Category Archives: science fiction

Feb24

February 23, 2020 – Alpha Rewards Negan, Mud Run On Sunset, An Upcoming 90, a Real Drag & Monday Purr

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What I Watched Today

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

 

The Walking Dead

As we left them, Carol and Daryl’s group are trapped in a cave of zombies. They stand on a ledge, the zombies below them reaching up. Alpha stands above them with a torch, and when Carol sees her, she screams. Alpha goes outside, and tells the guard, they don’t get out. She drops the torch.

Magna tries jumping up to the next level, but falls. Luckily, not into the zombies below. Daryl says, it’s too high; she’ll break her neck. The zombies are so noisy, I can barely hear the dialogue. Daryl looks around with a flashlight, and asks if they’re ready. He jumps onto a rock that sticks above the zombie horde. The zombies gather around him, and he jumps to the next one. Carol follows. Zombies clamor around them, but they kick the dead away. Magna is next, and nearly slips. Jerry comes after. Connie tells Kelly to step in the same places she does, and jumps. Aaron says, do it now, and Kelly jumps, but nearly falls. She punches a few zombies in the head, and regains her balance. On the other side, Daryl helps Carol. Aaron makes the leap, and Connie and Kelly cling to each other. A zombie grabs Jerry’s leg, and he cuts its arm off. Daryl begins to climb up. He tells Connie that he needs her stay there, and keep everyone together.

Aaron asks Jerry how he’s doing, and Jerry says, not great. Kelly asks how long Jerry thinks they’ll be there, and Jerry says he doesn’t know, but they’ll get out. He wonders how the zombies got there, and Aaron says, they’re theirs. Carol says she’s a little winded, and Aaron tells the others that Carol is claustrophobic. Magna says, she should have thought of that before, but Aaron says it’s not the time for that. Magna says it seems like they have plenty of it. She asks Carol what she was thinking of, running off by herself. Daryl tells her, they have no time for this sh*t. They got into this mess together, and they’ll get out of it together.

Negan hangs with the Whisperers. Gamma tells Alpha, the enemy is watching them. Beta says they underestimated them, and Alpha says she wants patrols around the camp. She tells Gamma, take a walk around the border. Negan watches everything.

The group stands in a cave of stalactites. Aaron fixes his hand. Kelly asks Connie if she thinks it’s day or night, and Connie signs, try not to think about it. Magna asks Daryl for his matches, telling him that she needs to do something. Daryl gives them to her, and Carol sits next to him. She says she never told him that she was claustrophobic, and he says if he hadn’t known, he wouldn’t have said it. He can’t even turn his back on her anymore. It’s bad enough Negan is with the skin freaks; now he worries about her going off half-cocked every time they go outside. He begged her to talk to him; he wants to be there for her, and doesn’t know what to do anymore. Carol says she can’t stop thinking about it. She has to, but she can’t. She doesn’t just want to kill Alpha; she wants to hurt her. She wants Alpha to beg her forgiveness, and then kill her. Daryl says, if he’d gone through all the sh*t she did, he’d feel the same way – unless she tried to stop him. She has to quit all this. The people they care about are starting to get hurt. Carol says she didn’t mean for any of this to happen. She knows she has to… He says, don’t bullsh*t him. She’s got to promise. He’s got to know they’re on the same page. They’re fighting for a future, not revenge. Carol says she promises, and leans on him.

Magna looks around using the matches as a light. She looks in a hole, the match goes out, and she shouts.

Daryl and Jerry fight off zombies. Daryl tells Magna, let’s go. Magna is concerned they’ll get split up in the dark, and Carol says, stick together. They move forward. Daryl looks inside a crevice.

Back at the Whisperer camp, Negan tells Alpha that he wants to talk to her. She asks, what about? and he says, Gamma. Alpha needs to keep her eyes peeled. Alpha says, there’s a spy in the woods, but he says he has an alternate theory. The spy she’s looking for is in the camp. He’s been where she is, and if she doesn’t want to end up where he is now, he suggests she zig where he zagged. She says they’re very different, and he says he had people, he had a system, and thought they believed in him. Stay king or queen long enough, people will keep telling you your sh*t doesn’t stink, and even you’ll start believing it. The thing is, it still stinks. Based on his personal experience, she should look closer to home. He’s not talking about Frankenstein; he’s talking about Gamma. She’s close enough to Alpha to know where the horde is. She’s guarding the border, and is close enough to the enemy, that they could have gotten to her. Alpha puts her knife between his legs, and pushes it against his crotch; not cutting him, but he’s definitely uncomfortable. She says she won’t have him paranoid, and pushes him to the ground.

The group continues through the cave system. Carol tells Connie, she’ll be fine in a minute. Connie takes her hand, and spells out U R OK on Carol’s palm. Carol joins the others, and one by one, they squeeze through a narrow passageway. It’s a tight squeeze, but they make it through to a thin tunnel where they have to crawl. Aaron asks if Jerry is okay, and Jerry says it’s a hard fit in airplane bathrooms. Why wouldn’t he be okay? Daryl finally pulls himself out, and says, follow his voice. He helps the others as they come through. Carol hyperventilates, and Daryl calls to her. He asks if she’s hurt, and she says she’s okay. He tells her to follow his light, but she says she can’t. He says she can; they’re going to get through this together. She forces herself to move, and he pulls her out. We hear something in the tunnel, and Jerry realizes zombies are crawling up behind him. He tells them, go! and I says, no, not Jerry.

It’s chaotic as they try to move faster. Daryl reaches for them, helping them out. Jerry gets closer, but a zombie keeps pulling at him. He says he’s stuck, and Daryl says, take his hand. He pulls, and two zombies (I guess they’re pretty thin, since they’re wasting away) grab at Jerry’s leg. Jerry takes his gear off, while the zombies tug at him. Daryl finally pulls him out, and stabs the first zombie in the head. Jerry’s shoe is torn up, but Kelly says he wasn’t bitten. Aaron splatters the other zombie’s head.

Magna says, look, and starts moving forward, but Daryl pulls her back. She’s at the edge of a cliff. Daryl creates a makeshift torch, and drops it down. It falls a million miles, and they hear zombies. Apparently, they’re on another ledge, higher up, and basically where they started.

They move on to a more open area, and see that it’s a mine shaft. Kelly tells Connie, they have to be careful. Take out the wrong thing, and the whole thing will collapse.

Obviously jazzed, Alpha wants to talk to Beta. She asks where Gamma is, and Beta says, she never made it to the border. Alpha wants a scout sent out to find her, and Beta wonders if she’s been captured. Alpha says, or she’s a spy. Track her down, and bring her. Beta says if Gamma betrayed Alpha, he’ll kill her, but Alpha says that’s her job.

Daryl tells everyone, find something to dig with. Kelly uncovers a box of dynamite, and brings a stick over to Daryl. Jerry says, really cool, but it’s sweatier than he is. Maybe someone left it because it’s dangerous. He tells her, put it back, very carefully. Kelly places it back in the box, and covers the box back up. Aaron and Magna pull pieces of wood and such out of the way. Aaron says Magna wants to get home in a hurry, and she says she doesn’t want be there any longer than she has to. She didn’t leave things good with Yumiko. Aaron says he’s sorry.

Negan takes bark off tree stump. Alpha walks past, and says, you. He says, looks like mom’s mad at him, and follows. She drops behind him, and tells him, keep walking. He says it feels like some sort of fraternity initiation. Is he getting his skin suit, and learning the secret Whisperer handshake? She tells him, eyes front. She doesn’t want to talk. He says he’s down with that. He just… won’t… talk. After two seconds, he says he’s big enough to admit he’s not good with long uncomfortable silences. She says, stop here. He starts to turn, and she tells him, she said eyes front. He says, sh*t, and she tells him to take off his clothes. He says, she was right. They are different. He made himself into a monster because it’s what the world needed. He takes his clothes off as he talks. He says he built something. He saved people. His name meant something. She tells him, turn around. He says, whoa. She’s naked, and says, he’s a crass man. She reckoned he’d appreciate a crass reward. He says, for what? and she says, the spy. Gamma. It took courage to do what he did. She wants to express her gratitude in a way he understands. Negan asks if she’s just going to leave the mask on, and she asks if her true skin disturbs him. He says, not at all, and they almost kiss. He says, wait. It’s not some sort of praying mantis situation, is it? Where she’s going to cut off his head after. They almost kiss again, and he says, sorry. He can’t help but notice she didn’t say no. It’s been a long time, so he reckons he’ll take his chances. She touches his face, and tells him, stop talking. They kiss. Alrighty then.

Daryl sees daylight, and Kelly looks through a hole in the ceiling. She says, just a little more, and he asks where Carol is. He says, dammit, and turns back.

Carol is wandering around like the nutbar she’s become. She starts to climb up the side of a wall, lights a match, and slips. We hear zombies below. A shadow falls over her. It’s Daryl, who tells her to take his hand. He pulls her up, and asks, what is she doing? She’s going to get herself killed. She says Alpha killed her boy, and he says she’s got to come back with him… please. She slips again.

The ceiling starts falling in, and Aaron tells everyone to move. Connie asks signs to Magna, asking where she’s going, and Magna says she’ll be right back. Someone might be hurt. Connie goes with her. Kelly pops out back into the world, and we hear crumbling sounds from the mine. A Whisperer comes running toward her, and Kelly fights it off. She calls to Aaron that they’ve got friends; there are more coming. Inside the mine, Jerry holds up the ceiling beams with his shoulders, like he’s Aquaman or something. Kelly fights off a couple more Whisperers. By now Aaron is out, and helps her. Connie and Magna help Carol. Daryl gets out, and helps bring Carol out. Dirt is starting to shower down, and I wonder how on earth Jerry is going to get out. Magna sees a Whisperer in the mine, and tells him, get out. Aaron helps gives Jerry a hand, and joins the others, but the cave implodes, trapping Magna and Connie.

Kelly yells, no! and runs back. Daryl tries moving rocks away, but Aaron says, it will take a week to clear it. Kelly cries, but tells Daryl the zombies are close. They don’t want their backs pressed against the mountain when the walkers come. They can’t save the others if they’re bit. She cries some more, and Carol tells Daryl, he was right; just say it. She reaches out for him, but he throws her hand off. She says they’re gone because of her; just say it. Carol seems to be totally falling apart. Daryl tells Aaron, go home. Tell the others they found the horde. Aaron asks where Daryl is going to be, and Daryl says, others got out before them. There has to be another way in. Carol stands there while the others head back.

Next time, Gamma tells the Alexandrians that the people they sent out are in trouble, Gabriel makes a strategy, and Daryl is trapped.

Shahs of Sunset

Reza runs while he flashes back on his problems. In his interview, he says MJ sent him a text, saying she didn’t have anything to do with anything, and now he can’t trust Destiney. How did this happen?

GG meets Reza at a park, and he tells her that he and Adam are doing a mud run. Adam has been begging him to do it. In Reza’s interview, he says, with all the negativity swirling around, thank God. Any time he does unity building activities with his crew, there’s a moment he loves them. Then afterward, they can go back to picking that scab. He and GG jog, and he tells her, wave to the people. She says she’s tired already, and tells Reza that her doctor told her to start doing light cardio. In GG’s interview, she says she started IVF, but she’s keeping it secret for now. They sit on a bench, and discuss Ali’s accusations about Adam. GG says Ali told her that it was the three of them – him, Destiney, and MJ – but she doesn’t believe any of them. Reza says he lost his mind when Ali said Adam had sexually harassed him. He must have talked to someone. GG says, when she’d shown MJ the pictures Adam sent, MJ she said it was borderline sexual harassment. Reza says, this doesn’t feel good.

Destiney’s 1965 Lincoln convertible (named Poison) has a flat, and she waits for the tow truck. In her interview, she says she doesn’t like being vulnerable. There are moments when she wishes she had a husband to handle a situation. It’s different when a dude says he’s got you. The tow guy comes, and a possum peeks out from the bushes. Destiney nearly runs into it, and teleports backward, hollering. I nearly die laughing. She asks if it’s okay, and realizes it’s pregnant. The tow guy is now dying laughing. In Destiney’s interview, she says it’s a damsel in distress. She tells the possum, she’s got this. She’s an effing possum. She’s strong and crazy. A stranger comes, and picks up the possum in a towel, finding a safe place for her to deliver her babies. In her interview, Destiney says, he’s some sort of Prince Charming. She’s not into princes, but hopes here’s a Viking warrior out there for her.

Nema goes to his office, and tells editor TJ that he has footage for him. In his interview, Nema says his partners’ offices are half jungle gym, half photo studio. It’s where influencers make videos that make you feel bad about yourself. He says his assistant Erica was the right girl at the wrong time. They dated for two years after his divorce, but then came GG and the almost kiss. We flash back to that. He says, Erica is still working for him, and asks how you let go of someone so supportive and loving? Erica is going to Barcelona for two weeks, and Nema wonders how he’s going to manage. She’s running talent for a major shoe brand, and it throws him back in to the minutiae of their projects, when he has other things to do, like go to the gym. Erica says they have a strong working relationship, and he says he thought they’d get married, but she’s like, no. He says he thinks she’s the best relationship in his life, but he’s the worst in hers. She thinks she can definitely do better. At least they’re honest. There’s something to be said for that.

GG meets a friend at a Chinese herb place, where they also make health drinks. She explains to the owner that she’s having a bumpy ride with the IVF. She asks him to surprise them, and he concocts something that’s supposed to improve a woman’s jing, which is the essence or life force. In GG’s interview, she says she had egg retrieval at 37, and she’s trying thicken her uterine lining, by using everything from patches to suppositories, but nothing is working. GG takes a sip, and says she’s already glowing. The owner says he sees the glow. Her friend asks, what’s going on? and GG talks about her uterine lining. She says she wants it so badly. In GG’s interview, she says she’s worried about being pregnant at her age. When she was younger, she was irresponsible. She was lucky to live in California where she had a way out, which I guess is a delicate way of saying she had several abortions. She says, now she’s trying, and her body isn’t responding. The owner brings another drink, and says, it’s zen shen, to lift the spirits. In her interview, GG says the day the embryo is placed in her, is the day she stops smoking weed, and everyone is making a bigger deal out of it than it is.

Mike goes to Kenmore, the property he and his brothers invested in. He goes inside, and discovers they left everything behind. He calls his brother Jonathan. In Mike’s interview, he says, to get the final permits, he needs an empty building. He explains to Jonathan how to take selfies. Dad Shawn appears, and in his interview, Mike says he wonders if his dad trusts him. Shawn says, the most important thing is the loan, but Mike says he needs a contract first. Shawn wants to wait until a guy he knows is free, but Mike has someone who’s ready to go. In Mike’s interview, he says his father studied electrical engineering in Germany, and has does electrical contracting since coming to America, but his father won’t be dealing with the contractor; Mike will. Shawn tells Mike that he’ll have to be on top of things. There will be no second chances. In his interview, mike says he had a hard time connecting with his dad while he was growing up, but as he’s gotten older, he’s realized how much wisdom his dad has to share. It’s his last chance to prove himself, and he’s trying to keep his composure.

Miss Moo! In his interview, Reza says, all the things he loves about Adam are why Ali was able to get so close so fast. Adam thinks everyone is good until they show him they’re not. With Reza, they have to jump through a thousand hoops, and if they persevere, he’ll let them in. GG comes by, and Reza tells her, he needs an over-the-top Persian team T-shirt for the mud run. He says, what about Hood rats? In GG’s interview, she says she called Reza a hood rat when he’d been acting like one. Now it’s turned into a joke. Reza irons the name onto a shirt. Reza asks if she wants some carrot cake, and slices a piece for her. In his interview, he says, GG smokes more weed than Snoop Dogg. She’s high all the time. She’s not someone who eats regularly, or exercises, and they’re trying to change that. Sara arrives, so Miss Moo is relegated to the bedroom. She’s afraid of animals, and we flash back to her encounters with various pets. In her interview, she says she had a paper route growing up, and dogs would charge her. She has to make sure she knows where all pets are. The group makes shirts, and a kumquat tree is delivered. It’s from Destiney, and Sara asks, what’s going on? Destiney had a whole episode at the beach. We flash back to that, and Reza says Destiney didn’t reach out. GG says, maybe she’s scared; he’s a scary person. She thought he was her big brother, and now she’s hurt him. Reza says, when GG hurts someone, doesn’t she want to reach out? GG says, maybe Destiney is figuring out how to do it.

Destiney goes to get her lashes done. She hopes Reza sees the kumquat as an olive branch. Well, an actual olive branch might have gotten that point across better.

Adam reads the card. Paraphrasing, Destiney says she hates how everything came down, and hopes they like the kumquat tree. Adam tells GG, Destiney didn’t say she was sorry, and GG suggests he focus on what Destiney said, not what she didn’t say. She tells him, some people have a hard time with it, and that’s coming from someone who does. Adam says GG apologized to him, but she says she didn’t apologize to Reza for years. We flash back to that altercation. Reza says, maybe if Destiney had sent it the day after, he’d feel different. They can co-exist, but he doesn’t want her to know anything about him. In his interview, he says he’s looking at the potential loss of a 30-year friendship, and the potential betrayal of a childhood friend.

Destiney looks at Reza’s text. He thanks her for the plant, but goes on to say her actions aren’t pure. He says he doesn’t trust her, but can co-exist with her. He tells her about the mud run, and says, if she wants to, she can come. She tries not to cry, and says she’s used to men who are family, or like family, giving up on her. In her interview, she says she has no male figures in her life who she can trust. The only person who’s been there for her is Reza. We flash back to Reza encouraging her to talk to her mother about her father. She says he’s the only person who’s seen and felt what her family would have been if everything had been okay.

GG’s mom Fati calls her while she’s driving to the doctor. Fati asks if GG needs anything, or wants her to come along, but GG says she’s good. Fati says to call her after the appointment. In GG’s interview, she says it’s her last shot. If she couldn’t get her uterine lining thicker, she might have to consider another option where she doesn’t carry her own child.

Destiney and her assistant Rose go to pick up Destiney’s car. In Destiney’s interview, she says she doesn’t drive Poison all the time, since she doesn’t want many miles on it. But when she’s feeling sad or depressed, she puts the top down and takes her bra off. It makes her go into a zone of peace. She tells mechanic Benny, it might be the only thing she’s ever really cared for. She slips him some cash, and tells him, hold onto it, like she’s getting on a roller coaster and giving him her purse. On the way back, Destiney tells Rose that Reza doesn’t want to talk to her, but she loves him. He’s the only one whose seen the dynamic of her mom and dad. She was crying when Reza got in the fight with Ali. Can’t she be human? It’s so effed up.

Reza gets the T-shirts ready for the gathering before the mud run. Reza gives Mike his shirt, saying it came out so well, he wants it back after the run. Mike says he’ll sell it to him. He tells Reza that he’s not participating because of his sciatica. Been there, and feel his pain. He asks if Adam’s shirt says naked Jenga on it, and Adam turns around to show Mike that it says, I’m with him >, and Mike says, unless he’s out of town. To my surprise, both Adam and Reza laugh. Nema and Sara arrive. In Reza’s interview, he says, after the week he’s had, he feels truly blessed. They’re going to exercise, and cheer each other on. They’re going to act like sweet white people who didn’t flee a country.

GG comes out of the doctor’s office, and gets in her car. She doesn’t look happy and dabs at her eyes, so I’m guessing the news wasn’t good. Then she says, it’s last few weeks she can smoke pot. Ha-ha! She fooled us. She calls Fati, and says, they’re doing the transfer on Friday. In GG’s interview, she says her uterine lining is finally thick enough. It’s exciting. She’s finally going to be pregnant. Fati says, it’s good to hear that.

In his interview, Reza says, Destiney’s shirt was made with the least amount of love. He wrote her name in White-Out pen, and it looks like a reflection of their friendship at this point. Destiney shows up, and tells Nema that she doesn’t know if she should come in, but Nema and Mike welcome her. She hugs Adam, and says she wants to talk, but Adam thinks she should talk Reza first. She asks Reza if she can talk to him privately before they head out. He’s surprisingly agreeable, and she says she didn’t want to be uncomfortable. He says he’s not uncomfortable. She says he thanked her for the plant, but it’s a tree (like this matters). He says he thought they were going to talk about naked Jenga. Ali talked about sexual harassment, and if he’d been Destiney, Reza would have said this is the first he’d heard of it, but she didn’t. He assumes she knew already. She says she didn’t know what Ali was going to say; it threw her for a loop. She never wanted to be involved, and Ali specifically told her that MJ told him to do it. In Destiney’s interview, she says, after her lunch with Ali, she yelled at him, and he said, MJ told him to do it. She took a step back, and realized maybe the person she loved as a sister had set her up. Reza said he knew Destiney was either set up or involved. Destiney says she effed up, and he says that’s all he wanted to hear. He hugs her, and says now that he knows she was used, it’s 100% authentic, and they’re good. In Reza’s interview, he says he doesn’t think Destiney is involved. She wasn’t held up at home on bedrest, moving chess pieces around, and trying to figure sh*t out. They get in the van, and Reza tells everyone, they had a  good conversation. Now can they get excited?

The race starts. Mike and Sara cheer from the sidelines. It’s like a huge obstacle course, and GG says her hip hurts already. She and Destiney hang back, and GG says, they’ll cheat. The others have to come back this way, so they’ll just pretend they did it. They splash some water on their faces, jog in place, and hyperventilate. On his way back, Nema asks how they did with the wall. In Reza’s interview, he says they’re going through obstacles together, and helping each other, but in life, they’re not practicing the things they’re practicing here. It’s not happening if they can’t be there for each other in life.

GG says she’s doing a dirt walk. Reza says he’s got mud in his crotch, and a great sense of accomplishment. He says he wants that for GG, and pushes her into a mud puddle pool. Destiney says, the last time she did this sh*t, she was running from the cops. She runs up to wall that everyone else is scaling, and takes the stairs on the side. In Nema’s interview, he says his friends are the only healthy relationships in his life. They’re like family, and replaced the huge void left post-divorce. They go down a huge slide, into another mud puddle. Cool. I’d do that. Mike takes pictures.

Afterwards, the group heads to the beer and sausage tent. Mike pulls out a Jenga game. In Mike’s interview, he says he loves the fact that they’re cheering each other on, but a part of him is empty because one of his best friends isn’t there. GG knocks over the game, and Adam tells her, get naked right now.   

Next time, Baby Shams comes home, Reza’s hair products are going to be sold in Las Vegas, and Sara’s brother gets busy with Destiney.

🏎 Coming Soon…

A new season of 90 Day Fiance: What Now? begins on Monday, April 20th on TLC. You can check out who’s who here:

https://www.intouchweekly.com/posts/90-day-fiance-what-now-cast-find-out-whos-returning-to-spinoff/

And also on TLC on April 20th is a new offering, Dragnificent, a makeover show that looks like a lot of fun and very promising. You can read all about it here:

https://people.com/tv/tlc-dragnificent-series-premiere-trailer-exclusive/

👅 I Can Taste It Now…

And suddenly, the weekend’s not there anymore.

Feb17

February 16, 2020 – No Fish Mating Here, Blessed, Catching Up With the Wives, the Dead Is Coming, Maggie U Up & Going Zen For February

Posted on by
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What I Watched Today

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

 

Shahs of Sunset

Reza asks Adam if he was playing strip Jenga, which still sounds as stupid as it did last week. Adam says, no, but Reza says Ali told MJ that he had. Adam scoffs that it’s coming from Ali, and says he’s going to bed. He immaturely locks the door, but Reza wants to talk to him. Adam admits, when Reza was out of town, he jokingly told Ali that he’d been playing strip games. Reza says Adam can’t blame anyone other than himself, and he led Ali too deeply into their lives. Now there’s backlash. In Reza’s interview, he says, Ali is a troublemaker who’s befriended all of them. As soon as Adam included him, he was everywhere. We see clips of Ali Making like Zelig. Reza says when they were in Las Vegas, Adam found out Ali was talking sh*t about their personal information. Adam cut Ali out of their lives, and he thought they weren’t looking back. Either Adam is being a d*ck or intentionally trying to hurt him. He tells Adam, there’s nothing left to say right now.

Mike gets his teeth checked by dentist brother David. In Mike’s interview, he says, once your teeth go, you look like a crackhead. They discuss their real estate investment. In his interview, Mike talks about the east Hollywood duplex he and his brothers bought, and we flash back to that. He says the area has now become worthy of developing their proposed 24 units, and they stand to make a lot of money. Brother Jonathan arrives, and Mike shows them some estimates. He says, it’s a lot of risk, but David thinks between the three of them, they can accomplish it. Mike says their trust means a lot to him, and since the majority of the project will be on his shoulders, he’s going to expect a salary. In his interview, he tells us that while his brothers are financially contributing, he’s contributing two years of his life. Jonathan asks him to draw up a proposal, and Mike says, that’s fair.

GG meets friend Sara for lunch. In her interview, GG says she needs positive people around her that have their sh*t together. Sara knew Reza somewhat already, since she was in college with Reza’s cousin, and then met Destiney. We see a clip of Sara offering to help Destiney with her business, and Destiney being snippy about not knowing Sara well. In her interview, Sara says she has an MBA in finance, and wasn’t looking to sell herself to Destiney. She grew up in Indiana, where there was a small Persian community, but her parents grew up in Iran, so they weren’t as Americanized as some families. She watered it down in school. In GG’s interview, she says, where she grew up, there was no Persian culture, so she and Sara are very similar. GG has been googling what helps getting pregnant, and says she read about grunions mating on the beach during the full moon. She thinks watching this will somehow help, or be inspirational, or something.

MJ and Tommy pull into the hospital parking garage. In her interview, MJ says she’s at 36 weeks, and it’s the end of the road. On Christmas Eve, the doctor said her cervix was shrinking, and there was a chance of miscarriage. She had to stay on bedrest for three and a half months. At 34 weeks, it was discovered she was at risk for cholecystitis, a disease that causes the gallbladder to stop functioning. The doctor suggested inducing her at 36 weeks, as the disease causes the stillbirth risk to increase at that time.

Reza calls Destiney, and wants to set up a meeting with Ali. In his interview, Reza says Ali knows more about his husband than he does, and he needs to find out how MJ is connected. Mike goes to the bakery to get dessert for Passover; he’s having twenty-two people over, and it’s his first Passover with Paulina. In Reza’s interview, he says, every high holiday, Mike has a new lady in his life. We flash back to the holidays with Mike’s various girlfriends. Reza says, it’s like a wine pairing. Reza meets Mike, and they eat some pastries as they talk about MJ having the baby. Reza says Tommy texted him that MJ had an emergency C-section, and lost a lot of blood. She needed to have her uterus and one fallopian tube removed. In his interview, he says they imagined the day MJ would give birth, but he didn’t think he’d be happy and worried at the same time. Adam calls Reza, who says he’ll talk to Adam later. He tells Mike that Ali created a problem because of some bullsh*t about naked Jenga. He doesn’t want Ali around, and doesn’t want to associate with people who know him. A rabbi comes by, and ties a small leather box (a tefillin, see link below) around Mike’s head, and Mike asks him to pray for MJ. In Mike’s interview, he says, during Passover, it’s a mitzvah to bless other Jews.

Destiney meets Ali, and they order drinks. She says she didn’t know the extent of the issue with Adam. In her interview, she says she’s upset with Ali, giving out information to hurt a man she’s loved and known for decades. Ali says, he’s uncomfortable too. Reza joins them, and everyone sits in awkward silence for a while. Reza says he has a question about what Ali’s motivation is, and Ali says he’s not being malicious. MJ said Reza wasn’t happy in his relationship, and since she’s his best friend, he trusted her. Reza says he’s known MJ for twenty-five years; how long has Ali known her? Ali says, three years, but if he was in Reza’s shoes, he’d want know that Adam was sending his friends inappropriate texts. He tells Reza that he got them from Adam several times a day, to the point he felt sexually harassed, and Adam has done it to other people. Reza asks if Ali is crazy, and who TF does he think he is? If he says harassment again, Reza is going to knock him into next week. Ali shows Reza a pile of printed out texts. In his interview, Reza says he knows Adam sends out inappropriate texts; he’s sent them to Mike, and also to Reza. Adam doesn’t think an overtly sexual text can come back to haunt him. Ali says Adam was making him uncomfortable, and Reza says, then stop being Adam’s friend. Ali says, he did, and Reza turns on Destiney, saying if she’s friends with Ali, she’s not friends with him. He doesn’t want to be friends with anyone who knows Ali. Ali drops another pile of papers on the table, and Reza throws a drink at Ali. He starts pushing Ali around, and Destiney gets in between them. Reza pushes her away, and stomps off. We see broken glass on the table from the one-man melee.

Outside, Reza calls MJ, and asks if she wanted Ali to confront him about Adam, since she told Ali that he and Adam didn’t have a good relationship. He doesn’t like her sharing anything with that weasel. He doesn’t trust Ali. Inside, Destiney tells Ali to wait, and goes to find Reza. In Reza’s interview, he wonders why MJ would share intimate, sensitive information with someone she knows he hates. MJ says her doctor is there, and Reza says they’ll talk later. Destiney joins Reza, who tells her, Ali just accused his husband of harrassment. Destiney asks if Reza doesn’t think she’s uncomfortable, and he calls Ali a bottom dweller. The plan is simple; if she wants to be friends with Reza, don’t be friends with Ali. In his interview, Reza wonders if he’s the only one who doesn’t know what’s going on. He’s done with Ali, and anyone who associates with him

In Mike’s interview, he says it’s the first Passover he’s hosted that included his parents. Nema drops off a $400 T-shirt he borrowed from Mike, and checks out the décor and the food. He tells Mike that he’s going to the beach with GG to watch fish have sex. It’s not a win. He says he’d thought everyone made peace, but now they’re at war again. Nema flashes back to Destiney telling him, it was all king fu and glass breaking. He tells Mike, Reza sent a text saying whoever was going to maintain a relationship with Ali, was terminating their relationship with him. It was group message. Mike says, that’s aggressive, and in his interview, Nema says, there’s always collateral damage in a break-up. Like with his ex-wife. He didn’t expect all his friends to dump him and be friends with her. He reads his reply text to Mike, saying he told Reza that he believed Destiney had his and Adam’s best interests at heart.

MJ loves on baby Shams. In her interview, she says, when the doctor took the baby from her, he pushed Tommy out of the room, and looked like he saw a ghost. He told her the placenta was still attached, and she’d need to have another surgery. If he didn’t remove her uterus, she might die. She woke up from the surgery angry, thinking she’d never be able to have another baby. She felt gutted. We see videos of newborn Shams. She says she didn’t hear back from Reza again.

Reza and Adam do some landscaping, and Reza says he’s not happy with Adam, and doesn’t want to go to Passover seder when they’re not in a good place. They need to talk about why his husband is so dumb, he doesn’t understand boundaries. He tells Adam about Ali showing him the texts. In Reza’s interview, he says he waited a day, since he didn’t want to react. He says, as a married man, Adam can’t talk to anybody like that. It makes Adam look like an idiot, and it’s disrespectful of Reza and their marriage. Adam says he was joking, but Reza says Adam’s not making sense. Adam says when he feels comfortable with someone, he’ll ask them anything. Reza says, that ends today, or he’s going to be divorced. In his interview, Reza says Adam knows he had a terrible roadmap in marriage with his parents. He tells Adam that Ali said Adam was sexually harassing him. The things Adam did humiliated him. In Reza’s interview, he says, if it happens again, it’s irreparable. Adam says he’s disgusted with himself and what he did, but asks Reza not to call him stupid. Reza apologizes for calling Adam stupid, but says he’s angry and disappointed. Adam says, Destiney should have talked to the two of them together, and Reza agrees. He says, he lost his sh*t, and he doesn’t like behaving like that. He’s furious with MJ, sharing information with Ali. He tells Adam, do not, under any circumstances, send anything sexual to anyone other than himself. I’m suddenly noticing how immature Adam seems. I thought he was just quiet.

Mike’s parents, Sue and Shawn, arrive at Mike’s place first. Paulina greets them, but Mike takes his sweet time getting ready. In his interview, Mike says Paulina has brought out the best in him. He’s learned a lot from her, and she’s the reason he’s ready to reinvent himself. The guests arrive, and Mike shows them a long table on the patio, lit by candlelight. Sue says the prayers, and Jonathan tells the story of Passover, and why they eat matzos. Mike says he’s happy they’re sharing Passover together. In Mike’s interview, he says he grew up thinking he wasn’t smart enough or good enough, and his parents validated that. He made a lot of mistakes, and had some failures, but he thinks his parents are proud of him finally becoming the man he wants to be. He thanks everyone for coming.

The caterer puts out an amazing spread, and a toast is made to Mike. Reza asks what Mike and his brothers are breaking ground, and Mike says, in a couple of months. He tells Reza that he’s the project manager. In Reza’s interview, he says he helped Mike build his house, and it was a nightmare. Sue asks if Reza doesn’t think it’s a good idea, and Reza says he’d wanted Mike to sell the property potential without doing the hard work. Sue agrees, and Mike says, you need to take risk to make money, and Sue says, it’s not about the money. In his interview, Mike says he’s forty, and being treated like he’s fourteen. He tells Sue that he respects and loves her, and not to worry.

In her interview, Destiney says, it’s been six months since her mom went to Las Vegas. She has this thing with Ali going on, and no one to catch her. She heads for the beach.

Nema videos GG and her friends walking to the beach, titling it, GG & the Hood Rats. In GG’s interview, she talks about the moon’s energy, and the big bang, and how everything is connected. She says, the moon is the earth’s twin, and we can still feel the energy. She wants to harness that power to make her pregnant. Alrighty then. They get to the beach, but don’t see any fish. In Nema’s interview, he says he was promised fish having sex, and there are no fish having sex. GG is high, maybe she sees fish having sex. GG gets all excited about seeing what she thinks are fish, but it turns out to be seaweed. They talk to a total stranger, who actually understands the whole grunion thing, and says she’s seen it before. GG thinks they’re scaring the fish away.

Nema tells Destiney that he got a text from Adam, saying Reza wants nothing to do with her anymore. She has to make it right with him. She says she didn’t do anything. In her interview, she says they don’t understand her position. Nema suggests she talk to both Reza and Adam, and set the record straight. She tells him that she’s in the middle. GG wants to know what’s going on, and Nema just keeps repeating, make it right. Destiney drops her stuff, and walks away, saying she’s sick of this sh*t. Nema tells GG that Ali should have had the balls to go straight to Reza, and GG says she didn’t know Ali was saying all that, but they’d talked about the information eventually coming out. In her interview, GG says she had a conversation with Ali, and thinks MJ set him and Destiney up. In Destiney’s interview, she says she never had a conversation with MJ. She tells GG about getting an ultimatum from Reza. In GG’s interview, she says she knows what MJ is capable of. We flash back to MJ setting GG up for a fall on a few occasions. Destiney says she needs some time, and walks off by herself. GG catches up to Nema, who asks if she killed Destiney. GG complains that there were no fish.

Fifteen minutes later. The fish come up on the beach.

Shawn tells Mike that he’s obligating himself for two years. Sue says, David and Jonathan are too weak to do the manual labor. Mike should get a salary, but he’ll have to be on top of the job every morning. He’ll have to be there before the workers start, and leave after everyone else is gone. In Mike’s interview, he says his parents have a hard time trusting him. They’ve had to take on his failed attempts at different ventures. We flash back to Mike’s shoe launch, among other unsuccessful projects. Sue says, when he’s fallen, they’ve helped, but they can’t do it this time. Mike is taking a risk with everyone’s investment, and his time. Shawn says, if Mike fails, someone has to step in. In his interview, Mike says, once you have the reputation of effing up, it’s all anyone sees.

Next time, Mike’s parents don’t trust him, GG gets a date for IVF, a storm brews between Reza and MJ, and Destiney faces a possum.

🙏 Blessings…

An explanation of the tefillin.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/judaism/customs/tefillin.shtml

👠 All Wives All the Time…

All the Wives news that’s fit for Page Six.

https://pagesix.com/video/the-rhony-season-12-trailer-is-here-and-more-housewives-news/

⚰️ A Tease…

It’s almost Dead time again.

https://uproxx.com/tv/michonne-goes-full-negan-the-walking-dead/

🔎 Is She Still On This Show…?

Maggie is back. Sort of.

https://comicbook.com/thewalkingdead/2020/02/17/the-walking-dead-season-10b-trailer-connection-lauren-cohan-maggie-glenn-hershel/

💡 Whose Bright Idea Was It…?

Why does there have to be a short month? We should get three extra days on our bill due dates. Remaining calm…

Nov25

November 24, 2019 – The Horde Is Discovered, Talk Tidbits, It’s Real, Saul Returns, Some 90 Updates & James Sings Ray

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What I Watched Today

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

 

The Walking Dead

Dante flashes back to being with Alpha. She says she doesn’t care about his past; they all have a past. None of it matters now. He did well, but she needs something more; eyes inside the walls. He’s the kind of man she trusts. Practical, loyal, and smart. The kind of man her daughter should get to know. He asks where he should start, and she says, find some strangers and join them. We see him walking in the woods with the Whisperers. He moves ahead, takes off his mask, and for help. He acts like he’s fighting them off, and a group of people runs to his aid. We hear Alpha say, go to the gate. They won’t turn you away. We see him arrive at Alexandria with the people he’s hooked up with, and Siddiq examining him. Alpha’s voiceover tells him to make them think he’s one of them. We see him leave a message in a small box and hide it in a tree. Alpha says, exploit their weaknesses until they crumble. We see him messing with the water filtration system, and killing Cheryl. Alpha says, do all this, and they’ll welcome him home when they fall. He has a special place in her heart. She puts her palm on his chest.

In the present, Dante checks for Siddiq’s pulse, and closes Siddiq’s eyes. Rosita comes by, and asks if Siddiq is awake. She saw the light on. They make small talk in Spanish, and she asks, what’s happening? Dante jokes that he and Siddiq have a hot romance going on. Really, they were just hanging, and Siddiq got called out. Something about Andy and Donna’s kid throwing up. She just missed him. He asks if he can help with anything, and Siddiq opens his eyes. Coco cries, and Rosita sees that Dante has a knife. She puts Coco in the tub without taking her eyes off of him. She tries to go past Dante, into the room where Siddiq is, and  they struggle. Dante gets her down, and Siddiq comes out and walks toward the crying baby. Dante tries to strangle Rosita, but she stabs him in the leg. She jumps up, pikes Siddiq in the head, then beats the crap out of Dante. She picks up Coco, and tries to process Siddiq turning into a zombie.

Gamma meets Aaron, and he asks if she’s all right. She asks if the baby is still alive. He asks if she means the baby they rescued from Hilltop, and she says, yes; he’s her nephew. Did they name him? Her sister couldn’t do it. He says, the family who adopted him named him Adam. She asks if she can see him, and Aaron says, they left him to die. Why should he agree to that? She says they can trade. She has information for him. He asks, what information? If he sees it’s true, then they’ll talk, but he’s not promising anything. She says she’s not talking unless she can see him. He’s the only family she has left. He tells her to take off her mask. She does, and says, before all this, her name was Mary. He asks what she wants to tell him.

Daryl slugs Dante, and says he hopes it hurts. Dante says, it doesn’t matter. None of it matters. Seeing humans devour each other showed him it was ridiculous to attach yourself to anyone. The truth will set you free. Gabriel asks if that’s what he’s doing to Rosita. Setting her free. Why did he put Siddiq through all that torture just to kill him? Dante says he liked Siddiq. He wasn’t part of the plan, but he found out who Dante was. Carol asks what the plan is, and he says to increase their paranoia so they make bad decisions. People in places like this grumble, and he’ll enjoy seeing them rip each other apart making a decision about him, like they did with Negan. Gabriel asks if he wants his public reckoning, and Dante says that’s what they’re good at. Gabriel says Rosita helped him, but Dante says they got something from him too. They needed a doctor. Places like Alexandria are a cruel promise. People aren’t really kind, but he didn’t put Siddiq’s head on a spike. The Whisperers are selfish and brutal, but they’ve taught him what people are. Gabriel punches him in the face. Aaron walks in, and says Dante has been there for four months. How did they not know? Daryl says, none of them did, and Aaron says, they ate together, they talked about militia, he treated Gracie. Carol tells him not to do this to himself, and Daryl seconds that. Aaron says, the Whisperer he’s talking to, Mary, told him where Alpha is keeping the herd. Carol says they’ll leave after the funeral, and Daryl asks if they’re trusting a Whisperer now. Lydia is still gone, and it’s probably an ambush. Aaron says the baby the Whisperers left to die was apparently Mary’s nephew. He doesn’t think she’s lying. Daryl says they already sent a group to Hilltop, who’s ready to meet them there. On the side, he tells Carol that she should have said something to him about seeing Lydia. Her disappearing again is on Carol. She says they can push on the Whisperers’ wounds too. She doesn’t think Lydia wants to be found. Daryl asks if she’s talking about Lydia or herself.

Michonne, Judith, and Luke ride in a literally horse-powered car, while Scott checks the path ahead. He tells them he’s found fresh tracks, but it could just be a scout. Michonne says if there’s just one set, she likes their chances, but they have to be as quiet as possible. Luke says he knows that was meant for him. He tells Judith that he likes to whistle his favorite music by Rachmaninoff. The only time he gets to hear it is in his head these days. He asks Judith what she’s writing, and she tells him that she’s compiling a history of their people. He says if she’s writing personal histories, she should read more. There’s a library close by in Waterford, and she can pick up some inspiration. Michonne says they don’t have the time, but they stop there anyway.

Michonne picks up a Russian/English dictionary for Eugene, and Luke says, since they’re there, he’s going to check out the music section. Scott says he’ll look around, and see what’s worth taking. Michonne picks up a book, saying she’s always wanted to read it. Judith asks if they could read it together. Rosita calls Michonne on the radio, and Michonne asks, what’s happening?

Luke whistles as he looks through the books, and gets all happy when he sees some music by Rachmaninoff. He flips through it, and laughs, but a zombie is on the other side of the shelf, and grabs him. Another comes out from behind him, and he yells for help. A guy comes out of nowhere, and pikes the zombie. Luke asks what his name is, but he jets. Luke says, thank you, and stabs the other zombie in the head.

Michonne asks, what happened? and Luke says a guy came out of nowhere and saved his life. Then he ran off. Maybe they can still catch him. Scott goes back out, and Michonne loads her bag with books. Luke is like, what the hell? He tells Michonne he’s sorry, and asks if everything is all right. She says, Siddiq is dead, so everything is not all right.

Uh-oh. They announced a surprise cast member on Talking Dead. This usually means a dead character on Walking Dead.

Gabriel officiates at Siddiq’s funeral. He says a scholar who understood the importance of it, wrote, let me live if life is better, or take my life if that is better. He knew the world defied logic and justice, which is why he posed the sentiment. Gabriel tosses dirt on the grave, and says, you were taken from it, and are now brought back to it, and from it, will be raised a second time. Everyone is bummed. Rosita sits on the ground near Siddiq’s newly dug grave. Ezekiel has come to pay his respects, and Carol goes over to him. She says it’s good to see him, and he says, her too. He can’t believe Siddiq is gone. He was one of those people Ezekiel thought would live forever. There are too many things changing. She asks how long he’s staying, and he says, a day or two. She wishes they more time, and Ezekiel says he heard about them looking for the zombie hoard, and asks if they need help. She says, no, and asks if everything is okay. He tells her, good luck.

Outside the gate, Rosita sees some zombies, and takes out brass knuckles with spikes on them. She thinks of Siddiq and Coco, and stabs them, but the last one gets the better of her. Eugene runs over, and knocks it down. She tells him, thanks, but he says, no expression of gratitude is required. It was lucky he was crossing through. He gives her his deepest condolences about Siddiq’s passing. It was a tragedy, and he wishes there was more he could offer. He tells her, travel safe, and then realizes he’s the one who’s going to be traveling.

Gabriel watches the initial interview he did with Dante. He asks what Dante was before, and Dante says, a father just trying to get by. Gabriel asks how long he knew the people he came in with, and he says he lost track of time. They saved his life. Gabriel asks the standard, how many people has he killed? and he says, only one; the man who tried to hurt is son, but the walkers got Jimmy in the end anyway. Gabriel snaps the video camera shut. Rosita comes in. He sees she’s a mess, and asks, what happened?  She says she was helping Eugene with the walkers at the gate. She asks if Coco is sleeping, and Gabriel says she fell fast asleep. She tells him, the truth is that she wasn’t helping Eugene; he was helping her, but she should be able to handle the walkers. Gabriel says, it’s been a rough day. She says, it’s not that. She could die She used to think, if it happened, it happened, but now it would make Coco an orphan. She can’t die. She’s afraid, and the feeling isn’t going away. Gabriel says, feelings are not the future, and she says that sounds like a quote. She could freeze again, and won’t have Eugene to save her. Gabriel says he has to meet with the council. They need to figure out how this happened. They need to find Lydia, and find out why she didn’t know Dante. She says he’s not hearing her, and he tells her that he’s saying the feeling will pass. She says, maybe Dante was right about them. They’re not as strong as they think they are.

Aaron quizzes Gracie on state capitals, and she asks him about his travels. He says he once went hiking with a man he loved in California, and they went to Oakland. While they were hiking, the found some ruins that they explored. They listened to the sound of the waves crashing, and imagined what the people were like who were now lost to time. They had their own laws, beliefs, and hopes for the future. He was one of the first ones there when Alexandria started. When they thought they knew what it was going to be. He’s been thinking more and more about that village. Gracie asks, what happened to those people? but he says he doesn’t know.

Michonne and her group arrive at Oceanside. She tells them that Dante showed up before the fire, and whatever process they’ve been using to vet their newest people, they have to do it again. A few of the women drag a guy in, and Rachel asks how he got in there. Michonne asks who he is, and Jules says they caught him trying to steal a sail, and he was probably going to steal a boat. He struggles to get away, and Michonne takes out her sword. She says she’s not asking him again, and he says just trying to get home; to get back to his family. Luke says this is the guy who saved his life. Jules says he was also sneaking around, messing with their security, and Rachel says, they’ve hung men for less. Michonne says, he might be a Whisperer. Luke says he was taking books, and had pictures of his family. Does he look like a Whisperer? Michonne says she doesn’t know what they look like anymore. He tells them to let him go, and Michonne says, answer her question. Who are his people? They hear some zombies coming, and Michonne tells them to hold him, and slices the top off of a zombie’s head. She pikes a couple of them, but then looks panicked at seeing how many are appearing.

Gabriel goes to the cell where Dante is being kept. He asks if Dante even had a son, and Dante asks why it matters. Gabriel guesses it doesn’t, but it’s one of the things he liked about Dante. Dante says, that his son was killed? and Gabriel says, that he had a family. He supposes Dante would like it if he didn’t trust anyone again. Dante says, that was the idea. Gabriel opens the cell and goes in, leaving the door open. He asks if that’s why he was there. He says he was there to show them to look around look. Look at what people did to the world. Gabriel thinks people can be good, and deserve a second chance. Gabriel says he loved Siddiq like a brother. His family will never be the same. His daughter won’t know him. Maybe Rosita will blame Gabriel, and maybe she’s right. He didn’t protect them enough. He hasn’t always been brave. Dante asks if Gabriel thinks people deserve a second chance. Gabriel says he doesn’t know, but sometimes they get one anyway. He stabs Dante, and Dante pushes Gabriel up against the wall. Gabriel just keeps stabbing him, and yelling with every stab. I say, better stab his effing head, and Gabriel does, then stands there and cries. Apparently, no public reckoning for Dante.

At Oceanside, while they’re fighting the zombies, the guy tries to get away. A zombie comes after him, and knocks him down. Judith tells him, don’t move, and kills it. She calls to Michonne, and Michonne says, good girl.

Rosita walks around the house with Coco, saying reassuring words, probably more for herself than the baby. She looks outside, and sees Gabriel coming toward the house.

On his bike, Daryl leads Aaron and Carol, who are on horses. He parks, and they meet Jerry, Connie, Kelly, and Magna. Jerry asks how Rosita is, and Carol says, as you’d expect. Daryl thanks Connie for helping, and she writes, anything for us.

It’s starting to get dark out when they cross the border where the head stakes are. Daryl crosses last, and follows Carol. Carol takes out a sword, and snaps an animal trap. She says if they’re laying traps, it means they’re closer. Daryl tells her, stop this sh*t. She wants Alpha dead so bad, she doesn’t care  what happens to her. Carol says, not true, and he says she never came off the boat. It’s like talking to a goddam ghost. He’s the one she should talk to. Carol says she doesn’t know how, and Daryl says, try. He hugs her, and says, she’s not worth it. She’s a dead woman anyway. They have a future. Don’t let her take that too. He asks if she’s good, and she says yeah. He tells her that he’ll lead, and snaps another trap. A zombie comes along, and Carol kills it, barely breaking her stride.

Gabriel watches Dante’s body burn. Rosita joins him, and puts her head on his shoulder.

Unnamed guy wakes up with his wrists bound. Judith is sitting near him, reading, and he tells her, don’t go through his stuff. The book belongs to his daughter. Judith says it fell out, and she picked it up. It clearly belongs to the library. He says it’s for his daughter; put it back. She continues to read, and he tries lunging for the book. She changes position to be more out of reach, and tells him, be careful. He’s going to rip his stitches. Michonne joins them, and asks if he’s comfortable? He inches back to his original spot, and Michonne asks Judith to give them a minute. When she’s gone, Michonne ask what he’s really doing there. He says her daughter is a demon with a sword, and she says, like mother, like daughter. Only her swords won’t leave anything to heal. Answer her damn question. He says he didn’t mean it in a bad way. No way could they make it this long without being comfortable with violence. She asks how long he’s been watching Oceanside, but he says he wasn’t watching. He doesn’t want to hurt anybody. He left home for supplies, and now he’s trying to get back. She asks if him helping her friend was part of the play, but he says, there’s no play. He just did it. What if he needed help? The same thing might happen to him. He’s glad he did it. Mercy’s in short supply these days. He doesn’t expect it, and maybe he doesn’t deserve it. He asks if something is wrong, and Michonne says he reminded her of something a friend of hers used to say; my mercy prevails over my wrath. She looks off into the distance, and brushes a tear away. She asks him to just tell her where home is, but he says he can’t tell her where he lives. His family is there. She asks if that’s how he’s getting back to them or keeping them safe. They don’t know where he is, or even if he’s coming back. She tells him, don’t put them through that. He says he lives on Bloodsworth Island, south of Tangiers. It’s hard to find. He didn’t mean to break in and cause chaos, but he needed a boat. She says good intentions or not, he owes Oceanside for the damage. He’s not going anywhere until she figures it out. He says they have enemies to fight. Maybe they can help each other. She asks what he means.

Michonne goes to Judith, and Judith asks what he told her. Michonne says he lives on an island two days from there. It’s an old Naval base, and there could be enough weapons for them to destroy the horde. He’s going to let her have them, but she has to find a way to bring them back. Judith asks, what’s wrong? and Michonne says it has to be just her taking that risk. If anything happens, they shouldn’t be  together. She has to find out if he’s telling the truth. Is that okay? She holds Judith close.

Daryl’s group walks deeper into the woods. They see an empty clearing from the top of a cliff, and Daryl says, dammit, and Aaron says, that doesn’t mean she lied. They put traps around. The herd could have been there. They had an obligation to check it out. Daryl says they have time to find Lydia; let’s go. Aaron tells Carol that he knows it looks bad, but he wasn’t wrong about this. Carol looks out to the clearing.

Michonne tells nameless-so-far guy that whatever weapons are on his island will pay his debt. She’ll take him home, and bring them back. He says, it can’t be that simple, and she says, or thank you, you’re welcome. It’s up to him. He asks if he can have his stuff back, and she gives him his backpack. He holds out his hand, and says, he’s Virgil.

Michonne tells Luke, tell everyone back home that she’s only a couple days behind, and to radio if they need help. Keep her posted. Luke says, don’t worry. Judith will be looking after them. Michonne tells him, keep her safe, and tells Judith, it doesn’t have to be emergency to check in. Do it every day. She gives Judith a radio, and hugs her. She says she’ll see Judith soon. Be good for Uncle Daryl.

Michonne and Virgil sail out to sea.

Daryl’s group walks through the woods. Daryl suggests taking the river downstream. Carol loiters off to the side, and says she’ll meet them in a few minutes, but Daryl says they all stay together. Carol looks at the clearing, and sees Alpha staring at her. She takes off after Alpha, who runs, and the group all run after Carol. Alpha goes deeper into the woods, and the group continues to follow. Alpha runs into a cave, and some zombies appear. Daryl tells the group to get Carol’s ass out of there. He pikes the zombies, and walks toward the cave. It’s pitch black inside, and he walk holding knives out ahead of him. He quietly calls to Carol, then tumbles down into a hole. The others are there. It’s a ledge, and zombies reach up from beneath them. They’ve found the horde.

On February 23rd, 2020 – Gamma tells whoever’s left at Alexandria that their friends are in trouble, trapped in the cave where Alpha placed the horde; Alpha sets the cave on fire; Gamma is brought into Alexandria, and tries to see Coco;  Negan tells Alpha the spy she’s looking for is in her camp; Daryl can’t turn his back on Carol; and Daryl tells Carol they’re not fighting for revenge; they’re fighting for their future.

Good cliffhanger.

👹 On Talking Dead, my prediction was correct, and Dante (Juan Javier Cardenas) was the surprise guest. Chris Hardwick mentioned that the book Judith was reading was The World Before, which was also the title of the episode. We also found out that the cave set had once been used for the Sanctuary, and that a spin-off show, The World Beyond, is slated for 2020. You can read about it here:

https://io9.gizmodo.com/the-third-walking-dead-show-officially-has-a-title-and-1840024524

⚓ The Real Island…

Another thing we learned on Taking Dead was that Bloodsworth Island, and its old Naval base, is a real place in Chesapeake Bay.

Bloodsworth Island

☎ Better Call Saul will be back on February 23rd, 2020.

💍 In 90 News…

The Good.

https://radaronline.com/exclusives/2019/11/90-day-fiance-star-jorge-nava-loses-125-pounds-in-prison/

The Bad.

https://radaronline.com/exclusives/2019/11/90-day-fiance-star-larissa-dos-santos-lima-and-beau-bury-hatchet/

And the awkward.

https://www.eonline.com/news/1096281/how-awkward-can-this-90-day-fiance-dinner-get-for-michael-and-juliana-see-for-yourself

🍗 Coming This Week…

A bounty of delicious foods. This song is originally by Ray Charles, but this was the only version they had where you don’t have to stare at an album cover through the whole thing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nov18

November 17, 2019 – Two Truths Too Late For Siddiq, Some Talk, Seasonal Break, I Knew It, Quotes For a Birthday & Sashay Into Monday

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What I Watched Today

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

 

The Walking Dead

Siddiq flashes back to Alpha. He wakes  and sees Cheryl, lying in bed, shaking. He gives her some water and tucks the covers more tightly around her. He goes out to get more water, and tends to more sick people. The infirmary is full. A song plays – We Don’t Know Why. He drifts back to sleep.

Siddiq opens his eyes. A hand comes out from the couch, and covers his mouth.

Daryl goes to the jail cell, and tells Lydia, get out. Carol puts her captured Whisperer in the cell. Outside, Carol asks if Lydia knows him. Lydia says, he’s one of the guardians. Carol asks if he would know where her mother’s horde is, and Lydia says, probably. Gabriel tells Carol that she put them at risk, but she says they have to find the horde before it’s at the gate. He says, so she put them at risk? Daryl says, it doesn’t matter. They have to find them. Gabriel says he’s sticking around, and Siddiq is going to treat the guy’s wound first. Carol says he can bleed until he answers some questions, but Gabriel thinks the council would agree with him. Carol tells Lydia to stay with her, and brings her to the house. Carol thanks Daryl for backing her up. He says they aren’t going to give up easy.

Daryl takes his shirt off, making women everywhere happy, and whistles for Dog. Never mind shirtless Daryl, I have anxiety every time Dog is on the screen. We see whip marks on Daryl’s back. He sits on the couch, and pets Dog. My anxiety heightens. He looks at the double-capper acorn Carol gave him.

Carol gives Lydia back her pokey stick, saying it’s still hers. She hands Lydia some salve for her bruises, and Lydia says she’s had worse. Carol asks what else Lydia knows about the prisoner, and Lydia says he’s one of the ones who watch the horde. She tells Carol that they were given no choice. She knows Carol hates them, but Lydia knows them too. Carol says a line was drawn, and Lydia has to choose which side she’s on. Lydia says her mom twists people to get them to do what she wants; to make them think it’s what they want. People obey because they think they have no other choice, but if they let him see what they have there, that a place like this can survive, an idea like that is dangerous. It would spread, and there’s nothing her mom could do to stop it.

Siddiq and Dante go into the Whisperer’s cell. Dante tells him, don’t try anything. They check him out, and Siddiq says his wound needs stitches. The guy says he knows them, and Siddiq freezes a little. Gabriel says Dante can take it from there, and Dante tells Siddiq, outside. Now. Siddiq leaves.

Siddiq pauses at the top of the stairs. He flashes back to Alpha cutting someone’s head off.

Gamma watches Aaron at the bridge. He eats a piece of bread, and she says he has bread every day. he says, made fresh this morning. He has some extra, but she says, no. She asks how people make so much, and he says, flour. She says, every day? A lot of people must be doing that. He says, as many as needed. She sees a child’s drawing sticking out of his backpack, and he says his daughter made it. She says, he has children, and he says, just one. That’s about all he can handle. She says, there are more? and he tells her, there are. He asks if she has children, but she says, children hold you back. They make you weak. He asks if she has a family, a brother or sister, but she says she’s an only child.

Carol goes to the Whisperer’s cell, and sets down a tray covered with a towel. We all assume it must be surgical instruments. Gabriel and Dante watch as she sits. She says, let’s get started, and uncovers the tray. It has bread and some pots of jam on it. She asks, what’s it going to be? Honey or jam? Strawberry or apple? He leans forward, and says, all of it. She says, not a problem; they have plenty there. She slathers it on the bread, and says for lunch she was thinking salted fish. She likes to wrap it up in fresh lettuce. He asks what she wants, and she says, right now, they’re just going to talk. He says, pass, and she says, okay. She gives him the bread, and says, then eat. He takes a small bite, then devours it. She says, good? and he spits it at her, saying, no.

Siddiq feels Rosita’s forehead. She asks if he’s okay, and he says, yeah. Is she okay? She says, yeah; nice and pasty. He says if it weren’t for Gabriel, he’d be making his move. She says don’t let that stop him. There isn’t a jealous bone in Gabriel’s body. He tells her, scoot over, and gets in the bed next to her, putting his arm around her. She says she’s been thinking about Eugene, and he laughs. He says, sorry. Her other other man. She says they set a date to talk, and she missed it. She doesn’t want Eugene to think she was ditching him. Siddiq says, he’ll be fine. He bounces back; not everybody does. He tells her that he checked out Eugene’s baby tips, and his poop chart is on point. He’s a bonafide sh*tologist. He says, they have a kid together, and Rosita says, yes; they do. She never thought she’d be a mommy in this world. He says he tries not to think about it. It freaks him out. He wants to do right; be a good dad. She says it freaks her out that he’s a dad. Coco is lucky to have him. They both are. She coughs, and he gives her some water. She asks again if he’s okay, and he says, yeah. He has a lot of patients to see, and miles to go before he sleeps. He tucks her in, and kisses her forehead.

Standing over the Whisperer, Carol asks, where’s the horde? She presses her fingers into his wound, and he says she has animal in her. If she was out there, he would take her like a bitch in heat. Daryl and Gabriel watch as she puts on a ring, and punches the Whisperer in the face, again and again. Daryl says, that’s enough, and the Whisperer says, they’re all weak. Daryl takes out a knife like the one Paul Hogan carried in Crocodile Dundee. (What happened to him anyway? And what about Pauly Shore?) Daryl says he’ll start with the fingers first; then both of his ears. After that, he’ll take all the guy’s teeth. The Whisperer says they lie to themselves, and to each other. They fight for what? Sandwiches. Daryl pins his hand down, and the Whisperer says, they ignore the truth when it’s staring them in the face. He’ll never betray Alpha. She rescued him. She protects him, and loves him. She loves them all. She sacrificed her own daughter for them. Carol says, she killed Lydia? and he says, she did. He’s willing to give his life for her. Carol and Daryl look at each other.

Outside, Daryl tells Carol, stop. She’s not getting Lydia mixed up in this mess. Carol says the guy swallowed every ounce of Alpha’s bullsh*t. Once he gets that she’s not his great leader, he’ll be itching to talk. Daryl says, Lydia has been through enough, but Carol says, let Lydia make up her own mind. That’s the only way they’ll know it.

Siddiq checks Cheryl’s temperature, and she says, not good? He says, better than last time, and she asks him if he knows how she can tell if a man is lying – his lips are moving. He says she’ll get through this. He’ll make sure of it. She tells him, sit down, and he does. She says he looks worse than she does. Rest. He says he can’t, and she says, for her. She’s made her peace, but the others need him to have his head on straight. He closes his eyes.

Aaron tells Gamma, go ahead, and hands her the drawing. She looks at it, and he says his daughter likes to stay out with her friends. What about her? Gamma says, she’d find every excuse to stay out. As kids, they used to take the long way home, around the lake. He says, brother or sister? He apologizes, saying, he had a brother, a couple of years younger. He loved cars, but he loved people more. They loved him too. He still thinks about his brother every day. He knows what it’s like to lose someone you love. It helps to talk about it. What she’s doing, the questions, digging for intel; he supposes he should do the same, but what’s the point? Maybe they could just talk about nothing worth reporting. He can go on about his brother, or maybe him. She walks quickly away, and back into the forest.

In the cell, the Whisperer chants in his head – we walk in darkness; we are free. Dante and Siddiq come in, and Siddiq says, he’s burning up. Dante asks, what’s the problem? and  the Whisperer says, how the hell should he know? Just make it stop. Dante says, there’s no sign of infection. It doesn’t make sense. The Whisperer suddenly has a seizure, and dies, just as Carol is coming in with Lydia. Daryl is like, no, and they go back out. Siddiq looks at something in a jar, and asks if Dante gave this to him. Dante says, for pain and inflammation, and Siddiq says, it killed him. Dante says, how? It’s yarrow. Siddiq says, it’s hemlock (which does look frighteningly the same); he didn’t know though… Dante looks at Siddiq, who says, what? Dante says he never thought hemlock would be in the bag because Siddiq packed it.

In the woods, Gamma takes an unmasked breather, then puts her mask back on. A zombie toddles toward her, and lunges at her. She pushes it away, but it won’t quit, so she cracks its head against a tree, where it gets a branch through the brain. Alpha walks up, and says it was a guardian for the horde. Alpha stands in front of Gamma, and says, the man with the metal arm… Gamma says, Aaron. He has a daughter. Alpha asks, is that all she learned? Did she ask after her sister’s child? Gamma says, there’s nothing to ask. Alpha says, he’s one of them, and will slaughter their kind. He’ll use her sister against her. She tells Gamma to remove her mask. Gamma does as she’s asked, and rolls up her sleeve, holding her arm out, palm up. Alpha whips Gamma’s arm, and says, she’s always being tested. She must remain strong. Alpha believes in her. Gamma rolls her sleeve back down, and Alpha says, tell her, this Aaron; he tempts her. He’s a liar. Do not be seduced. Gamma nods.

Gabriel tells Daryl, if the people find out, they’ll panic. If Alpha finds out… Daryl says, she won’t. He’ll clean up the mess. Gabriel says he’ll help, but Daryl says it’s not his mess to clean up.

Carol asks if Lydia still wants to help, and Lydia says she does.

Siddiq goes to Cheryl’s room, but she’s not there. He goes outside, and sees Dante burying a body, while Cheryl’s body lies wrapped in her quilt. Dante says he was going to find Siddiq, but… Siddiq walks through the house, and flashes back to being with the Whisperers. He starts to get dizzy, and remembers Enid backing away, holding a knife. He runs outside, and jumps into the water. He remembers Alpha smiling, and raising something. He sees a pool of blood. Alpha looks at him, and he cries out. He’s floating face down, and someone else jumps in as he’s sinking. It’s Rosita, who brings him back to the surface. She says she heard what happened. He says he doesn’t want to talk about it. He tells her to go home; she should be in bed. She says, no, and he says he has nothing to say. The Whisperer died because of him… She says she wants the real sh*t; what’s been eating him up for weeks. He says, it’s like he’s still there all the time. He never left. It’s just pieces jumbled together like a puzzle; screams, blood. He can’t stop it, and people are dying. Cheryl… Rosita says, Cheryl was sick, and he was doing everything he could. He’s not alone. He says why it bothers him so much is Enid. She’s there, and he thinks about how much he misses her. He gets to remember how he failed her. Rosita says, no. it’s not his fault. This is what that skin bitch did. It isn’t on him. He says, she wasn’t there. Enid, the people who he loved, died in front of him. Now he gets to watch it over and over, and he did nothing. He didn’t move; he didn’t help. He just watched. Because of him more people… He says, he’s not smart enough. Rosita tells Siddiq that he has to pull through. He has to fight it; for Coco, her, and everyone else who loves him. He can and he will, because he’s not alone, and he’s the smartest person she knows – except for her, of course. He laughs, and says he still can’t figure out why she’s sick. The patients didn’t live together or work together. They don’t even eat the same things. There isn’t a common denominator. Not one he can… He looks at the water, and she says, what? He tells her, go home.

Siddiq looks at the water pump system; drinkable and undrinkable. He pushes a lever down, then back up. He swipes everything off of a nearby table, and destroys it.

It’s nighttime, and Aaron goes to the bridge. Gamma holds out the drawing, and he says it’s hers now. She says she doesn’t want anything from him. Take it or she’ll burn it. He takes it, and she grabs him, putting him in a headlock. She says she has questions, and she wants answers. Got it? He tells her, don’t do this. It’s not her. She says he has no idea who she is. How many people do they have? Carol comes out, bow drawn, and says, let him go. Lydia comes out behind her, and Gamma is like, whaaat? She says, no! and backs away, then runs. Carol says Lydia’s mother told people she’d killed Lydia. Lydia says, Carol told her that she wanted her help. Carol says she did, and Lydia says, Carol used her. Carol says, sorry, and Lydia says Carol is just like her, meaning Alpha. Aaron shakes his head, and Lydia says they wanted her to choose sides. She chooses her own. Aaron says Lydia can’t go; it’s too dangerous. Lydia tells him that he can’t stop her. Carol moves to Lydia, who punches Carol and runs. Aaron tells Carol, wait. They might be watching.

Lydia goes through the woods.

Gamma, sans mask, sits in the woods, crying.

Dante knocks at Siddiq’s door. He says he knows it’s late… Siddiq says, leave him alone, but Dante says he just wants to chat for a second. He’ll go, but not before saying he’s sorry. With Eugene gone, he hasn’t pulled his weight. Siddiq tells him, stop. It’s his fault, not Dante’s. Dante knows Siddiq wants to blame himself. For a second, it makes everything make sense, but he’s sorry. That’s not how this works. This place is special; he got that right away. It works because it’s a village. It takes everyone to grow, fight, raise rug rats, and heal people. Everyone carries equal weight, so when something happens, it’s all their fault; every one of them. Siddiq is suffering, and he’s there to help. Siddiq says Dante doesn’t know him, and turns to the window, but Dante says, sure he does. Siddiq is his friend. It’s going to be okay. He pats Siddiq’s shoulder, and Siddiq says, yeah. Siddiq flashes back to Alpha telling him, look, as she chops heads off. He sees pools of blood, and calls out to Enid. A Whisperer holds him from behind, forcing his eyes open. He screams, and the Whisperer’s face turns into the face of Dante’s reflection in the window. He tries to go past Dante, but Dante tackles him. They fight, but Dante gets Siddiq in a headlock. Dante says he didn’t want to; not like this. Siddiq struggles, but Dante tightens his arm against Siddiq’s throat. Siddiq goes limp, and falls to the ground.

Now we all go, whaaat?

Next time – the mid-season finale – Ezekiel says, none of it matters, knowing sets you free, accept the future; Daryl asks if Carol is trusting a Whisperer now; Carol says she’s doing nothing; Judith and Michonne capture a stranger; and there’s a battle in the woods.

🔊 On Talking Dead, Chandler Riggs said he was also surprised that Dante had been a Whisperer. Like me, he thought Dante was off, but not that off. I just figured he was some kind of creeper. Also, the cellblock Whisperer didn’t really spit at Carol. Michael Cudlitz, who directed the episode, threw a handful of food at her face. I thought it seemed like an awful lot of food for a spit.

💀 Who Thought This Up…?

I’m still resenting this whole mid-season finale business.

https://comicbook.com/thewalkingdead/2019/11/18/the-walking-dead-midseason-finale-preview-season-10-michonne-return/

📺 I Could Have Told Him…

From the first episode of The Real Housewives of Orange County, I said this was the future of television.

https://pagesix.com/2019/11/15/andy-cohen-never-could-have-imagined-bravos-success/

🎂 They Say It’s Your Birthday…

In honor of his 58th, some quotes from the dragmaster himself.

https://www.eonline.com/shows/peoples_choice_awards/news/1092988/the-most-inspiring-rupaul-quotes-in-honor-of-the-icon-s-birthday

👠 You Go, Girlfriend…

Strut your stuff, even if it is Monday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nov11

November 10, 2019 – Negan Does Bonding Exercises, More Than Hair Pulling, Thirsty Maloof, Say Thanks & a Yo-Yo For Negan

Posted on by
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What I Watched Today

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

 

The Walking Dead

Carol wakes. It’s still dark out. She washes her face, and makes some coffee. She packs her knapsack and arms herself. She looks at her gun in the drawer.

Daryl is sitting on the porch smoking I don’t know what. Carol gets some food to-go, and heads out. Daryl comes up behind her, and asks if she’s feeling better. He asks where she’s going she tells him, to look for Negan. He asks if he can come along.

They get to a cliff in the forest, and Daryl asks if she thinks he crossed the border. He can’t see Negan putting on a mask, but she says, stranger things have happened. She takes out binoculars, but Daryl says Negan isn’t going to be wandering around to be spotted. He’s not dumb. She scans the vista, and Daryl asks her to tell him what they’re doing out there. She says, looking for Negan, and he says, tell him what they’re really looking for. She says, the horde. They have to find it and destroy it.

In the infirmary, Dante jokes that a tiny part of Cheryl is thrilled that she’s sick, so she can spend more time with him. She says, oh yeah. She’s puking because she has a crush. He says it’s a textbook case of the butterflies. Emotions manifest themselves in different ways. The heart wants what it wants. He checks her vitals, and she says she’d break him like a twig. Siddiq comes in, wearing Coco in a snuggly, and asks Cheryl how Dante is doing. She says, the jury is still out. Dante acts crushed, and says he thought they were having a moment. Siddiq says, this makes seven, and Dante asks how Rosita is. Siddiq says, same as everyone else. They have to keep everyone hydrated, and wait it out. Dante tells Siddiq to lap up the daddy/daughter sh*t while he can. They grow fast. He reaches to hold the baby, but Siddiq says he has some boundaries. Dante says, his bad, and tells Siddiq, go; have fun. If Siddiq needs him to peek in on Rosita, say the word, and he’ll make sure she’s on the mend. Boundaries again? Siddiq nods, and Dante says, noted.

Carol she’s Daryl a map, and says she’s been tracking them along the border. A small group connected at the jungle area. She thinks they should stake out a spot, and Daryl says they should see where the Whisperers go. They’d need a big place. He points to a spot on the map, and says they wouldn’t be able to sneak in without starting sh*t. They should figure out where they are, and tell the council. He asks why she didn’t say anything, and she says, after what happened with Alpha, she didn’t want to worry him. She asks if he’s sticking around, and he says she’ll need him, but she tells him that she’s picked up a few things over the years. He says they’ll see.

As he walks blindfolded with the Whisperers, Negan says he wants to join; he’s a joiner. Give him a damn application. They’re a class outfit, with their back to nature paleo vibe. And no more being eaten by the dead; that’s the real selling point. They’re a survivor’s wet dream. He asks if they’re going commando under there, and Beta has enough. He turns around, and puts crisscrossed knives against Negan’s neck. Negan calls him the Jolly Green Giant, and tells him to cool his jets. Beta says, no more noise. He’ll slit Negan’s throat and be done. Negan says he’s never properly introduced himself. He’s Negan (as we all are, I add in my head). For the last eight years, he’s been locked up by their enemy. Take him to his leader, and he’ll spill every secret he knows. Beta takes Negan’s blindfold off, and puts it in his mouth as a gag. I laugh.

Eugene thanks Nabila for choosing to assist in the radio relaunch boon. She says she’s happy to be part of the Hilltop AV club. He asks if he can show her the souped up soviet satellite version of the radio, and asks if she can parlez-vous Russian. She says, nyet. That’s all she’s got. He says, you haven’t lived until you’ve bounced a transmitter off the biosphere. She says, it sounds cool, but she’s got to get back to the kids. He tells her, there’s no expiration date on the invite, and she tells him to have fun. When she’s gone, he says, solo trip it is. Let’s see how far you fly. He turns the radio on hears Rosita’s voice. She tells him that she was looking for him. She just wanted to see what he was up to. She jokes that she has a fever, so she could be delirious. He asks what she has, and she says, it’s just a bug; she’ll be fine, and Coco is okay. What’s he up to? He says he’s revamping the radio set-up, but everyone wants a slice of Eugene. She asks if he’s coming back soon, and he says, to be honest, he hadn’t given it much thought, but it’s good to hear her voice. She says, her too. Some sparks fly out of the back of the radio, and he says there’s been a malfunction.  Mother of pearl. She asks if he’s okay, and he says, he has to fix the radio proto before it all goes fubar. He’ll call back this afternoon.

Daryl and Carol (why do their names have to rhyme?) take turns throwing acorns at a can, trying to knock it over. Both fail miserably, missing by a mile. Carol says, without his crossbow, his aim isn’t that good. He says, it’s not his thing, and she says it’s not hers. His acorn grazes the can, and he says he wins, but she says he’s got to knock it over, not kiss it. He calls her a sore loser. She finds two acorns fused together, and says she’s got a double-capper. She says it’s good luck, and gives it to him, telling him, maybe it will help with his aim. He tells her to watch her own throws. She asks how Hilltop is, and he says, fine. The king sends his best. She asks how Connie is, and he says, she’s fine too. Carol says she sees, and he says, it’s not like that. She says, why not? There’s not many people left to find, much less good ones. Why not? He asks why it matters, and she says, because it does. They don’t have to be alone. He can’t hide out with Dog forever. Daryl knocks the can over, and says, see? His aim is better already. He says he’s hungry, and asks if she has any food. She takes out the loaf of bread she got for the trip. He glances in her bag, as she breaks off a hunk of bread for him. He looks out, and says, see that? She looks through the binoculars, and a group of zombies comes trickling out of the woods. She gives the binoculars to him, and he says, Whisperers. She smiles.

Beta tells Alpha that Negan cannot be trusted. She looks over at Negan, and says, test him. If he passes, he’s worthy; if not, kill him. Beta says, it’s a mistake, showing him their ways. Alpha says questioning her judgement is becoming a regular occurrence. The Alpha is to be obeyed. He says he was only thinking of their people. She asks if it’s finally time for Beta to be the Alpha, and he kneels before her. Negan watches, as Beta says, never. Negan smiles.

Negan asks Beta if he’s Beta with benefits, and he slides his little omega in on the side. Beta says if Negan says anything about Alpha, he’ll kill him. Negan says, keeping it professional; he respects that. He saw Beta kneeling – not that there’s anything wrong with that. It’s tickled the d*cks of many a fine man. He’s had people kneeling before him, and understands the benefit that sh*t provides. He’s never done it himself, and admires Beta’s self-restraint. And respectfully, the bald head thing tightens his britches.

Siddiq goes to Rosita’s house to grab a change of clothes. He finds her on the couch, and says he thought she was supposed to be in bed. She says she was feeling better, but now she feels worse. He says she’s going on a field trip to the infirmary. She protests that she has so much to do, and sits up. She says, sh*t, and Siddiq says, how about if they all go? He helps her up and out the door.

Eugene sits at the radio, trying to call Hilltop, but only gets static. He plays with the dial, and says, it’s Tater Bug, live over open channels. If anyone is out there, give him a copy.

Continuing to watch the zombies, Carol says, it’s getting bigger, and Daryl says, they’re gathering strays. Carol says the sun is going down. They should see where the zombies go, but they have to get closer. Daryl asks if they were to cross the border, would she? and she says, if that’s what it takes. He asks if she’s sure she doesn’t want to take another shot at Alpha, and she says she didn’t say that. She asks what his problem is, and he says, if they’re going to do this, they have to be smart. They have no back-up. It’s just them in the middle of the night. Carol asks, since when are they not enough? Daryl says if they mess up, everyone else pays. She says, they already did, and they’re going to keep paying, no matter what side of the line they’re on. She tells him that she has to pee, and leaves. When she’s out of sight, he looks in her bag.

When Carol comes back, she asks if he found what he was looking for. He asks if she brought her gun, and she says, no; he took the ammo. He says there’s still ammo in the storage room, and she says she didn’t bring the gun. He can frisk her; go ahead. He says, okay. She asks if they’re enough or not, and he says, all right; he’s still in. It might as well be them. They move ahead.

Negan asks if he’s going to be bathed and reborn into the Whisperers’ image, or will he have a mission or quest? Beta throws a shovel at Negan, and says, dig. Negan says, he can do that. Is there anything in particular Beta is going for, as to size, depth, or width? Beta says, just dig. Negan digs. The background music is a twist-type song, Yo-Yo (see below, yo), as Negan hangs a piece of skin on a branch. It’s not that big and kind of ragged, and Beta hangs a piece next to his that’s a larger, perfect square. Negan is digging up bodies, and he and Beta drag them to a pile. I wonder when Negan got a fade? Is the a hair stylist among the Whisperers?

At the Whisperers’ camp, Beta, a boar hunting expedition is in progress, and Beta gives Negan a pocketknife. A Whisperer shoots a boar with an arrow, and Negan is left to finish it off. It knocks him down, but he still manages to kill it. It’s put in a cooking pit, and covered with dirt.

Siddiq brings Rosita to the infirmary, where a lot of people are waiting. Dante yells out to grab a seat; he’ll be with them in a second. Siddiq asks, what the hell is going on? Dante thinks the illness is spreading faster, and they’re out of antibiotics. Siddiq gets angry, and tells Dante to start crushing herbs, giving him a list of what to put together. It’s going to get worse if they don’t get ahead of it.

Daryl and Carol go to the border. Daryl says, if things go sideways, they head back. If they get split up, this is where they’ll meet. Carol says, be safe, and Daryl says, luck is on their side. They go into the woods.

Negan says he took the bastard down. This is the kind of badass sh*t he’ll do for his new family. Beta says, only those good enough to walk among them may eat. Negan says he helped cook, and kill the damn pig. He at least deserves a piece of bacon. Beta throws him to the ground, and Negan says, whatever you say, boss. He sits with another Whisperer, who gives him something to eat. Well that was nice.

Eugene says, it’s Tater Bug on the open air. Any interested airholes, come on back. Anyone, anywhere, it’s Tater Bug. A woman’s voice says, hello? She receives him loud and clear. He asks if she’s really out there.

The group of zombies moves into a clearing. Carol and Daryl watch. Daryl signals Carol to go another way, but she shakes her head, indicating she wants to stay. He starts to step forward, and his foot crunches some twigs. The zombies have supersonic hearing, and follow the noise. Daryl backs up against a tree, and they go past. He lifts the crossbow, and begins to slink away. A straggler heads in his direction.

Eugene says he would have prepared the proper remark if he’d known he was going to establish first contact. He thought he was wasting his time. He thinks they should exchange questions in order to grease the wheel. He asks where’s her location, how long she’s lived there, and how many people live there? And do they need to continue to say over? Over. The woman doesn’t think she should share that information, but she’s okay with not saying over. He understands. He asks if she’d like to hear his life story. Should he skip ahead? She suggests he start when he was born, and he tells her that he was born in Dallas. She says she’s from Pennsylvania. Stroudsburg. He says he knows it well. As an adolescent, locomotives were his jam, and his parents took him to the railroad museum for his birthday. He mentions the ice cream shop, and she says, the Inside Scoop. She was there all the time. They might have been there on the same day. He says he does have a critical question. Cake cone or waffle cone?

The straggling zombie comes up behind Daryl, and he cracks it’s neck. He slits it open, and pulls out its guts, smearing them on himself. Other zombies come by, but just keep walking. We hear whispering. I think it’s, why are you here?

Siddiq sits by Cheryl’s bedside, and she says it’s been ages since got so much attention from a young man. Siddiq says, it’s kind of his job. She says he’s all gloom and doom. She feels like she’s napping next to the Grim Reaper. He says, sorry; he’s just concerned. She says, in this world, most people don’t get the luxury of drifting off in a comfortable bed. Dante comes in, and Siddiq tells him to get some rest. About what he said… Dante says, no worries. He gets it. They’re stuck with pre-industrialized meds, but they’ll figure it out. Siddiq appreciates his help, and Dante says he should. He’s kind of amazing. They laugh, and Siddiq says, get some rest.

Siddiq checks Rosita’s forehead. Coco cries, and he picks her up. He tells her, it’s okay, and rocks her. He starts to drift off, and hears whispering. He opens his eyes, and he’s on one of the windmills, holding Coco.

Negan continues to travel with the Whisperers and their zombie crew. He says he and Beta are clearly not jiving. He gets it. Beta’s got to be a tough guy to keep everyone in line. He had guys to keep his sh*t tight. Beta says he’s not like Negan, and Negan says, whether Beta likes it or not, he’s joining. They’ll have to find a way to get along. Beta says Negan will never be one of them. He’s too loud, too weak, and too full of ego. He’s a waste. Negan says, cards on the table, he’s not there for Beta. He’s there for Alpha. Throw him, test him, he doesn’t give a sh*t. He ain’t going nowhere. Beta says, finally. Something they can both agree on. Negan won’t be going anywhere. Beta kills a zombie – or a Whisperer, I have no idea. Negan says he was just making a joke. He thinks Beta would be impressed if he wasn’t so pissed off.  Negan kills another zombie and/or Whisperer, and  the knife breaks. He’s suddenly surrounded.

Daryl finds Carol with a Whisperer she has tied up. Daryl says, what the hell? Carol says he saw them, and she’s taking him back. They can see what he knows. Daryl asks if this was her plan all along, but she says no. He asks, what’s this? indicating the plastic tie around the man’s wrists. She says it was in her bag; he must have missed it. She tells him they have no time to argue.

Still talking over the radio, Eugene says roller rinks make no sense, according to the risk and reward analysis. Along with the combined humiliation, it wasn’t his favorite pastime. He says it’s been a very enjoyable conversation, and at the risk of said humiliation, can they have a real talk? She says, it’s been great, but she doesn’t know him. He might be a threat. He asks what if he shares specifics, and she says, who’s to say she’s not a threat to him? People are dangerous. Eugene says he’s well aware of that, yet he has a twinge in his belly that leans toward the good column in the alignment chart. He does know her. His given name is, Eugene Hermann Porter. He proposes they continue their convos in the hope of building more approval and interest. There’s a moment of silence, and she says, well, okay, Eugene Hermann Porter. She’d like that very much. He says, so they’re in agreement? She says, they are, but they have to keep it between them for now. She wants to trust him, but if she hears anyone else, she’ll know she can’t. He says, okay. Just her and him. Copy that. Over.

The Whisperers work at hanging skins. Beta tells Alpha, he was weak. She says she expected more. Negan comes out of the woods, and says he’s ready for his goddam skim suit. They’ll need an extra-long tape measure for his humongous balls. He walks up to Alpha, and says, he’s Negan. They haven’t formally met, but he sure as hell knows who she is. Whether his reputation precedes him or not – he kneels – he’s all in. Whatever she wants, whatever he’s got, it’s hers. Beta is like, whoa. Alpha looks Negan over, and puts her finger to her lips. She says, shh… and he smiles.

They were definitely speaking my language with this episode. Negan is exactly what the Whisperers needed.

Next time, Carol tells Daryl it’s the only way, Alpha tells her people that she lvoes them, and Siddiq jumps into the water.

💢 Exactly Why I Stopped Watching…

While I never mind the occasional catfight, these girls take it too far.

https://www.essence.com/celebrity/real-housewives-of-potomac-monique-samuels-charged-assault-fight-candiace-dillard/

👠 Remember Her…?

I remember her accusing ex-husband Paul (Botched) of abusing the children during the divorce proceedings, and that I didn’t believe it for a second.

https://www.inquisitr.com/5722751/adrienne-maloof-twitter-rhobh-season-10-cast/

🙌 Make Their Day…

🎶 Now Known As Negan’s Theme…

This is the first episode I’ve really liked in a long time.

 

Nov4

November 3, 2019 – Negan’s Biggest Fan, Can’t Let Go Yet, 90 Begins, Meghan’s Mess, Vicki Sues, the Countess Is Pleased, Jailhouse Fight, the Coffee Cup Heard Round the World, What Will Said & Tom’s November

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What I Watched Today

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

 

The Walking Dead

Kelly is out in the woods. We see tattered rags on a clothesline, and a wild boar. Kelly gets her slingshot ready, but she’s having trouble hearing. The boar is down, but not dead, and she has to stab it. A zombie sneaks up on her, and she stabs that too. Zombies fall on the boar, devouring it, so Kelly has to abandon that idea. She runs, and a zombie follows. She tumbles down a hill. She’s hurt, and crawls forward. She leans against a tree, and a seriously creepy-looking zombie reaches for her from behind.

Negan looks at his reflection in the creek, and splashes water on his face. He debates drinking some, but decides not to. A voice says, gotcha. Don’t try anything. Negan turns around to see Brandon, who says, the look on his face. He was just messing with Negan. Brandon tosses him a canteen, and says Negan is fast. It took forever to catch up to him. Negan smiles. Damn he’s handsome.

Yumiko and a couple of others are still working on killing straggling zombies outside the wall. Yumiko goes inside to check in with Eugene. Aiden says Eugene has come up with a zero waste plan, and Eugene says, it seems as good a time as any to master the Pueblo art of basket weaving. On the side, Aiden suggests to Yumiko that they make weapons and catapults. She thinks it’s a good idea, just not now. Things are too complicated. Yumiko moves on, and Earl tells Aiden, the Whisperers toppled their wall with a tree, and now they’re throwing walkers at them, but they’re twiddling their thumbs. Breanna tells Yumiko that Connie was in the root cellar again in the middle of the night. Yumiko asks, who was on watch?

Yumiko goes inside her house to find Magna listening to music and reading. Yumiko shuts off the gramophone. She tells Magna that someone stole the crate of fish they got from Oceanside. Breanna said it was gone from the root cellar. Magna says, everything is strange at the moment. Yumiko says it would help if they stuck to the jobs they were given. Magna turns the music back up, and goes back to her book.

Ezekiel leans against a fence and ponders. Daryl rides in on his bike, and Siddiq follows behind on a horse. Connie waves, and signs talk later to Daryl. Ezekiel says, no sign of Negan? and Siddiq says they searched day and night, thinking about what he took from them, and they didn’t take from him. Ezekiel says they could use a hand in the infirmary, and Siddiq says they were planning on leaving tomorrow, but of course he’ll help.

A group of hunters comes back, and Connie writes, Kelly? Aiden says, she’s not there? She was tracking something, and said she’d meet them back at Hilltop. She should be back by now.

Negan cuts little sucker branches off of a big branch. Brandon whistles, and asks Negan if he got it. His dad used to tells him how the Saviors whistled back and forth. He asks how Negan got out of the cell, but Negan doesn’t say anything. Brandon says at least tell him what they’re looking for, but Negan says he wants to play it safe. Brandon says he heard how badass the Sanctuary was. Then Rick comes along, and talk about a hypocrite. He kills their parents, drags them to Alexandria, and gives them a lecture on community. He heard Negan made Rick cut his own kid’s hand off, and then killed him. Negan says he never did that. Carl was… He would never kill a kid. Brandon says they’re both Negan. Negan starts walking again. Brandon follows.

They come across a mess of barbed wire, and Brandon asks, who would do this? Negan says, the skin freaks. Brandon asks if they should cross. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Negan says, no, and a zombie comes out of nowhere, knocking Negan down. He holds it off with his newly fashioned stick, pushes it off of him. and uses the barbed wire to cut three-quarters of its head off through the mouth. Then he smashes the head with his foot. He says, thanks for the help, and Brandon says, sorry. He needed a second to wrap Negan’s gift. He holds out Lucille, wrapped in barbed wire. He says he swiped it from Alexandria, and was waiting for the right time to surprise Negan. He takes Negan’s leather jacket out of his backpack, and says, it took forever to find it. It was in the back of an old storage garage. His dad said he never saw Negan without it. Negan tells Brandon to put it in his backpack. He doesn’t want to be recognized. Brandon asks if he likes it though, and Negan says it’s a big hit.

Aaron looks around on the bridge, and hears something. He goes into the woods, and watches Gamma dispatch a zombie. She cuts it open, and blood flows into the creek. She shoves the body into the water; its entrails popping out.

Negan and Brandon stare at some zombies meandering around, and Brandon tells Negan that he’d say she’s a seven. Negan just looks at him, and he asks if this isn’t this kind of stuff the Saviors did to kill time. Negan tells Brandon that he can’t say he remembers rating walkers on their hotness. And she’s clearly a three. They hear screaming, and Negan takes off, Brandon following. Negan runs to a bus, where the screaming is coming from, and slams a zombie against the side of it. He breaks the knife in the process of stabbing it in the head. He looks at the handle, and says, you’ve got to be kidding me. He goes inside the bus, where he finds a woman screaming and fending off several zombies. Negan kills one, and she takes down another. Negan smashes the third zombies head in the bus door until there’s nothing left. A little boy peeks out from behind one of the seats. Brandon says, damn. Classic Negan.

Connie and Daryl search the woods for Kelly. Daryl says it’s not her fault, but Kelly signs that she should have gone with Kelly. Daryl asks if he’s told her about his brother Merle. One time Merle took him fishing on a big lake that was private property, in a boat that was stolen. Merle was drinking and fishing, and fell in the lake. Daryl had to swim back to shore while holding onto Merle. He saved Merle’s life, and know what he says? He writes, Dummy, go get the beer. Connie laughs, and he says, idiot, right? He tells her it’s going to be all right, and Dog barks. I always get nervous when dog is on screen

They see the rock from Kelly’s slingshot, and the remains of the boar. Daryl almost shoots Magna, who comes from another direction. Kelly gives Magna a questioning look, and Magna shakes her head.

Yumiko says she should be out there with them, and  Aiden says if she was lost in the woods, who would she want to find her? Somebody has to come back with her. Killjoy Earl asks if Aiden really thinks Kelly is okay, and Aiden says he hopes so. Earl says, what about them? The tree didn’t fall on its own. He thinks they might be coming back with something worse. Isn’t Aiden thinking about them at all? Aiden says, after what happened to his family, he thinks night and day about them. Earl says, don’t stop.

Ezekiel tells Siddiq, they took a quarter of the medical supplies. Ezekiel holds a metal tiger, and Siddiq says he’s sorry. Ezekiel says Henry forged it during his apprenticeship. He has a sudden coughing fit, and Siddiq says, that doesn’t sound good, but Ezekiel says, it’s nothing. The regular slings and arrows. Siddiq says it could be from smoke inhalation, and reaches out to touch Ezekiel, who slaps his hand away. Ezekiel tells Siddiq that he said he was fine. After a moment, Ezekiel pulls down his sweater to reveal a protrusion on his neck, saying, it’s grown. Siddiq touches Ezekiel’s neck, and says, it could be a lot of things, but Ezekiel says he knows what it is. Siddiq says, without a test, he can’t be sure, but Ezekiel says he knows. Siddiq sits, and Ezekiel says when he was growing up, his grandmother had it, and so did his father. The pain, the coughing, and swelling; he watched them fight it and win. There was 98% survival rate for thyroid cancer with the treatments that were out there. Now, they both know what it means. Siddiq says, it can be managed; acupuncture, hypnosis… He’s struggling with own condition. He can’t stand how everyone looks to him for some kind of answers. Maybe Ezekiel can’t get away from it, but they can talk about it. What are they there for if not for each other?

Amelia, the woman on the bus, tells Negan that she and Milo have been walking for weeks, since the Whisperers scattered everyone from their camp to the four winds. They went back to what it was before, and what it is in the end, moving from place to place, surviving. Brandon says he’s been there. Amelia asks if Milo wants to walk, and Brandon says, be safe. When they’re gone, Brandon says he knows what Negan is thinking. Negan says, people are a resource, but Brandon says, not them. He starts to go after them, and Negan grabs him, shoving him into a seat. He says he appreciates what Brandon has done for him since he left Alexandria, but it’s only going to get more dangerous from there. It’s best for him to go on alone, and Brandon should go home. Brandon says, okay, but if he goes back, everyone will want know where he’s been. What is he supposed to say? He’s never been a great liar. Negan laughs, and asks if Brandon planned that. He can go wherever the hell he wants. Brandon can go back to Alexandria and tell the whole world exactly where he is. He doesn’t give a sh*t, as long as doesn’t have to see that creepy pasty-ass face of Brandon’s again. Brandon says Negan is just like all the others. He grabs his bag, and gets off the bus.

Alpha watches as a Whisperer slices the face of off a zombie. She says, the ears are tricky. (I find out later on Talking Dead, that this is actually the zombie Kelly killed in the beginning scene.) Gamma approaches, and Alpha touches her face, saying she has something for Gamma. Gamma says she just came back from the creek, and Beta says, another one lost. Alpha says, strategy takes time. If they treat the water, and build a dam of zombies, it will crush them. A Whisperer wants to talk to Alpha, and Beta grumbles, but Alpha tells him to speak his piece. He says instead of what she’s doing, why not cut their enemies down all at once? Alpha asks if anyone agrees, and gets silence. She says, there’s democracy for you, and slices his hamstring. The Whisperer falls to his knees, and she says, the human body is fragile. All it takes to collapse it are a few nicks in the right spot. He makes a feeble attempt to stab her, and she slices his arm. She says, the strong ones know where to come to be safe, and hands Beta her knife. Beta slits the Whisperer’s throat, and Alpha says Gamma wanted another guardian.

Milo plays with a toy plane, and Negan asks how he is, telling Milo that he doesn’t bite. Milo’s mom it packing, so he has time to kill. Milo asks where Brandon is, and Negan says, he went looking for supplies. He tells Milo that he’s going to be rea; he told Brandon to get lost. It turns out he’s not the best co-pilot, if Milo catches his drift. He says Brandon doesn’t, does he? He’s never been on a plane. It’s not Milo’s fault that God turned the world into an ass pit before he was born. It feels like you’ve been sitting on the runway forever, and suddenly you hear a groan. The plane creeps along, moving faster and faster, until everything out the window turns into a blur. The wheels come up, and you’re flying, like voodoo magic. Up and up, higher and higher, until it’s like you’re floating on top of the world. The houses and cars look like toys. The food is a no. He was served beef stroganoff that looked like baby sh*t. There’s so much Milo is going to miss growing up in a screwed up world. Driving his first set of wheels, video games, nut tapping. He explains that you catch a guy off-guard. Keep your wrist loose, and snap your fingers on their nuts. You can’t go too low or too high, or you’ll get nothing but d*ck. He has Milo demonstrate the technique, and says he’s a natural. If nut tapping was a sport, Milo would be in the hall of fame. He tells Milo a fire isn’t happening without wood. Is he packed? Milo says he is, and Negan says he knows it sucks, but tells him mom that Negan knows a place where they’ll probably take them in. It has high walls, farmland, and has a mansion in the middle. They can’t tell who brought them there, but he’ll get them as close as he can. There’s one condition. Milo has to keep his fingers holstered when Negan’s nuts are around. Deal? Milo says, deal, and they high-five.

Gamma walks with the new zombie to the creek. She stabs him again and again, remembering throwing her sister into the zombie horde, and seeing Alpha kill the Whisperer. She’s stabbing so aggressively, she ends up cutting herself, and dropping the knife in the water. Aaron sees, and tosses her a bandage wrap. He says, it’s okay; it’s for her hand. He tells her that his name is Aaron. He knows they don’t do names anymore, but she’s got to be from somewhere. He’s from Vermont. Gamma jets, and he says, you’re welcome.

Connie and Daryl continue to search. Dog barks, and they find Kelly passed out, leaning against the tree. Connie wakes her up, and asks if she’s okay. Kelly signs that she couldn’t hear before, but she’s fine now. Magna gives Kelly some water, but she chokes on it. Connie signs that they have to get back to Hilltop. Daryl thinks they need to find somewhere closer. Connie walks over to a brush pile, and uncovers a big box of supplies. Daryl asks if she knew about this, and Connie takes a medical kit out of the box. She signs something to Magna, and Daryl asks what she said. Magna tells him that Connie doesn’t trust her. Daryl says Hilltop took them in. They have sick children and mouths to feed, and she steals from them. All she’s good for is talking sh*t. Connie writes not to tell them. Let her handle it.

Negan carries a small pile of wood in his arms. He hears whistling, and sees Brandon. Brandon says, that’s it, right? Negan drops the wood, and sees that Amelia and Milo are dead; their bodies next to the bus. Brandon says he remembers Negan kicked people out, but he was messing with them; keeping them in line. He realized this was a test. Negan said it was going to get a lot more dangerous, because he wanted to make sure Brandon had the balls to do what had to be done. Brandon looks at the bodies, and says, what does he think? Negan picks up a big rock, and Brandon turns around, saying, I passed. I am Negan. Negan slams the rock into Brandon’s head, and pounds his head to a pulp. He takes Lucille and his jacket, and walks.

Daryl returns with Connie, Kelly, and Magna. Yumiko runs to them, and asks, what happened? Connie signs that she’ll explain later.

Dante jokes to Siddiq on the radio. He says either Siddiq’s mic is out or he’s laughing balls off. He says he’s still there, and asks how Rosita is. Dante says he didn’t want to tell Siddiq, but she got a bump. She’ll be fine. Siddiq says he’ll leave for home tonight. He asks if Carol is around, and Dante says he’ll grab her. Ezekiel takes Siddiq’s place at the mic. He touches the metal tiger, and listens to Carol’s footsteps coming toward the radio. He shuts the radio off. Not that it’s ever in a happy place, but this show is just heartbreaking tonight.

Yumiko tells Magna it’s scary to think, but they probably wouldn’t have made it if they hadn’t found that stash. It sounds like they were far off the main road. Magna tells her, say it. Yumiko thinks she stole the supplies and hid them out there. Yumiko says, it wouldn’t be the first time, and Magna says Yumiko has thought she was selfish and stupid for the past thirteen years. That’s how she looked at Magna the day she showed up in her fancy suit. Yumiko says she was thinking, here’s an innocent person locked up for a crime she didn’t commit, and she’s never trusted anyone because no one trusted her. She was mad at everyone. Magna says her cousin was a little girl who had to go on living life when nobody came for him. So she did it. There it is. (For clarification: A man sexually assaulted Magna’s young cousin, and she killed him.) Magna tells Yumiko, they’ve both killed how many? and still that look.

Gamma approaches Alpha, and shows Alpha her bandaged hand. She says, the man with the metal arm gave to her. Seated on the ground, Alpha says, shh, and Gamma sits next to her. Alpha takes Gamma’s mask off, saying, different masks for different times. It’s kind of a sacrifice, like Gamma sacrificed her sister. Gamma says Alpha’s sacrifice was much greater, and Alpha says, the man with the metal arm could be useful. Gamma might just have to wear a new mask.

Connie walks through the stables, and hangs up a lantern. Daryl is there with his bike, and she asks if he’s leaving. He says he has to go back, and asks if Kelly is okay. Connie smiles and nods. She writes, sorry about Magna and Kelly asking him to lie for them. Daryl makes the sign for family, and Connie smiles. He gets on his bike, and she signs goodbye. He rolls out, whistling for Dog to follow.

Negan walks through the woods, wearing his jacket, and carrying Lucille. He walks past the barbed wire, and says, hey, sacks of sh*t, what does he have to do to get something to eat? Are they all scared of the big bad wolf? Little pigs, little pigs, let me in. (Which is what he also said when he first went to Alexandria.) He sees some zombies and says, there they are. He’s done talking. He whacks one with Lucille, and says he’s gonna blow their asses all the way home. He wallops a few more, and gets knocked down by Beta, who’s there with some Whisperers. I say, oh sh*t, and Negan says, all right, you big ass freak. Let’s do this.

Next time, Carol takes her gun and goes out walking, Alpha wants to test Negan, and Negan says he wants to join the Whisperers. They’re a survivor’s wet dream.

🎃 Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop…

So much Halloween.

https://pagesix.com/tag/halloween-costumes/

Heidi’s Halloween.

https://pagesix.com/2019/10/26/heidi-klum-reveals-secrets-behind-20-wild-halloween-party-costumes/

https://pagesix.com/2019/11/01/heidi-klum-reveals-gory-alien-halloween-costume-that-took-10-hours-to-create/

TV personalities dress up.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/halloween-costumes-tv-personalities-2019-costumes-kelly-and-ryan-good-morning-america-ellen-the-view-the-talk-more/

Daytime dresses up.

https://pagesix.com/2019/10/31/daytime-tv-dresses-up-for-halloween/#1

👴 42 Is the New Old…

The new season of 90 Day Fiancé is here, and already the insults are flying.

https://nypost.com/2019/10/29/90-day-fiance-couple-were-not-a-sleazy-rich-guy-or-a-prostitute/

😕 Jim Edmonds, D-Bag Or D-Bag…?

The reveal. (And is Jim wearing eyeshadow in that picture?)

https://radaronline.com/photos/meghan-king-and-jim-edmonds-marriage-scandals-revealed/?utm_source=email&em_hash=72048a93bc8188334dc1071a32fe8f3b

The accusations.

https://radaronline.com/exclusives/2019/10/meghan-king-edmonds-accuses-husband-jim-of-nanny-cheating/?utm_source=email&em_hash=72048a93bc8188334dc1071a32fe8f3b

Jim claps back.

https://radaronline.com/exclusives/2019/10/jim-edmonds-implies-wife-meghan-narcissist-amid-divorce/?utm_source=email&em_hash=72048a93bc8188334dc1071a32fe8f3b

The nanny speaks.

https://pagesix.com/2019/10/29/meghan-king-edmonds-nanny-speaks-out-amid-allegations-of-affair-with-jim/

Headed for divorce.

https://pagesix.com/2019/10/26/meghan-king-edmonds-and-jim-edmonds-headed-for-divorce-amid-alleged-affair-with-nanny/

Maybe not.

https://pagesix.com/2019/10/30/jim-edmonds-wants-to-make-it-right-with-wife-meghan-after-second-affair-allegations/

📺 Desperately Real Housewife…

Vicki grasps at storyline straws.

https://pagesix.com/2019/11/02/vicki-gunvalson-suing-rhoc-co-star-kelly-dodd-over-con-woman-statements/

🙇 The Countess Can Relax…

She’s probably just mad that Bethenny didn’t want to see her cabaret act for the thousandth time.

https://pagesix.com/2019/10/29/luann-de-lesseps-says-rhony-cast-was-relieved-bethenny-frankel-left-the-show/

❓ Remember Him…?

No reason you should. I don’t.

https://pagesix.com/2019/11/02/former-real-housewives-stars-son-slashed-in-jailhouse-fight/

☕ Seriously. The Final Word…

I would have never suspected Varys.

https://pagesix.com/2019/10/31/emilia-clarke-reveals-culprit-behind-infamous-game-of-thrones-coffee-cup/

🐎 A Little Will…

In honor of Will Rogers‘s 140th birthday, a few quotes.

I never met a man I didn’t like

Papers say: Congress is deadlocked and can’t act. I think that is the greatest blessing that could befall this country.

You know everybody is ignorant, only on different subjects.

This would be a great world to dance in if we didn’t have to pay the fiddler.

We all can’t be heroes, for someone has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by.

Everything is funny as long as it is happening to Somebody Else.

We will never have true civilization until we have learned to recognize the rights of others.

🍂 November Song…

Officially moving on from Halloween.

 

 

 

 

 

Oct28

October 27, 2019 – Negan Comes To the Rescue (Again), Halloween Talk, Old Soap, Puh-leeze & Theme From the Past

Posted on by
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What I Watched Today

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

 

The Walking Dead

Judith and Michonne are having dinner. Judith giggles, and puts a napkin on her head. Daryl brings a tray upstairs, and leaves it outside a bedroom door. I’m guessing for Carol

Siddiq sees Lydia, who’s on wall patrol, and she smiles at him. Carol puts fresh bandages her arm. Magna and Yumiko make love. Magna watches Yumiko sleep, and gets up.

Ezekiel sleeps and wakes suddenly. He hears whispering outside and looks out the window. He jets outside, and hears gunfire. By now, lots of people are up, wondering what’s going on, and there’s yelling in the distance.

Aaron is concerned the gate isn’t going to hold, and Earl agrees. A tree has fallen, and compromised the wall. Connie signs to Kelly, the tree? wondering if the Whisperers are to blame, but Kelly signs she doesn’t know. Luke asks if Connie thinks it’s them, and Earl says, of course it was. They’re already at war; they just didn’t know it. Jerry carries his wife in, and says there were nine injured. The bridge collapsed, and they were under it. Ezekiel tells Jerry that he’s fine, and not to worry. The others need help. Magna suggests they empty some trailers to deal with the injured, and Yumiko recommends using mattresses for stretchers.

In the daylight, and Aaron is training the young people. One of them fumbles, and he says they’re dead. They were looking at the ground. They have to get back on the training track. Head to hands always. If you lose focus, you get killed. Alden says the Whisperers took their friends, their land, and must be stopped again. Margo asks Lydia – who’s been minding her own business – if she thinks mommy will take her in, and Lydia tells her, get the hell out of here. Aaron tells them run it again.

On their way to help at Hilltop, Michonne rides her horse next to a carriage carrying Judith and several others. Judith notices Michonne looks worried. Michonne tells Judith not to worry. It’s her job, and she’s good at it. Judith suggests she can be a fresh set of eyes or friendly ears. Michonne tells her, Alpha said she’d release the horde if they crossed the border, but Carol took a shot at her, and she took more land. Judith says, maybe the rules are changing, but Michonne says, you can’t negotiate with a bully, or there’s no end to how much they’ll try to take. Some bullies, you can live with, but some you’ve got to fight. Judith wonders if they can live with the skins, but Michonne says they can’t take them at their word, and have to measure them by their actions. And their actions are unexpected… Judith says the fastest way to get RJ to sleep is to let him run around until he’s tired. Maybe the Whisperers want them to keep fighting so they get tired, and they have the advantage. Michonne says, not bad, and Judith says, eventually RJ had to be good for something. She asks if she’s right. Michonne looks at her, and says she’s thinking. She frowns, and stops the horses. She looks through the binoculars, and sees Ezekiel, riding down another path. Judith wonders why he’s out there, but Michonne doesn’t know. She tells the others, keep riding to Hilltop. She’ll be right behind. She goes to toward where she saw Ezekiel.

Michonne sees Ezekiel’s horse, minus Ezekiel, trotting in the opposite direction. She looks around, and finds Ezekiel on the edge of a cliff (perhaps where the bridge was?). She calls his name, and he says she should go. She asks him to step away from the edge. Can he? He shakes his head, and she says she’s not going anywhere. He breathes heavily, and hugs her. She tells him, it’s okay, and he kisses her. She kisses back for a moment, then backs away a little. He apologizes, but I’m thinking she liked it.

Negan finds Lydia sitting in between clotheslines that have sheets on them so she can’t be seen. He asks if she’s looking for a job, but she says she’s there to clear her head. He tells her, keep it up, and there are going to be socks with her name on them. She tells him that they started with her again today. He says she’s obviously having a day. What happened? She says she was rolling with it. She did it his way. She didn’t run away and hide. He’d said to kill them with kindness, and she did. He says they just want a reaction; don’t give it to them. Screw ‘em. Daryl sees her, and says, let’s go. She says she’s good, but he says, now. Negan tells him, she’s just trying to fit in, but Daryl says it will never happen if she hangs out with him.

Daryl catches up to Lydia, who says she and Negan were just talking. He says Negan ain’t her friend, but she says, Negan gets her. He tells her, stay away. As they get to Daryl’s place, they find Silence the Whisperers is written on the front door in big yellow letters.

Michonne and Ezekiel sit down, and Ezekiel says, maybe in another universe. He lost his kingdom. He had reign, and what did he do with it? He failed. Ben, Shiva, Henry, now Hilltop. He doesn’t know how to talk to Carol anymore. He didn’t know what he was going to do when he came out there. Michonne says she’s been there before. Not there, but – she indicates his heart – there. A long time ago. She was alone and in a dark place. She envied the walkers. Every time she got one, she was going to let it bite her. She’d put her sword down, and kill it with her bare hands. Eventually, she gave up. Ezekiel asks what it felt like, and she says, it feels like a mask – until it doesn’t. Ezekiel says he can only wear one for so long. Michonne says, then you have to start all over, just like that. Somehow it’s harder the second time, especially if you get used to having someone there; that partner in crime, that sounding board. She tears up, and says, now, it’s all on you; just you.

They walk, and Michonne says, for what it’s worth, Ezekiel’s not a half-bad kisser. He says he’s not at the top of his game, and she says she hasn’t kissed anyone under four feet tall in the last six years. She tells him, next time… He says, when he starts to act like an idiot? She asks him to just promise he won’t ride out by himself. He thanks her.

Zombies continue to gravitate to Hilltop. Magna says, there’s more of them, and Luke says, that’s not good. Thanks, Captain Obvious. Earl says he’ll get some timbers to reinforce the gate. Jerry asks how much time they have, and Earl hopes it’s enough. Everyone who’s been zombie fighting runs back in.

At mealtime, Lydia sits with the group who’s been harassing her, and slaps a dead squirrel on the table, cutting it open with a knife. Blood spritzes onto Gage’s face. Alfred says, she’s crazy. What’s wrong with her? Ozzie and Helen died to save her, and she’s making fools of them. Margo says, not here, and Lydia puts her finger to lips and says, shhh… They leave, and Daryl says she wants to live there, right? Lydia says, they deserved it, and Daryl says, he knows, but she can’t do sh*t like that. She says, but they can write what they want on their door? He says he’ll talk to them, and set them straight, but she says she doesn’t want him to fight her fight. They want her to give up, but she’s not going to; she can’t. He says he gets it. She takes her pokey stick, and goes outside. He says, great, no doubt anticipating more problems.

Outside, Lydia sees Margo, and is suddenly surrounded by her, Gage, and Alfred. (Yes. I cheated, and looked up these names. I have no clue who the blip these kids are, although I vaguely remember Gage.) Lydia asks why they hate her, and Margo says they’re friends were killed. Lydia says she wasn’t there, but Gage says, Ozzie was a fair man. In his honor, they’ll give her one last chance. Margo tells her, run now, and they’ll play dumb when anyone asks. Lydia says this is her home; they’re her people. Margo cracks Lydia in the head. Lydia falls, and Alfred grabs her. Lydia says she loved Henry. They know she did. They start beating on her, although Gage doesn’t really seem on board with it. Negan comes out, and starts shoving them away. Gage says they were just trying to scare her. Siddiq comes out, asking, what the hell is going on? During the melee, when Negan pulled Margot off of Lydia, she got slammed up against the wall. Negan realizes she’s dead, and says, sh*t.

Gage yells, Negan killed her, but Lydia says he didn’t do anything. Daryl says, get him out of here. People start to gather, and Siddiq remembers being with the Whisperers. He goes inside, and plunges his face into a bowl of ice water. Dante bandages Lydia. Daryl comes in, and tells Lydia that he’s sorry this happened. She doesn’t say anything, then mumbles something I can’t understand. He asks her to tell him what happened, and she says, Negan saved her life. She leans on Daryl’s shoulder, and he puts his arm around her.

Daryl goes to see Negan, who’s back in his cell. Negan asks how the kid is doing, and Daryl says, she’s banged up, but she’ll be all right. The young people are talking about putting Negan down, now that Rick isn’t around to save him. Negan says if Daryl came  there looking for a confession, keep walking. For the record, it was accident, and for the record, screw her. Goddam a-hole, beating on a kid. The world is better off. But Daryl already knows that, doesn’t he? He says Daryl came there to look him in the eye, but doesn’t know what to do with him. All the times he’s fantasized about Negan’s death, and tried to kill him, now he’s not so sure. Daryl tells Negan, listen to him. They’ve never been in a room, toe to toe, with no one to save him. What does he want to do? Negan says, the people out there are out for blood and guts. Daryl says Negan is no hero, and Negan agrees. He’s a sucker. He started to believe Daryl’s way of life, and moral code. He was given a taste of freedom, and it was yanked away when he did the right thing. He has to admit, it’s pretty messed up. They both know and appreciate messed up sh*t, but who’s the sucker now?

Daryl asks how Carol is feeling, and she says, sore. She heard what happened. Daryl says, a mess, and Carol says, everyone is talking about Negan again like time never moved. He doesn’t think…? Daryl says, he believes Lydia, and Carol says, it’s just a distraction. Alexandria was attacked. He says they don’t know that yet, and Carol says, the real enemy is out there. He says, enough bad is happening inside. If they don’t fix that, it won’t matter. There won’t be anything left. She says they should have gone to New Mexico. He says, yeah, and walks off.

Magna and the others kill zombies outside the Hilltop gate under a huge moon. Kelly uses a slingshot, and Yumiko, a bow and arrow. Luke thinks they should go back in; there’s more coming. Yumiko agrees they should get out, and calls to Magna. Magna says they have to protect the wall. Kelly says they need kelp. Yumiko grabs Kelly, and Magna tells them, go. Connie grabs Magna, and pulls her with them. They go back inside. Even I’m getting exhausted just watching. The wall starts to shake, and zombies bring down the door.

The zombies begin to stream in. I say, sh*t! Ezekiel and Michonne run out, along with Judith. Judith and Michonne fight side by side, Judith with her own, smaller machete. Judith is quite the little fighter, and Michonne stops for a millisecond to admire that. They continue to do some mother/daughter bonding by slaying zombies together.

Daryl radios Michonne, who asks, what’s going on? He tells her what happened to Lydia, saying, Lydia was lured there, and Negan was with her. She was attacked, and she’s in the infirmary. One of their friends is in the grave, but Negan is on the right side. He’s not sure if it makes a difference. Michonne says maybe she should come home. They have to protect Lydia. Daryl says, they’re trying to, but Michonne says, they have to. for all of them. They went to the border, and met Alpha. It was working, until Carol took a shot at her. Alpha could have killed them. Why does he think she didn’t? Daryl says, they’ve got Lydia. Michonne says Alpha wanted her protected, but she’ll definitely hurt them if Lydia gets hurt or runs off. She has to stay In Alexandria to keep the peace between them. Daryl says he’ll make sure. He admits to being a little afraid of the situation there; there’s going to be a council meeting. Michonne wants him to be her proxy, and vote for her. He says, all right, and she says she knows he’ll do the right thing.

After signing off with Daryl, Michonne gets another call on the radio.

At the council meeting, Gabriel suggests maybe Negan has been redeemed; maybe he has changed. But then again, a man like that, who’s done the things he’s done… Aaron says, and killed who he killed. Something inside him is broken. But they have to face the fact that killing Negan over this could undermine the civilized society they’ve built. Siddiq says, the Whisperers are the ones attacking them. Look what’s going on at Hilltop. Gabriel says the council wasn’t made for this; deciding a man’s fate in the dead of night; a group of people carrying pitchforks. Daryl says they’re supposed to make the people’s decisions for them. Michonne told him to vote for her, and he votes no on killing Negan. Aaron says, the vote is tied, and asks what Gabriel says. Gabriel wants to take the night to clear his head, and consider his vote. He suggests the rest of the council do the same.

Michonne wants to head out to Oceanside. Another mask was found. It might be nothing, but just in case it is them. Although they usually move as a pack. Eugene says, one hundred or more, and uses a bunch of big words. Luke simplifies, saying, like a cockroach family. He asks if she thinks they’re planning another attack. Michonne says the first time, it could be a coincidence, and the second, bad luck, but the third? They need to check. Luke says he’s feeling the ocean calling to him like a loon. Yumiko says he means Jules is calling to him, and he pretends not to know what she’s talking about. He’s never heard of her… Oh yeah, the tall one. Michonne says Eugene needs to lead a wagon back to Alexandria, but Eugene says he’s staying put, and uses a lot of words to say that Hilltop wall might need fortification. Michonne says Judith is coming with her. Who else could be her pair of friendly ears?

Magna is annoyed at Yumiko for making the decision for them to come back in when they were fighting the zombies. She says it was her decision, but Yumiko says it was a split second decision. When the sh*t hit the fan, someone had to. She wonders where this is coming from, and Magna says Yumiko isn’t her lawyer anymore.

Gabriel ponders as he walks to Negan’s cell. He goes inside to see Negan.

Gabriel bangs on Daryl’s door. Daryl opens it, and Gabriel says, he’s gone.

Gabriel tells Daryl and Aaron that a set of keys is missing. Aaron wants to know who was on watch. Lydia has come out of the house, and says she did, as she walks past them. Daryl says she didn’t. He kept watch, and she never left. Lydia walks into Negan’s empty cell, and says, it doesn’t matter. This is where they want her. Daryl says, it doesn’t matter what they want, and she says for a long time, she blamed herself for what happened. She kept thinking what if she’d just stayed in the cell where they found her, and never let them take her alive? What if she never went off with Henry, or said anything to her mother? Daryl says she’s not to blame, but she says, her mother was right. The people there put on polite faces, but they’re just masks. When things get bad, or they get scared, they pick a target, and aim to shoot. Her, Negan, anything but him. Daryl says, Negan is different. She didn’t know him. She says he stood up for her when he didn’t have to. She tried to hate him because she wanted to be like Daryl. Daryl says she doesn’t belong in a cage. She says, it’s better there. She feels safe. He closes the door, and it locks.

Ezekiel tells Jerry, he means it; he’s good. Jerry loads up a truck, and everyone gets ready to move out. Luke says goodbye to Connie and Kelly, and hugs Magna. He gets in the truck bed, and blows Yumiko a kiss. Michonne gets the horses going, and they pull the truck. I wonder how many people are making jokes about real horsepower.

Carol looks out from a rooftop. Below, Daryl takes the graffiti off the door. The camera pans around Alexandria, and we see Silence the Whisperers written in several places, including above the main gate. We hear the Whisperers get louder.

Next time, Negan on the road, Kelly is in trouble, and Alpha tells Beta, strategy takes time, but the Whisperers will crush them.

🎃 Both audience members and Chris Hardwick celebrated Halloween tonight by donning Walking Dead cosplay outfits. Chris came as Dale, and I would not have recognized him in a million years. Guest Matt Jones sported a Eugene pigtail, and suggested Negan had found his calling as a child psychologist. He might be right about that. He also thought Banksy might be responsible for the graffiti showing up around Alexandria. Mike Cudlitz (ex-Abe, who also directed tonight’s episode) and Cassady McClincy (Lydia) were also guests. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a guest have as good a time as Cassady did. She was just happy to be there, to be on TWD, and not be dead.

👻 Nothing I Didn’t Know…

But tis the season for ghosts and ghouls.

https://www.abc.soapsindepth.com/posts/dark-shadows-the-classic-vampire-soap-opera-141834?utm_source=postup&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=5741&recip_id=5057&list_id=9

😭 R U Kidding Me…?

Seriously, she did like, ten days. She did the crime, and isn’t even doing the time.

https://radaronline.com/videos/felicity-huffman-jail-behind-bars-shattered-wreck-not-eating-living-hell/

🌊 Rolling In the Shadows…

And continuing on with the Halloween theme.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oct21

October 20 – Waves Of Walkers, First Meeting & Get Dead

Posted on by
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What I Watched Today

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

 

The Walking Dead

6 am – Hour 1 – A timer goes off. Carol wakes, and takes a pill.

Hour 2 – Carol goes out of the gate. Above the wall, Eugene watches through binoculars.

Hour 4 – The older kids practice killing zombies, and show off to each other.

Hour 6 – Everyone gets ready for… something.

Hour 11 – Aaron is attacked by a zombie, but manages to pike it in the head.

Hour 13 – Eugene beckons to Aaron, who looks through Eugene’s binoculars. Eugene says, they keep coming, constantly. Wave after wave. Carol says, it’s her, and Michonne tells them, lock it down.

Hour 14 – Zombies continue to come. They stream in throughout hour 19, hour 22, hour 24, and hour 31. The Alexandrians continue to fight.

Hour 37 – There are lots of bodies. Gabriel rests. Michonne wonders, wtf? Judith sits by the window in Michonne’s bedroom, and says, well? Michonne says, well what? and Judith asks, is it safe? The radio crackles, and Aaron asks if Michonne copies.

Hour 48 – Michonne looks through the binoculars. More zombies are coming. She goes up into a windmill to get a better look through the window.

Michonne asks Eugene, how long until the next wave? He says, one hour from the north, and two from the south. Coming from the north, they’re thicker then fleas on a farm dog. Not so much from the south. He estimates they’ll be fighting through night again. Michonne snaps at Daryl, then apologizes. Eugene maintains his post. Daryl says, heads up, and he and Michonne meet Gamma at the gate. She says, north border, now. Michonne tells her to call off the walkers, but she says, it’s not them. Go to the north border, lay down their weapons, and  wait. Daryl asks, for what? Gamma says, her.

The Alexandrians have a meeting. Michonne tells Lydia, this is her mother, but Lydia doesn’t think so. Michonne asks, why? and Lydia says they crossed into Alpha’s land again, and they have to answer to that. Aaron says, they don’t have to do anything. They should just not go, but Lydia thinks that’s a bad idea. Aaron says, they’re already being attacked, but Lydia says if Alpha wanted them dead, she’d send a horde, not waves. Aaron thinks they’re being worn down. Eugene says he has every reason to believe the satellite and fire… but a woman cuts him off, saying she doesn’t want to hear anymore. They’re friends died trying to save the Alexandrians, and ended up with their heads on pikes. The Highwaymen want justice. All she wants to hear, is that they’re taking the lead bitch’s head off. She thinks they should put the Whisperers head’s on pikes. There’s a lot of mumbling, and Michonne gets up. She asks how many walkers have they seen in Alpha’s horde, and Daryl says, tens of thousands. Michonne asks what plan the Highwaymen have for taking them out. She gets silence, and says, that’s not a rhetorical question. The woman says they don’t have one, and Michonne says, does anybody else? Once again, it’s quiet, and she says, if Alpha sends the horde, that’s it. Right now, all she wants to do is talk, and they’re going to listen. Here, they’re going to focus on what’s coming from the north and the south. They’re tired and on edge, and it’s going to get worse before it gets better, but they’re not getting through it at all if they don’t act as one.

Michonne lays out a plan, with Aaron leading the fighting in the north, and Gabriel in the south. She and Daryl will be going to the border. Carol says, they’re going alone? and Daryl says they have no choice. Carol gets a gun from under her bed, and takes more pills.

Aaron tells Gabriel, they’re good, but Gabriel says Aaron is low on soldiers, fatigued, and Negan is on clean-up duty. Aaron balks, and Negan says, if it’s all the same, he’d like to stay there, picking tomatoes, and burying corpses. He tells Gabriel, look around him. People are amped, and pissed. and stirring up sh*t with each other. He doesn’t want the hateful vibes taken out on him. Gabriel says, Aaron is a saint. Gabriel tells Aaron, Negan can fight, and he’s low on fighters. PB meet J. End of discussion. He walks away, and Negan notices the spiked mace Aaron has in place of a hand. He says, it’s awesome that Aaron is putting the old stump to use.

Michonne heads for the border with Daryl, Carol, and a few others.

Aaron and Negan kill zombies outside the walls. Negan – who only got a less-than-pokey stick to fight with – picks up tire iron, and Aaron says, drop it. Negan says, God left it there for a reason. His broomstick ain’t cutting it. Aaron stares at Negan, and he puts it down. Negan says he’s trying to make things better. He’s not that guy anymore. A few zombies are headed their way, and Negan gives Aaron a thumbs up, and says he’s on it.

The group walks to the border to meet Alpha. It’s dark and quiet. They put down their weapons, and stare at the posts the heads were on. Daryl asks Carol if she’s all right. She says she needs a minute. She puts down her bow and arrow, but the gun is in the back of her waistband.

At Alexandria, Rosita and Eugene team up, killing zombies at the gates. Eugen thinks the killing could go on all night. Rosita says, he wants to go back, doesn’t he? He says, yeah, but they keep going.

Daryl says, heads up, and they see the Whisperers walking toward them in the distance. The Whisperers stop, and Alpha removes her mask. She says they had one rule between their people; one law. Stay where you are. They disobeyed it. Daryl says the fire would have destroyed the Whisperers’ land, but Alpha says fire is part of nature. They have no conflict with nature. Michonne says it could have wiped out their communities. They couldn’t sit back and let it happen. They crossed once. Alpha says, three times. During the fire, they walked her land. During the winter storm, they walked her land. And when they searched the river, you – she points to Carol – and the man with the metal arm walked her land. That’s three times. They’re always watching. What did she tell them about crossing her borders? They have to be punished. The Whisperers draw their guns, and Carol starts to reach for hers, when Alpha says, but she’ll consider the context. There will be no bloodshed this time. Michonne asks what they want, and Alpha says, land. The creek is their new southern border mark. Carol says that cuts off their hunting ground. They don’t have to stand for their… Michonne cuts her off with, Carol! Alpha asks, their what? and Carol says, bullsh*t. Daryl says they’re done. Let’s go. Alpha says, they’re not. This one – again pointing to Carol – rolled her eyes to Alpha’s face. Carol faces Alpha, who says she should be afraid. Carol says she looks at Alpha, and feels nothing at all. Alpha says Carol’s boy called her name before they took his head. Carol whips out her gun, and shoots, but Daryl pushes her arm down, so she misses Alpha. He holds Carol back, and Michonne apologizes for her friend. She says, they haven’t slept, and Alpha knows what Carol lost. Alpha says she forgives Carol, mother to mother. This is her land now. Better run. Daryl says, let’s go, and pushes Carol in the other direction. Alpha smiles.

In the woods, they rest a moment. Carol tells Michonne, the bitch has to die. She walks away, and Daryl approaches Michonne. Michonne says Carol’s not the same since she got off the boat. Daryl thinks Carol is better off on it, but Michonne says she belongs with them. Daryl says Carol’s not sleeping, and she’s out all night. Carol sees a few Whisperers streaking through the woods, and shoots at them. Daryl asks, what happened? and she says, Whisperers; three of them. They decide to split up, and Michonne says, capture, don’t kill.

Aaron and Megan are still hard at work. Negan uses the tire iron on a zombie, and scratches at a rash on his arm. Aaron asks, what did he say? indicating the tire iron, and Negan says he had to. Aaron says he’s going to tie Negan up, and take him back. Negan says that’s the best freaking news he’s heard all day, but he’s not being tied up like a POW. Aaron says, yes, he is, and Negan says, or what, cowboy? Aaron takes out a knife, and Negan says, you know what he sees? Someone pretending. He tells Aaron, let’s go, and starts to walk past him. Aaron knocks him down, and Negan says, did Aaron just trip him? What is he, twelve? I laugh. I love Negan. Negan asks, what is wrong? He put his neck on the block for them all day. Aaron says, Negan doesn’t give a damn about them. If he did, he’d leave. That’s what everyone needs. Negan says he did what he had to back then. Aaron tells him, open that up. Tell him why the love of his life had to die. Negan says, okay. One simple fact. One truth. If you don’t protect what belongs to you, sooner or later, it belongs to someone else. That goes for your land, your wallet, your home, your country, everything. It’s your job as a man to protect it. That’s the story of America; of the whole goddam world. Nothing can change it. Not him; not nobody. Aaron asks if Negan is saying Eric’s death was his fault. If he’s saying Aaron killed Eric, then Negan killed his wife. Negan says, careful, and Aaron says, she died hating him, and he’s never seeing her again. He asks if Negan wants to say something, and Negan says, yeah; he does. Another group of zombies comes toward them, and one gets Aaron down. Aaron stabs it, and his vison is suddenly blurry. He calls to Negan, who jets.

Michonne tells the others to meet back at the creek. She tells Carol, there are no signs. no traces, no tracks, nothing. Is she sure she saw three? Carol says she’s sure. Carol shakes out another pill, and Michonne asks how long she’s been taking them. Carol says since she got back. She’s fine; they’re like coffee. Michonne says they can’t stay out there, and Daryl suggests they hole up for a while, and get some sleep

They walk into Barnett Academy. They shine a flashlight into the broken windows, and I wonder where they get batteries, since they never last very long in my flashlight. They walk in, and quietly look around. Daryl says, it’s clear. Carol steps on a book in the hallway, and picks it up. It’s a book on economics, Working in the Home. She stares at the picture of the family on the cover. Daryl tells her, come on. She looks at it again, and tosses it down. They go to the cafeteria, and Daryl says he’ll take first watch. Carol takes more pills, and Daryl notices.

Aaron stumbles around, looking for Negan. He goes into a cabin, and crashes around inside, being loud and reckless. Negan is there, sitting on the floor, but says nothing.

Daryl sits on the floor across from Carol, and she asks what he’s thinking. He says, about his dad. He was a trucker, and would tell them crazy stories about his trips. One time, he was flying down the highway in Kentucky. It was pitch black out, and he saw a girl on the side of the road. She looked like she was crying. As he got closer, she stepped out in front of the truck, and he slammed on his breaks. He called the local PD, and got out to look for her, but she wasn’t there. He looked under the cab, and there was nothing there or under the tires. There was no blood on the grill. Carol asks how that was possible, and Daryl says, there was no girl. His dad didn’t sleep much, and would sometimes stay up 24-hours to make one of his runs. Stay up all the time, you start seeing things. Carol says she’s not a snorting truck driver. She’s not his dad. She says, sorry, and he says, she’s right. That doesn’t mean he’s wrong though. Her alarm goes off, and he says, don’t take it. She needs to sleep. She says she can’t, and he asks, why? Bad dreams? She doesn’t answer.

Aaron keeps crashing around the house. Zombies come toward it because he’s making so much damn noise, and inadvertently flashed the lights. He ends up letting them in, and Negan kills them. The tire iron drips blood. Aaron says, Negan? Negan asks if Aaron is all right. Aaron says he can’t see, and Negan explains what was on the walkers was hog weed. It’s nasty sh*t, and causes rashes and blindness. (I learn on Talking Dead that hog weed is an invasive species that kills all plant life around it.) Aaron asks if it’s permanent, and Negan says, sometimes. He asks if Aaron washed his eyes out with water. He says he did, but his water is gone, and he’s parched. Negan gives Aaron some water to drink, and helps him up. He starts to go, and Aaron says, wait. Where’s he going? Negan says, to keep watch. They’ll leave first thing in the morning. If that’s okay with Aaron. Aaron says, yeah.

Carol wanders around the school. She sees a broken pane of glass with blood on it, and follows a trail of blood to a woman sitting on the floor with her head bowed down, looking like something from out of The Grudge. She hears Henry say, mom, and he’s standing behind her for a moment. Daryl’s light startles her, and Daryl asks where she went. She’s been gone a half hour. She says she was on patrol. She’s fine. She’s not his dad seeing ghosts. Daryl says, what? and she says the story about the girl, and his dad, the truck driver. He says, his dad’s not a truck driver. Carol’s timer goes off, and she takes a pill. He says, come on, don’t take that, but she does, saying, one more hour, and Daryl says, all right, and leaves her. She checks her gun, and I worry she’s going to end up shooting the wrong person or wasting the bullets. She sees a shadow, and follows it to the gymnasium. She sees a Whisperer coming toward her, and walks over the broken glass that’s everywhere, right into a snare trap. She’s suddenly hanging upside down, and shoots at the Whisperer. She begins slashing at them, and shoots again. She sees a pack of zombies and/or Whisperers coming toward her, and yells for Daryl to help her. She manages to cut herself loose, and falls to the ground. She stabs the zombies. An alarm goes off. She’s standing there with bodies all around her. Daryl and Michonne come in.

Back at Alexandria, Daryl tells Siddiq that Carol fell and cut her arm real bad. Siddiq needs them to leave. He tells Dante to pull the shard out, and he’ll go in. Siddiq remembers the Whisperers, and Alpha with a knife. Dante says Siddiq plans on going in? and Siddiq says he’ll be fine. Dante says he’s not, and takes the instrument out of Siddiq’s hand.

Michonne and Daryl are outside, and Siddiq tells them, Dante got it out. She’s all patched up. Daryl says, great, and Michonne pats Siddiq’s arm. They go back in.

Negan looks out the window. Aaron wakes up. Negan asks if Aaron can see him. Aaron nods, and says, yeah. Negan says, good

Finished for now, Rosita and Eugene sit down inside. Rosita says she’s tired, and Eugene says she was a badass today. She says he didn’t do too badly himself, and he asks if he was as tough as a stewed skunk. She says, a batsh*t badger. He asks about Coco, and she says the baby is with Barbara. He says Coco can’t be without her mama, so he went with her today to protect her. Rosita says she taught him how to fight. She says they’re never going to happen. He’s not Coco’s father, and they’re not together. She needs him to hear that. She says, sorry it was harsh. She’s tired, and she feels drunk. Eugene asks if she’s familiar with the expression, a drunk mind speaks a sober heart. When you’re under the influence, the secret truth pours out, and it’s similar to when you’re tired. When she says it’s not going to happen, it’s the unfiltered truth. She says she’s been trying tell him that, but he didn’t listen. He says he thought someday, they’d have something special, but there’s nothing; there never was. She asks if he thinks their friendship is nothing; his unfiltered truth? He says he’s in the midst of experiencing a moment of crushing clarity. Their friendship was premised on the mistaken belief that she’d change her mind, and rezone him to love town. What kind of friend is that? He says he’s sorry, and leaves.

Siddiq sits outside. Eugene looks at him, and keeps walking. Michonne says, still awake? and Siddiq says they’re both awake. She asks how he’s  holding up, and he says he should be asking her. She says, as a mother, no sleep is her baseline reality. He says he’s a father, and he’s tired. She asks if she’ll see him later, and he says they’ll be good as new. She tells him, speak for his damn self. She leaves, and Dante comes out with some moonshine. Siddiq shakes his head, and says he has to sleep. Dante says that’s why he brought it. Siddiq says, cheers, and they clink mason jars. They each take a sip, and Dante says, you go in one person, and come out different. When he was in Iraq, there was one guy everyone knew; cocky, broad-shouldered. The dude the never broke. Until he did. He came back from the war broke, with the shakes, and thousand-mile stares. Siddiq asks, what happened to him? and Dante says, you’re looking at him.   

Carol sleeps, and music plays. She wakes up, and goes downstairs. Daryl is cooking. She says they need jam, and he says, there’s probably some at the store. He hands her some money, and she asks if he’s sure they’re open. Henry sits at the dining table, and asks where she’s going. She wakes, and looks at the empty pill bottle. She goes downstairs, and Michonne asks, how is it? Carol says, it hurts. She says she did see the Whisperers. Michonne says she’s the only one who did, and there were seven of them out there. Carol says she did see them, and Michonne says, only she did.

Michonne sees Judith by the window, and Judith asks if it’s safe. Michonne says, for now. They get on either side of RJ in the bed.

Carol goes out on the patio, and sees Daryl. She says, Michonne doesn’t believe her. Does he? Daryl says, yeah, but I don’t think he sounds convincing, and neither does Carol.

We see the blood bath in the gym, and follow it outside where the Whisperer that Carol shot lies on the ground. She opens her eyes.

Next time, the people are restless, and want to silence the Whisperers; Earl says they’re already at war; and the battle continues.

➰ Alpha, Meet Beta…

In case you missed it. No login required.

https://www.amc.com/shows/the-walking-dead/season-10/episode-02/we-are-the-end-of-the-world

💀 Appropriate For Both the Show and Season…

From my personal Halloween favorite, The Midnight Hour. The song is actually called Get Dead.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oct19

October 18, 2019 – Ryan Wants His Pen Back, a Questionable Review, 3×3 Quotes & Carpenter’s Allegory

Posted on by
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What I Watched Today

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

 

General Hospital

Hanging out in Sonny’s kitchen, Michael tells Carly which picture of Donna he prefers for her screen saver. She says she can’t pick just one. He says, Donna is almost as adorable as he was as a baby, and she says, and equally dramatic. They’re having a welcome home party when Donna is able to come home. Sonny suggests Michael bring Sasha, and Carly asks if they had fun at the wedding. Michael says he wouldn’t call it fun, or a wedding.

At the station, Jordan snatches Sasha’s file out of Curtis’s hands, and asks what he’s doing. He says, a little light reading. She asks how he came by it, and he says the file was sitting there, looking all unattended and stuff. She says she’ll speak to Chase about that. As for him… He says he knows he crossed the line, but the mess with Sasha is partly his fault, but she says, absolutely not. He says he’d feel better if he knew how an amateur like Sasha could pull off a con like this, and she says, this town is riddled with liars.

Lucas tells Julian, he and Brad cleared the air. Some of it, at least. Julian says, it takes work, and Lucas says, and sometimes, a third party. Therapy isn’t for everybody, but Brad says Dr. Bern has a good reputation. Julian says, Neil Bern? Lucas says, yeah, and Julian says, Brad’s therapist is Alexis’s boyfriend?   

Sam tells Alexis that she’s sorry. Alexis accepts her apology, because that’s what mother’s do. However, she wants to register a formal complaint. It was difficult to hear from Diane that Sam has been arrested twice. Sam says she didn’t want worry Alexis, and Alexis says, yet here she is; worried. Sam says they didn’t think it would get this far. The evidence was bogus, and the information fabricated. Robert was just about to drop the case. Alexis says, this is a Federal case, and the Feds are going to be diligent about it. Not because they want to put Sam in prison, but they’re hoping she flips on Jason. Sam says, never, and Alexis says, they don’t know that. Jason comes in and says, the Feds are about to find out they have no case. He sat down with Brice Henderson, and laid out Brice’s options. Sam asks if Brice gave any names.

Ryan wipes his bloody hand on a towel, and says, neat and tidy. He can’t say same for his cellmate though, can he? Brice’s arm hangs down from the top bunk, dripping blood. Ryan talks to Ava’s picture, saying, sorry dear. His new cellmate was a horrible slob. He doesn’t know what the warden was thinking. They’re completely incompatible. He calls to the guard, and says, something terrible has happened.

Ava eats one of her martini olives, and stares into space. Laura says she’s a million miles away. Ava says just fifteen. Maximum security is just a hop, skip, and a jump from downtown. Laura can’t tell her that she never thinks of Ryan. Laura says she refuses to give him that power. Ava says Laura is a bonafide anti-victim. Good for her. Laura says she learned how to be strong from overcoming the obstacles in her own life. Ava says Laura is still living up to her own example, and Laura says Ava is strong too. Ava says, don’t speak too soon. there’s still plenty of time to prove Laura wrong. Someone watches.

Laura doesn’t think drinking helps, and Ava says she tried Laura’s way. Not all of them make it through on water alone. Laura asks if she has someone to talk to; Julian, or a friend? Ava says she’s boring Laura, but Laura says, not at all. She’s just concerned Ava doesn’t have enough of a support system. Ava  says, concerned about her? Please don’t be. Laura says, but she is. She knows what it feels like to lose a child. She wants to help Ava. Ava says she can help by helping to get the death penalty reinstated. Laura says, killing Ryan won’t bring Kiki back, or give Ava peace. Ava says she thinks it would be a tremendous relief, knowing the man who violated her daughter was snuffed out of existence. He’s always lurking, just outside her field of vision. He’s still thinking about her; dreaming, planning. His eyes are always on her. Right now she can feel him watching her. Can Laura?

Carly asks, who left who at the altar? Her bet’s on Nina. Sonny says, Valentin might have left Nina for her own good, but Carly says, he’d never be that noble. Michael says, it was Nina who left Valentin, and Carly and Sonny laugh. Carly wants details, and Michael says, the wedding started on time. The bride walked down the aisle, and they exchanged lovely vows. Then Lulu stood up and announced that Sasha was only pretending to be Nina’s daughter. Carly says, Michael’s Sasha? It isn’t true, right? Lulu made a mistake. Michael says, Sasha confirmed she’s not Nina’s daughter. When Nina heard that, she assumed Valentin was involved, and walked out. Sonny is sorry, and says it must be hard on Michael, and Carly says, not so hard that he didn’t walk away from her right then and there. He did walk away, didn’t he?

Curtis asks Jordan if it doesn’t bother her that Sasha was able to beat more than one DNA test, and was able to fool so many people for so long? Jordan says she helped him squeeze the truth out of that dirty adoption lawyer. Yes, it bothers her. He says she doesn’t seem so bothered. She says, Andre was nearly murdered, Drew’s plane went down under mysterious circumstances, and the Feds are charging Sam with murder based on a raft of questionable evidence. So yes, it bothers her, but it’s also of decidedly low priority. She looks forward to the outcome of his investigation. Jordan’s phone rings. She says she’ll send a detective right away, and tells Chase he needs to get to Pentenville right now.

Jason tells Alexis, when Brice found out they could prove he almost killed Andre, he decided to cooperate. Alexis says, so the person who helped Shiloh escape, also stabbed Andre? Jason says Andre ID’d him, and Alexis asks what are the odds that someone would take on two high profile jobs like that at the same time? Sam says, the odds are a lot better, and work in their favor, if they’re connected. Now they just need to know what Brice thinks. Jason says, starting with who hired him. Alexis takes it that they have a theory. Jason says, Drew used to work with Shiloh in Afghanistan, and tracked down Andre to help Franco. Then Drew went missing. Alexis says, so Drew’s the connection. Sam says, yeah, and Alexis asks how it fits. Sam says, hell if she knows, and Jason says, whoever hired Brice knows.

Brad tells Julian that he didn’t know Alexis was seeing anyone, and Lucas says he didn’t either. Is that a problem? Julian says, not for him, but maybe for them. Didn’t Alexis handle Wiley’s adoption? You never know what might come up. A lot of stuff is said in therapy. Lucas says, which is confidential. Julian says, it should be. What do they know about Neil? Brad says, he helped Kristina. Lucas says, Alexis is dating him, and he doubts she’d be happy with a psychiatrist who violated confidentiality. If he’s good enough for her, he’s good enough for them. Lucas has to get to work, and leaves. Julian asks why Brad didn’t tell him that Neil was his therapist. Brad asks, why would he? Therapy is private, and it’s his business. Julian says, it’s his business too, since Brad decided to tell him the truth about Wiley. It’s too risky. He tells Brad to fire Neil, but Brad says, no. Julian says, don’t tell him no, and Brad says he just did. What’s Julian going to do about it?

Alexis asks if Sam and Jason have any idea who’s behind this. Sam says they’ve had their suspicions. Jason says, it stays in this room, and Alexis says she’s familiar with the concept of confidentiality. Sam says they think it’s Peter. Alexis says, Maxie’s boyfriend? and Sam says, Faison’s son. The man who kept Jason prisoner for five years. Jason says he’s also Anna’s son, so he’s been giving Peter the benefit of the doubt out of respect for her, but he knows how Peter works. Peter says he kept Jason alive as an act of conscience, but he was really keeping Jason in reserve to kill his father. It’s the same basic set up. Peter uses a middleman, and keeps his hands clean. Alexis says, it’s a compelling story. Do they have any evidence to support it? Jason says Brice had a big reaction to Peter’s name. Alexis asks if he confirmed that, and Jason says, not in so many words, but he said he’d talk if he can make a deal with the Feds.

Brice’s body bag is zipped up. Chase calls Jordan and tells her, Brice Henderson is dead. Jordan asks how that happened, and Chase says, if you don’t look too close, you’d think it’s self-inflicted. Jordan asks, what if you did look close? and he says he’d bet his money on Brice’s serial killer cellmate.

Ava asks if Laura feels that? The sense of being watched. Laura says she’s felt it before in life. Ava says Laura thinks she sounds crazy, but Laura says she doesn’t. She thinks it’s justified and understandable, but it’s a sign Ava needs help.

Julian puts his arm around Brad, and says he’s trying to help him. Brad says, help would have been neutralizing Obrecht when he asked Julian to. Julian says Brad asked him to kill her, and Brad says he asked Julian to keep his grandson safe. Julian turned him away, and he was on his own. His anxiety got so severe, he was having heart palpitations. He needed to do something to keep his head from popping off his neck. Julian says he’s sorry he’s not being more patient. He’ll do better, and so will Brad in treatment – with anyone else. Brad says, someone else might not give him what he wants, and it’s too late. Lucas is all in now. Neil wants him to bring Lucas in for a session; he wants to talk to them both. Julian says, the guy is already a problem. What happens when he says he can tell Brad is holding something back. Brad says he’ll cover, but Julian says Neil is too good; he’ll be able to tell Brad is lying. Brad says he knows what he’s doing. Julian may not have faith in him, but he has faith in himself, and so does Lucas. Brad walks out, and Julian says, not for long, and makes a call.

At the hospital, Lucas looks at a pamphlet on therapy. Curtis asks if he’s in analysis, and Lucas says he’s thinking about it. Curtis says, it’s not for the faint of heart. He tried it with family. He’s been shot at, blown up, been in a dumpster with rats the size of Dobermans, but nothing prepared him for getting mental with Jordan, and his auntie. Lucas says, both at the same time? Curtis says, good way to go crazy. Lucas says Curtis isn’t exactly easing his mind. Curtis says, it was rough, but ultimately, the experience was a healing one. It didn’t take right away; it took a couple of months. Lucas wonders if it helped, and Curtis says, eventually. Lucas asks if Curtis is a fan now, and Curtis says he loves expressing his thoughts and feelings so much, his wife says he’s an oversharer. Lucas says his expectations are pretty low. He’d settle for a tidbit from Brad. Curtis says, Lucas and him both.

Carly asks Michael to please tell her that he ditched Sasha. Michael says he can’t, because he didn’t. Sonny is sure Michael has his reasons, but Carly says, what reason could there be? Sasha told a church full of people that she was a fraud. Michael says, there’s more to it than that. Carly is sure there is. Sasha came from a broken home, she has a personality disorder, or Nina deserved it. It doesn’t matter. No reason is good enough. Michael asks if it would make Carly feel better to know Sasha had decide to come clean with Nina, and Carly says, is that what Sasha told him? She saw the error of her ways, and had every intention of fessing up? Michael says, it’s true. She’d already told him she made that decision. Sonny says Michael is smarter than that, but Michael says Sasha already told him that she wasn’t Nina’s daughter weeks ago.

Brad comes out of the hospital elevator, and Lucas says Curtis was just looking for him. Brad asks, what for? and Curtis says he’s curious about lab procedure. Brad says, his? but Curtis says, no, just in general. Brad says he can’t divulge protocol without clearance, and Curtis says, it’s not that heavy. It’s probably not what Brad is thinking. Lucas says, he remembers Sasha, right? Curtis says, it turns out she’s not Nina’s daughter, and Lucas says, Sasha was scamming her. Curtis says he’s the one who tracked down Sasha’s DNA sample; the one that proved the parent/child connection. Someone tampered with the sample. Lucas says, Curtis is trying to figure out how Sasha must have pulled it off, so they thought of Brad.

Ava tells Laura, it’s not paranoia or madness; it’s grief. Laura knows that, but it’s the kind of grief that can drown you if you let it. There’s no forgiving the death of a child, but you can learn to live with it.  She tells Ava not to isolate herself. Talk to people; share her pain. There’s no shame in that, but there’s real danger in succumbing to it. Laura’s phone rings, and she steps away to take the call. It’s Jordan, who says she has bad news she’d prefer to deliver in person, but she can’t get away. Laura asks what it is, and Jordan says, it’s Ryan. Laura looks at Ava, who says, what?

Carly says, Michael knew Sasha was lying to Nina? Michael says Sasha told him the night she was released from the hospital. Nina was so good to her when she was sick, Sasha couldn’t take it anymore. She told him that she wasn’t Nina’s daughter, and the whole thing was a lie. Carly says, it’s awful for Nina; she was so invested. Michael says Sasha had every intention of confessing to Nina after she told him, but he convinced her not to. Carly says, what? Why would he do that? Sonny says they’re in no position to judge, but Carly says she thought they raised Michael to be better than them. Not to make the same mistakes they did. This isn’t like him. Michael says, there was another consideration. Cassandra’s trial is coming up soon. He thought if Sasha confessed, it would cast doubt on her testimony, and weaken the case. It was a difficult decision, but Sasha agreed to hold off on confessing until after the trial. A few more months wouldn’t make any difference to Nina, but it would for Cassandra’s victims. Sonny says, it was a tough call, but the right one. He’d have done the same thing. Carly says, small comfort to Nina.

Laura tells Jordan to keep her apprised. She asks Jordan to call Julian, and tell him to get to the MetroCourt. His sister needs him. Ava downs her drink.

Alexis assumes Jason and Sam haven’t told Maxie their suspicions. Jason says they need to prove it, and Sam says they don’t want to tip Peter off, or put Maxie in danger. Jason says, so they’re waiting on Brice. Sam says, he’ll cut a deal, and hopefully tell them everything. Alexis says while they’re depending on the DOJ to make a deal, her priority is to get Sam out of there. Jordan comes in and says, Sam’s ride is here. Sam asks where she’s going, and Jordan says, to await trial in Pentenville. Sam looks at Jason.

Carly says, Sasha confessed to everyone at the church. Nina could easily press charges for fraud. Michael says, she won’t. Carly says, don’t be so sure. It was cruel. Sasha gave Nina a daughter, then took her away. Michael thinks Nina can be convinced not to call the cops. Carly says, by him? and Sonny asks if Michael thinks his influence can get Nina to back off, and Michael says he knows someone. Carly asks, who would advocate on Sasha’s behalf? and Michael says, someone who stands to lose more than Sasha did if the whole truth comes out. 

Lucas says, to run two DNA tests, Sasha had help on the inside, and Curtis says, she did claim she had a friend who knew their way around a DNA lab. Brad says it’s not him. It was him in the past, but he’s changed. Curtis says, no one is accusing him, but they thought he was an expert in lab procedure. Brad says, sorry. He doesn’t want to be that person again. Curtis says he’s not entirely sure Sasha is telling the whole truth. The tests were done in different labs. Could Sasha have an accomplice who helped in both places? Brad says, possible, but not probable. He has too much work on his hands to be taking on a second job. Lucas says, the samples provided would probably tell the tale, and Curtis says that’s what he was thinking. Can the test be rerun?

Alexis asks Jordan to tell the people at Pentenville to hold off. Jordan says she doesn’t like it either, but it’s not her call. It’s an FBI matter. Alexis says, Brice’s lawyer is setting up a deal that will exonerate Sam. Jordan asks, based on what? and Jason says, if he makes a deal, Brice will give up the name of the person who hired him, and information about other crimes. Jordan says, crimes other than breaking Shiloh out of police custody? and Jason says, Andre ID’d Brice as his attacker. Jordan says this is the first she’s hearing of this, and Jason says he told Andre to hold off until he could talk to Brice, before he could get a cover story in place. Jordan says, which would be acceptable if Jason was a detective, but he’s not. He has no authority to investigate, much less cut deals. Andre knows that, but she assumes he went along with it because he felt guilty for the part he played in the original memory transfer. Jason says Brice is a contractor. Somebody paid him to attack Andre, probably crash Drew’s plane, break Shiloh out of custody, and implicate Sam. Brice is apparently the busiest man in the world of crime. Jason says, Brice’s lawyer is talking to the Feds, and once the deal is done, he’ll give up the name. Jordan says, not anymore. Brice Henderson is dead.

Julian finds Ava, who asks what he’s doing there. Laura says she called him, and Ava wishes she hadn’t done that. Julian says he’s been busy putting fires out all over town; what happened? Ava says, Ryan killed again. Laura says, that hasn’t been confirmed, and Ava says, Ryan’s new cellmate stabbed himself the jugular with Ryan’s pen? Ryan killed him. Julian asks if there was a fight, but Laura says no one heard anything, and Ryan alerted the guard. Julian says, that makes no sense, and Ava says, nothing about Ryan makes sense. Ryan kills for a reason; to protect himself, or to fulfill his obsession. Ava says, or to please her

Chase shows Ryan his pen in a plastic bag, and Ryan says he was wondering where that went. Chase asks if he has a lot of writing to do, and Ryan says he has to keep up his correspondence. He doesn’t want to let his pen pal down. Chase thinks Ava wouldn’t mind if he missed a day or two, and Ryan says he’d be surprised. Can he have his pen back? Chase says, it became evidence the minute it was used to kill his cellmate. Ryan says, suicide is a terrible thing, and Chase says Brice might have survived if Ryan had alerted the guard sooner. Ryan says, what a man does with his life is his own business. It’s not much of a loss though; he lacked people skills. Chase asks how Ryan would know, since Brice just got there. Ryan says he’s a good judge of character. Probably all those years he spent as a doctor. Besides, any man who disrespects women isn’t worth the air he breathes. Chase takes down the Ava Crimson cover and says, with a photo like this staring at them, who could blame them? He bets a lot of guys wouldn’t mind disrespecting Ava. All night, every night. Ryan lunges at him, but the guard steps in.

Curtis asks Brad if they keep the original samples used for tests at GH. Brad says, most labs keep them for a couple of years, and Curtis says, so the test can be rerun. Lucas wonders why he wants to do that, and Curtis says Sasha was deliberately vague about how she pulled it off. Lucas says, maybe to protect her accomplice? Curtis says that’s what he wants to find out. If they use the same samples, this time with a trusted technician, will the results come back that Sasha’s not Nina’s daughter? Lucas says, what if the results come back the same way? and Curtis says, then something else is going on just as weird – and just as bad.

Sonny says, someone other than Sasha stands to lose? and Carly says, someone else was involved? Michael says, it wasn’t her idea. She doesn’t know how to fake DNA tests. Sonny says, Valentin does, and Carly says, of course (🍷). He and Nina were estranged, ready to get divorced. He wanted to convince Nina to forgive him. What’s more convincing than a long lost child? So he hired Sasha to go along with it. Sonny says, it makes sense, but Carly says, except for the part where Sasha confesses and takes all the blame. Why would she protect Valentin? Michael says, it was Sasha’s idea to take the blame. Sonny asks if Michael thinks he can hold this over Valentin to convince Nina not to press charges. Michael says, then Sasha has a way out. Carly says, it doesn’t change the fact that Sasha committed fraud against Nina, and Michael. She gets that Sasha confessed to him, but they’ve been dating for months. That means whatever relationship he thinks they have, is based on a lie. How is that different from Nelle? Michael says Sasha never manipulated him. She never asked for anything. Carly says, that’s what she’d do if she was playing him. Michael is a white knight, looking for someone to save. Sabrina took advantage of that, and so did Nelle. Can he tell her why Sasha is different?

Laura tells Ava, Ryan is responsible for his own behavior, not her. She gives them some privacy, and Ava says, don’t they know by now what Ryan is? Julian says the cellmate probably said something to offend him. He probably has a very low bar for irritation. Ava says he’s going to keep killing until he kills his way out. He’s going to kill his way to her, unless he’s killed first. Julian says he’ll never get out, and she says, tell Kiki that. He says he’d lay down his life before he’d let Ryan near her, but she says she can’t lose him too. He promises she won’t, but he’s afraid of losing her. She needs help that he doesn’t know how to give her. Ava says she’s too much trouble for him? He wants to get rid of her? He says he wants her back. The fierce, take no prisoners sister that he loves and fears. She asks, what if she’s gone? What if she buried that Ava along with Kiki?

Jason asks how Brice is dead, and Jordan says, his cellmate killed him. Jason says, somebody wanted to shut him up, but Jordan says, not unless Ryan was taking orders from Brice’s boss. They’re still piecing it together. He was just moved to the cell, and there’s no evidence Ryan knew of his crimes. An officer comes in, and says the van is ready. He cuffs Sam, and Alexis asks if it’s necessary. Jordan says they have to take extra precautions thanks to Shiloh. Alexis tells Sam to be strong. Sam asks Jason to tell the kids she loves them, and they exchange I love yous. Jason says he’ll get her out, and she says she knows he will.

Michael tells Sonny that he thought Carly would understand. She’s told her fair share of lies. Sonny says that’s why she’s suspicious of other liars, especially when it comes to him. Michael says if he thought Sasha had a malicious bone in her body, he’d walk away and never look back. But she’s just not the person who hurt Nina; she’s the person who wants to atone for it, even if there are criminal charges. Sonny says Michael won’t let that happen, and tells him to be careful.

Lucas says Brad seems tense, and Brad says he gets defensive when someone questions the lab’s integrity. Lucas says they can talk about it in therapy, and put that ghost to rest. Brad says he’s not the same guy he used to be. A nurse brings flowers in that were delivered to Brad, and he asks Lucas what he did to deserve them. Lucas says don’t look at him. Brad says, they’re not from him? and Lucas says he wishes he could say they were. He suggests looking at the card, but there isn’t one. The nurse says Brad has a secret admirer.

Julian thanks Laura, and says he’ll make sure Ava gets home safe. She says, Ava needs to get help. She’s  been where Ava is, and knows the desperation. She suggests Julian not leave Ava alone tonight. Jordan comes in, and asks for a word with Laura. Julian asks if it’s about Ryan. He needs to know before his sister does.

Ava leans against the wall. She remembers Ryan saying that when she gave herself to him, she brimmed with life and glowed with passion. She was happy and healthy. Now look at her. She can’t deny it. She needs him as much as he needs her. Ava says, no, no, no, no. He means nothing to her. She gets her coat. Laura and Jordan get in the elevator, and Julian is messing with his phone. Ava asks if Jordan had news about Ryan, and he says they need to get her home. She asks him to tell her what’s going on, and he says she needs to stop going there to visit Ryan. He’s obsessed with her, and the visits aren’t helping things. Ava asks what Jordan said, and he tells her, the evidence suggests that Ryan killed his cellmate. She says, of course (🍷) he did and…? Julian says, he did it for her. Ava collapses.

Chase tells the guard to take Ryan out. Ryan says he has no right do this, but Chase says, actually, he does. Ryan asks if Chase thinks he can’t order back issues of Crimson. Chase says, sure he can. Just make sure they don’t get lost in the mail.

Alexis tells Jason that Diane is in touch with Brice’s attorney. Hopefully, he divulged something before Ryan killed him. Jason says, what if he didn’t? and Alexis says, Sam’s going to trial. He says, Diane needs to file a motion to keep Sam in county lock-up. There’s no telling who she’ll run into in Pentenville.

Sam is put in her cell. The guard takes the cuffs off, and tells her that her cellmate is in solitary, but she’ll be back soon. Sam asks why she’s in solitary, and the guard tells her not to worry. They’ll have plenty of time to get to know one another. After all, every day is a new dawn. I get chills.

On Monday, Ava asks if Neil thinks she’s having a nervous breakdown, Finn asks Curtis how much he knows about what Hayden was doing when she was gone, and Jax asks Nina if something happened between her and Valentin.

🎤 A Countess Quickie…

Even her fantasy life is a cabaret.

https://pagesix.com/2019/10/17/luann-de-lesseps-includes-misleading-reviews-on-cabaret-poster/

🎺 Quotes of the Week 

Black is such a happy color, darling. – Morticia Addams, The Addams Family

The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me. – Ayn Rand

It is discouraging how many people are shocked by honesty and how few by deceit. – Noel Coward

It’s how you deal with failure that determines how you achieve success. – Charlotte Whitton

Many things—such as loving, going to sleep, or behaving unaffectedly—are done worst when we try hardest to do them. – C.S. Lewis, from Studies in Medieval and Renaissance Literature, compiled in Words to Live By

It’s a subway. The floor is made of rats. – Max (Kat Dennings), 2 Broke Girls

The story goes a helluva lot better when you’re the only one telling it. – Dr. Phil

Going to the woods is going home. – John Muir

I’ve come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass. And I’m all out of bubblegum. – John Nada (Roddy Piper), They Live

👓 On Showtime Rotation…

One of my all time favorites, and before it’s time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oct14

October 13, 2019 – Alpha Blasts To the Past, Small Talk, Beta Speaks, Tyler’s Latest, Paul Entertains His Bride, Bong Does It Again & Alpha’s Tune

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What I Watched Today

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

 

This was one of those episodes that goes back and forth from past to present, and I tried to make it as easy to follow as possible. The present is also set in the same time frame as last week’s episode, but from the Whisperers’ point of view.

The Walking Dead

Seven years ago. A car has crashed, and the woman inside is unconscious, but her head is on the steering wheel, causing the horn to blare. Zombies come toward the car, but she can’t get the driver’s side door open. She opens the passenger door, kicking them away, and tries to crawl under the car, but it’s too late. They grab her and rip her apart. A little girl walking with the zombies screams, and her mother grabs her and they run. It’s Alpha and Lydia covered in zombie yuck. Alpha tries to find an unlocked door, and isn’t having much luck. They run to a rehab, and Alpha struggles with the door, but finally gets it open. A zombie pulls at Lydia, but they get inside. Lydia says, sorry. They’re in a hallway, and see a man wearing a ski mask standing in the doorway. It’s Beta.

The present. Beta tells Alpha, it’s time the pack returns. She says they’re far from the enemy, and the pack’s fear will subside. She asks if he doubts her and their mission, but he says, never. Alpha looks at two girls making masks, and says, the sisters have a real gift.

Seven years ago. Alpha tells Beta (at this point, they don’t actually have names, so for clarity’s sake), they don’t mean harm. She asks, can he talk? She moves closer, but he hits a bat against a pipe as a warning. Lydia says she doesn’t like this, calling Alpha mama. Alpha tells him, if he tries to kill them, know two things. She doesn’t tire easily, and he’ll have to kill her daughter. She won’t leave without her. She readies herself, and he says, one night. She thanks him, and he says, do not leave the hallway. Lydia asks Alpha if she can wash up; the smell. Alpha asks, is there water? and he points. Lydia asks if he’s a monster, and Alpha says, we’re all monsters now.

The present. Beta tells Alpha, gather all of them; every last one they can find. As they walk, Beta signals to another Whisperer using two fingers. On of the sisters looks up at clouds. Sister Two sidles toward her, and says he’s watching her. Sister One says she feels different today. Does she feel that? It’s like it’s burning into their skin. Sister Two says, stop it. Her head’s in clouds. She should have left her sister behind while she had the chance. The Whisperers whisper.

Seven years ago. Alpha washes Lydia in an old steel tub. They hear zombie noises, and Lydia covers her ears. Alpha kisses her head. She looks around, and finds some canned goods. She looks through them, humming. Alpha paces in the background, and asks if she’s singing. She says, if you call it that, and he says, don’t do it again. She keeps looking, quietly. He asks if she has a name, and she says, the dead don’t have names; they shouldn’t either. Names are the past. They’re strong enough to be alive. The dead fear nothing, and only feed. They’re free. She asks how he ended up there, and he says he got into a tussle with the dead. They ran over his camp. She asks why he wears a mask, and starts to walk toward him, but he’s not receptive to that. He says he likes it; the sound of the dead. It’s the only song he never wants to end.

The present. Beta looks into a parking  garage containing a small crowd of zombies, and bangs on the security gate. He makes zombie noises, and runs his hand over the gate. The gate rises.

The Whisperers walk through a field. Sister One looks at clouds again, and Sister Two tells her, stop it, but Beta sees her. Sister One flashes back, and we find out she was the girl who had to leave the baby that Connie ended up rescuing. She remembers putting the baby down, and Alpha shrugging. She starts to make anguished sounds, and the real dead notice. Alpha kills them, and Sister Two asks what’s wrong with her? Beta says she will pay. Why he just didn’t let her get eaten, I have no clue

Beta throws Sister One down in a clearing. She whimpers, saying, she’s gone. Beta brandishes a knife, and Alpha says, stop, glaring at him. Sister One continues to weep. Beta asks if she’s uncommitted now. Her actions threaten the entire pack. Her child broke her. Alpha says she understands how Sister One feels, abandoning her child. Alpha’s child was dead to her long before Alpha ended her. She sharpens a knife, and tells Beta that she’s going to the deeper place. She’ll be waiting.

Seven years ago. Alpha tells Lydia that she’ll sleep in there and guard the door. Lydia asks, why not lock it? but Alpha tells her walls could never contain someone like the man in there. Lydia asks if she likes him. Alpha holds out a stuffed bunny, but Lydia says she doesn’t want it. She’s not a baby anymore. She doesn’t want a stupid bunny. She doesn’t want to be scared. She wants to be more like Alpha. Alpha says she’s waited so long to hear that, and hopes Lydia will be. If she can’t, Alpha will have no choice but to leave her behind. Lydia begs Alpha to never leave her, and says she’ll do better. Alpha will see. She says she loves Alpha, calling her mama, and Alpha says stop calling her that.

The present. Sister One goes into a cave. Alpha reveals herself, and Sister One says she’s sorry. She begins to beg, and Alpha tells her to remove her mask. She does, and Alpha says, kneel. Alpha lifts her face, and putting her hands on either side of Sister One’s head, squeezes. Sister One screams. Beta hears. Alpha pets Sister One’s head, saying, shhh. Sister One thanks Alpha.

Omg, the first three commercials have a TWD promo in the background. Are they that desperate to make people look at what they’re pushing?  Just because Michonne and Eugen are the wallpaper, doesn’t mean I’m going with Sprint.

Beta sees Sister One. Sister Two goes to her, and she says she’s thinking about that place. Sister Two grabs her, and takes her away from the group. Beta is like, wtf? He finds Alpha, and tells her it was unwise. Alpha says if Sister One strays again, she’ll skin her alive. Beta says, she unsettles the pack. Her moment of weakness will affect the others. Alpha says, being alive is a fantasy, and Beta says, the pack must learn it again; see it up close. She says, they will; soon. He asks if she’s content, and I laugh, because it seems like an insane question. He says he’s seen her wander away from the camp alone at night. She says she’s right there, as she’s always been. I dunno. Maybe being alive is a fantasy, but being a Whisperer seems like boring drudgery.

Seven years ago. Alpha wanders through the building, humming. A zombie appears, and she pikes it in the head. More zombies come down the hallway, and she nails them one by one, until one gets the better of her, and pins her up against the wall. Beta has been watching, and skewers it from behind, then finishes the rest of them off. She smiles at him, and follows him. They slaughter more zombies together. #Bonding. We can tell, she likes him. She slices into one of the zombies, and puts the guts into a container. She says she’s different. She never trusted people. She doesn’t trust anyone. He asks if there’s a reason why, and she rips open another zombie. She tells Beta that his name is Big Man. He’s like, no, and she says, Mr. B. He says he thought they had no names, but she says, it’s not a name; it’s a letter. He says if B is his name, what’s her name? She says, A. He asks if she can move with them when she’s covered, and she says, you’ve got to become them. Feel what they feel. He asks what they feel, and she says, nothing. There are only two kinds of people left. Those brave enough to walk with the dead, and everybody else. Tell her, which one is he? She reaches toward his mask, and he grabs her hand, saying, don’t. He walks away, and she hums.

The present. It’s nighttime, and the sisters lie together, unmasked. Sister One says, can you imagine? Alpha is so powerful; so calm. Her head feels right again. Alpha sacrificed her daughter. She said when she watched her daughter die, it was gentle. Sister Two says, Alpha doesn’t cry. Sister One says she’s sorry, and Sister Two says she’s risking what they have there. Don’t do it again – ever. Sister Two asks if she meant what she said before? That she wishes she’d left her behind. Sister Two says, did she say that? and rolls over, turning her back.

The Whisperers walk through a field. Beta does that signal thing again. A pack of real zombies ambles toward them. They see the fire streak in the sky from the satellite. Beta is startled, and looks up for a moment. He says, do not break; there’s too many. Sister One smiles, looking at the clouds again. A zombie wearing a baby carrier toddles toward her. She remembers putting the baby down, and Alpha shrugging. She suddenly breaks her zombie character, and jumps on Alpha’s back, yelling, and attracting the zombies’ attention. Beta starts stabbing the zombies, and Sister Two pulls Sister One off of Alpha, throwing her sister into a group of zombies, who feed on her. Beta looks at Alpha.

Alpha asks Sister Two if she regrets what she did, and tells her to take her mask off. Sister Two does as she’s told, and says her sister wasn’t committed. She no longer belonged with them. She had to protect the Alpha. Beta says she did. It’s her destiny; the purest most honest way to avoid chaos. Her purity will never be forgotten. Alpha says there’s a tear in her mask; she should repair it. Beta tells her, leave us, and she leaves. Alpha removes her mask, and Beta asks if she’s hurt. She says, no. She feels calm. He says they lost three of their own. It was mayhem. Alpha says there’s a clarity amid the chaos. She is no more. Alpha walks away. Beta grunts, and follows her.

Seven years ago. Lydia explores the building, and finds the buckets of guts near where Beta is sleeping. Covering herself with them, she walks the hallways, saying, we’re all monsters now.

The present. Alpha tells Sister Two, for her bravery and sacrifice, and putting the needs of the pack above her own. She dubs Sister Two, Gamma. Everyone says, to Gamma. Alpha looks skyward.

I don’t know if it’s me or it’s that the Whisperers whisper a lot, but I’m having a hard time hearing the dialogue in the episode. I don’t think I’m going dead deaf…

Beta approaches Gamma, and says Alpha has been gone for hours. Gamma asks if he’s angry, and he says he feels nothing for her, and Gamma says she’s also empty, as Alpha wants. Beta asks, where is she? and Gamma says, she was moving toward the old camp a while ago.

Seven years ago. Alpha wakes and looks for Lydia, who’s busy roaming the halls. Lydia walks up a staircase, saying, we’re all monsters now.

The present. Beta strides through the forest. Even though he said he feels nothing, I’d say he’s pretty angry.

Seven years ago. Lydia hears zombie noises behind a door, and walks toward it. Alpha follows Lydia’s bloody footprints, and takes a visible breath. Lydia reaches for the door knob, and opens the door. Alpha whispers Lydia’s name. Is she practicing for being a Whisperer? There’s a display case on the wall, and Alpha sees pictures of two men with their faces scratched out; one tall guy, and a shorter guy with a shirt that says, Have A Happy Day. Presumably, the tall guy is Beta. A shadow falls over her.

The present. Alpha goes to the old camp, which is very Blair Witch. Beta shows up, and she asks if he lost his way. He says, has she?

Seven years ago. Beta says he told Alpha never to go over to that part of the building, but she says she doesn’t care. She needs to find her daughter.

The present. Alpha holds the stuffed bunny, and Beta says she kept that? She says, it’s for Lydia, and he says Alpha claimed she was dead. She said she killed Lydia, but she wants Lydia back. Alpha says he shouldn’t have come there. Why? He says, why did she lie? Lydia is never coming back, no matter how much Alpha wishes she would, or how hard she tries to replace her with someone else. She is gone.

Seven years ago. A zombie walks in behind Beta. It’s the guy wearing the Have A Happy Day shirt, and Alpha kills him. Beta says, noo!

The present. Alpha tells Beta, Lydia is her baby; her daughter. She couldn’t kill her. He holds out his hand, and she takes it, whimpering silently. She says they can’t know that Lydia is alive. He says, they won’t. Alpha says Lydia is dead to her; the moment she was born. Lydia wasn’t like her. She repeats, Lydia was not like her. She throws the bunny, and kicks and breaks things, smashing up the old camp. The whole time yelling, she’s not like me.

Seven years ago. Beta throws stuff around, and picks up his sword. Alpha says she knows him better than he knows himself. He’s just like her, but not broken. He goes after her with the sword, and hits the glass case instead. Lydia comes out and says Alpha was trying to save him. She goes to Alpha, and says, she’s strong. Alpha says she is. She’s proud of Lydia, but don’t dare do it again. She holds Lydia, and says, the world went dark so they could see a new path. Beta caresses his zombie friend’s body, and Alpha says, come walk with her in the darkness. He’ll never be alone again. Her Beta. They are the end of the world. She lifts his mask, smiles, and puts it back. She says, come with them. Beta says he can’t leave him, and she says he won’t have to. She hands him a knife, and he peels the guy’s face off.

The present. Alpha tells Beta that she saw smoke by the borders; the enemy crossed. They’re going back. He hands her mask to her, and she puts it on. They interlace their fingers, and say, we walk in darkness; we are free. We love nothing; we are free. We hear nothing; we are free. We need no world; we are free. We embrace death; we are free. We see the pack begin to walk again, as they say, this is the end of the world. Alpha and Beta walk with the pack, but Alpha breaks away to find Carol standing on the cliff, and stares at her. They say, we are the end of the world.

Next time, Gamma tells Daryl to go to the border and wait, the Highwaymen want justice, Alpha confronts says they have to be punished.

📡 Thora Birch (Gamma) and Ryan Hurst (Beta) were guests on Talking Dead tonight, and I got two takeaway points. TWD sounds like a fantastic place to work, and Beta is a funny guy.

⬅ Beta’s Backstory…

Nice interview with the man behind two different masks.

https://ew.com/tv/2019/10/13/walking-dead-ryan-hurst-beta-1002-we-are-the-end-of-the-world/

👍 Max’s Boyfriend For President…

Tyler Perry has a new drama coming out, and it stars Ed Quinn, aka Randy from 2 Broke Girls. Pay no attention to that Mariah Carey speech video in the middle of the article. Unless you want to. Personally, I don’t know her.

https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/tyler-perry-the-oval-bet-1203249051/

🎤 Not As Bad As You’d Think…

But no Bradley Cooper either.

https://pagesix.com/2019/10/07/dr-paul-nassif-performs-lady-gaga-song-at-his-wedding/

🎬 My Kind Of Bong…

The latest from the genius who gave us Snowpiercer.

https://slate.com/culture/2019/10/parasite-movie-review-bong-joon-ho-jordan-peele-us.html

🎶 Hum Along With Alpha…

Night winds whisper to me/I’m lonesome as I can be.