Nick asks how Madison does it, and she says wherever she goes, she tries to look for something good. A ravioli billboard, an armadillo, a sign that people tried to help each other. She always sees something.

Nick picks a flower. This is one of those episodes where they go back and forth in time. I hate that. If I want to watch that, I’ll watch Once Upon a Time. We hear zombie gurgles. Here they come. Nick whacks them with a hammer, but gets knocked down. One zombie comes close, like a few inches from his face, but Morgan whacks it and stabs it in the head. He tells Nick that they need to find someplace safe, and helps him up.

Morgan and Nick ease on down the road. Nick says the others will wonder what happened, but Morgan says they’ll find them. They come to a town where there are a few zombies toddling around, and they kill them. Nick asks if Morgan is okay. Morgan suggest they sit tight. Nick asks why Morgan helped him, and Morgan says he doesn’t kill.

Madison and Nick find that stinking convertible in front of a church, with a bunch of canned goods in crates in the back. It’s Mel’s brother, Ennis. Nick asks if he’s following them, and Ennis says they were there first. He tells them to get a faster car. Charlie comes out of the church, and Ennis says Mel told them she has a knack for finding the good stuff. Nick tells Charlie that she doesn’t have to listen. Ennis says she wants to. He found her, and taught her how to make it. Nick moves toward Ennis. Madison tells him, now is not the time. Ennis says he keeps his family safe. Nick is on him, holding a knife to his throat. Madison tells him to stop. Ennis is bleeding, and tells Charlie, let’s get out of here.

Morgan tapes his leg. Nick asks if he wants help, and Morgan says he’s got it. Nick tells him to lay off the karate. Morgan tells Nick to stop getting himself in trouble, and its not karate. Nick asks what it is, and Morgan says, just not karate. Nick thinks they should find a car before they come back. Morgan says, the El Camino? telling us what kind of cool car it is. Morgan says it’s not going to work out how Nick thinks, and asks what they did to him. Nick says he bets Morgan has killed, and asks why did he stop? Who did he lose? He says he saw the tape, repeating Morgan’s words; I lose people, then lose myself. Morgan says he’s not telling him. If Nick wants to hunt down the ones who hurt him, it’s his business.

The horn on Al’s truck is still blasting, and zombies crowd around it. They see an arrow made out of sticks on the ground, showing them which way Nick and Morgan went. Al says she’s not leaving, and they won’t find out about the flag; not from her anyway. John says Morgan might need them; it’s just a van. Al says she has things in it, and tells him to go; she’ll be fine. Alicia says they’ll get the van out, and Victor says it’s their act of faith. He tells Luci to go find Nick. Alicia tells Al they’re not going to try anything with two of them out there. Victor says why not just tell them; how did she find those people? Al says she’ll answer all of their questions; let her film them doing what they do. Alicia says, deal. They can turn off this horn any time now.

Alicia gets the zombies’ attention, and picks them off, while Al shoots at the others. Alicia hooks the van up to the flatbed. She crawls underneath the truck, and out the other side. She gets in the cab. Victor starts up the flatbed, and pulls the van out.

Morgan sees Ennis, who tells Morgan to keep walking; there’s nothing for him there. Morgan says Ennis needs to leave, and Ennis says, or what? Ennis sees Nick, and says, holy sh*t! He didn’t think he’d see Nick. Morgan tells Nick to walk away, and Ennis says he should listen to his friend. It’s been good to see him, but he has to get some pimentos back. Unless Nick wants to give him a hand. Nick looks Morgan in the eye, and asks if he’s going to do what it takes to stop him. Morgan steps back, and Nick says, didn’t think so.

Nick tells Madison that Charlie saw everything, but didn’t do anything. He would have been trying to do the right thing, but she did the worst thing. Being out there makes him feel more trapped, like who he’ll be is closing in on him and suffocating him.

Nick jumps Ennis.

Morgan walks away, and keeps going.

Nick and Ennis fight. Ennis cracks Nick in the head with a jar of pimentos.

Morgan is like, dammit, and turns around.

Ennis has a knife a millimeter away from Nick’s eyeball. A deer head has fallen down during their scuffle, and Nick pushes Ennis back onto the antlers, where he’s impaled. That’s not good enough, so Nick pushes on him, until he’s finished. Great. A zombie with a deer head attached to it. Just what everyone needs.

John looks at a downed zombie, and says looks like a stick-based trauma. He asks Luci why Nick was worried she wouldn’t come back, and she says one time she didn’t. Al comes by in the truck. John asks if Luci left because she didn’t love Nick. She says she left, but still loved him.

Morgan finds Nick, his hands drenched in blood. Nick asks what he wants. Morgan says it was his wife, his son, and his friends. That’s who he lost before he lost himself. He knows where Nick is; he was there. He didn’t know how to make it stop, or if he wanted it to. He didn’t think he could find his way out. Then he met someone; a man who didn’t have to help him, but did. The man showed him all life is precious, and it helped; It still dos. Nick asks, how exactly? Morgan takes out the book, and says the books is part of it. Nick says, too late, and Morgan says, believe me, it’s not. He puts the book into Nick’s bloodied hands. He says they can talk about it; talk about anything. Nick takes the book.

Sitting on some steps, Nick reads. Al comes with the others in the truck. Al checks through her tapes. She puts one on top that says, The Bog, along with the dates it was filmed.

Nick puts the book in his pocket, and takes out the bluebonnet. He contemplates it.

Madison drives while Nick navigates. She stops by a field of bluebonnets. Nick lies down in the middle of them.

Nick hears a gunshot. He puts his hand on his chest, and realizes he’s been shot. Charlie stands in front of him with a gun. She backs away, and he falls. Luci and Alicia find him. Charlie disappears. Victor tries to stop the bleeding. Alicia tells him to look at her; it’s going to be fine. That’s highly doubtful, since blood is pouring out of his mouth and he’s gasping for air. Nick tries to talk, but he’s never going to talk again. He’s dead. Victor looks at Luci. Morgan is like, damn, I want my book back. Alicia wails over Nick’s body. Luci cries silently, and Victor holds her.

Nick lies in the bluebonnet field.

Next time, Al does some interviews, Mel asks if Madison wants a weenie (spoiler: she says she’s good), and we see the amusement park.

💬 Funny aside. On Talking Dead, during Nick’s “obituary,” it said no one told him, never look at the flowers. Two of the episode writers were guests, and said they liked the idea, but if it was a reference to Carol in The Walking Dead, it was subconscious. They did add that was one of their favorite episodes though. You decide…

🍑 Tonight, The Real Housewives of Atlanta had a 10th Anniversary special. It was fun to see all the wigs gone by, and the pulling thereof. Also the many noses of Kim and NeNe. What’s with Kim anyway? Why does she seem human on Don’t Be Tardy, and she’s a raving lunatic on Housewives? And was she a cast member without a peach this season? That was confusing. Kim is confusing. And why does she want to look like she’s fifty when she’s barely past thirty? So many questions I will never have answered.

⚓ I’m almost caught up with The Terror, having watched a marathon today. My town had a marathon today too, which bounced me out of bed at the crack of dawn, with the base from a loudspeaker blasting bad music. But that’s another story. The Terror is a cool show – no pun intended. The icy scenery is fabulous though, and makes you feel cold just looking at it. The atmosphere is creepy as hell. Like Ravenous, but on a boat, and without the Civil War and cannibalism. No cannibalism yet anyway. Being out in the middle of frozen nowhere, long before we had radios, is scary enough, but with an unknown entity – they keep saying it’s a bear, but no way it’s a bear – that keeps chopping people in half, it delivers what the title promises. I’m through episode five – I think tomorrow is seven – and in it for the long haul. Or short, or whatever the haul is.

😢 Sigh…

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Apr23

April 22, 2018 – Madison Meets New People, Quite the Hat, Film Talk & More Than One Random Thought

Posted on by
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What I Watched Today

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

 

Fear the Walking Dead

Before

Everyone is sleeping like things are normal; like it used to be. Luci makes coffee for Nick, and everybody gets dressed, and ready for the day. All kinds of activities are going on.

Madison asks a little girl about her family, but she doesn’t want to talk. She asks the girl about some of her favorite things instead. Madison says it takes getting used to, but this is home now. She’ll do what she can to make it happen, but needs help. The girl nods. Madison asks where the girl was coming from, and she points. Madison looks out to see zombies wandering around outside the baseball stadium they call home.

Over a loudspeaker, we hear it’s been 365 days. Victor says they’re celebrating, and pours maple syrup over everyone’s breakfast. Madison hammers away at something, and Alicia brings her some food. She tells Madison that they’re leaving in twenty minutes.

The girl talks to Nick about a story that sounds like Faust; a guy selling his soul to the devil. The turnip crop isn’t doing so great, and the girl, whose name is Charlie, asks about food running out. Nick says they’re almost growing enough not to need scavenging.

Madison tells the others where she thinks Charlie is from, but it’s outside the range. Madison says they have to look for her family anyway.

The group gets ready to leave. Nick asks Luci to find Charlie a new book. If she’s reading Faust, hopefully Luci understands to bring back something at a higher reading level than My Little Pony. Luci says Nick should come, but he has a turnip situation. He asks her to make sure Madison comes back this time. Luci tells Madison that Nick has to come out at some point. Madison says he needs to feel safe right now, but he will. Nick finds out it’s weevils causing the crops to fail, and radios the car. They get out of range before he can finish the conversation.

Madison parks, and tells them eyes open, stay close, keep talking. Victor and Luci go through a building that’s been picked clean; even the lightbulbs are gone. Alicia and Madison find a mess and a burned-out car. Madison says it’s lucky Charlie got out alive. Victor realizes the place isn’t just void of survivors, but also the dead. It’s a ghost town without ghosts. (I said that, not him.) Madison sees half-eaten food, and tells Victor that they’ll be there in a minute.

Luci says Madison won’t stop until she looks under every rock. Victor says she wouldn’t stop until she found him. He still hasn’t asked why she helped him after what he did. Luci suggests he does.

Charlie messes with the radio, and Nick tells her it’s okay, they haven’t been gone that long. Charlie knows it’s not a regular run. Nick says if her family is out there, they’ll find them. He asks if she’ll help with the turnips. What is it with turnips? They grow them on The Walking Dead too. Considering my gardening skills lean more toward enthusiasm than actual talent, maybe I should try growing them.

Madison and Alicia look around, but there’s nothing. A woman comes up behind Madison with a gun, and asks for her keys. Madison tells her that she doesn’t have to do this, but the woman keeps a bead on her. Madison signals Victor on the radio. He says, sh*t! and takes off. Madison tells the woman about the settlement. She says they have strong walls, plenty of food, and good people. She says they took in a little girl named Charlie, and asks if the woman knows her, but she says she doesn’t have a kid, and tells Madison to stop. She takes the keys from Madison’s pouch, but runs up against Alicia, with Victor and Luci now behind her. The woman dashes past them. Madison follows.

The woman runs up some steps leading to an oil tank. Alicia asks her to put the gun down, and puts her own down. Alicia tells her to trust them; they’ll give her the car. The woman backs up, and falls into the tank. Lots of falling through roofs going around. It’s dark, and full of oily water. Zombies pop up everywhere. Madison tells Victor to get the hatch open, and jumps down. Victor and Alicia struggle to get it open, but finally do, and oil, water, and zombies flow out. They kill the zombies, and Alicia gets Madison out.

Luci finds a copy of The Little Prince. Well, it’s no Dostoevsky, but better than My Little Pony. Victor wonders why they’re bothering, and Madison says, no one is gone until they’re gone. The woman introduces herself as Naomie. She says she’s sorry; she wasn’t going to hurt her. Madison asks if she has any idea who let the zombies into the tank, but she just got there. Madison asks where she’s from, and Naomie says it’s been a long time since she’s been from anywhere. We hear zombie noises, and Luci says they should leave – now.

Nick burns the turnip crop. A zombie sticks its dead fingers through the fence. Suddenly, music is playing, then fades. Nick wonders if it’s a signal, and he and the others wait to hear it again. There’s just silence, and Nick asks Charlie to open the gate. He gets in a car, takes a deep breath, and rolls out.

Nick remembers being behind a fence, and blowing up the reservoir. Zombies grapple at the car, and Nick runs into something, hitting his head on the dashboard. A sniper from the settlement shoots at the zombies, and radios him to get back. He gets out, and starts walking toward the gate. A zombie starts to come up on him from behind, and in perfect timing, Madison returns and creams it with her car. Luci asks what happened, and Nick says he was out for a stroll. She tells him get in.

Madison wants to talk to Charlie. Charlie says it’s okay; she knows Madison didn’t find them. Madison  tells Charlie that she has to ask another question; not an easy one. What happened at the camp? Who did that? Charlie says nothing, and Madison says they’ll talk later.

Nick gets his wounds dressed by Naomie, who was a nurse, at the ER, then the ICU. Madison doesn’t think it was a surprise to Charlie that they didn’t find her family. Nick leaves, and Naomie says Madison didn’t tell her it was a baseball stadium. Madison says Naomie didn’t believe she had a camp. Naomie asks how many, and Madison says forty-seven; forty-eight if she decides to stay. Naomie says she pulled a gun, but Madison says they’ve all done worse. She thought she’d lost her kids, but found them and found this place. They built it up together. They are who they are because of it. Naomie says they don’t know her. Madison says she doesn’t know them. They’re both taking a chance. She suggests Naomie take a shower, and Naomie is astounded they have one – with hot water.

Victor pushes the car Nick was driving, while another guy steers. Luci radios them to get inside now; ditch the car. They look behind them, where there’s a convoy of large vehicles driving in. They run in, and lock the gate. This doesn’t look good.

A dude rides around on a bicycle, music coming from the boombox on the handlebars. Another guy opens a boxcar, and takes out a ramp. Biking dude leads the zombies up the ramp, and goes out the other side, while the ramp guy locks the zombies in. He puts a flag up that says 12. (In last week’s episode, Al found a flag that said 51, and said she’d seen a lot of those.) A third guy gets out a lawn chair, sits in it, and cracks a beer. Everyone watches. Okay, they have me. I have no clue what’s going on, but obviously these numbers mean something.

Madison walks over to guy sitting down, and asks what he’s doing. He says, having a drink. She asks if there’s a problem, and he says, we’re good, and asks if she wants a drink. She says they have people inside with guns, and he says, that’s a helluva welcome. She tells him that she saw the camp, and the tanks. He asks if she thinks they did that, and she says she saw their flag. He tells her that they had to clean up the mess. The people never thought of what would happen if the bleeder valve got jammed. He warned them, but they didn’t listen. Madison asks what he wants. He wants them to listen. They have a mess of their own. He knows they had a bad batch of turnips, and says to tell Nick to check the other crops; weevils are a bitch to get rid of. Madison asks how he knows Nick’s name. He calls out for Chito, and Charlie walks over.

He tells Charlie, sorry he’s late, but he got her some new records. She smiles, and he tells her to get in the bus. He tells Madison that she’s a good kid. They found her a while back; she has a knack for finding good stuff, and they hit the jackpot here. Madison says they’re not taking anything. He tells her people often say that. They don’t take anything from anyone; not anyone alive anyway. He knows they’re good people, and how many guns they have. He says there’s a natural cycle to a place like this, and they’re due for something to go wrong. They can either give them their stuff and live, or join them. Become one of them, or they wait for them to die, trying to make things work. Either way, he ends up with what he wants. It’s not a threat; it’s the way it goes. He tells Madison that his name is Mel, and holds out his hand. She doesn’t reciprocate, and says they’re not going anywhere. Mel says he’s heard that too. She says they’ve been like them, moving from place to place, and they’re not going back to that life; they’ve found a better way. Mel says they just haven’t been tested yet, but they’re about to be. If she changes her mind, they’ll be waiting. I’m wondering where the women are in this merry band.

Nick toils in the fields. Mel and his friends play more music, country this time. The weevils still rule the turnips. Madison continues to hammer. The others put down their guns, and join her. Takeaway point: Country music makes people do carpentry.

Luci goes out to the bus. Charlie watches from the window as she leaves the book outside. Luci goes back, and joins in on the hammering. Nick remembers working on Jeremiah’s house.

Now

Morgan and John are on their knees, with Madison and her group around them. Morgan says, we’re not who you think we are. Nick rifles through Morgan’s knapsack, and Morgan tells him to help himself. Luci says they must be with them, and holds up the numbered flag. Al asks, who? Victor says, the Vultures. Al has no idea what he’s talking about, and says, if you a-holes would put your guns down, we can help each other. Madison asks who put the flag up, and Al asks what is it to them? Alicia tells Al that she’s going to answer their questions. Al says they found it, and Alicia says show them where.

They get into Al’s truck, and move out.

Next time, Morgan and Nick tussle, Alicia fights zombies, and Morgan says it’s not going to work out how they think. And in case you didn’t know, Naomie is being played by Jenna Elfman.

😸 Ha-Ha!

On Talking Dead, when they say goodbye to those we’ve lost this week, they included Nick’s crop, calling them tur-nopes.

🍸 I barely glanced at The Real Housewives of Potomac, but I did see Robyn trying to have some serious words with Ashley about respect. Ashley was wearing a hat – a fascinator no less – the size of Potomac, and I wondered how Robyn could even keep a straight face, much less discuss anything important. This was during a garden party Gizelle had for a book she was writing (via ghostwriter) about pastor’s wives in the Black church, who are called First Ladies. It’s fiction, but loosely based on her own experiences. I’d definitely read that.

🏯 I was watching a mini-marathon of Abandoned episodes on Viceland this morning (I love that show!), and it led to my leaving the TV on when the original 1980 film of The Shining followed. I’ve never thought it was as good as the book, and thought Jack Nicholson seemed crazy from the jump. I would never let him babysit my hotel over the winter. And Shelley Duvall… well, she was Shelley Duvall. The remake (1997) had more of a sporting chance, since it was a mini-series and had more hours to tell the story. Sadly, although I finally got the topiary animals I wanted to see (Stanley Kubrick couldn’t get them to look right on film in the original, so they were scrapped for the maze), it was somewhat tepid, and lacked the intensity of the original Danny (Danny Lloyd) and Dick Halloran (Scatman Crothers). Which brings me to my point. It was pretty much background noise until Scatman was on the screen. While I love looking at the hotel – sometimes the setting can be one of the stars of the film for me – my favorite scene is when Dick connects telepathically with Danny in the pantry, then explains the shining to him. They just seem so real. That it still captivates me after all these years is a testament to their acting skills. SPOILER – if you’re the one person who hasn’t seen this film. That’s what made it even worse that they killed him off, totally changing the end of the story, where he saves the day. I heard there was supposed to be a third time, again for the big screen. Whether that’s the charm or not, remains to be seen.

🎷🚬 The second episode of Southern Charm New Orleans was on tonight. While Charleston is your upscale country cousin, NOLA is your sultry, mysterious maiden aunt, who never ages, but has a portrait upstairs.

🔌 I saw a commercial for Amazon Echo, and it was a father telling Alexa to announce “ready or not” to his kids during a game of hide-and-seek. How lazy can you get????  Unplug now. Save yourself.

🔮 Danny Learns About His Gift…

🌎 Happy Earth Day! 🌍

Apr22

April 21, 2018 – Double the Dead with Catch-up & a Side of Random Thoughts

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What I Watched Today

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

 

I couldn’t do this last week because the wind blew my internet away. But now, I’m all caught up, and if you weren’t, you will be too. Sorry for the different tenses between shows. It just came out that way.

The Walking Dead

Rick wondered how it happened that Carl got bit. Siddiq explained that his mom believed the dead’s souls were trapped. Carl wanted to honor her to gain Siddiq’s trust, and died paying respects to a woman he never knew. Siddiq had a brainfart, and forgot it was dangerous. Which didn’t exactly answer the question.

Ezekiel told Jerry to justify what they’ve lost, be prepared to lose everything. but they weren’t going to lose sh*t. Daryl still thought Dwight could be setting them up. Morgan got weird, thinking that something was happening, and nearly skewered Henry with his pokey stick. Maggie wouldn’t let the stray Saviors come along for the battle. Morgan insisted on coming, even though Rick was skeptical. Morgan said they were worse than they were, and it was wrong for Rick to have given his word, then double-cross the renegade Saviors. They lost everything good, and can’t go back. Morgan wanted to finish it.

Negan told Dwight that he had nothing, and told his guys to load Dwight up. Eugene personally checked and quality controlled all of the ammunition, and Negan tested it on an effigy of Rick. Eugene suggested a one-fell swooper. Negan decided Gabriel should tag along; he had things to confess.

Negan set up a roadblock, using his own people as bait. He told Gabriel that Rick thought he got the real story. Now he’ll find the map with the time and place, and believe it, because he’s going to kill everyone who could have told him otherwise. Sure enough, Rick kills them all, even the last guy begging for his life. Morgan saw Jared in a vision, and he told Morgan that he should try dying sometime. Ezekiel found the map on one of the dead Saviors, and Carol figured they could get to Negan before he knew what happened.

Gabriel was surprised that Negan wanted to kill everyone; he’d thought Negan didn’t want that to happen. Negan told him it wasn’t about want; it never was. Gabriel bounced out of the moving car, but Eugene helped hunt him down. Negan remembered Gabriel saying he didn’t want to die a fruitless death, and told him you can’t always get what you want, while I got a Rolling Stones earworm. He told Eugene to put Gabriel back in the car.

Jesus tried to explain the conundrum of safety to Morgan, and proposed the pokey end of his stick for the dead, and the blunt end for the living. When Rick and company came out into the open, they heard whistling. It looked like the Saviors had Rick’s people outnumbered by about 300%. Negan said he met Rick’s ambush with a bigger one, and to come out and face them. He wanted to make it fun, so he brought some old friends. He told them that Eugene made today possible; the same with Dwight. He told Dwight he was going to watch them die, and live with that. He was going to clean house, starting with Gabriel. He told Rick there never had to be a fight, if he’d just accepted how things are. Negan started to count down, and they looked like the Jun horde from The Beastmaster coming over the top of the mountain.

They joke was on them, because Eugene had quality controlled the bullets to shoot backward, and they shot themselves. Pretty good trick. Rick announced the charge, and there was lots of shooting, but Negan took off. The ex-Saviors Maggie didn’t want there came anyway. A bunch of Saviors who came out of nowhere, nearly nailed the group, but got blown up by the Oceansiders, who’d decided to join in too. The remaining Saviors kneeled in front of Maggie, and said, it’s over.

Rick went after Negan on his own, but ran out of bullets. They kicked each other’s asses for a while, by the tree where Carl is buried. During a break, Negan told Rick he was bullsh*tting with the eenie, meenie, minie, mo business in the beginning. He just didn’t want to kill a kid’s dad in front of him, but if he had, the kid might still be alive. Negan always makes good points. He told Rick he’s bigger, badder, and has a bat. Rick wanted to talk about the future. He told Negan that Carl said there didn’t have to be a fight. Despite looking somewhat weepy, Negan said Carl was wrong, and Rick slit his throat. Surprising the hell out of me, and probably everyone else, although somehow, it seemed anti-climactic and rude.

Everyone was like, whoa, and then, now what? Rick said Negan was still alive, and told Siddiq to save him. Maggie freaked out, saying they had to end it, and it wasn’t over until Negan was dead. Rick said they were all going home. Negan might be alive, but his way of doing things was over. Anyone who couldn’t live with it would pay the price. He said they were going to live in peace and fairness, and find common ground. The world was theirs, but others would come for them unless they stood together. The new world was going to begin, and there had to be something after. Rosita gave props to Eugene for the sabotage, but punched him in the face anyway for the puke.

Morgan gave Carol his pseudo armor for Henry, and walked off. Rick got teary, as Rick is wont to do these days, and said, mercy prevails over the land. He sat where Carl was buried, and cried.

The ex-Saviors decided to go back to the Sanctuary, hoping to get something out of it.  The guy whose name I can never remember told Maggie that he’d been reading the book, and could make some things. He has a passion for building things, and said she gave him his life.

Daryl took Dwight to the woods. Dwight started crying and saying he knew what he did, and knew he’d have to face it and pay. He was ready; it was enough to see Negan taken down. He cried, saying how sorry he was, and Daryl told him to shut up. He tossed Dwight some car keys, and said to keep going. If he saw Dwight again, he’d kill him. As Dwight walked away, Daryl told him to find her. I assumed he meant Sherry.

Gymboree Jadis was reading at the trash heap when Morgan showed up. He told her that Rick said she could come back if she wanted. He explained that Rick wanted to show people that things can change, and needed all the hands he could get. He told her that she didn’t want to be alone, and everything in life worth a damn, is people. She told him her name is Ann, which was kind of a let-down. He told her he needed to be alone, and go back without him, which made perfect sense considering what he’d just said.

Dwight went back home to the cabin in the woods (no, not that one), where he found a note. it just said honeymoon, with an infinity symbol below it.

In Maggie’s office, she told Jesus that he was right. She had no regrets, but he and Rick were right. Rick wasn’t right about Negan though. She said they had to make it thrive for the people who live there. They needed strength, and the ability to defend themselves better, but RIck was wrong; Michonne too. She said they were going to bide their time, wait for the right moment, and then show him. Daryl came out of the shadows, and said, yeah, they will. I don’t like this.

Negan woke up, his neck bandaged, handcuffed to a bed. Michonne said she needed to tell him some things. They planned on making him watch what happens. Rick said it wasn’t about who he killed, but what he did to so many, making them live for him and putting them under the boot. Negan struggled to say, he saves people, and Michonne put her hand on his throat. Rick suggested they could open his stitches for a while. Rick said Carl pitched something better; working together for something bigger than all of them. Michonne added, being an example. They weren’t going to kill or hurt him, but his fate was to rot in a cell for the rest of his life, evidence that they’re making and getting back a civilization like they had. He’ll get to see how wrong he was about what people and life can be. They’ll show people things changed by keeping him breathing. Michonne said after all this, he’s good for something.

Gabriel went to the burned out church and thanked God. He said he understood, and knew now. He’s been given so much, and now he can see.

Rick wrote to Carl. As he wrote, we saw them in the old days, walking down a road. He told Carl that he forgot who he was, and Carl made him remember. He remembered walking with him, and knew who he was for the first time. They were walking side by side, but Carl was bringing him somewhere. To the new world. He made it real. Rick sees it and remembers. Officer Rick and little Carl continued to walk down the road.

Moving right into…

Fear the Walking Dead

Out in the middle of nowhere, a man stands by a truck. He hears something, and asks if anyone is there. He longs to hear someone else’s voice, and suggests they come out and have something to eat. He talks about his life before, and says he can make popcorn. He also has books. He says, since no one is there, before he goes quiet again for another year, he has a story. He talked to a woman who showed up. He let her stay. They had feelings for each other, and one day, they allowed it. He hoped by saying it, he would see it. He did. It was nice, and there hasn’t been a lot of nice. We hear a zombie. The man shoots it, and we see Morgan just behind. The man introduces himself as John Dory, like the fish. He asks Morgan what’s his story?

Morgan is at the trash heap. Jesus knocks at the entrance. He thought they could continue their acquaintance. He insists Morgan cares about people, and tries to get him to come back.

Morgan is alone again. There’s another knock at the entrance, and this time it’s Carol. She asks him to come back. He helped her, so let her help him. She’s not going to tell him what to do, but he belongs with people who care about him.

Again, Morgan is alone. Rick shows up, and says he can hide, but he can’t run. He wouldn’t be alive if not for Morgan. Rick was hurt, and Morgan brought him in. Morgan wasn’t shot, but he’s been hurt. He asks Morgan to come back, and not to waste another second. He’s alive and part of the world. A lot of people are there because he helped them. Morgan says that’s not him anymore. Rick disagrees, saying he’ll end up with people one way or another. He’s part of the world already, so just come back. Rick leaves.

Morgan packs up his stuff, and gets his stick. He takes a long last look at the trash, and moves on down the road. He thinks about Rick’s words, and starts to run. He hotwires a car, and the gas tank is miraculously full. He walks some more. He sees a group of people, and avoids them. He finds another car, and drives again. He goes into a town and sees a cluster of zombies.

He opens a car to find someone who’s sick and shaky. He starts to leave some supplies, but the guy doesn’t want them. Morgan says, sorry. He thought the guy was on his own. The guy says, we all are. Morgan moves along, and it starts to rain.

Morgan comes up behind a zombie in the woods. A shot rings out, the zombie falls, and we’re back to the beginning. John tells Morgan he’d like company, but Morgan is hesitant. John asks if he’s seen a woman with a pistol like his; he’s looking for her. Morgan says he hasn’t, and starts to leave, but John suggests he stay the night; he can take the back of the truck. Morgan sees the wisdom in a good night’s rest. He slips out later while John is snoring.

Morgan finds a tent with a lantern lighting the inside. He sets down his stick and gets whacked in the head. I jump a mile.

Dude tells Morgan, whatever he’s thinking, don’t. Morgan says keep the food, and he’ll go. Dude doesn’t want him telling no one. Morgan says he has no one to tell, and doesn’t want to know anyone. John is suddenly there, and shoots dude in the arm. He says he’s looking out for his friend, and dude says he has friends too. They’re surrounded, and John says now he got himself captured. He’s reminiscent of Eugene in how he speaks.

A big ass truck drives into the tent city, or whatever it is. The woman behind the wheel asks what’s going on, and remarks they have new people. She likes new people. She has a cake and some Cup O’Noodles, the good kind, and she’ll throw in some Pall Malls. Apparently, dude likes Pall Malls. She opens the hatch of the truck to reveal a couple of machine guns. She tells dude, there’s always a choice, and this is an easy one. Morgan and John get in the truck.

The woman’s name is Althea; Al for short. John asks if she’s an officer of the law, and she says, not exactly. She tells them that they owe her. She didn’t save them out of the goodness of her heart. John draws his gun, but she says she just wants to ask them questions. What they’ve seen, who they’ve met, where they’ve been, and where they’re going. She tells them that she’s a journalist, pulls over, and picks up a video camera.

Al interviews John, who talks about Laura. Al asks how they got split up. He says it’s not a happy story, and gets vague. Morgan asks why it matters; there are no news stations anymore. She says he owes her. He tries to give her some food instead, but she only wants his story. He just wants to go. John gives him some clean socks for the road.

Dude comes back with his friends to hassle Al. They want the truck. Dude asks for Morgan’s stick. Morgan slams him with it, and he and john get the better of dude and several of his guys. John gets his gun back. Morgan jumps onto a truck, and John inadvertently lets a bunch of zombies loose. Dude tries to steal Al’s truck, but doesn’t have the keys. Al flings them away, and dude tries to run for them, but a zombie goes after him. Morgan gets shot in the leg by a sniper, who’s been a bad shot up until now. Morgan knocks him around on the roof. The sniper falls off, but hangs onto the ledge, dangling above a gaggle of zombies. Morgan holds out his hand, and pulls him back up. As thanks, the sniper punches Morgan. This is a good example of no good deed going unpunished. They both tumble through the roof. No surprise, Morgan does not help a second time, and gets the hell out. He throws a grenade or something, ducks, and the room blows up. He goes back outside.

John and Morgan shoot and pike zombies. Dude harasses Al for the keys until John finally shoots him, and leaves him for zombie food. Al gets in her truck, opens up the guns, and kills the rest of the zombies. And they all lived happily ever after. Not quite, but they lived.

Al says Morgan still owes her. He tells her to pull over. She films as he talks about Alexandria and the Kingdom. He says there was a big fight, but he left before he left. She asks why he left, but he thinks she should talk. He asks why it’s important, but she doesn’t want to return the favor. She says one real thing, and they’re even. Why did he leave? He tells her that he loses people, then he loses himself. He starts walking down the road again.

Morgan sees the station wagon the sick guy was in, and sees someone walking in the distance. He follows them, but some zombies, feeding by the side of the road, decide to follow Morgan. Since his leg was injured in the fight, he can’t go too fast, and he falls. They’re on him, but John appears once again, and pikes them in the heads.

Morgan needs to know who it is walking up the road. I guess he’s hoping the guy made it, but that’s a no, and he ends up spearing now-zombie guy in the head with his stick. He says he’ll travel with them until his leg heals, and no asking questions. Al says she’s not going to stop, and he says, no answers then. John says she’s taking him to look for Laura in exchange for more story.

Al sees someone in the middle of the road. Both Morgan and John inform her that they don’t kill. She tells them it’s a great moment to share that information. It’s a girl, hunched over. Al asks if she’s injured, and tells Morgan to get the first aid kit. The girl says there are bad people there, then grabs Al in a headlock. It’s Alicia. Victor, Madison, ♫ and the rest ♫, come out from the forest. Al asks what Alicia’s story is.

And there we have it. Until tomorrow night.

🔎 An Observation…

Andrew Lincoln always looks like a businessman on an interview when he’s a guest on Talking Dead.

🎬 Another Thing I Watched…

Mourning Son is a 2015 documentary about the murder of Dave Navarro’s mother, and how it’s affected him throughout his life. It’s also a glimpse into what an incredible artist he is. I had no idea about his background, but always thought he was a very honest and kind man. When Bill Maher was hosting Politically Incorrect – before he fully turned into a mean curmudgeon, and was just working on it – I saw Dave put him in his place when he was talking out of his ass. I’ve admired him ever since. Even more so after seeing this excellent film.

🎆 Right now, I’m (finally) watching Girl’s Trip, and between this and Star, can confirm that Queen Latifah wears more fabulous wigs than the entire cast of The Real Housewives of Atlanta put together.

🛀 Enjoy the Remaining Weekend Like…

Minions