Category Archives: fantasy

May22

May 21, 2023 – A Train Full Of Zombie Experiments & Space

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What I Watched Today

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

Fear the Walking Dead

June tacks up signs on the trees that say: Turn Back. PADRE will take your children; PADRE is a lie – turn back. She stabs a zombie in the head, and keeps walking. She sees someone wrote, They took my daughter. Please help, on one of the signs. She hears someone contact Warbler on the radio, saying they have a lead on an egg; it might be a mess. Using binoculars, she sees a boat come through the canal or whatever it is. She shoots the two people in the boat with tranquilizing darts. Using surgical tools and skills, she cuts their index fingers off and sets the boat free. Back at her cabin, she puts the fingers in a jar, and hears Warbler say, they’ve been hit. That a-hole got us. When he finds that son of a bitch., he’s going to cut off both his hands. I love how he assumes it’s a man.

Walking in the woods, June sees another message written on one of her signs: Who are you? Where can I find you? She looks at an old billboard that says Coastal Railroad Museum, and on the radio, a woman says, PADRE 3; rescue complete. A man responds, en route to you now.

June deposits more fingers in the jar, when a man comes to the cabin. He says he just wants to talk, but June draws her gun. She asks how he found this place, and he says he followed her. He’s the one whose been writing on the signs. His name is Adrian, and he needs her help. The Collectors took his daughter Hannah from him a few years ago. June says she doesn’t know Hannah, and he says, but June knows PADRE, and he knows she can help him. He tells her to ask whatever she wants, but she says she doesn’t want to get to know him; she doesn’t want to know anybody. He asks what they did to her. Did they take her kid? Did she take kids for them? She tells him, get out and don’t come back, but he shows her Hannah’s picture, and says, it was taken when she was 7; she’d be 12 now. He shows her a friendship bracelet he’s wearing, and says, Hannah made one for each of them. She says she can’t help him, but he says he’ll be back every day. There are a lot of like-minded people who could help with what she’s doing. They’re forming an army to take PADRE. She tells him that if she sees him here again, she’ll kill him, but he says he thinks she’s just trying to scare him. She says, if PADRE’s had his daughter this long, he’s not getting her back. They use the people you care about the most against you. He says he’s not going to stop looking. She can either kill him or help him, but he’s not giving up. She backs him out the door, and shuts it, but he says, they know who she is now, and he’s not giving up.

June looks at the photo of Hannah that Adrian left, and packs a bag, including the jar of fingers. She leaves the photo behind.

June tranquilizes three more people in another boat, and is about to collect more fingers, but she unmasks one of them, and it’s Dwight. She unmasks another, and sees it’s Sherry. She says, sh*t. She hears a gun cock, and a boy tells her not to move. June says she didn’t know there were kids on board, and the boy says he hid under the tarp. He tells her that he’s going to call PADRE, and picks up a radio. He says, PADRE 2; we got attacked. A man addresses the boy as Finch, and asks, where’s Whistler? Finch says, dead; she killed him. He asks about Red Kite and Starling, and Finch says, she knocked them out. He asks the location, when Dwight and Sherry start to come around. June grabs the radio, and Finch accidently shoots the boat, which deflates. Dwight asks if that’s June, and Finch says, she shot them. She was trying to steal their boat. Sherry says, June’s the one who’s been cutting people’s fingers off, and Dwight snatches her tool roll from her. Finch wonders why June is calling Red Kite Dwight, and asks if she used to be at PADRE. Dwight tells her that they think Finch has appendicitis, and needs surgery. She asks why he doesn’t take Finch to the clinic, and he asks where she thinks they were headed. The man comes on the radio again, and Finch tells Dwight to tell them where they are, but he says, no. June is a nurse, and is going to help him. Sherry says, his appendix could burst by the time they get him to the clinic on foot, but June says she doesn’t have the equipment. Dwight says, she’ll have to figure it out, and June asks, why is that? He says, if she doesn’t, he’s telling PADRE who’s been cutting off his Collector’s fingers. June says she just wanted to leave, and Sherry asks, why? June says, it wasn’t safe for her anymore, and Dwight asks Finch to step away for a bit, giving the boy an oar in case he sees Carrion, and reminding him to aim for the eyes. Sherry wonders what happened to June, and says, if she does the surgery, they’ll get her a boat, and she can go wherever the hell she wants. PADRE will never know it was her. June says, Finch is their kid, isn’t he? The one Sherry was pregnant with when they were found on the rafts. Sherry says, PADRE doesn’t know Dwight is his father. Dwight teaches all the kids combat, and she’s in the nursery. Finch doesn’t know he’s their kid. Dwight says, they’ve been following PADRE’s rules, and Sherry says, once the surgery’s done, they’ll take Finch back, and no one will be the wiser. June says she knows where they can do the surgery, but they can’t ask any questions. She’ll take them there and do the surgery, then they have to keep up their end of the bargain and get her the boat. Sherry promises they will.

They go into a railroad car that looks less than sterile, and see a zombie head in a clamp. Dwight asks if June is sure it’s safe, and she stabs the zombie head, saying, it is now. She turns on some machines, and preps Finch for surgery. Finch asks if it will hurt, but Sherry says, he won’t feel a thing, and when he wakes up, he’ll feel better. Sherry finds a binder that contains studies on people who have turned, and asks June, what is this; who are these people? June says, the deal was no questions, but Sherry says, the deal’s changed. Dwight says, she’s got to give them something, when they hear the cock of a gun. It’s Adrian, and he asks who the kid is. June says she’s trying to help him, and Adrian says, two Collectors from PADRE? June says, it’s not what he thinks, and he says, PADRE has his daughter Hannah. Sherry says, maybe they can help him, and Dwight says, this doesn’t have to end in a fight. He’s sure she’s fine. PADRE hasn’t lost a kid yet. If Adrian can tell him what she looks like, maybe they can figure out something. A man asks Adrian’s location on the radio, and while he’s distracted, Dwight reaches for the gun. It goes off, hitting a wall. Outside, zombies gather. Dwight holds a gun on Adrian, and crushes the radio under his foot. Adrian says, there’s lots of more of them, and they can’t be stopped. They won’t let them hurt any more kids. Dwight says, they brought him here to save his life, and June says, they have a problem. The bullet hit the control panel, and she can’t do surgery without power. Finch cries out in pain, and June says, there’s an emergency override in the back of the train. They can have power if it’s turned on. Dwight says he’ll go, and gives Sherry the gun. June says, he can’t walk through the train; it’s full of the dead. She used to work here. It was off the books. PADRE didn’t want anyone to know about the experiments they were doing. Sherry asks if they’re the ones in the binder, and June says, the woman in the photos is Shrike. PADRE wanted her to find a way to stop the effect of walker bites. She had an idea; a treatment. Radiation. It was slow and painful. It was worse than dying from the bites. PADRE tried to force June to administer the treatments. She couldn’t do it, so she ran. Sherry says, they have to get to the back of the train. Dwight looks up, seeing a trapdoor, and says he doesn’t think they have to.

Adrian tells June that he’s sorry, and she says she told him to stay away. He says, if he had, he wouldn’t have seen this place. It shows she knows more about PADRE than she let on. She says she can’t help him, and he says, can’t, or won’t? Her attacks aren’t stopping them. She’s barely slowing them down. If she wants to do something, help him find Hannah, or help the boy and get him out before those Collectors bring him back to PADRE. She says she can’t, and he says, she told him PADRE uses the people you care about against you. He’s sorry for what happened to her, but if she never gets close to anyone again, what’s she living for? The electricity comes back on, and Dwight radios, asking how Finch is. June says, he’s still sleeping, but the medication won’t last much longer. Dwight and Sherry climb to the top of the train, and Dwight asks Sherry, what’s wrong? She says, seeing Finch and hearing him call her honey. She can’t snap back to the way things used to be. They made a choice when they were picked up on the rafts. They’d play by PADRE’s rules because they thought it was the safest place for their son. After what she’s seen today, she can’t bring Finch back here. It doesn’t feel safe. June knows all of PADRE’s collecting grounds and all the places he would look. They’ll find a place, and once they’re settled, they’ll find a way to let everyone know the truth about PADRE. He asks if they can really be a family, and she says, they can. She saw it earlier. They can do this. He kisses her, and they fall through the roof of the train into a car. June radios, asking, what happened? The car is full of zombies, and Dwight shoots some of them, then he and Sherry climb up onto a luggage rack. He tells June that they fell into a car of walkers like he’s never seen. She tells them to stay where they are. She’s on her way, but he says, it’s too risky. He doesn’t have nearly enough ammo. June says she’ll figure it out, but he says, no. Finch needs her for the operation. If they don’t make it back, promise him that she’ll take care of Finch. She tells him, stay put; she’s coming. Adrian asks what she’s doing, and she says, they have to survive for Finch. He asks if she’s doing this because it’s what’s best for Finch, or because she’s afraid she’ll have to take care of him, and she draws her gun, telling him, don’t follow her.

June walks through a car where there are shelves containing jars of zombie heads, and chained up zombies who snap at her as she goes by. She says she’s so sorry, and keeps walking. The door to the next car is padlocked, and the zombies start to break free since the pipes they’re chained to are pretty beat. She starts to shoot them, falls, and the gun goes flying. She fends them off as best she can, but luckily, Adrian didn’t listen to her, and comes in, stabbing them in the head. She says she told him not to follow her, and picks up her gun. He says, good thing he didn’t listen, but she says, he should have. He says, they’re a lot alike. The only difference is, he still has someone to live for. She has to find hers. Like he told her, there are more people like them. Together, they can take down PADRE. She says she can’t help him, but he says he’s not doing it for himself; he’s doing it for Hannah. He’s going to find her whether June helps him or not. And when he does, he wants her to see that her father isn’t who PADRE says he is. They should keep moving. Finch appears with his oar, and says he’s coming with them. June says, it’s too dangerous, but Finch says he can handle the Carrion; Red Kite taught him how.

The zombies start reaching through the rungs on the luggage rack, when June comes in shooting. Finch gets one with an oar, and asks, how was that? Dwight says, that was good, kid, and Adrian and June stab the last of the zombies. Sherry asks what Finch is doing here, and he says he’s going to tell PADRE how he fought the Carrion, but Sherry says, they’re not going back to PADRE. Dwight says, they want what’s best for Finch, and it’s not there. Sherry nods, and Dwight says, they’re his parents. Finch says, they’re not, no, and Sherry tells him that she knows it’s a lot to take in right now, but she promises they’ll figure it out as a family. Finch doubles over in pain, and June says, they should get him back to the operating room. They start to move forward, and Adrian turns around, seeing a child zombie through the door window. He says, no. Hannah. He grabs June, and says, that’s why she wouldn’t help him; she knew. June killed her. June says she tried to save her. She treated Hannah for asthma when she first came to PADRE. She was just a scared kid. She missed her dad. She reminded June of her own daughter, and June wanted to take care of her and make her feel safe. Adrian says, she’s a liar, and June says, then she went out on a scout. She went off-island and got bit. It was on her back, and June couldn’t amputate, but she had to do something. He asks if Shrike put Hannah through treatment, but June says, it wasn’t Shrike’s treatment; it was hers. She saw someone survive a bite longer than anyone she’d ever seen. She’d been exposed to radiation, so June thought, if it worked for her, it might work for Hannah. She gave Hannah radiotherapy using equipment salvaged from the hospital. It stopped the infection, but the amount of radiation it took made things worse for her, and June wanted to end her suffering. Adrian asks why she didn’t, and June says, Shrike wouldn’t let her. Shrike wanted to let Hannah turn so she could study her. See how long it took. Adrian says, and June let her? but June says she didn’t have a choice. Shrike held a gun on her, and said, as long as her finger was on the trigger, June had to keep the experiments going or other people would pay the price. That’s how this whole place happened, because she tried to save someone she cared about. Other people suffered as a result, so she made sure Shrike couldn’t do to anyone else what she did to her, and she took Shrike’s trigger finger. June knew they couldn’t do the experiments without her, and knew as long as she stayed away from here, away from people, no one else she cared about could get hurt. Adrian lets June go, and looks at zombie Hannah, saying, she was all he had left. He understands now why June wants to be alone. He walks up to the window and puts his hand on the pane. He opens the door and goes in, and June says, no! He holds Hannah, telling her that he’s got her, and the zombies close in on him. The others look away.

June stitches up Finch, and says, he’s stable. He should be awake soon. Dwight thanks her, and she says she held up her end of the deal. They should arrange for that boat. He says, they will, but when it comes, they want to all get in it together. June says, that wasn’t the deal, but Sherry says, things changed. June says, for who? and Sherry says, when Finch wakes up, they want to take him away from this place. Dwight says, they want to try and be a family, and she asks what it has to do with her. He says, she’s family, and Sherry says, they understand why June chose to be on her own, but they can’t let her end up like Adrian. Dwight says, someone who doesn’t have anybody to live for. He told her before, he wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for her and John. He has a family because of that, and wants her to be a part of it. That is, if she wants to. She says, okay. Adrian saved her so she could find someone to live for, but she needs to put Adrian and Hannah to rest first. They’ve suffered enough. As she’s about to walk into the next car, a couple of PADRE people come in with guns, and steampunk woman says, hello, Blue Jay. June is knocked out.

Steampunk woman says, oh good; June is coming around. June asks how she found her, and steampunk woman says, they figured it was her as soon as the Collectors started showing up without to the island without fingers. She holds up her hand, missing an index finger, and even though she doesn’t say it, we know she’s Shrike. Shrike says, no one else could be so precise. When they heard the boat that was missing had a kid who needed surgery on board, she knew June would come here. Dwight asks, what’s going on? and Shrike says she assumes Blue Jay told them what this place was; how much promise it had. Sherry asks if that’s what she calls murdering people, but Shrike says, they were about saving lives. Dwight says, she’s full of sh*t, but she says, he’s the one who lied to PADRE about what they were doing today. He says he brought Finch here to keep him safe from a-holes like her, but she says, no one wants the children safe more than PADRE. They created this place so the children would be safe from Carrion. But Blue Jay ran off before she could perfect the cure. June says, everyone she tried it on died, and Shrike says, that was then. She has faith June will get it right this time. PADRE’s got something big and expansive planned. He wants these children to be as safe as they can be. June needs to pick up where she left off. June says she won’t do it, but Shrike says, she just needs a little motivation. One of the men grabs June, pulling her to the side, and another brings in Adrian’s snapping head, putting it in the vise, and pushing it closer to a sleeping Finch. Dwight and Sherry get up, saying, hey, stop it! Sherry yells for Finch to wake up, and Shrike presses a button. The head moves closer to Finch, and June launches herself toward it, but Shrike pulls her back. Dwight and Sherry continue to yell, and the head bites Finch’s shoulder. Sherry cries, and Shrike makes the vise reverse. Dwight says he’s going to kill her, and she asks why he would do that. She’s the only one who can save his life… Well, they are. She tells the men to get them out of here, and they take Dwight and Sherry out; Sherry wailing, and Dwight threatening to kill Shrike. Shrike tells June that she’d better get to work. She’s got a lot to catch up on. They’ve got new patients on their way at this very moment. There’s just one thing they have to do first. They have to make sure that Blue Jay can never hurt them. She cuts off June’s finger, and June screams.

Morgan rides in the back of a truck with Madison, and she asks if he knows where they’re being taken. He says, her guess is as good as his, and she asks why he doesn’t think he can be the person Mo needs him to be. What the hell happened? What’s holding him back? They may not be alive long enough for her to pass judgement on him. He says he keeps thinking about a thing he did – actually, a thing he didn’t do – a long time ago. She asks, what? and he says, it doesn’t matter. She asks if he can fix it, but he says, not the worst of it, no. She says, some of it? and he says, maybe. She asks what the hell he’s doing here. Mo needs him. He needs to do whatever it takes so he can move forward. He says he’s not exactly in a position where he can call the shots, and Madison starts to cough. She falls off the bench, onto the floor, and Morgan yells for the driver to pull over. She can’t breathe. A man comes back, and pulls Madison back on the bench. Another man says, get her a tank, and as he’s reaching to get one, Madison rushes both of them, and shoves them out the back door, tumbling out with them. She yells for Morgan to go, as one of the men grabs her. Morgan takes off into the woods, and she yells, do what you need to do!

Next time, Madison gets the zombie head in her face; a fight on the train; Daniel returns; and Madison says, it’s time to tell the truth.

🐷 That’s All Folks…

See you tomorrow for the usual. Stay safe, sane, and as serene as you can.

May15

May 14, 2023 – Bringing In the Fear & Happy Mother’s Day

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What I Watched Today

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

Since it was the premiere, I figured I’d throw in a quickie.

Fear the Walking Dead

Morgan made it to Padre, but not the way he wanted to. More than a place, Padre is also a dude. Morgan sat in an interrogation room, Madison leaning against the wall. Speaking over an intercom, Padre said they wanted Morgan to be a collector, and a steampunkish woman put a baby monitor on the table. A baby started crying, and Morgan wondered why the parents weren’t brought in, but Padre said, the parents didn’t want to build something better, but wanted to rebuild what they’d had, but they couldn’t. Morgan said, someone should comfort her, but Padre said, she’d do what the other children did to survive; separate herself from her emotions. Morgan said she sounded scared. Knowing it must be Mo, he said, let him take his daughter and go, but Padre said, they were doing what was best for her, not Morgan. Morgan jumped up, knocking out a guard and grabbing a gun. He accused Madison of being with Padre, but Madison joined him, saying she was going to do what she said she was. He asked if she was sure, and she said there was nothing worse they could do to her than what she was already living.

In (at?) Padre, we were introduced to Dove and Wren, who were about 15 and 8 respectively. Wren put on protective clothing and went into a ring to fight a zombie. She had some flashbacks of zombies in a swamp, and froze, the zombie getting the better of her. She called to Dove for help, and after rescuing her, Dove said Wren was too young for this. Wren insisted she just needed some training, and offered to do Dove’s chores in return. In the city, some kind of troop or scout leader shouted things like, who sustains our way of life? Who is teaching us to be strong? after which, the group said, Padre! Madison was being kept in a cell in the basement, which looked pretty bleak. The door had a dirty, round window, and one of those slots they feed prisoners through. Wren brought down an oxygen tank, and Madison called her closer. When Wren opened the slot, Madison tried to grab her, and she ran. Later, while Madison was putting lines on the wall to mark the days, steampunk woman came in, saying, it was that time of the week. She gave Madison a shot in an arm scarred with previous shots, and Madison grabbed her gun. Putting it in her mouth, Madison tried to shoot herself, but the woman said there was no ammunition in it. She sedated Madison, and said, they knew what Madison wanted was to die, but in Padre, that wasn’t going to happen.

Wren told Dove that she wanted to go to the mainland to build their future, but Dove said the only thing out there was carrion with teeth. Wren asked about Madison, lying to Dove, and saying she’d come upon Madison’s cell by accident. Dove said her name was Lark and she’d been a collector. She’d saved more kids than anyone, until she helped a guy and his kid get off the island. She took out twelve guards with a sledgehammer, and twice as many carrion. She almost killed Padre.

Wren snuck down to see Madison, and asked if Madison would teach her how to kill carrion. She needed to show Padre that she wasn’t too young to wear the mantle. Madison said she wanted something in return; she wanted the oxygen valve turned off. Wren said she knew Madison wanted to die, and Madison said she’d already done what she set out to do. Madison told her to let the weight of the hammer do the work, and after Wren made an unsuccessful attempt at a swing, Madison asked her to come closer; she’d show her. Madison grabbed the hammer through the slot and got the door open, but Wren knocked Madison back into the cell and down. Madison noticed a scar on Wren, and asked where she’d gotten it. Wren said she’d had it since she was little, and Madison asked how old she was. Wren said she was 8, and Madison said Wren’s name was Mo. She’d helped Mo and her father escape. That’s why she was locked up. She took Mo and walked out, threatening to kill Mo if the guards came closer. Madison knocked out all the guards with the sledgehammer, and told Mo that she was taking her as far away from Padre as possible.

Madison drove Mo in a boat for a while, and heard they were looking for her over the radio. She told Mo that she’d made a promise to Mo’s father, and intended to keep it. They were going to find her dad. They got out, and started hiking, and Mo pretended to get stuck in some mud. When Madison went to help, Mo knocked Madison down, and grabbed the radio. Madison followed Mo, but lost her gun, and told Mo that they had to go inland. Mo said, Madison needed oxygen, but Madison said she could handle herself. Mo wouldn’t be able to handle the dead. Zombies were coming, and Mo tried to face one, but had another swamp flashback and froze. Madison killed the zombie, and Morgan came out of the brush. Madison told Mo that he was her dad, and asked Morgan why Mo was back in Padre. How did he find them? He said he’d heard the chatter on the walkies, and this was where they’d escaped 7 years ago. He was here to take Mo back. They kept walking until they got to Pip’s World of Wonders, a deserted fairground. I love a deserted fairground.

When Padre radioed, Morgan took the radio from Madison, identified himself as Nightingale, and said he had Wren. Madison was like, what just happened? and Morgan said she’d been locked away a long time. Madison asked what they were holding over him, but Morgan said Mo was better off with them than him. Mo said she wanted to go back, and Morgan said, this was about what was best for his kid. After a brief struggle, Morgan said that Madison was only doing this to make herself feel better about the other kids she took. Morgan radioed that he had Wren, and was told, Lark (Madison) was no longer needed, and was now a liability to the settlement. Morgan told Mo to go elsewhere, and was about to shoot Madison, saying, if he didn’t do it, they might not let Mo back in, and it’s what Madison wanted anyway. Madison got Morgan down and got his gun, insisting she was going to save them, but Morgan said they didn’t need saving. Zombies started to come, and Morgan said they’d go through the swamp; the swamps were like flypaper to the zombies. They come in, but they can’t get back out. I’d say that was more of a roach motel. Who still uses flypaper? As they walked, Madison asked if they had Grace, and if that was why Morgan was doing what they wanted. She told Mo, that’s what they did. They found out what mattered and threatened to take it away. Morgan said, they could provide a way of life that works. Hearing Morgan’s name, Mo asked, what kind of a name was that? and Madison said, it was Mo’s name too. They told Madison that they’d go after her kids if she didn’t do what they wanted. Her kids were already dead, but Padre made her believe they were alive. Morgan says, when he and Mo were found, they were out of food and water, and at the mercy of a posse. It was only a matter of time before things ended. A flare went up, and Morgan asked for the radio, but Madison threw it in the swamp instead.

Madison said they had to find shelter, and Morgan said he knew a place. They came to a slowly sinking houseboat, and Mo flashed back to being there before with zombies surrounding it, and asked if something had happened to her here. Morgan said, the less she knew, the better. They needed to stay ahead of them. When they got to the houseboat, Morgan said, Padre was going to come looking for them when they didn’t show up at the estuary. He saw Madison’s arm, and she said, they drew her blood once a week. Sometimes she didn’t cooperate. He told her that he was sorry; he didn’t know they’d locked her up. He’d given himself a set of rules. He only took kids who’d lost their parents or whose parents wanted them to have a better way of life. Madison asked what Padre thought of that, but he said, they didn’t know. She asked, who else was on the rafts? and he said he didn’t know where Daniel and Luciana ended up, and no one knew where Victor was now. Mo looked around the houseboat, picking various things up, but Morgan wouldn’t give her any information about what anything was. She found the Walkman and listened to Grace singing. Morgan said, it was nothing, just a song, but Mo said, it wasn’t. She remembered.

Mo said, the zombies were going to pull them under. She remembered. Madison shouldn’t have taken her off the island. As zombies closed in, Mo got Morgan’s gun, but Morgan promised Mo that Padre would find them before anything happened. Mo said Madison wanted to die; now she was going to get them killed. Morgan said they were going to wait for Padre; this is how they were found last time. He’d radioed and told them to come. Madison said they didn’t have a radio this time, and Morgan said, there were as many zombies in the back of the boat. Madison said she’d draw their attention, while he and Mo got away, and Mo said, this is what happened last time, isn’t it? and Morgan said, yes, and he was sorry. Madison banged the sledgehammer against the outside of the boat, bringing the zombies to her. Mo said they couldn’t leave her behind, but Madison told them to go. Mo’s foot got stuck for real in the swamp, and as Morgan fought off zombies, she flashed back to the first rescue there. Madison started banging the boat again and yelling, over here! Morgan said he didn’t think Padre was coming this time, and just as the zombies were about to overpower Madison, Grace sped up the swamp in a boat, shooting all the zombies.

Grace said she got here as fast as she could ,and Mo asked who she was. Grace said, her mother. Now let’s get the hell out of here. She’d heard the radio chatter when Madison escaped, then heard Nightingale’s message. She figured they’d go to the houseboat. Mo said, Grace was the one singing, and Grace said, it was a long time ago. Mo needed to put that out of her mind. Mo said they didn’t have to go back. Seven years ago, Morgan almost died saving her. They could do this. Padre’s been lying to her, saying Morgan was selfish and couldn’t make hard calls, but he did before and did just now. Madison could come with them. Madison said she’d only slow them down, and Mo asked, what about the other kids she’d rescued from Padre? but Madison said she couldn’t help them. Mo asked, why not, since Madison had helped her, and Grace said, it may not be that simple. They hear boats coming, and Grace said she’d radioed Padre, and they were coming. Morgan said, Padre could protect Mo in ways they couldn’t, and it wasn’t up for debate. Grace said. Mo had to go back, but Mo said she wouldn’t go back. She knew something had been missing, and it was her parents. Morgan said they weren’t her parents. Her parents were Isaac and Rachel, and they were dead. He’d made them a promise a long time ago to take care of her, and that’s why she was going back to Padre. Madison said they had a chance to be with their daughter, and they were throwing it away, but Morgan told her to run and not to make it harder than it was. Mo told her to save herself, so she could save others, but Madison said she wasn’t going to make it. Mo said, she had to try, but it was too late.

Some boats came, and Madison was grabbed by guards. Steampunk woman told Madison not to worry; she still had use for her. Madison told Mo to remember what she’d shown her, and the Padre people took Mo and Madison away. Morgan said, at least they got to see her, and Grace said, that’s what made it so hard. Grace started to leave, and Morgan asked steampunk woman what his next assignment was. She told Morgan that he was being retired as a collector. They’d invested too much in Mo. They were afraid she and Morgan might cross paths again, and now she knew he was her father. He knew what was best for her now, but that might not always be the case. She told the guards to take him away.

In Padre, Mo sat in the interrogation room, and over the intercom, Padre said, sometimes we have to learn a lesson the hard way. He was just glad she was okay. He felt she was going to play a crucial role in the next steps the settlement was about to take.

Mo told Dove that she shouldn’t have gone. She wanted to be a part of what Padre was building Lark showed her what was out there. Lark showed her how lucky she is to be here.

Padre’s voice said he was glad to hear that; they needed people like her. That’s why he was going to let this transgression slide, but future transgressions would bring harsh consequences.

Dove said she hoped Mo learned her lesson, and Mo said she did. Getting in the same arena where she faltered the last time, Mo creamed a zombie.

Padre asked if he’d have to worry about her again, but Mo said, no, sir. He asked if he had her word, and she said, yes, sir.  

In the arena, Mo smiled, but then kept it to herself.

Next time, Mo says, something bad happened in there; an army gathers to fight Padre; Morgan and Mo are reunited; Padre comes after Morgan; and lots of zombies.

To All the Moms biological or not, Stepmoms, Moms-To-Be, Mother Figures, and of course Pet Moms…

Happy Mother’s Day!

Nov21

November 20, 2022 – The Ones Who Live, Dead Dissection, Finale Songs, Spin-Offs, Photos & Cult

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What I Watched Today

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

The Walking Dead Finale

Running into the hospital with Judith, Daryl yells for help. He tells Judith that she’ll be okay. She sees a distorted view of the hospital, troopers running in, and Daryl falling. She sees a zombie headed for the doors, and rolls herself off the gurney. She pushes and pulls at the inner sliding glass doors, getting them almost shut as a zombie bounces off of them. More zombies have gathered, and as she shuts the doors the last few inches, hands poke through. They fight to get in, and she shoves a desk in front of the doors. She passes out next to Daryl as zombies pound at the glass.

A zombie advertises DoorDash, and it’s quite funny. Now that I think of it, I wonder what a commercial spot cost for this show.

Maggie and the others kill zombies a million different ways, as their group fights its way through the horde. Jules gets bitten, and Luke spikes the zombie through the head. He tells her that she’ll be okay, but that’s not going to happen, since he gets grabbed. I say, noo! as the zombies pull at him, and he sees Jules getting eaten. Carol, Maggie, Negan and the others jet through somehow, scooping up Luke in the process. I honestly don’t know how any of them could make it through this death machine, she says like this could possibly be a real life situation.

Daryl is lying on a gurney, and hears, hey, it’s me. He opens his eyes, seeing Connie, Kelly, Magna, and Yumiko gathered around Luke on another gurney. Luke’s legs are pretty much gone, and he’s crying, as we all would. Daryl tells Carol that he’s fine, and gets up, but Carol says, no, he’s not. He looks at Judith, and says, she’s lost a lot of blood. Yumiko tells Luke to stay with them, and Carol says, it took everything they had. Pamela is holed up in the gated community, and left everyone to fend for themselves. If they go after her, there are going be troopers. Daryl asks if Mercer doesn’t know people on the inside, and she says, Max thinks so, and he said he’d come back. He asks if they just wait, but she says, no. They’re going to take care of Judith, and him. Kelly starts to cry, and Yumiko takes Luke’s harmonica out of his pocket, telling him, they’ll keep the music alive. Kelly says, for him, and Connie signs, for everyone. They love him so much. Now we’re all crying, and Luke slips away. Magna takes out a knife and stabs him, but we mercifully don’t see that happen, and everyone sobs. Except Carol and Daryl, who are stoic. Daryl asks if Carol knows how to do a blood transfusion; he’s going to give Judith blood. She says, the types have to match, but he says, his goes with anybody. His brother made him sell it when he was a kid. A cover is put over Luke, and Carol sets up an IV. They hear clattering, and Magna says, they have to sweep the hospital. Everyone leaves, except Daryl, who stays to do the transfusion.

Mercer paces a cell in a prison uniform, which seems startling. Zombies shuffle by in the hallway, and he hears machine guns. Princess yells for him to get back and cover his head. She gets rid of the zombies in the way, and busts in. Max runs to Mercer, hugging him, then Princess jumps into his arms, and they kiss. He smiles, which I don’t think we’ve seen before.  

Maggie tells Negan, get ready, and he asks if her weapon is for Pamela. She doesn’t say anything, and he says, the offer still stands. She says she’s good, and zombies begin to come. Mercer is back in his gear, and Ezekiel tells them to wait. Aaron and Lydia run up, and tell them that Jerry and Elijah are still out there. They jump in a truck, and Ezekiel drives.  

The nursery is chaos, and a zombie chows down on someone. Gabriel, Eugene, and Rosita run in, and Rosita says, Coco. She sees a zombie reaching into the crib, but as she runs over, another one grabs her. But she’s mama bear now, so these undead are no match. She goes into hyper-kickass mode, and saves her baby. Eugene runs in, followed by Gabriel, who scoops up another infant. On the radio, Mercer asks if there’s an update on the kids, and Gabriel says, they found them. Mercer says, thank God.

Daryl watches Judith, and she opens her eyes. She asks, what’s happening? Where is she? He says, at the hospital, and she asks, why? Is she going to die? He says, no, but she says she feels like she is. Then she can’t find her mom, who’s finding her dad, so they can all be together. He smooths her hair, and tells her that she’s fine. She says, her mom told her this thing that she told her dad; we’re the ones… She’s suddenly out, and Daryl tells her, wake up. Carol comes back, and says, the hospital’s been breached. They’ve got to go. Daryl says, he can’t, and Rosita radios that they’re in the alley behind the hospital. They went through the horde, and their ride is f***ed. Daryl wheels the gurney to another room. He tells Judith that she’ll be okay, and locks her in. He puts another gurney in front of the door, then knocks over some shelving for good measure. He runs to the front, joining the others, and a zombie is smashing at the glass with a rock. Some zombies are already inside, and the others finally crash through, tons of them pouring in. Daryl and Carol fight them, and Daryl says, they’ve got to move. Run. He goes back to where Judith is, shoving the shelves over, and pulls he bed out. Carol radios that the hospital has been breached. They’re going out the back. When they get there, it’s another cluster of zombies, so they keep going, and find another door.

Eugene comes out of a van, shooting, and Gabriel says, back to back. Eugene says, they’ve got to find a way out. A zombie grabs Rosita, but Gabriel shoots it. Rosita suggests they go up; she’ll be behind him. They climb up a pipe on the side of a building like freaking Spiderman, but then the zombies start climbing too. Rosita gets stuck they tell her, reach up, but she falls backward, along with Coco, in a pack strapped to her stomach. She somehow pops back up, and climbs onto an overturned ambulance. Eugene tells her to jump, and jumps onto the pipe, and gets in the window. That was one heart-stopping moment.

Daryl and company rendezvous with Mercer, who helps get Judith to a safe house, where Tomi examines her. He tells Daryl that it was good he gave her blood. He’ll do what he can. He tells them to prep an IV, and clear the room. Aaron checks on Lydia, and tells her that she’ll feel it sometimes, like it’s still there. Is she okay? She nods, and says, Luke and Jules… He says he knows, and she says, it’s the same with Eli; she knows it. That’s just what happens. People die; cities fall. Things just don’t work out. People tell her they do, but they don’t. Jerry’s not coming back either, is he? Aaron says he hasn’t given up hope. They’ll  find both of them. Carol hears, but says nothing. Maggie asks if Aaron has seen Negan, but he says, not for a while, and she runs off. She finds Negan climbing the stairs with a rifle, and asks if he’s going after Pamela. He asks what it matters, as long as it’s done, and she asks, what’s his angle? He says he has no goddam angle. He’s doing this for her. If she takes Pammy out with this thing, hell will rain down on her, and she ain’t gonna come back, and she has to come back. So he’s doing it. Last night, when he was down on his knees about to lose his wife, about lose everything, he finally understood what it must have felt like. He knows he probably owes Maggie more than this, but he’s so sorry for what he took from her and her son. She takes the rifle from him, and says, you comin’?

Eugene and Max doze, and Eugene sees Rosita watching Coco sleep. He walks over, and asks if she wants to take a break, but she says she just wants to soak Coco up. He smiles, and sits with her. He says he bets she can’t wait for summer. She can finally take Coco for a swim at Oceanside. In his research on child-rearing he came across an outline of the benefits that swimming has. It builds confidence; not that Coco will have a problem. Rosita has it in spades, so it’s in Coco too. He can’t wait for summer, can she? She doesn’t say anything, and he says, when she fell… She looks at him, and he asks, where? She shakes her head, and he pulls back the collar of her shirt, seeing the bite make on her shoulder. She says, it’s okay; no crying. She doesn’t want them to know yet, so pull his sh*t together. He says he can’t, but she says, he can. She’s still right here, and he’s going to be fine. Tears shine in her eyes, but yet she smiles, and Eugene says he just loves her so much. She says she loves him, he kisses her head, and leaves. He sits with Max, and she asks if he’s all right. He says he’s completely fine.

Daryl and Carol watch Judith. She stirs, and Daryl sits on the bed. He calls her a little ass-kicker, and she says, big ass-kicker. He says, damn straight, and she says she’s fine, like he promised. What she said about her mom and dad… He asks if it’s true. Is that why she never came back? Judith says she’s sorry she didn’t tell him. She was scared he’d leave too. He says he’s right here, when they hear gunshots and yelling. Mercer tells them that people are banging at the gate, and they’re shooting anyone who climbs over. Loads people are dying, and he can’t just stand by. The truck is gassed, and can get them home. It’s not their fight; these are not their people. Ezekiel says, they are; so is Mercer. They may not think this place is worth saving, given how they were treated, but it’s worth it to him. The people are worth it. He’s not allowing them to fall without a fight. Not today. Not with him. Who else will go? Aaron says, they can do more than save themselves, and they need to. Everyone is like, let’s go, and Ezekiel tells Mercer, lead the way, brother.

Pamela stands near the gates, watching all the people yelling for her to open them. Maggie looks at her through binoculars, and tells Negan, they’re almost there. Mercer comes out, along with Carol, Daryl, and company, and a group of trooper sympathizers. Pamela says, arrest them, and everyone draws their guns. Mercer says, the people outside want in, and she says, traitor. He says, no, she is. She disappeared hundreds of citizens, and lead the dead to their doorstep. She shot a child, and now she’s left thousands to die. A herd is also coming. The people yell, let us in, and Gabriel steps forward. He says he’s opening the gate, and he’ll kill anyone who tries to stop him. Trooper Vickers says, they’ll be forced to shoot him unless he stops, and Carol says, they’ll fire back. Pamela says, shoot him, and Daryl asks what the hell she’s doing. They all deserve better than this. She built this place based on the old world, a world that f***ed people over. Pamela says, if she opens the gate, the dead will get in, not just living, and he says, if she doesn’t, they lose everything anyway. We have one enemy, and it ain’t the walking dead.

Vickers tells the troopers to lower their weapons, and says, he’s right. Give the priest the key. On your command, General Mercer. Mercer says he’s arresting Pamela for high crimes against the people of the Commonwealth. Cuff her. Maggie tells Negan, she’s getting arrested, and he says, prison like that is worse than death. Gabriel unlocks the gate, and the people swarm in. Several of them help Gabriel to close and lock it behind them, and the zombies grope through the gate, still trying to get in. Eli runs to Lydia, who says she thought she’d never see him again. Jerry calls for Nabila, and Ezekiel says, come with him. Pamela looks dazed, and moves closer to the gate, seeing zombie Lance. She moves even closer, and he grabs her, pulling her toward him. She closes her eyes, and Judith tells Pamela, you have to help them. It’s not too late; it’s never too late. Maggie shoots Lance, and says, now we’ll take this place back.

Mercer says, here’s the new plan. They’re going to get a vehicle out, and clear a path. Don’t engage with the dead any more than necessary. We see them fight their way through the horde, and Aaron saying, hold the line. Mercer says, take the vehicle out back. He’s headed for the town square, and will let them know when it’s clear. Jerry is in charge of dumping the barrels of fuel from the depot into the sewer tunnels underneath. They’ll start the PA system to draw the zombies to the Estates. Eli does some wiring, and Mercer says, it’s almost go time. Get the fuel in the sewers. They only have one shot at this. They pour out the gasoline, and everyone is wiring something or hooking something up. Max says she hopes it works, and Princess says, if it doesn’t, they’re dead.

Living Colour’s Cult of Personality plays at top volume, and the zombies pour into the Estates. When the song stops, the record player arm goes back, and two flints ignite a spark. Everything blows up, and it’s quite an explosion. It rips through the tunnels, and outside, flaming zombies drop like… well, flaming zombies. Everything burns.

Pamela whines, it’s not easy having a good time so many lives in her hands, and she had to make ugly decision. How do you pick who does the jobs no one wants? Who gets the nicer house? Carol says, they had to make an ugly decision to keep alive after everything she’s done, because they’ve all done things. They’ll figure it out. They’ll make sure of it. At least they don’t have to worry about who gets her house. They close the cell door behind them.  

Negan looks at his old Whisperer mask, and tosses it. Maggie sits across from him, and says she was thinking about what he said. She wants to thank him. She can stop wondering if he’ll ever say those words, and if she can forgive him. She knows now she can’t. Glenn was beautiful. She’ll never love anyone like that again. She remembers his smile, his goodness, and the way he made her feel. But when looks at Negan, all she sees is the bat coming down, and blood running down Glenn’s face. She hears him calling for her, and hears Negan mocking her. She can’t forgive him, even though she’s grateful that he saved her son; even though she knows he’s trying. She’s trying too, because she doesn’t want to hate him anymore. She doesn’t want to hurt like that. She doesn’t want her son to see that anybody has that kind of hold over her. If he and Annie want to stay, they’ve earned their place. But if she can’t look at him some days, work with him, or move on, that’s why. All she has are her memories, and she doesn’t want to remember Glenn like that. He nods, pain visible in his eyes, and she leaves.

There’s a big group dinner, where there’s much laughter, Landslide playing on the phonograph. DOG IS HERE!!! Yumiko toasts to Luke, and they all raise their glasses, clinking them. Daryl looks outside, and sees Negan. He nods, and Negan nods back, but keeps walking. Yumiko asks Magna if she can just say… but she doesn’t finish because Magna kisses her. Gabriel sits with Rosita, and asks if she’s okay. She says, everything is perfect. She just wants to remember this moment. She whispers something to him, and he covers her hand with his. She wipes away a tear, and Judith sees.

Carol and Maggie walk Rosita into a bedroom, and she lies on the bed next to Coco. They leave, and she cuddles with Coco, as Daryl stands in the doorway. Gabriel comes in, and kneels next to the bed. He says, receive her into Your arms of mercy, into the blessed rest of everlasting peace. And into the glorious company of the saints and light. May her soul, and the soul of all those departed, in the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen. He takes her hand, and she kisses Coco. Gabriel says, they’ll see her again someday, and takes Coco. Eugene comes in, and sits next to the bed. He says he wouldn’t be the man he is today if he hadn’t met her. He takes her hand, and she says she’s glad it was him in the end. She closes her eyes, and he cries.

One year later. Eugene leaves flowers at Rosita’s grave plaque, and we see plaques for those who are gone. We hear Ezekiel say, my fellow citizens. They’re here together today against all odds. Eugene takes Baby Rosie from Max, and Ezekiel says, they’re here to honor those who sacrificed for them, so they could pursue a more perfect union.  Even though they’re not bonded by blood, they’re family. As Governor, Ezekiel is making Mercer his Lieutenant Governor. Princess lets out a whoop, everyone laughs, and she blows Mercer a kiss. Ezekiel says, they pledge to live by those words, and everyone applauds. He and Mercer bro hug, and Connie hugs Daryl. She signs, what’s up, cowboy? How’s the frontier? He says, quiet for now, and asks, how’s work? She signs, great. She’s keeping the new administration honest. He says, she seems happy, and she signs, she is. Lydia hugs Judith, and gives her a present. Judith asks who it’s from, and Lydia says, it’s a surprise, and leaves. Judith opens it, and finds her compass with JG engraved on it, along with a note that says: This has always helped me find my way. I’m returning it to you in the hope that it can guide you to your dreams. Thank you for letting me use it. Negan.

Daryl and Carol look at the Wall of the Lost in rebuilt Alexandria, and everyone around them does normal stuff. Gracie runs in and hugs Judith, and Eli hugs Aaron. Aaron tells Gabriel that he never thought they’d get back to any of this. He had hope, but they’ve been lucky. Gabriel says, it’s not luck; it’s effort. They have a lot to be proud of; family, community, our future. Maggie hugs Daryl and Carol, and says she wants to talk about the future. There’s a lot out there to find out about, and she thinks it’s time they did. It’s a beautiful day to head out. Daryl says, yeah, and tells Carol that he wishes she was coming with him. She says she knows it will be good for both of them, and he says he’s proud of her. She took Hornsby’s job and made it her own. She made everything better for her kids, and she’ll keep making it better. She says, he will too, and he says, it’s not like they’ll never see each other again. She says she’s allowed to be a little sad, and a tear rolls down her cheek. She says, he’s her best friend, he puts his arm around her, and they look at the lake.

Judith and RJ say goodbye to Daryl, and Judith says, she’ll keep an eye on Dog. Daryl tells her to keep an eye on Carol too. If he sees anything, he’ll find both her parents, and bring them home. She says, he deserves a happy ending too, and he says he’ll be back. She says he knows, and they hug. Ezekiel takes the kids, and Carol straightens Daryl’s poncho. He says he loves her, and she says she loves him too. They hug, and he gets on his bike. He looks at her, starts the engine, and heads into down the road, passing a random zombie who was apparently Greg Nicotero.  

We go heavily down Dead Memory Lane, seeing all the characters we remember and those we forgot about, as…

A match lights the darkness, and we see Rick sitting by a fire, writing a letter. In a voiceover, he says he thinks about the dead all the time, and about the living… who he lost. Elsewhere, Michonne writes in a journal that she tried to get to their kids again and again, but it was too far. But they’ve got each other; they’re connected. He says, he thinks about them all every day; their faces, what he’s learned, how she made him who he is. She says, they’ll always be together, even when they’re apart. We together is the strongest thing. We’re love, and love is endless. We are endless. He says, together we’re the pieces of a whole that keeps going with what we gave each other; one unstoppable life. You showed me that. You gave me that. Michonne looks into the fire at Rick on the other side.

Michonne is in a stable with a horse, and Rick’s meager possessions. She writes, I know your brother is back there. Just as sure as I know he’s out there. Somewhere. Not just as a part of us. He’s alive out there. She will find him. She knows he’s trying to find them.

In another place and time, and with the same possessions, Rick is on a riverbank, wearing a CRM jacket.

Michonne saddles her horse, and rides out, lopping off a zombie’s head as she rides past.

On a beach rife with zombie heads poking out of the wet sand, Rick hears a helicopter, and says, no. He tosses his bag away, and a loudspeaker says, he’s been located. He’s being instructed to surrender. Remain in place with his hands up. He spikes one of the zombie heads with a tool I use for yanking out weeds from the garden. The loudspeaker tells him, it’s like she said; there’s no escape for the living.

As Michonne rides, she says, remember what she told him. It’s what he said. Hold it in your heart. It’s true. Forever.   

We hear, we’re the ones who live, and we see all the highlights of the past seasons. Michonne rides into the fog, ready to do battle. Rick holds up his hands, looks up, and smiles.  

Judith tells TJ, we get to start over. We’re the ones who live.

There was a thank you from each cast member to the fans.

Next on the agenda, Fear the Walking Dead, Dead City, Daryl Dixon, and Rick and Michonne. The Walking Dead Universe – bigger and deader.

👩🏾‍🏫 Explaining the Dead End…

An in depth look at the ending. For those who must.

https://ew.com/tv/walking-dead-finale-rick-michonne-ending-explained/

🎧 Playlisting Dead…

The cast chooses songs for the finale.

https://ew.com/tv/walking-dead-finale-cast-character-playlist-songs/

⚰️ Dead Next…

About that bigger and deader universe.

https://ew.com/tv/the-walking-dead-finale-spin-offs/

📸 Dead Snaps…

Photos from behind-the-scenes.

https://ew.com/tv/the-walking-dead-behind-the-scenes-photos/

👣 Dead On My Feet…

If you got to go to the finale, you’re a lucky dead dog, but the seat in front of the TV wasn’t bad. Lots of laughing, hugging, and reminiscing, and I definitely got the vibe they’d been passing out champagne… or something. Stop in tomorrow for some soap and OG Deck. Until then, stay safe, stay embracing, or at least accepting, the change of seasons, and stay knowing, you don’t have to be bonded by blood to be a family.

Nov14

November 13, 2022 – The Commonwealth Wall Is Breached, Some Talk, Vampire Season Finale & 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

Judith’s voiceover says, for the longest time, we were fighting to survive, trying to get back what we lost. This family, my family, we would do anything to protect each other. We’re fighting now for something else, something bigger… a new beginning. But that comes with a cost. There’s always a cost. I never got to know my mom Lori. My brother Carl dreamed of a day we would live in peace. My mom Michonne tried to hang up her sword. My dad Rick was searching for mercy. And me? I guess I’m a Grimes too. She holsters her gun. I keep thinking about something my mom told me. She looks at a copy of the Constitution, and rolls it up. TJ walks in. It was a secret saying she shared with my dad; it was like a good luck charm. For me and RJ too. I was afraid to say it out loud; afraid say so many things out loud. But we didn’t know when we started this, that this would be the day everything changed forever.

Maggie and the others gather at the train. Rosita says, let’s go now, and they get in. Princess asks Magna if anyone knows how to drive a train, and Magna says she thinks one of the prisoners used to be an engineer. They load supplies, and Negan asks if Maggie has any thoughts on how they’re taking out the bitch. She says, Pamela? and he laughs. He says he gets that others have reasons of their own for going back, but no one is safe as long as Pamela is breathing. He assumes she agrees. Together, they can get this done. They don’t need the others. She closes the storage compartment, and says, we’re not a we. She sees Herschel, and gives him a hug, telling him that she loves him. Annie hugs Negan from behind, and tells him, be careful. He says she knows him; he always is. He tells her to hold down the fort, and she says, make sure he comes back in one piece. He says, yes ma’am, and everyone says their goodbyes. Judith tells Daryl that she’s coming with them, but he says, no. They need her here. She says, that’s crap. This isn’t the future her brother wanted. It’s not what her mom and dad fought for. They want to help everyone, not just themselves, and she wants to be a part of that; to make what her family believed in real. Carol says, they’ve been focused on what’s in front of them for so long, Judith is thinking, what about after? Maybe they should all do a little more of that. Daryl says, all right, but stay with him. Judith agrees, and Daryl asks Nabila to watch RJ.

Mercer brings Eugene to Max and Yumiko, and Eugene says he’s safe thanks to Max’s brother. Max hugs Mercer, and Yumiko asks why he didn’t tell them. Mercer says, it was safer this way. Some of her people have saved his ass through the years, and he won’t forget it. They need to lay low for now. Yumiko says, the people heard them. They’re angry, and they need to push them. Mercer says he needs to gather enough troops on his side to get Pamela. Yumiko and Max can stir the people, but Eugene has to stay out of sight. A sympathetic trooper opens the door, and tells Mercer that he’s out of time. The trooper radios in some bullsh*t about Mercer taking a statement, and how Mercer will come over when he’s done. They leave, and Eugene locks the door.

Zombies claw at the train, as Rosita goes over plans with Gabriel. She says, they won’t stand out as much in the wards, and can go behind the children’s house to rescue them. Gabriel says, they will get their daughter back, and she asks if that’s his faith talking. He says, in her, yes, and she says she’s glad he’s here. Tyler tells Princess, it’s weird them ending up in a place like this again. He’s sorry about what happened. She thanks him, but says she has no time for sorries. They have to contact the guy who will help. Tyler raises some kind of antenna out of an opening in the ceiling to get reception. Connie signs that she’s glad they found him, and Kelly tells him what Connie said, adding, they’ve been looking for him since Pamela’s party. Magna says, society threw him away. He was desperate and mad, but they heard him. He says he wanted Pamela to hear, but he shouldn’t have hurt people. Connie signs, he can fix his mistakes. The governor might not have listened, but soon the people of the Commonwealth will.  

The people shout outside Pamela’s office window, and she tells Mercer, incompetence. They have no idea how he got away. Mercer says, clearly he had help. Some people are unhappy with the verdict. It’s going to take time to narrow down the suspect list. There have been reports of people going missing for a while, and they don’t have answers. Maybe this time, they’ll get lucky. She says, just do your job, Michael – startling me, since I’ve only thought of him as Mercer – before more people get hurt. He leaves, and she tells trooper Vickers, keep an eye on him. She wants a door-to-door search for Eugene, and they’re to shoot him on sight. Vickers asks if Pamela would like them to try and disperse the crowd, but Pamela says, she’ll find some bones to throw them. If things escalate, there’s a plan in place. Vickers leaves, and Pamela takes out a super-secret radio, and says, B17.

Aaron and his group continue to walk with the zombie horde, as the trooper jeeps ride around them. The zombies follow a jeep, and Aaron says, now’s their chance. Get to the trees. The message is whispered throughout the group, and they start to move to the edge. A trooper on motorcycle goes past. Lydia is used to this, but the others look freaked. The horde follows the jeeps and bikes. From the crane shot, we see the road is long.

On the train, Ezekiel sees Negan looking at him, and says, what? Negan says he never thanked Ezekiel for getting in front of the rifles. Thank you. He asks why Ezekiel did it, and Ezekiel says, a lot of reasons. Dying like a martyr is too easy. Living and making something positive out of his days, that keeps him from giving into anger over what he lost. He doesn’t want to live out whatever days he has left in bitterness. He’s not even supposed to be here. The dead came for me, and yet I smile. War came for me, and yet I smile. He opens his collar, showing Negan the tumor, and says, cancer. And yet I smile. He tries to anyway. So why did Negan tell the warden his own name instead of Ezekiel’s? Negan says, for his wife, and his kid. He wants to leave a better story than the one Ezekiel’s been telling; when it mattered, he did something right. Not to prove anything or get anything, or to save his own ass. It was to save all of them. They’re better than him, and if Ezekiel thinks he doesn’t know that, then he hasn’t been paying attention.

Judith tells Daryl and Carol that she hasn’t heard from her mom in a long time. She tried a couple of times, but nothing came back. Carol says, there could be a lot of reasons. Judith’s mom can take care of herself better than anyone Carol knows. Daryl says, her mom would be proud of her; her dad too. Judith says, Carl too? He nods, and Carol says, Judith and Carl are a lot alike. Judith says, Carl died saving people. She wishes she’d had more time with him. She wishes they had more time to just remember them. Carol says, they will, and Daryl says, when this is over, he’ll tell her every story he remembers about all the people who loved her. He puts his arm around her, and she puts her head on his shoulder.

Mercer pretends to question Yumiko, who says, he thinks she had something to do with Eugene’s escape? He says, all they know is, he’s missing, and she was the last person to talk to him. Vickers says, if she knows where he is… and Yumiko says, she would be with him, and not stuck having this conversation. The sympathetic trooper tells Mercer that an Aurora is trying to raise him on the radio, and Mercer says he’ll take in here. Yumiko is dismissed, and Mercer says he needs the room. Vickers leaves, and he answers. It’s Princess, and he tells her that they should switch to another channel; her old apartment number. He asks if she’s all right, and she says she’s fine. How’s Eugene? Mercer says, he’s safe, for now. Where is she? She says she’s on a train headed back to him. She’s bringing people; the prisoners Hornsby and Pamela disappeared. He asks what she’s planning to do, and she says, change things; take Pamela down. Will he be okay with that? He says, yeah. Get the prisoners back to him. With them as witnesses, they’ll have legal grounds to remove Pamela. He tells her to bring everyone to an access tunnel that runs along the west wall, and tells her how to get there. He says, it leads to an industrial building. He’ll be there. It’s good to hear her voice. The trooper tells him that there’s been an alert. A swarm is coming from the east.

Aaron whispers, up ahead… to the RV, and the message is passed. They gravitate toward the van, and Aaron opens the door. They start to file in, but Jules gets moved along with the horde, and Luke decides to follow her. Eli ends up outside, and Lydia grabs for him, but gets badly bitten on the arm, and lets go. Aaron pulls her inside, and the zombies clamor at the RV door.

An alarm sounds, and the troopers get ready. There’s a PA announcement for the citizens to remain inside. Lockdown is being initiated. Max finds Mercer outside, and he tells her that he’s being sent out. She says, that doesn’t change the goal, but he tells her that she doesn’t want to give these hotheads and excuse to start trouble. Wait for him. If he’s lucky, his girlfriend is coming back, and she’s bringing her friends. Vickers watches him, and he tells Max that he’s supposed to meet them at Union Station. He hugs her, and tells her to keep them hidden until he gets back. He leaves, and Vickers looks at Max, while lockdown is being initiated repeats on the loudspeaker.

In the RV, Lydia says, they can’t leave, but Aaron says, they have no choice. She says, they can’t lose him, but Aaron says, he’ll lose her. Jerry says, they’ll find him, and Aaron checks her arm. He tells her that he made it all right. This is the hardest part. She cries, and Aaron says, she’s so loved, while Jerry gets his sword. Lydia bites down on a belt, Aaron keeps the tourniquet taut, and Jerry’s sword comes down. Lydia screams.

There are guards near the entrance to the tunnel, and Negan says, they’re sitting ducks, but Princess says, Mercer will show up. Daryl says, they’re out of time, and Carol suggests they find another place to slip in. Maggie says, there are only four of them; they can take them. Rosita says, if the guards go missing, they’ll know it’s them. One of the guards gets a radio call from Mercer, who says he needs more troops to deal with the incoming swarm. One of the troopers says, including the tunnel? Are they supposed to abandon their post? Mercer tells them, stop wasting time and move, and they leave. Daryl says, let’s go, and they go to a building where Gabriel breaks the lock. Maggie opens the door, and they go inside, Daryl going last, and closing the door behind him.

Pamela literally clutches her pearls, when Vickers come in. She tells Pamela that Mercer saw his sister, then reported to the wall. He asked for additional backup for the horde; nothing unusual. Pamela asks where he called them from, and Vickers tells her. She asks if Pamela wants her to recall any of them, but Pamela says, no. She’s sure he has his reasons.  

From the lookout tower, Mercer radios Echo, asking what position they’re in. Echo says, they’re approaching now, and Mercer says, once they’re clear, double back, and work their way east. The jeeps continue to circle the horde, and a zombie jumps into the back of one of them. Theta radios Mercer, saying, they’re out of control, and Mercer asks, what happened? but Theta says, it’s unclear. Mercer hears yelling and machine guns, and looks out with binoculars. He radios all units to fall back, and regroup on him. Bring out the heavy armor. Once they regroup, they’re going to knock the hell out of this thing before it gets to their city.

Eugene paces, and hears a trooper saying, mandatory search. He bangs on the door, and says, open up. Eugene quietly slides the chain off, and gets behind the door. The trooper busts open the door, and Eugene whacks him in the head from behind. He gets the trooper down, and beats the crap out of his head. The trooper’s radio comes to life, and someone asks, Brooks, what’s your 20?

Lydia drowses as the zombies clamor outside. She wakes, and says, we have to go, but Aaron says, she lost a lot of blood. She says, they need Elijah, but Jerry says, Elijah, Luke, and Jules are all pros. They don’t need their help. Lydia insists they do, and cries. Jerry holds her, and Aaron looks sad. He tells her, don’t sweat it. She’s lost enough. Jerry says he’ll find them, and Lydia says she’s going. Jerry says, no; they’ll meet up later. I find them; I find you. Piece of cobbler. See you on the other side. He takes a deep breath, puts his hood up, goes out, and closes the door.

Maggie and the others walk through the tunnel until they come to a ladder. Maggie goes up first, and comes out in the train station. The others follow, and they slip through quietly. Daryl sees padlocks on the doors, and says, something ain’t right. Tyler says, we’re almost there, and suddenly shots ring out, and he falls.

At the tower, Mercer says he’s lost contact, when Vickers shows up with some other troopers. She says, he’s under arrest, and resistance will get him life in prison or death. Mercer tells his troopers to lower their weapons, and tells Vickers, he’ll go, but they need to fortify the city’s defenses before the swarm hits. She says, Governor Milton insists the walls will hold, but he says, this is bigger than Pamela’s bullsh*t. They need to stop the dead before it’s too late,

At the station, everyone scrambles, and there’s a gunfight. The part of the group not shooting bellies under the benches to safety. Pamela comes out, and takes a gun from a dead trooper. Trying to shoot Maggie, she hits Judith, and everything stops. Daryl tries to rouse Judith, and tells the rest that they’ve got to go. Maggie shoots the trooper next to Pamela, making her freak out. Pamela yells, you did this, and Carol says, they’ve got to go now. Daryl tells Ezekiel, throw it, and Ezekiel rips a fire extinguisher off the wall. He throws it with the strength of ten, nearly all the way to the balcony, and Daryl shoots it in midair.

On the street, Yumiko and Max see what’s going on in the station, and join the group as they come out, Daryl carrying Judith. Eugene comes out another door, and follows a trooper, knocking him out. They run down an alleyway. The zombie horde is at the city wall, and a trooper in the tower radios, where the hell is the backup? They need every available… He sees a zombie halfway up the wall, and says, Christ! They’re climbing the walls. He shoots it, but another is already on the platform. He radios that they need back up; the east gate. The rotters are climbing… Arrgh! The other troopers are like, WTF? over and over. The trooper at the top gets his face eaten, and in an ironic twist, pushes the button to open the gate. Alarms go off, and zombies stream into the Commonwealth.

Pamela fixes her makeup, clearly not reading the room. Vickers comes in, and says, the parameter has been breached. They’ve lost 15 troops; and even more civilians are dead in the Commonwealth. Pamela says, that’s not possible. They have a standard. They’re supposed to be in lockdown. Vickers says, they’re climbing the walls and flooding in, but… They can still make a stand if they hold here, and save a big portion of the city. Pamela tells her to pull the forces back, and add troops to defend her home. They’ll divert the swarm to the lower ward. Vickers says, that will leave thousands of citizens unprotected. It’s a death sentence. Pamela tells her, protect the estate, and seal the rest off.

Daryl runs at the head of the group with Judith. A truck blocks their path, and Ezekiel says, this way, leading them around a corner. As they run, trucks go past, and Ezekiel realizes they’re blocked. He tells them, fall back, and Carol says, the trucks aren’t following them. Magna says, what is that? and Connie signs, they’re not coming for us. They’ve got bigger problems. The lightbulb comes on that there’s a zombie horde in the Commonwealth, and Negan voices what’s on everyone’s mind – what the f***? Luke and Jules magically appear, and Daryl tells everyone, move. Carol says, they’ll cut them off, and they shoot and slash zombies as they run through the throng. Carol grabs Daryl, pulling him and Judith through. Judith opens her eyes slightly, says, daddy? then closes her eyes again. It’s a mess

Next time, the series finale – zombies infiltrate the house where the children are being held; Ezekiel says, people might not think this place is worth saving, but it is to him; Daryl yells for help at the infirmary; and everybody dies. Just kidding.

⚰️ Things are getting weepy already on Talking Dead, and it looks to be a great episode next week for TWD finale, starting with a red carpet at 8:30. Tonight, the guests were asked to give three words about the finale. Michael James Shaw (Mercer) said, bunnies, blood, and sherbet. Cooper Andrews (Jerry) said, eat more cobbler. And executive producer Denise Huth said, massive, ridiculous, and she thinks we’ll cry.

🧛🏼‍♂️ Final Interview For the Season…

Recapping this week’s Vampire. It was pretty gory.

https://ew.com/tv/interview-with-the-vampire-season-1-finale/

And a little scandalous.

https://decider.com/2022/11/11/interview-with-the-vampire-season-1-finale-exclusive-clip/

No surprise, it’s been renewed already.

https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a41936415/interview-with-the-vampire-season-2-release-date/

🤸🏽 On the Other Side…

Come take a load off tomorrow with some soap and a charter on the Med. Until then, stay safe, stay always bringing a hostess gift to a party, and stay making something positive out of your days, and not live them out in bitterness over what’s been lost.

Oct31

October 30, 2022 – Negan Asks Ezekiel To Work Together For Everyone, Tonight’s Vampire, Halloween Pet Safety, Yet More Costumes & Sympathy

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What I Watched Today

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

The Walking Dead

In a voiceover, Judith says, the only way she’s known is to fight. They’ve done so much, but there’s so much more to do. She wants to believe there’s hope, but together there’s hope. Isn’t there?

Maggie struggles to get out of the zip tie on her wrists, as the guard snoozes. She frees herself, then Gabriel, who frees Rosita, but the guard wakes up. Gabriel and Rosita jump out, and Maggie gets the guard’s gun, shooting the two troopers in front, and tossing the guard out the back. The truck crashes, and Maggie gets out, ducking down as the rest of the caravan passes crash.

Gabriel and Rosita lie in the woods, as the one of the troopers reanimates. Gabriel leaps up, shoving the zombie away from Rosita, and she slices its head open from behind. Gabriel asks if she’s okay, and she says, she’s been better. Him? He says he’s been worse. He takes the trooper’s radio, and a call comes in. The caller says, there’s been no sign of 525 and the escapees, but they found a set of boot tracks that looks like they might be 525’s. Gabriel and Rosita jet.

On the bus, Ezekiel comes to, and takes his hood off. The others slowly do the same. They hear banging, and when it stops, Ezekiel asks if everyone is all right. Kelly asks how long they were out for, and he says he doesn’t know, but his neck is still sore from the injection. Negan says, no sign of Maggie, Gabriel, or Rosita, and Annie says, the trucks are being unleaded. They stopped for a few minutes, and there was a crash. Does he think it was them? A guy gets on the bus, and tells them, welcome. Today is the day of a new beginning. The world works when everybody knows their place. Their place is at the bottom. The resources they used bring old world back sustains the Commonwealth. Their labor will be appreciated, and is their redemption; their salvation. The children safe, and if they play by the rules, they’ll see them again. They must work as one. Here, nobody has a name. There’s no need for them. He’s not going to tell them his name, and they won’t address each other by theirs. If he points to them, they’re to stand up, and go to the rear. Some troopers open the back of the bus, and he picks people out. He points to Annie, but not Negan, and Negan tells her that he’s going to get them out of here, all three of them. The guy tells those left on the bus that the others are being transported to another site. The one on the bus are going to work until the tracks are clear. If they work hard, they’ll be protected by the Commonwealth. Although they’ve been delivered from the utopia of the Commonwealth, it’s better to be here than the wasteland. One of the troopers tells them, get to work.

Maggie wanders in the woods, and sees a child zombie. She flashes back to seeing him when he was alive, and picks up a rock, but walks past him.

Gabriel asks Rosita, what’s the plan? and she says, to follow the convoy. He says, then what? There’s only two of them. What are they going to do? Knock on the door and ask for their daughter? She says, if he has a better idea, she’s all ears. She suggests splitting up, but he says, no way, he’s not leaving her, and she says, then come on. A couple of zombies come out of the woods, and Gabriel kills them, but Rosita gets knocked down in the melee. She says, her arm is dislocated, and tells him what to do. He pops it back in, which is obviously painful, and she gets up. She starts walking, and he tells her that she needs to rest. What good is torturing herself? She asks, what she always says to him, and he says, quit bitching, and move forward. They hear a train, but Gabriel says, it can’t be a train.

Daryl looks through binoculars at the train, and tells Carol, there’s six of them. Carol wonders if they should follow the train, but Daryl says, if they hang back, they’ll be fine. He sees a trooper bring Connie over, and the trooper says, he received a call, and she’s not a worker, but a Designation Two. Get her there safely. Carol wonders what the designation is, but Daryl says, they can’t bust her out, so they’ll look for the kids. She says, they should follow the train, and get everyone out at once.

They drive to the nearest junction, and Carol suggests they sit tight until the train gets there. Daryl says he doesn’t think he can, but she says, when she saw Connie get on the train, she thought the same thing he did; the cave. Does he remember what Kelly said when her sister disappeared? He says, they can’t help anyone if they’re dead, and she says, if they go it alone, they might make the same mistakes again. He tells her, all right, and she takes his hand.

Maggie hears a motorcycle and hides. A trooper stops, and radios that the crossing is clear, and there’s no sign of the escapees. He’s moving to the next stop. The zombie kid toddles toward him, and he raises his gun, but Maggie jumps out, and gives him a sharp stick to the armpit. She gets him down, kills him, and grabs his gun. Since no good deed goes unpunished, the zombie kid grabs at her. She fends him off for a while, then puts him in a hold. She cradles him for a moment, then tells him, it’s all right, and stabs him in the head. Carol and Daryl drive up.

Maggie tells Carol that they just ripped Herschel away from her. She wasn’t strong enough. Carol says, she’s just one person, but Maggie says, it’s on her. The not knowing is worse. She cries, and Carol tells her again, she’s just one person. Maggie says, it doesn’t matter, and Carol holds her as she sobs. Carol says, she barely saw Daryl after she got her job at the Commonwealth. They were doing their own thing like in the old world. After the fall, they were forced to become a family. Pamela had to come at them when they were separated. What does that say? Maggie tells her, that they scared the sh*t out of them, and Carol says, they’re not alone anymore. Rosita and Gabriel come out of the woods, and Gabriel says, they heard a train. Rosita asks where Daryl is, and Carol says, inside

In the depot, a trooper sits against the wall, covered in blood. Daryl tells him that he’s running out of time. Do something good in the time he has left. Where is the train going? He has a friend on it, and she’s Designation Two. What does that mean? He was like the trooper once, and joined the force when his family needed money. He’s guessing that’s the trooper’s story too. They took his kids, and he wants them back. He kicks the trooper, and the others come in. Carol says, the train is going to be here soon, and Daryl asks if the trooper wants to die quick or screaming. Gabriel says he knows the trooper. Every Sunday in the back pew, closest to the door. He came in late, and left early. It seemed like he wanted to talk about something. The trooper asks if God forgives people like him, and Gabriel says he wishes he knew. The trooper says he has guilt and shame, and Gabriel says, that’s because he’s a coward. He’s trying not to be, but fear can cause us to do things that make us feel shame. Or he can push to the light, and die trying to do the right thing. The trooper says he’s trying to have peace, and Gabriel says he wishes he had peace too. People remember the last thing you do. The end of a story is important. How does he want his to end? The trooper says, they punish exiles by making them do hard labor. Their friends are on railway duty. Daryl asks, where? but the trooper says he doesn’t know. He got called when the three escaped. They have to follow the train. He’s heard rumors that those in Designation Two are taken far away and never seen again. Daryl and Maggie go back outside, and he asks Gabriel to pray with him while he goes. Gabriel asks Carol to give them a minute, and takes out his Bible.

Daryl wants to get Connie off the train, but Rosita says, they’ll radio ahead. The the best way to get everyone out is them not knowing they’re coming. He says, they can’t leave her, but Carol thinks there’s a way do both.

While working on the railroad all the livelong day, Kelly tells Ezekiel, there are three guards. They can run; the troopers can’t catch them all. Ezekiel says, don’t do anything, and a trooper tells them, stop talking, and keep working. Negan says, his wife is on the bus, and the trooper whacks him with a stick. He says, they stop to eat and sleep. Keep working. Some of the group make a break for it, and Kelly starts to go too, but Ezekiel grabs her. The troopers shoot the escapees, and Negan looks supremely pissed.

There’s a train delay – zombie on the tracks. A trooper gets out and kills it. He walks over to a lever, but it won’t budge. He radios the engineer, and says, there’s stuck junction switch. Another zombie comes along, and he stabs it through one of its nostrils. The engineer radios Outpost 22, while Maggie slips on the train. Another trooper comes outside, and asks, how hard can it be? The trooper on the tracks says, come over here and he’ll show him. Daryl and Carol crawl under the train to the other side, while the troopers deal with more zombies. Maggie ties up the engineer, and a trooper comes in, saying, the woods are cleared; he’s heading back. Maggie grabs his gun, and outside, the skeptical trooper tries to pull the switch, and the other one mocks him, saying, how hard can it be? The other trooper says, it’s bent; somebody jammed it. Everybody needs to get back here now. Carol shoots at them, and a gunfight ensues, bullets pinging off of everything metal. Maggie shoots at a trooper, and Daryl comes at him, but he brings out Connie, holding a gun to her head. He tells Daryl to drop his weapon, and asks if Daryl cut the wire or shut it off. Answer him. It’s the old if you’re gonna shoot, shoot don’t talk situation, and Connie knocks his gun out of his hand, then grabs it. Daryl checks Connie out, and puts her on the train. The trooper gets away on a motorcycle, and they shoot at him, but miss. Daryl gets another bike, and takes off after him. The trooper rides into the woods, and Daryl follows. The trooper gets off the bike, and goes under a huge fallen tree branch, but even though Daryl is knocked off his bike, he reaches under the branch. He knocks the trooper down, and kills him.

Daryl and Maggie bring the engineer inside the depot, and he says his family lives in a nearby outpost. If the warden finds out he helped them – he looks at the dead trooper – he’ll end up like his friend. Daryl says, they took his children. He has a family. The engineer tells them, there’s a map in the engine room. Daryl goes to get it, and signs to Connie that he thought he wasn’t going to see her again. She signs back, she’s not going anywhere. Outside, the engineer holds a sharp stick to his throat, and tells Carol and Maggie, if he helps them, his wife and kids will die. Carol says, they’ll injure him just enough make it look like he barely got away, but he says, they’ll know he lied, and kill his family. He can’t. He’s sorry. He stabs himself in the neck, and everyone is bummed.

Gruel is served to the railway laborers for dinner, and Negan sits near Ezekiel, telling him, don’t turn around. Ezekiel asks what Negan wants, and Negan says, to get on the same page. Ezekiel says, he stayed away from Negan for years for a reason, but Negan says, he’s going to have to shelve that sh*t. Ezekiel says, melting people’s faces with irons, coercing women into marrying him, slaughtering Ezekiel’s people. That sh*t he has not forgotten. Negan says, neither has he. He probably deserves to be in a place like this. But the others don’t, especially his wife and baby. Ezekiel asks where they were taken, but Negan doesn’t know. He needs to find her; he promised. He’s coming to Ezekiel as a soon-to-be father and a man who’s led people. He’s asking Ezekiel to put that sh*t aside, and work together for everyone, Ezekiel asks what he’s thinking, and Negan says, he knows the warden’s playbook, using fear as a weapon. Ezekiel asks if he’s going to scare them into an uprising, but Negan says, that only works if you’re the one with the gun. Fear doesn’t work, but hope does, That’s Ezekiel’s thing, not his. Ezekiel says, they thrive by separating people and breaking them down. They need a spark that reaches their hearts and wakes them up. He doesn’t know how to do that; they can barely talk to each other. Negan says he can get Ezekiel a spark, but when he does, Ezekiel ought to know, he doubts he’ll getting out with them. Ezekiel asks what he means, but a trooper says, back to work. Now. Negan asks if Ezekiel is with him, and Ezekiel says, he’s with Negan… for now.

Connie signs to Daryl, asking him which way the others went, but he signs, he doesn’t know. Connie signs, Kelly is with them. She can’t lose her. Daryl signs, they won’t. He promises they’ll get her out. Connie signs, how? and Rosita says, they’re going back to the train, and getting the radio back up.

The trooper tells the railway workers to pack it in and load up. A zombie comes out of the woods, and the trooper shoots it, then tells them, move it along.

Rosita radios outpost 22, saying, the train she was on was overtaken. She’s lost in the woods, and needs help. She waits, then radios again, and an operator asks, what’s her original setback and location? Rosita says, junction seven. She’s the last one left. She needs to get home. The woman says, damn. Don’t worry. They’ll get her home. Does she still have her compass? Rosita says she does, and the woman tells her, head north through the woods until she reaches a bridge. Cross it, and go to Packard Avenue, then head south to where is breaches to Highway 30. Eventually, she’ll reach a suburban neighborhood. There’s a section shored up with walls, and she’ll see friendly faces in the guard tower. Go to the northeast gate, and they’ll let her in. She’s sorry they don’t have a spare vehicle to pick her up, but they have a convoy coming for reprocessing. Governor’s orders. Rosita asks if she just said they have a convoy coming in for reprocessing, and the woman says, word is some of the processees used to live here before the Commonwealth took over the territory and turned it into an outpost back when it was still called Alexandria. Keep eye out for hostiles, but if she has to engage, shoot to kill. Watch her six, and Godspeed. There’s silence for a moment, and Maggie says, Milton has underestimated us since day one. We’re going to get our kids, take back our home, and make it right. And Pamela will never see it coming.

Next time – 3 episodes left – Negan tries to save Annie; Rosita says, they need to go in now; Eugene’s trial happens; and Ezekiel says, this world is broken, but they don’t have to be.

🧛🏽‍♂️ This Week In Vampire…

The latest episode of Interview with the Vampire.

Interview with the Vampire – Season 1 Episode 5 Recap & Review

🐶 Don’t Forget…

Have an amazing time, but don’t forget about your pets

https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/pet-owners/petcare/halloween-pet-safety

🎃 The List Goes On…

Some of these are quite original. I was at Halloween karaoke last night, and the first place winner of the costume contest was a couple doing Barbie and Ken, complete with boxes. I thought they deserved it just for having to stand all night.

https://www.buzzfeed.com/chelseastewart/best-celebrity-halloween-costumes-2022

🐺 Howling At the Moon…

When you’re done trick or treating, drop by for some soap and what’s on Deck tomorrow. Until then, stay safe, stay doubly safe on Halloween, and stay not bitching, but moving forward.

Oct24

October 23, 2022 – Yumiko Decides To Uphold Justice, Dragon Finale & Psycho

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What I Watched Today

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

The Walking Dead

In a voiceover, Judith says, her mom once told her, the only thing more dangerous than the dead is the living. But if not for the living, we might as well be dead. The only people we can count on; not just about words, but actions. Having the strength to put someone’s life above your own. If you’re willing do that, maybe we can get back a piece of what we’ve lost.

Carol takes some loaves of bread from the bakery racks, and turns around to see Ezekiel. She says she thought she recognized his footsteps, and he says, she knows him too well. She tells him, they already said goodbye, but he says, think of it as a friendly talk before she leaves. He thought she might be able to use some extra medical supplies. She thanks him, going back to her task, and says she left him some of the bagels he likes in the back. When she turns around again, he’s gone. She calls to him, asking where he went, when a couple of guys come out. She throws the baker’s rack to the ground, blocking them, and runs out the back, throwing down other rack as she goes. She runs outside, and away.

Carol hides as troopers come by. After they pass, she quietly runs to the meeting place. She sees the empty wagon, and boxes of supplies everywhere. She bends down and sees blood on the ground, and the lock on the door has been broken. Inside, a big dude has Daryl on the ground, and is strangling him. Daryl reaches for a nearby gun, but dude pulls him away. Daryl digs in dude’s eyes with his thumbs. A few feet away, the corpse of another man reanimates, as Daryl continues to struggle against dude, who is now banging Daryl’s head against the cement floor. Carol finally gets inside, and pulls dude off of Daryl, and the zombie newbie finishes him. Daryl stabs the zombie and dude in their heads, and Carol tells him, they took everyone.

Pamela talks to some people in her office, and tells them, they have the enemies of the state situation in hand, and have suspended entry into the Commonwealth. A woman tells Pamela that she’s glad their contribution to the Common is not in vain, so apparently, they’re snitches. She says, on a personal note, she’s so sorry about Sebastian. Her daughter is distraught. To lose a child is unthinkable. Pamela says, worse than death, but Sebastian will always be with her. Yumiko charges in, and whacks the guard in the face when he tries to stop her. Pamela says, there’s no threat, and he backs off. Yumiko tells Pamela to say goodbye to her guests, and tell her what the hell is going on. She’s not leaving until she finds out. Pamela says, they were just wrapping up anyway, and thanks them. They leave, the guard following, and the look on his face is priceless, like, he can’t believe it. Pamela tells Yumiko that her friends have been removed, and Yumiko says, like the hundreds of others she made disappear? Pamela says, her friends caused rebellion and openly defied the law, and Yumiko says, as if Pamela had any respect for the law. Pamela says, that’s why she hired Yumiko. When justice has prevailed, order will be restored. She wants to assure the citizens that there will be an impartial trial for the man who killed Sebastian. They need to see justice will be served, and who better to bring impartial justice than Eugene’s friend? She wants Yumiko to prosecute Eugene on behalf of the Commonwealth. Yumiko says she’ll be signing his death warrant in a kangaroo court. Pamela says, then there will be no reunion with her friends. And she needs to consider how her actions will affect her brother. Pamela is going to hold a press conference announcing the prosecution. Don’t be late.

Daryl tells Carol that they were jumped; they even took Dog. What?! DEATH TO PAMELA AND THE COMMONWEALTH! Daryl says, the have to find Mercer, but Carol asks if he doesn’t think he’d turn them in. There is one other person… He says, Hornsby? and she says, who knows what dark sh*t goes on? She knows where to find him, but it’s not going be easy. He says, when is it ever?

Yumiko goes to the hospital, and finds Tomi finishing with a patient. The patient leaves, and Yumiko says, her friends were taken. All of them have removed on Pamela’s orders, and she’s demanding Yumiko prosecute Eugene or she’ll never see them again. He says he imagines Pamela will threaten him too, but Yumiko says she’s not going to let that happen. He says, Pamela expects her to fold. If she doesn’t, what happens to her? Yumiko says she doesn’t know, but there has to be another way. Tell her what to do. He says, it’s not what she wants to hear, but the best way to protect everyone is to give Pamela what she wants. She says, he means sacrifice Eugene? And he asks, what choice does she have? Sunlight is the best disinfectant, and Pamela is still standing. Justice isn’t waiting around the corner. She says, so she should just accept it? but he says, it’s not acceptance; it’s survival. It’s what her friends would want for her.

Connie grabs Yumiko as she’s walking past, and pulls her into a supply room. She signs that they were ambushed, but she stabbed one, and got away. Kelly is already gone. Yumiko signs back that if Connie hadn’t run, she’s be in the same situation. Connie signs, the man she stabbed needs medical attention. That’s why she came here. Yumiko looks through the grating into the next room, where she sees the guard Connie stabbed. Connie signs that she’s going to follow him when he’s released. He could lead her to her friends and her sister. She’s not going without Kelly. Yumiko signs, it’s too dangerous, but Connie signs, she’s not asking permission. Yumiko signs that they’ll be looking for Connie, but not her. She’ll do it. It’s the best chance they’ve got. Connie signs, if he spots her… Yumiko signs, they’ll know the two of them spoke, and Connie signs that she has faith in Yumiko. They hug, and Yumiko leaves.  

A trooper walks up and down the rows of cells, as Carol slips around. She makes a noise, and when he investigates, she shoots him with an arrow. Daryl knocks him out, and ties his hands behind his back. Carol takes the trooper’s keys, and she and Daryl look through the cell windows. Carol finds Lance, who’s mumbling about there being a path. They open the door, and see Sebastian, wallowing in blood and guts, and growling. They’re like, WTF? and Daryl stabs Sebastian in the head. Lance turns his coin as he says, there’s always a path; there’s always a way out.

Daryl grabs Lance by the throat, and asks, where did she take them? Lance starts to scream, and Daryl puts his hand over Lance’s mouth. He’s about to punch Lance, but Carol stops him. She gets close to Lance’s face, and tells him to look at her. They can’t leave him alive. Tell them where their friends are or he’s dead. She puts a knife up to his face, and he shakes his head. Carol looks at Daryl, who nods, but Lance says, he’ll show them. He gets that they don’t trust him, but knows a way out of the city. Daryl asks what’s on Lance’s ankle, and Lance says, a radio frequency monitor. It’ll be set off if he leaves. Daryl will have to cut off his foot. Is Daryl going to carry him? Carol says, get ready to run, and Lance says he needs to do something first.

An alarm blasts as they run. Troopers shoot at them, and Daryl shoots back. They keep running, and Daryl tells Carol to get Lance out. She says, not without him, but he says he’ll figure it out. She and Lance go out the door, Carol exchanging a last glance with Daryl, who goes back to shooting at the troopers.

The guard leaves the hospital, and Yumiko follows him. She looks around to see if anyone is following her, and the guard stops. She continues to walk past him, and he watches her. Pam tells her new assistant that the optics of the press conference are critical if they’re going to regain the people’s trust. Moving forward, being transparent and open is the way. She mistakenly calls her assistant Max, and corrects it to Kathleen, apologizing. She tells Kathleen the Commonwealth Army should be there, but in the background. They want a peaceful return to law and order. A police state might stir up lingering resentments. Her phone rings.  

Pamela walks with some troopers to Lance’s cell. She sees the now really dead Sebastian lying in a bloody mess. Lance’s coin peeks out of the mess, and she picks it up.

Lance and Carol walk up a hill, and Lance says, it’s a couple miles up. He never realized how much the Commonwealth looks like a prison from the outside. She was right to leave Daryl behind; he was slowing her down, like everyone. She asks what he means, and he says, she’s not like most people. She thinks ten steps ahead. Who else could have done what she just did? He hopes Daryl is all right. Carol trains her gun on him, and says she knows what he’s doing. He says he’s just making conversation, and she asks where they’re going. She’s done with his mind games. He says he’s not lying, but she says, he doesn’t give a sh*t what happens to Daryl. He says, he was just locked in a cell, and forced to feed Pamela’s son his colleague. Do it. Good luck find her friends. She takes off into the woods, and he follows. They duck down, and a jeep and two motorcycles with troopers come down the road. They stop, and one of them says, check the tree line. Lance tells Carol, he knows how to lose them. Come on.

Yumiko visits Eugene’s cell as a guard watches, and he says he can’t believe they’re gone. Yumiko says, Connie is trusting her, and she can’t let her down. She doesn’t think she has a choice but to do what Pamela is asking. With tears in his eyes, Eugene says if that means prosecuting him to the full extent of the law, he accepts his fate. He made his choices and bed, and now he must lie in it. But what if Pamela reneges on setting their kidnapped compadres free? She has to do something. Yumiko says, Pamela has all the leverage, and Eugene says he has to admit it appears that way, but he has to believe it’s something they can do. If it isn’t, then their friends are truly gone, and that’s a beast of burden he can’t live with, even in the truncated time he has left. She says, it’s not his fault, and he says, the one thing they can do is return the unwavering faith their friends have had in them, and trust that no matter how bleak, it’s not the end. He knows that’s not much coming from a soon to be convicted felon, but maybe it’s something. She puts her hand on his through the bars.

Lance and Carol walk across a field to a building, and Carol asks if he expects her to follow him in there. He says, she will if she doesn’t want to get caught. In the early days, this was a Commonwealth infrastructure repair project, but considered too unstable. He meant what he said; he hopes Daryl is okay. It’s hard to find someone who will do anything for you. That’s how he felt about Pamela, and thought she’d eventually feel the same. He helped her build and run the Commonwealth, and let her take the credit. Bringing them and the other communities in was mishandled, but it was never enough. Nothing he could do would change how Pamela saw him, her chauffeur’s son. There was something he wanted to ask Carol; what comes after? She says, after what? and he says, the unrest. If Pamela doesn’t survive, there will be a power vacuum. History shows that civilians suffer most in a revolution. She holds the fate of the people in her hands. She says, find her friends first, then they’ll discuss it, but he asks if she’s going to let the Commonwealth burn. She says, it’s not her problem, and she says, so she gets what she wants, and leaves them behind, him too? What about the kids? Is she going to deny them the only chance for the kind of life they took for granted? Shouldn’t the next generation be better than the one before? If not, what’s the point? They go inside, and Carol shines the flashlight around. Lance asks if that’s skin, and they hear zombies coming. One gets Lance down, and Carol grapples with it, the flashlight getting kicked away in the process. She bashes its head in, and we hear more coming. She shoots one, and another grabs her. She wrestles with it, and pulls the skin from its face, which is pretty cool. Underneath, it’s creepy looking, like a skeleton that still has muscles on it, and eyeballs in its sockets. She pushes it back, and shoots it. She looks at Lance, who has been no help whatsoever, and he says, sorry, the lights were out. She tells him to run, and they take off, zombies coming behind them. They run outside, and there’s a line of troopers. On says, drop your weapons. Radio back that they’ve been found. If they put up a fight, take them down. Daryl comes up behind them, and shoots them all. Carol and Daryl look at Lance.

Before the press conference, Pamela says she’s glad to see Yumiko, but Yumiko says she didn’t have a choice. Pamela tells her, Connie was picked up, and placed with the others. She admires Yumiko’s loyalty for her people, and hopes someday Yumiko understands why they need to do this. Yumiko says, Pamela is doing it for herself, not to restore peace. Giving Yumiko her speech, Pamela says, these are her words, but Yumiko says, they’re not. It’s bullsh*t theater. Pamela says, just make sure she knows her lines. The people gather, and the announcer says, they’re moving forward in prosecuting Eugene for the tragic events on Founders Day, including Sebastian’s murder. He introduces one of the Commonwealth’s most accomplished attorneys, Yumiko Okumura. Yumiko goes to the microphone, and tells the crowd that she wants to start be saying, it’s a privilege to be part of the great shining city, the Commonwealth. Not long ago, she was part of a group that was lost to the ravages of the outside world; they were left with nothing. Pamela welcomed them, and gave them the incredible gift of a second chance, to live life before it was gone. For her, this meant being a lawyer again, an opportunity to uphold the sacred ideal of the old world – justice. Eugene was part of her community. He was… someone she grew to know well over the years, someone she could trust. The events at the Founder’s Celebration have shaken her to her core. But they also renewed her belief that, regardless of the personal cost, they must always seek justice if they’re to preserve who they are as a people. Before she continues, she’d like to thank someone who means the world to her, and the people of the Commonwealth, their thoracic surgeon. She asks Tomi to stand up, and everyone applauds. She says, Tomi is an invaluable, irreplaceable member of the community, who always wants what’s best for her and the people of the Commonwealth. So she wants to take a moment to thank him. There’s more applause, and Pamela mulls this over, probably realizing that Yumiko just made her brother’s existence very public, and if he disappears now, it will be very much noticed. Yumiko says, she’d also like to thank her people for always having faith in her. She’d like to show them that she has faith in them by honoring the pursuit of justice. So she’s announcing her intent to defend Eugene, who’s been wrongly accused. They look forward to their day in court. They crowd doesn’t seem to hate the idea, and there’s applause. Yumiko drops the mic papers in front of Pamela, and says, there’s your speech.

Daryl watches through binoculars, and says, it’s cool. There’s just two walking the perimeter. Lance says, Daryl should have no problem taking them out, and Carol says, then what? Lance says, he knows there’s a supply train and the route, and Carol is surprised to find out the Commonwealth has a train. Lance says, it was part of the plan; the vision to expand the Commonwealth. They were going to reach out, connecting with communities all the way to the sea. Carol says, connecting or conquering? and Lance says, they have to move before dawn. Daryl says, they will, but Lance won’t. Lance says, they can’t get there without him, but Daryl says, they can; that train. Carol says, they’ll just wait for it to come, and see where it goes. Lance insists they need him. He talked about creating a better future, and he knows Carol heard him. She says, that’s because he wouldn’t shut up. He says he helped build the Commonwealth, and together, they could make it better. A place where everyone could truly have a shot. Where here, you aren’t defined by who you are, but who you become. It will be a new age, where everyone will start again. Daryl says, not Lance, and Lance asks if Daryl is just going to kill him after everything he’s done for him. Carol says, he can run, and Lance says, where? She says, it’s up to him. All he gets is a chance. Daryl says, it’s more than he deserves, but Lance says he made a mistake. That’s not who he is anymore. That guy died in a cell. He won’t make it out here. Daryl says, good, and I laugh. Carol says, Lance is a smart guy. He might survive. Lance begs them to just hear him out, but Carol says, they’ve heard enough. Daryl moves toward Lance, and Lance starts to walk. As he passes a trooper jeep, he grabs a gun out of it, but by the time he aims it, Carol’s already shot him in the neck with an arrow. Carol and Daryl get in the jeep, Lance lying there gurgling blood as they drive away.  

On a bus, a trooper injects hooded prisoners in the neck with something that’s keeping them out of it. We see the bus traveling with a caravan of jeeps leading the way down the road.

Next time, it’s the first day of new beginnings; Negan tells Ezekiel they’ve got to work together; and Ezekiel says he’s with Negan.  

🐉 Ending Dragon Season…

And you can grade it!

House of the Dragon Finale Recap: The Dance of the Dragons Gets Underway —  Plus, Grade It!

🐍 Creepily Slithering Away…

Halloween is almost here, and I’m ready. Mostly. I got my candy for goody bags early, since I found out the hard way they run out of Mini Tootsie Pops on Amazon real quick. And big kids like them too. This year’s theme: Hocus Pocus. Float on by tomorrow for soap and what’s on Deck. Until then, stay safe, stay leaving it cleaner than you found it, and stay remembering, no matter how bleak, it’s not the end.

Oct17

October 16, 2022 – Pamela Wants Eugene’s Head, News Of the Dragon & Reaper

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What I Watched Today

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

The Walking Dead

In a voiceover, Judith says, sometimes she wonders if it takes more courage to live or to die. We’ve all done things still be here; things we’d like to forget. We flash back to some of those, and she says, we became who we needed to be… Who we are now, the choices we make, maybe that’s all that matters.

There’s chaos in the commonwealth, and Eugene and Max get separated. A woman points to Eugene, and says, he’s the one who killed Sebastian. Daryl grabs him, and even though he doesn’t want to go without Max, shoves him inside the nearest building.

Sebastian is on an examining table, and Mercer asks if he should shoot him, but Pamela says, no one touches him until she says so. She tells Mercer, Sebastian was a good boy, despite what people thought. Perhaps she was too late. They had issues, but families are complicated. He says he knows that, and she says, his sister was loyal to her for over a decade. She wants to think Max just lost her way, and perhaps can be helped before it’s too late. Pamela needs an example to remind people that their actions have consequences. If they find and arrest Eugene, they can make him an example for the Commonwealth, and maybe she can help his sister. She wants them to do a city wide sweep, and capture everyone from Riverbend, Hilltop, and Alexandria. Any known associates of Eugene are to be questioned regarding the Founders Day riot and Sebastian’s death.

Aaron, Jerry, Lydia, and Elijah walk the horse and wagon on a path through the woods. They see some zombies milling around up ahead, and Jerry asks if Aaron thinks they should hunker down, but Aaron says, no. They’ll find a way around. Jerry thinks off-roading is risky, and he can dazzle them with his bean recipe, but Aaron says, they should keep moving. Jerry asks, what’s the rush? and Aaron says he wants to make sure Oceanside is okay, and get to Alexandria. They have no time to spare. They head into the woods.

Rosita sits in the interrogation room, and Mercer comes in. He sits down, opens a folder, and reads her statistics out loud. He asks if she can verify the information is true, and she says, seriously? So they’re strangers? He keeps repeating the question, and she says, it’s true. He says, she was seen with Eugene at the Founders Celebration, and she says, it was about a half hour before the riot broke out. He asks what they were talking about, and she says, his sister. She wanted to stay here, and change this place for the better. He asks if she’s seen Eugene since then, but she says, no. He says, at the end of the day, obviously, Eugene is going to be with her; they’re like family. He tells her that he respects her, even if at this moment, she doesn’t respect him. He needs her to tell Eugene to turn himself in. Eugene’s remorse and cooperation will go a long way in helping everyone. If her people make it harder than it needs to be, no one will be going anywhere, and it will only get worse for all of them. She laughs, and walks out.

In the church, Daryl is carving a stick, and there’s a knock at the door. Daryl answers, ready with a knife, but it’s Rosita. He asks, how’d it go? and she says, there were a lot of repeated questions and intense staring, and he says, same. They’re leaving at dawn. She asks if he knows Mercer is watching, and he says he’s counting on it. Eugene comes out from the sacristy, and Rosita asks how he’s holding up. He says, better than he deserves, and asks if she knows Max’s whereabouts. She says she doesn’t, sorry, but he says, he should be the one saying, sorry he got them in this compromising situation. Daryl says, they had it coming, and Rosita says, they’ll get Eugene out. Daryl says, the east gate. There’s a shift change at dawn. Rosita says, they’ll meet the others outside, but Eugene says, at the risk of sounding ungrateful, he can’t leave without his beloved. Daryl says, Eugene wouldn’t make it a block, but Eugene says, he won’t leave without at least ascertaining Max’s safety. Rosita says she’ll look for Max. If she can find Max, maybe they can get them both out. Over the loudspeaker, Pamela says, the perpetrator of these horrific events will  be be punished. Anyone who had information on his whereabouts will be rewarded. Anyone aiding and abetting him will share his fate of swift and final justice.

The wagon gets stuck in the mud, and Jerry suggests leaving it behind, but Aaron insists they can do this. They finally get it moving, but Jerry hurts his knee in the process. Aaron looks out, and says, this looks like it might be the place; it has walls. They’ll go on foot. They go inside what’s left of the Kingdom, and Elijah builds a fire. He and Lydia make eyes at each other. Aaron is trying to fix a flag, and tells Jerry, it’s got big walls, they have water nearby, and there’s tons of land to farm. The Kingdom 2.0. He messes up, and it totally changes his mood. He says, it’ll be dark soon. He’ll first watch.

Pamela cleans the blood off dead Sebastian’s face, and I wonder why he’s not a zombie yet. She says, he always complained that she chose this place over him, but there wasn’t a choice. She was never capable of giving him what he needed, or controlling him. And now… after all the struggle, trauma, and sacrifice, what are they left with? At least they don’t have to disappoint each other anymore. Sebastian starts growling, and Pamela looks disgusted. On her way out the door, she tells a trooper, take care of that.

Mercer takes Princess into his office, saying, she shouldn’t be here. She asks if he’s kicking her out, but he closes the door, and says he can’t be seen treating her differently. She says, so it’s nothing personal? and he says, Milton’s son is dead, and Eugene is being held responsible for it. Princess says, if they catch Eugene, they’ll kill him. How can Mercer be good with that? She was by herself for years, scaring off anyone who got close. Eugene believed in her, and accepted her; no judgments. He saved her. Bad people don’t do that; good people do. Eugene didn’t know that was going to happen, but it did, and they can’t change it. They have to look out for family. Mercer says, Eugene will get a trial, and Princess says, a fair one? He doesn’t say anything, and she nods. She asks, what’s the point of this place if a good man is put to death? A trooper comes in, and tells Mercer that Max has been sighted, and he says he’s got to go. Princess says, her too.

Aaron asks if Lydia wants to rest; he’ll take over watch. She says, she’s fine, and he asks if everything is good with her and Elijah. She says she just had a moment that brought back memories of Henry. She doesn’t think she can do it again. Aaron says he was married once; not legally, but married. He doesn’t talk about it much anymore. He and Eric met in DC, and had an instant connection. Eric asked him out, and he said no for six months. She asks, why? and he says he’s not sure. He thought he was too busy or not ready, or maybe he was just afraid. Eventually, he said yes, and their time together, and years in Alexandria were the happiest moments of his life. After Eric died, he thought he’d give anything to take back one of those noes, and have one more day. Loss is inevitable; it always has been. The only thing we can control is when we say yes. We see zombie hands gripping the top of the wall.  

Max slips around the buildings after dark. She sees Rosita, who starts to come toward her, but troopers are coming. Rosita holds up her hand, and Max starts to backtrack, but it’s too late. The troopers surround her, and tell her that she’s under arrest. She imperceptibly shakes her head at Rosita, who steps aside as they pass.

In the interrogation room, Max reads a confession, and says, those aren’t her words, but Mercer says, they need to be. She reads that she  suffered from depression, and stopped taking her medication. Her confusion and paranoia caused her to slander the Milton family, and manipulate the tapes. She hopes the Commonwealth can find it in their hearts to forgive her. He tells her, sign it and say Eugene got her involved, and she can get a pardon. She says she did this because she couldn’t stand being part of  something rotten anymore; it was killing her. They want to hang Eugene out to dry, and Mercer says, he’ll be executed for treason. She says, for trying to save this place. Speak the truth, no matter the cost. Their dad used to say that. Even as a general, he never forgot his responsibility as a citizen. She thinks he would have liked Eugene. She thinks he would have been proud of what they tried to do, and ashamed of Mercer. She pushes the confession back across the table to him, and he leaves.

Daryl sees Eugene looking out an open window, and asks if he’s trying to get caught. Eugene says he’s peeping at the trooper activity level. He’s tired of being on the proverbial sidelines. He starts to leave, and Daryl stands in front of him. Eugene tells him to step aside; there’s no need for this to get ugly. Daryl just looks at him, and Eugene says, very well, backs up, and rolls up his sleeves. He makes fists, and Daryl stands there a moment, then moves aside, telling him, go ahead. Eugene walks past Daryl, and says, Daryl’s not trying to stop him? Daryl says, he’s not going, and Eugene says, because he’s a coward, but Daryl says, no, because he’s smart. Eugene says, he’s always been a liability, relying on others to help him survive; relying on their courage. He knows he has a penchant for prevarication, and is ashamed that it’s his only discernable skill. He asks if Daryl thinks people are born brave or become it? and Daryl says, both.

Ezekiel tells Princess that they’re working to smuggle Eugene out, and she says, they’ll meet up with the others, and it will be like it was – them, Yumiko, and Eugene – the four of them on the road again. Ezekiel says, he’s not leaving, and she says, even after this crazy sh*t that’s been happening? She says, all the more reason to stay. The people want change, so what better time than when the powers that be are frightened? She says, maybe they don’t feel like fighting underneath. Maybe they think it sucks, and it’s not worth holding on to. He asks if she thinks Mercer is a good man, and she says she’s known a lot of guys who she thought were good, but they don’t always turn out to be good. He says, most people are trying to make the best of what’s in front of them. Maybe Mercer is doing the same. She says, maybe she deserves more than making the best of a bad situation, and he says, she does. He puts his hands on her shoulders, and says, whatever she decides, he’s here if she needs him.

On his knees in a cell, Lance hears footsteps coming toward the door. The door unlocks, and a trooper lets Pamela in. He leaves, and Lance thanks her, and says, he hoped she would come. He has a lot to say, but what matters most is talking to her about a way forward. She says, he killed her son. He had some workers murdered, and they turned into rotters who attacked the public. He says he needed to get her attention. He never intended… He took a gamble, and it didn’t go the way he thought it would. He and Sebastian had their differences, but in the end, he was there for Sebastian. When Sebastian needed people for his side projects, he helped her son. She smooths his hair back, and touches his face, then does the Vulcan Death Grip on his neck. She says, this is because of them; Hilltop and Alexandria started the descent into chaos… They’ll never stop until they’ve taken everything. He asks what they has to do with him, and she says, they’ll do it his way. She provocatively takes his lucky coin out of his pocket, and says, they’ll take a gamble. She tosses it back and forth in her hand, and says, if he wins, he gets to live. If he loses… Which hand? She holds out her fists, and he picks the left one. It’s in there, and I say, dammit. He thanks her, she puts it in his vest pocket. He promises to do better; no games, no secrets. He’s 100% at the Milton family’s disposal. She says she knows he is, and zombie Sebastian is brought in on one of those leash sticks. He says, he doesn’t understand, and she tells him, like he said, he’s at the family’s disposal. Thanks to him, this is all that’s left. A trooper tosses in a dead guy, with a bullet hole in his forehead, along with a knife. He undoes Lance’s bonds, and she says, the body is still warm. Feed her son.

Mercer comes to Princess’s apartment, and asks if they can talk. She says, sure, and he comes in. She says, this is awkward, and he says he doesn’t want her to leave. She says she kind of has to, and he says, because of him. She says, yeah… no… maybe. He’s great, but she’s just got to get out of here. Eugene is going to die. He says he’s doing everything he can to make sure that doesn’t happen, but she says, not everything. It’s all such a sh*tshow. He says he knows this place ain’t perfect, but she’s been out there. She’s seen what’s waiting, and it’s worse. She tells him, don’t say that, and he asks if he’s wrong. She says she needs him to understand. Nothing’s been easy. Even before all of this, it wasn’t easy. Her dad bailed on them when she was 9, and her mother remarried. Her stepfather brought her evil stepbrother to live with him, and they both started acting like they were her dad; yelling and shoving. They sit down, and she says, and her mom let it happen, just to keep him around. She’d raise hell all the time, and her new dad and new brother started tying her up and throwing her in a closet when she acted out. They’d leave her for hours, and she’d piss herself sometimes. Then they’d take turns beating her. All she can hear is, Juanita, you have a roof over your head; Juanita, the bills are being paid; Juanita, it could be worse. F*** that, thinking it could be better. It should be. This place is starting to look like her stepdad. If she sits by and watches it happen, that makes her, her mom. And she’s not her mom. So she’s got to go. She tears up, and Mercer tries to take her hand, but she pulls away. She picks up her bag, and says, because of what happened to her, when she sees a man, she sees a monster. She’s been seeing them like that before they died and turned into actual monsters. She knows that’s not him, and she wants him to know that. She leaves, and he stares at the empty doorway.

At the new old kingdom, Lydia tends the fire with Aaron. They hear a gate open, and Aaron says, they triple-checked everything and made sure it was locked. It’s probably the wind. They hear a bunch of noise, and Lydia says, that wasn’t wind. Aaron gets up, and says, maybe they should do another sweep, when some zombies come toward them. Aaron says, sh*t. Is Lydia good? She says, yeah, and they stab, whack, and gore the zombies. Lydia is having a problem killing one, and Aaron says, they need to get Elijah and Jerry now. They run like hell, yelling for Jerry and Elijah to wake up; there’s trouble. They dispatch zombies for a moment, then barricade themselves in the nearest place. Jerry wonders how they got through the walls, and sees a doorknob turn. It opens, and Jerry slams it shut with his body, saying, what the hell? Since when do the dead use doorknobs? Aaron says, the Whisperers. They have to get on the roof. Lydia goes up first, then helps Elijah. They look out, and there are tons of zombies milling around. Aaron asks how Jerry’s leg is, and Jerry says, good enough. Aaron says he’ll hold the door, and Jerry tells him, be careful. Arms are reaching in through the wall, as Jerry and Aaron switch places, and Jerry makes it to the roof, Aaron following. They discuss jumping to the next building, and ask if Jerry can make the jump. Jerry says, no problem, but Aaron says, they can’t risk it. Aaron says, there’s an area where they can get down, and separate the Whisperers from the rest of the group. Zombie hands appear on the top of the wall behind jerry, and followed by the whole zombie. It picks up a rock, and Jerry yells, dude! Aaron fights with the zombie, but finally gets it down. He says, another goddam Whisperer, but when he tries to take off its mask, its facial skin and scalp comes off in his hand. He stabs it in the head, and Jerry asks, how the hell are the zombies doing that? Aaron looks horrified.  

We don’t see it, but it’s now daylight, and zombies lie everywhere. Aaron looks at the face in his hand, and Jerry asks what he thinks it was. An aberration? Aaron says, he’s heard roamers and lurkers have come back to places they remember, and heard stories about zombies that climb walls and open doors. He’s not sure if the stories are true, but maybe there are other kinds. Jerry says he hopes not, and Aaron asks if he’s sure he’s okay to travel. Jerry says, thanks to Aaron, and Aaron says, it’s his fault. Jerry says, today is a new day, and Lydia goes over to where Elijah is loading the wagon. Elijah says he’s going to grab the rest of their stuff, but Lydia asks him to wait, and kisses him.  

Wagons ho! out of the latest Kingdom, and Aaron says, what Jerry was saying about The Kingdom 2.0, he sees it now. Jerry says, Ezekiel will be king again, but Aaron says, it feels more like it was built for King Jerry. Jerry says, and Queen Nabila; he likes the sound of that. Aaron says he does too.  

Rosita comes to the church, and tells Eugene that Max isn’t coming. It’s too late; she’s already in police custody. Daryl says, the shift change is about to happen, and they should get going. Eugene says, it’s time for him to bid them adieu, and Daryl says he’s going to  check on the others, and will meet Rosita back at her place. He leaves, and Eugene tell Rosita, his path is leading elsewhere, but she says, there is no other path. There is nothing he can do for Max. He says, maybe not, but what kind of a man would he be if he didn’t try? She says, they’ll kill him, and he agrees that it’s not rational, but matters of the heart never are. If he leaves, it won’t be a life worth living. When he was at his lowest, feeling like a posterior cosmic joke, Rosia told him that his person was out there, and he should find her. He trusted Rosita – he always does – and she was right. Now he needs her to trust him. It’s going to be okay. He wants her to give something to Coco for him, and takes off his bolo tie with a heart on the medallion. He says he believes that one day Coco will have the style to pull this off; maybe after age 15. She takes it, and hugs him.

Eugene walks into the trooper station, and one of them yells, on the ground! Name! He says, Eugene Porter. He’s here to confess he made a recording that he surreptitiously switched with the tape that was supposed to be played at the Founders Celebration. While he didn’t mean for it to happen, he’s confessing to the death of Sebastian and the melee that followed. Mercer says, anything else? and he says he acted alone. While Max was present, she had nothing to do with any of it. Mercer swallows hard, and says, take him.

Max sits stunned, while Mercer tells her what happened. Eugene sits alone in his cell. Rosita puts the necklace into her bag. Her door opens, and she says, is everyone ready? Two guys (not troopers) try to subdue her, and she kicks their asses, but a third jumps her, and she’s overwhelmed.

Next time, Pamela tells Yumiko that her friends have been removed from the Commonwealth, and she needs to consider how her actions will affect her brother; Pamela (who’s apparently very busy in this episode) tells Eugene, if he doesn’t tell her where his friends are, he’s dead; and Eugene says, no matter how bleak it appears, it’s not the end.

🐉 Dragon Tails…

Two recaps, and a trailer for the finale.

House of the Dragon Recap: A Succession to Rival Waystar Royco’s

https://ew.com/tv/recaps/house-of-the-dragon-season-1-episode-9/

https://ew.com/tv/house-of-the-dragon-finale-trailer-death/

⚰️ Not Dead Yet…

Stop by tomorrow to see what’s going on in Port Charles and on the Mediterranean Sea. Until then, stay safe, stay being a reliable friend, and stay understanding that loss is inevitable; it always has been. The only thing we can control is when we say yes.

Oct10

October 9, 2022 – Chaos At The Commonwealth, Dead Ending & Spell

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What I Watched Today

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

The Walking Dead

When we last left, Daryl had a knife to Lance’s throat. In the meantime, Carol was trying to make a deal with Pamela, saying, if her son didn’t do what he’s accused of, someone did.

In a voiceover, Judith says, they’ve come too far; they’ve lost so much. We flash back over the last 10+ years, and she says, it’s hard to trust people when they can go at any time, but the people who go, the people who die, aren’t lost forever. She has to believe that. Remembering their voices is how we keep them alive.

In the tunnel, Mercer tells says, everyone, stand down. He comes forward past the troopers with Carol and Pamela. Daryl backs Lance up against a wall, the knife still to Lance’s throat. Pamela says, he heard Mercer; lower his weapon. It’s not just about him. She needs Lance alive. Mercer tells him, not here, not like this, and Daryl says, he’s choosing this POS? but Mercer says, if he was, Daryl would be down already. Daryl asks Carol what she’s done, and Carol says she made a deal for them. Daryl stares at Lance, making him unsure for a hot minute, then takes the knife away. But in a surprise move, Daryl stabs Lance’s hand through to the wall. Lance screams, and Daryl removes the knife, making him scream even louder. Daryl tells Pamela, don’t worry, he’ll live, and throws the bloody knife down.

Back at the Commonwealth, Carol tells Daryl, Maggie, and Gabriel that all slates will be wiped clean on both sides. They’ll be given supplies, water, and weapons; anything they need to rebuild. Then they’re free and clear. Gabriel says, they can just go home? and Maggie asks what Pamela is going to get. Carol says, Hornsby. He’s going to tell the people that he’s responsible for the people who died. He takes the fall. Annie says, they’ll have to talk to their people. It’s a lot to think about. Negan says, like how Lance killed most of their people, and Carol says, anybody else? Maggie says, the most important thing is that they’re together. She doesn’t want to go it alone anymore. She doesn’t trust them, but thinks it’s worth the risk. Daryl says, all right, and walks off.

Mercer guards Lance on a hill somewhere, Lance’s hands tied behind his back. Lance whines, but Mercer tells him, get used to it. Lance says, he thought they got along well, and Mercer asks, how many of his men has Lance gotten killed? Lance says he thought Mercer realized by now, they’re not his men. A couple of growling zombies toddle toward Lance, as Pamela watches, and Lance tells Mercer, hop to it. Mercer flips out an ax like a switchblade, and chops their heads off. Pamela tells Lance that he’s being transported to the Commonwealth where he’ll be put on trial, and he tells her, it’s just the two of them; she can drop the act. She tells him, it’s no act. He’s gone too far. He laughs, and says, it’s never been a problem before how he got the job done, but Pamela says, they’re not talking about the past; they’re talking about now. He can survive if he plays his cards right, but his life at the Commonwealth is over. Lance says, after all he’s done, his service to her, but she says, he served himself above anything or anyone else, trying hard to prove the world wrong. Lance says, she’s refusing to see that he’s made something of himself, and she says, he’s an angry, delusional little boy, trying to win a game he’s too foolish to realize he’s never actually been a player in. She starts to walk away, and Lance says, she still needs him. She stops, and he says, if something happens to him, certain alliances with stabilizing factors are likely to become a problem, but she doesn’t respond, and keeps walking. He says, whatever game she’s playing, he’s very much in it.

Pamela addresses the public, saying, Lance abused his position, and caused untold suffering, but their friends, allies, and dedicated armed forces made sure he was unable to escape. She promises justice will be served. The crowd applauds, and Stephanie tells Eugene that Lance is taking the fall. Pamela says, they’re going to be celebrating what makes the Commonwealth great – its people. They’ll rise above because they’re the Commonwealth. Eugene wonders if there’s nothing more they can do, and Stephanie says, he’ll be leaving; it’s not his problem. He says he’s still here, and she thanks him for everything he’s done. He says, if she ever considers a change of scenery, she can visit him. She’s shown him her home, now he can show her his home. She looks up to see Sebastian on a balcony, and says, maybe someday, but not yet.

Aaron tells Maggie, they’re going to make sure Oceanside is okay, and Maggie says, it’s going to take them a while to get everyone ready and get the supplies together. They’re headed for Alexandria  first. Aaron says he’ll see her there, and they hug. Carol asks if Lydia is sure she wants to go with Aaron and not go home, but Lydia says, it’s just a few more weeks on the road. Elijah comes over and talks to Lydia, putting his arm around her. When he leaves, Carol says, a few more weeks? and Lydia says,  sorry… She hasn’t forgotten Henry, Carol hugs her, and tells her, take happiness where she can get it, and never be sorry for it. Carol leaves, and Daryl asks Lydia if she’s okay. She says, she thinks so, and he says he never thanked her for saving Carol. Lydia says, she never thanked him for saving her, and they hug. Daryl tells her, be safe, and she says, him too. Daryl hands Judith a Rick’s gun, but she says she doesn’t want it, and hands it back. She says, her mom talked about the day she would hang up her sword for good; not because it was completely safe, but she wouldn’t need it. Things should be getting better now. Daryl says, they will be when they get home, but Judith wonders, how, when things are still broken? Shouldn’t they help the people here, like they did in Alexandria? He says, what they did in Alexandria was different, but Judith says, that’s just because he wants to run away. He tells her to stop, and Aaron, Jerry, Lydia, and Elijah head out in a wagon.  

Ezekiel is hauling some animals to the zoo in a wagon, and Carol says he doesn’t have to lug those anymore. He says he can’t disappoint the kids, but she says, someone else will do it. He tells her, maybe he enjoys the exercise. She says, he’s not coming. They’ve got plenty of medicine. He says, it’s not that. His place is here. They were all desperate for help, and he was desperate to make a difference. One last time. This place, these people, Carol, gave him a second chance to do more. So that’s what he’s going  to do. She takes his hand, and he says he’s helping the people of another kingdom before it falls apart. He lets some kids in, and tells her, we can all do that, then follows them.

In her office, Pamela listens to a tape from President Milton, reenforcing the Commonwealth’s mission statement, and Sebastian wonders why he has to hear this. Pamela says, there are certain things he needs to do if he’s ever going to lead. Stephanie/Max gives him a speech to read, and he says, it’s a privilege to be here, honoring the founding power of their great home. He crumples it up, and says, it’s crap, but Pamela isn’t having it. She tells him that he’s jeopardized their home enough with his stupidity. The public will see he has nothing to hide, and be reminded whose grandson he is. Show her. He picks the paper back up, and uncrumples it. He says he will, and she says she knows he will. Politics wasn’t her first choice either. He was born to lead this place. Stephanie/Max jets.

In an OB/GYN exam room, Annie gets a sonogram, and the doctor tells her that her amniotic fluid is high, but she’s in the right place. They caught it in time. She leaves, and Annie tells Negan, it’s going to be fine. Staying isn’t an option. There are people looking to them, and she can’t risk them; she won’t. Negan says he keeps hearing his dad’s voice saying, your life is not your own once you have kids. He always wanted to know what that meant. Now he finally gets to. Annie says, she hears Ian and Jesse, and the people they killed. They don’t need this place. It’s us now. Negan kisses her, and smiles.

Daryl packs, putting his gun in its holster, and picking up a HUGE knife. He grabs his angel wing vest, and puts it on. He’s ready to rumble. He asks RJ where Judith is, and RJ tells Daryl, he’s not supposed to say. Daryl checks Judith’s backpack, and sees it’s empty. RJ tells him, she said she wasn’t coming, and Daryl asks, where’d she go? RJ says he doesn’t know, and Daryl leaves.

We see a commercial for the 47 Walking Dead spin-offs that are coming up.

The Founder’s Day Celebration begins, and Daryl tells Carol, about this parenting thing, what would Rick do? She says, Daryl is the one who’s here, and he says, it’s weird being a parent. She says, when Sophia was born, she had no idea what to do. She just knew she loved her. She was so tiny, and looked to her for everything. He’ll figure it out. He says, yeah, but doesn’t seem so sure.  

Eugene follows Stephanie down a hallway, and says he’s not sure this is the best idea, but she says, there’s no choice. She has to do something. All the years she’s worked in this office, and she just went along with it, went along with Sebastian. He doesn’t know what it’s like to feel guilt like that. He says he’s fairly familiar with the burden of that kind of guilt, and she says she was proud of what they did. She thought they were trapped in the old world, so why shouldn’t they try something better? Thinking like that made her feel good, like they could change things. Now it’s all being erased. They have to try, no matter what, but he doesn’t have to be involved. He says he wants them to be safe. He can’t trust this man, but if she believes there’s an outside chance he can help them, Eugene will suck it up, and do his best.

They go to Lance’s cell, but Stephanie stays out of sight while Eugene does the talking. Lance says he thought Eugene would be gone, but Eugene says, not quite, and drops a bag through the cell door slot, saying, sustenance for conversation. Lance brings a candy apple out of the bag, and asks if it’s for all the times he got Eugene out of a cell. Eugene says he’s surprised Lance hasn’t gotten himself out, but Lance asks, what makes Eugene think he wants to? Eugene asks if there’s any assistance he can offer, and Lance says, weak play. If he wants something, ask for it. Stephanie listens as Eugene says, he’s looking for any damaging information on Pamela and her progeny, and Lance says, that’s a tough one. He’d love to help, but the irony is, Pamela is probably the only reason he’s alive. Some friendly advice. If they go after go after the Miltons, the Miltons will crush them. Things are just getting better for Pamela. They wanted her head, and now they’re dancing in the streets at the Founders Celebration. Eugene is better off making nice with Pamela and her sadistic sh*t of a son. He adds for Eugene to make sure he tells his girlfriend too. She’s great at hiding in plain sight, sitting next to Pamela. The last thing they want is to end up in a cell like his. They have to live with it unless they’re willing to burn the whole thing down.

Gabriel stands at the pulpit, and says, be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God Who goes with you. We see the pews are empty, and someone comes in. Gabriel says, He will not leave or forsake you. My last sermon. Rosita walks up the aisle with baby Coco, and says, not his last. He asks if she’s packed, and she nods. He says, the parishioners brought him food. They can enjoy Mrs. Brennan’s ambrosia on the road. She says, it’s all his, and he says he didn’t think he could come back to this, to Him, but he did. The people in the pews gave that to him. Rosita says, he gave them something too, and what he gave them will be here long after he will. He says he wishes they’d brought cotton candy instead, and they hear a sound from the back. They go into the sacristy, and Judith stands next to an open window.

A work crew goes into an enclosed lot, and a woman says, it’s the same every year. They set it up just to take it down, and don’t even see the event. A man says, as long as he hears the lottery numbers, he doesn’t care. He promises not to forget her when he wins. Shira and Calhoun, the couple who were hunting Jerry and the kids, come in, shoot everyone, and leave.

Daryl goes to the church, and finds Judith sitting on the floor. She says she wasn’t trying to worry him, and he says he knows. She says, she just… He says, wanted to be alone? He gets it. He had a spot like this when he wanted to hide and not go home. She asks where it was, and he says, he’d go to a river behind his house. He’d go there and wait until his dad went to sleep. She asks if he was alone a lot, and he says, yeah. She says she doesn’t mind being alone; sometimes she likes it better. He says, you have time to think, and she says, and figure things out. He sits next to her on the floor, and says, sorry about earlier. She says, it’s okay, and he says he doesn’t know what he’s doing, but he’s trying really hard. He wishes things were like how she wants them to be. That’s the way they should be, but they aren’t. He has to keep her safe. He’ll hold onto the gun for a while, until she wants it, or not. Either way, she’s stuck with him. He asks if they’re good, and she says, they’re good. She asks if she gets to say bye to her friends, and he tells her to help him up.

Sebastian practices his speech, and says he sounds like a d-bag. Why he thinks that’s different from how he always sounds, I’m not sure. Pamela says, he’ll be great, and gives Stephanie/Max a tape recorder, for later. Pamela leaves, and Sebastian says, this is bullsh*t. She puts the recorder down on a credenza, quietly turning it on, and pours them both a drink. He mutters his speech to himself, and she gives him one of the glasses. She asks if he’s going to do it, and he says he doesn’t think he has a choice, but she says, they all do. He tells her, not according to his mom. This should be his brother; he’s the one she wanted. Sebastian is just the one who’s still here. She says, he could be more than that, and he accuses her of just being a lackey who’s getting him to do what his mother wants. She says she doesn’t just work for his mom; she’s a citizen. He shouldn’t just tell people words. They respect the truth. He says, the people don’t want honesty. They want to be told everything is going to be okay, so they can ignore what a mess this world really is. The Commonwealth is built on buying into bulls*t, and the desperate need to believe the American dream is still real; that they can rise above their station. It’s a friggin’ joke. The reality is, the poor will stay poor so the rich can do whatever the hell they want. There are no bootstraps to pull themselves up on. His mother even hand picks the lottery numbers. The people who Max thinks want honesty are just too stupid to see it. They’re pathetic. She says, it sounded like he believed that. Maybe he just chooses to be a spoiled a-hole. If everyone expects it, who’s left to disappoint? She picks up the recorder, and leaves.

Daryl, Judith, and Carol walk around the fair, and Daryl tells Judith to go have fun. She runs off to be with her friends, and Carol tells Daryl, nice work. Eugene is working a booth that sells lottery tickets, and Stephanie gives him the recorder. She tells him that she’s all right, and an announcer tells everyone to take their seats. The main event is about to begin. Everyone cheers and shouts, and Mercer precedes Pamela and Lance to the dais. Pamela waves to the crowd, and a wrestling bell dings. The announcer asks if they’re ready to witness a battle for the ages. We see a ring, and some wrestlers give the audience some WWE action. The winner (who was in the WWE IRL) starts to chant, Commonwealth, and the crowd chants with him. Pamela comes into the ring, and thanks the combatants. She says, to continue this wonderful day, her son Sebastian has prepared a few words. She gives Sebastian the mic, and he says, it’s an honor and privilege to be here to celebrate the… He lowers his notes, and says he knows a lot of them don’t think well of him, and knows he probably deserves it. It’s going to take a long road to earn their trust, and live up to his legacy. He doesn’t have the words to describe what this place means to him, but his grandfather did. So he humbly asks them to join in listening to the wise words of President Milton, the founder of the Commonwealth. The audience applauds, and Pamela nods to Eugene. So does Stephanie, and we hear Sebastian say, the Commonwealth is built on buying into bulls*t, and the desperate need to believe the American dream is still real; that they can rise above their station. It’s a friggin’ joke. The reality is, the poor will stay poor so the rich can do whatever the hell they want. There are no bootstraps to pull themselves up on. His mother even hand picks the lottery numbers. The people who Max thinks want honesty are just too stupid to see it. They’re pathetic. Sebastian launches himself toward Stephanie, who takes off. The crowd starts throwing things at Pamela and the troopers, some of them attacking the troopers. Pamela yells for everyone to remain calm, and Mercer tells the troopers, no firing weapons. Stephanie runs through the crowd, with Sebastian after her.

In his cell, Lance hears a whistle. He looks out, and Shira and Calhoun give him a hand signal. He takes a bite of the candy apple.

Mercer tells the crowd to back up, but it’s just getting worse. Bottles are being thrown, people are jostling toward them, and tons of people are running. By now the work crew has reanimated, and come onto the scene, and everyone changes course. A few are caught unaware by the zombies, and are feasted on. Sebastian grabs Stephanie, and Mercer looks out from the ring, and sees what’s going on. He radios, tango, tango, tango; all units to the square. He tells Pamela that he’s going to make sure the inside walls are secure, but she says she’s the governor; he’s supposed to protect her. He says, his job is to protect the Commonwealth, and he leaves.

Everything is chaos, and from where I’m sitting, it’s pretty exciting. Ezekiel grabs (I think) RJ. Daryl takes Judith’s hand, and they move quickly through the crowd, but get separated. Daryl is as panicked as I’ve ever seen him, as the crowd moves her along, and away from him. She gets to the side, and sees a zombie coming toward her. She freezes, and someone shoots the zombie from behind. Daryl grabs her, and says, let’s go. She tells him to give her the gun, and he does, saying, they’ll do this together, okay? They run, as Mercer walks against the crowd. He shoots a couple of zombies, and Judith shoots one. Stephanie is looking around for Eugene, when Sebastian surprises her. He says, she’s nothing, and pushes her into a zombie. The zombie grabs her, but she manages to keep it at bay, while Sebastian stands there acting like it’s a laugh riot.  Too bad for him, Eugene arrives, and doesn’t find it funny, pulling the zombie away from Stephanie, and shoving it onto Sebastian. Sebastian yells for help, and no surprise, the best he gets are looks of amusement. Eugene tells Stephanie, they need to go, and the zombie finally locks on to Sebastian’s neck, ripping it open. He dies a gruesome death, and we all relish the moment. Judith shoots the zombie, and Sebastian gurgles blood as we hear, they’re just to stupid to see it. The Commonwealth is built on buying into bulls*t, and the desperate need to believe the American dream is still real; that they can rise above their station. It’s a friggin’ joke. The reality is, the poor will stay poor so the rich can do whatever the hell they want.

Way to make a point.

Next time, Pamela says, they need to make someone an example to remind the people that actions have consequences; and an elite group of zombies has learned to open doors and climb walls.

⚰️ Built On Bullsh*t…

The actor’s feels about how Jerky McJerkface met his end. He was on Talking Dead tonight as well, and is, of course, the nicest guy. The bad ones usually are.

https://ew.com/tv/walking-dead-sebastian-milton-death-teo-rapp-olsson/

🤸 Back Through My Lookingglass…

Visit again tomorrow for some soap and yachting on the Med. Until then, stay safe, stay leaving it looking better than you found it, and stay being desperate to make a difference. We can all do that.

Oct3

October 2, 2022 – The First Episode Of the Last Season Of the Last Season & They Don’t

Posted on by
Standard

What I Watched Today

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

The Walking Dead

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

🥳 Having a Kiki…

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

Jun6

June 5, 2022 – Madison Brings the Skinny On PADRE, Guesswork, Season 8 Knowledge, About PADRE, Madison Talk & Wild

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What I Watched Today

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

Fear the Walking Dead

Someone breaths heavily, wheezes, then coughs. Over an intercom, a voice says, you made it, but you don’t sound like you’re doing so hot. We can help, but first you have to decide if you want to be a part of this; if you’re willing to do what needs be done to get what you want. There’s a bright red light.

Morgan wakes up, and we hear a zombie. We see he’s in a tent, suspended between two trees, a good twenty feet up. A zombie beneath reaches up, looking like my dogs do when they hope something will fall while I make dinner. Morgan gets on the radio, and asks if anybody can hear him, but just gets static. He asks, is anybody out there? Anybody? Mo cries, and he picks her up. He says, she’s hungry and they’re going shopping. They’ll take mama with them. He puts on the  tape of Grace singing, and puts headphones on Mo, who I have to say, is very cute. Mo sleeps, as Morgan carries her in a duffel bag on the beach. He looks down to see a hood moving in the sand. He removes the hood, and sees a zombie head stuck in the sand, a crab sticking to it.

Morgan goes to a town, and looks in a car, finding a can of formula, but it’s empty. He looks through the lockers in a pediatrician’s office, and them walks to some wrought iron gates that say Sanderson across the top. He opens them, and walks to a house. He goes inside the very creaky front door, and looks around. Mo talks to herself, and Morgan hears a woman saying, I’m here. Where are you? Morgan brandishes his weapon, and pushes open a door, seeing a woman holding a knife. She asks what he’s doing here, and he raises his hands, saying, he’s just looking for food. She says she doesn’t have any, and Morgan sees a bunch of pregnancy tests lined up on the vanity. He says, okay, and puts down his weapon. He ask how far along she is. This is his daughter Mo. He’s Morgan. She lowers the knife, and says her name is Ava. He says he thinks they can help each other, but she says she can help him with this advice. Take that girl as far away as he can. He says, not until he finds her mother and the rest of his family. It looks like she’s looking for hers too. Ava suggests he reconsider, saying, this is no place for kids.

Back in his tent, Morgan tries to radio Grace, asking if she’s out there. He says he can’t keep doing this without her. He did what she asked, and got Mo someplace safe, but Mo needs her. He needs her. He’s scared, so he needs his family. A man asks if somebody is up there. He could use some help down here. Morgan unzips the tent, and a man wearing a hood says, good evening. Everything goes black.

Morgan wakes up on the beach, and sees a bunch of guys in hoods digging a hole. He starts to get up, and head hood says, don’t be a hero. Morgan says he doesn’t know what they want, but whatever it is, they can work it out. Just give him his little girl back. Head hood says, she doesn’t belong to Morgan, like all the other kids he took. Morgan says he didn’t take any kids, and the guy says, where are they? Morgan says, give him back his daughter, and they’ll never see them again. The guy tells Morgan, get in that hole, and tells the others, bury him. Morgan asks why they’re doing this, and he says, so every other sh*thead sees what happens when they steal our kids. Cover him. He’s getting what he deserves. He puts a hood over Morgan’s head, and Morgan hears gunfire. He gets the hood off, and sees they’re all dead, and someone is holding Mo. He says, whoever you are, thank you for saving my life. A woman says she’s not here to save him, and he says, they thought he was her. His baby is everything to him. He can’t let them take her. We see it’s Madison, and she says, the baby is better off with her. He’ll get over it; she did. He starts to jump out of the hole, and she shoots near him. She takes a hit of oxygen from a tank, and he says, please, stop, but she says, she’ll kill him if he follows her. He starts to get out, and she shoots near him again, then trots off with Mo.

Madison runs past hooded heads on the beach. She gets on the radio, telling Oriole that she’s approaching the drop. She goes to a dock and inside the boathouse. There’s no boat, and she radios Oriole, saying, you’re late. A man says, they’re getting them processed, and she asks how long it’s going to take. He says, as long as it takes, and she puts Mo down, giving her something to eat. On the radio, she hears Ava saying, Jim, can you hear me? We need you. This baby needs you. Madison tells Oriole that she has the lead on a new egg. She’s going to leave this one in the birdhouse, and check it out. She tells Mo that she knows Mo misses her daddy, but she’s better off without him, and she leaves.

She passes the heads again, and hears, Jim, I need… She gets on, and says, hello? Ava says, who is this? and Madison says, someone who wants to help. She heard Ava’s message; where is she? Ava asks how she knows Madison’s not the one stealing kids, and Madison says she’s a mother herself, and knows how hard it is. Ava says she just wants this baby to be okay, and Madison says, Ava just has to tell Madison where she is. While she’s talking, zombies surround Madison. She takes out her battleax, and kills them all. She takes some oxygen, and sees the tank is low. As she walks, she asks if Ava is still there. Tell Madison where she is. Ava says, if Madison really wants to help… and Madison says she knows it’s hard to know who to trust. Morgan comes up behind her, and turns off the radio. He tells her, hand over the gun, and she gives it to him. She says, he’s making a mistake, and he says, not as big as the one she made taking his daughter. Drop her weapon, and turn around. She does, and he asks, where is she? Madison says, somewhere he’ll never find her. He says, wrong answer, and she asks where her oxygen tanks are. He says, someplace she’ll never find them, and she says, she’s the least of his problems. The people she’s with can kill him in ways he can’t imagine. He says, they should probably get moving if she wants to breathe, and she says, if they find out he’s interfered with the egg, he’ll be sorry. Parents think they give kids what they need, but if he saw where she’s from, he’d see why she’s taking kids. She can’t breathe, and he gives her some oxygen.

In what looks like an interrogation room, a voice over the intercom asks if Madison has considered their offer. She says she’ll do what they ask, but they have to hold up their end of the deal. They voice says, we will, and she asks how she knows. The voice says, the only reason she’s still breathing is because of them. What’s her name? She says, Madison, and the voice says, not anymore. They’ll tell her who she’s going to be from now on.

At the dock, Madison says, they’re too late, and Morgan asks what she means. She says, they’ve already rescued Mo. Her people came sooner than she expected. He looks at the log, and sees a notebook that says, PADRE on it. He asks if she’s with PADRE, and she asks what he knows about it. He says, let’s move, and they leave the dock. He asks which way they went, and she says, his baby is better off without him, but he says, she doesn’t get to decide what’s best for his family. She says she already did. A zombie straggles up, and she takes out her weapon. She says she used to be like him, and Morgan stabs the zombie with his own pokey tool. Madison whacks at Morgan, and they struggle. He sees Alicia and Nick tattooed on her wrists, and backs off, saying, oh, dear God. She’s Madison Clark. She asks how he knows her name.

Morgan says, Madison? and she asks how he knows her name. He says her kids told him, but she says he’s full of sh*t. She says, her kids are alive, and he says, he’ll tell her what he knows in exchange for his daughter. She says, there’s only one way to rescue his daughter; bring someone else’s kid to take her place. He says, there’s no other way without taking a child away from their family? and she says, no. She coughs, and he says, what if the kid isn’t born yet? The woman Madison was talking to on the radio is pregnant, and not doing so good. He knows where she is. She asks if he’s sure he’s ready to go down that road, and he says, he will if it gets his daughter back. She says she’ll take him to PADRE to look for Mo, and get her back. He asks if PADRE will look after the baby and mother; he’s not taking a child from their mother otherwise. She says, yeah, and he hands her back her weapon. She breathes into the oxygen mask.

They walk, and Morgan asks if Madison got smoke in her lungs when she escaped the stadium. Is that why she needs the oxygen? She says, something like that, and he says, the way he heard it, there’s no way anyone got out of the stadium alive. She says she’s full of surprise. What else did her kids tell him? He says, quite a bit, but she’s not what he imagined, stealing kids. She says, rescuing kids, and he asks if that’s her or PADRE talking. She asks what he knows about PADRE, and he says, he knows they’ve been putting out a radio message, nobody can find them, and Alicia had been looking for them, but he’s not going to tell her any more until he gets his kid back. She asks if Morgan thinks he’s doing the right thing when she’s in the right place. PADRE can give her the life people like him can’t. He asks what she means by people like him, and she says, parents. He couldn’t even feed her. It looks like he’s barely scraping by. He says, Mo is his daughter, and her mother is coming back. They survived the bombs in Galveston. She asks if Nick and Alicia were there, but he says he’s not telling her anything more. Their family have gotten through worse. She says, family isn’t the answer; it’s the problem. It’s what PADRE has figured out. What they’re building is different. He says, Madison put her life on the line for family; what the hell happened to her? They come to the gates, and she asks if this is the place. He says, what now? and she says, they go in, and tell her the truth; they’ll go a place where the baby will be taken care of. He asks, what happens to the mother after the baby is born? but she says, he doesn’t need to know. He says he does, but she insists, he doesn’t. He asks how she can do this to people, and she says, you get used to it, breathing in more oxygen.

In the interrogation room, Madison says she did what they asked. Now it’s their turn. The voice over the intercom tells her, More. One time isn’t enough. They’re going to need her to keep doing it. She looks at the tattoos on her wrists.

Morgan and Madison walk into Ava’s house, and Morgan asks if Ava is there. Ava comes out on the upstairs balcony, and asks what he’s doing here. He says he found somebody he thinks can help her, Madison says, they spoke on the walkie, and Morgan told her where Ava was. Ava says, she wants Jim, and Madison asks if Jim is the baby’s father. Ava says, this house belonged to her family. She was born here, and thought it was safe. Madison says she can help Ava and her baby, and Ava asks, how? Madison says, she can take them to a safe place with good people. It’s the kind of place a kid dreams about growing up in. Ava says, it sounds too good to be true, but Madison says, it’s for real, and it’s their best shot at their kids’ future. Morgan’s kid is in there. Morgan says he didn’t think it was possible for a place like this to exist, but it does. Ava asks, what’s it called? and he says, PADRE. She says she’ll get her things, and when she’s gone, Morgan asks Madison what’s going to happen to happen to the mother? Madison asks if he doesn’t think it’s a little late to be asking, but he says she didn’t answer him before. She says, he knows or he would have pressed. They split them up; that’s how PADRE works. They gave it their best shot, but they were looking at it the wrong way. The way they see each other, and what they do for each other. PADRE has rewritten the book on all of it, what it looks like; no attachments or connections. He says he’s not doing this. He’s seen a mother lose her baby before, and doesn’t want to see it again. She says, then he’ll never see his daughter again. Ava comes back, and asks if everything is all right. Madison says, it is for her, and Morgan says, him too. They should get her to PADRE. Madison looks outside, and sees a bunch of hooded figures headed their way. She says, they found her, and asks if there’s a back way. Ava asks why they’re after her, and Madison says, they’re pissed off about her saving some kids. Ava says, follow her, and they head out the back way.

They run across a field, and Madison asks Morgan for some oxygen. Ava says, the beach is this way, and trips over a zombie that’s stuck under a bush. Madison smashes it’s had in, and Morgan asks if Ava is okay; did she get bit? She says she just got cut from the vines, and Madison says they have to keep moving. If that group catches up with them, they’ll be killed. Morgan says, if something happens to Ava’s baby, it’s on her, and Madison wonders where they should go. Morgan suggests a conveniently located crypt nearby, although it wouldn’t be my first choice, given that there are zombies everywhere. They go inside, and close the door, pulling a cement bench in front of it. Morgan says, it’ll be okay, and Madison takes out a heart rate monitor to check on the baby. Ava says, the baby is fine, and asks, who’s after Madison? Madison uses the monitor, and Morgan says, what is it? Madison says, she can’t get a heartbeat, and Morgan asks if PADRE doesn’t have doctors, handing her the radio. She says, she can’t hear it, but he tells her, keep looking. She says, Ava isn’t pregnant; she never was. Morgan says he doesn’t understand, and Madison says, Ava was tricking them to get Madison to take her to PADRE. Morgan asks if it’s true. Is Ava not pregnant? Madison says, it doesn’t matter. Tie her up, and leave her food and water; she’ll just slow them down. Ava says, Madison doesn’t remember? Madison took her daughter a year ago. She told Ava that it was for the best. Madison really doesn’t remember. She was five. Her name was Odessa, and she cried when they pulled her from Ava on the beach. What Madison told her wasn’t true. Madison says, Morgan knew what was going on, and they still have to get out. Ava tells Madison to take her there, but Madison says, Ava’s plan could never work. The doctors at PADRE would have checked her as soon as she got in the door, and kept checking the entire time she was there. Ava says she needs to see her daughter, and Morgan says, since Ava isn’t pregnant, how is he getting Mo back? Madison says, even with a trade, there was no guarantee. Ava is stunned that she was to be used as a trade, and Morgan shoves Madison up against the wall. He tells Madison to find a way for him to get to his kid or she’ll never know where children are. His eyes look crazy, and he says he wants his kid. If she wants to know about hers… Madison says, she doesn’t want to find them. If she never sees them again, that’s okay. She got over it before. She wasn’t lying when she said that before. Morgan tells her, she was just saying that; they had a deal. She says, so she could get what she wanted, and Morgan says, why else would she be doing all of this? Madison takes a breath of oxygen

In the interrogation room, the intercom voice tells Madison that she needs to rescue more children.  

Ava says, Madison has kids? and Madison says, they’re all doing what they’re doing for their own reasons. Ava picks up Madison’s weapon, and hits the oxygen canister, so that the oxygen sprays everywhere, and busts open one of the graves. Another dicey move in a zombie apocalypse. She pulls out a shotgun, and says, her granddaddy wanted to be buried with his favorite hunting gun, so he could be prepared in care he didn’t end up at the Pearly Gates. She doesn’t think they will either. (Was he going to shoot Satan?) Zombies start to bang at the door, and Morgan says he knows Ava is angry, but they’ve got to go if they’re going to get out alive. Ava says, she has another way. Madison might not want to see her kids, but she doesn’t want them to die. Ava gets on the radio, and asks if they’re the ones looking for the collector. A man’s voice asks who she is, and she says, someone like them; a woman who got her child stolen, like them. She found a way to motivate the collector. Madison says she can’t help Ava, but Ava says she thinks Madison will find a way. She points the gun at Morgan, and says, tell Madison where she can find her kids, or she’ll shoot him, and his daughter will never see him again. Tell her where they are. Morgan says, it’s not going to work, and Ava says, why? He says, because they’re already dead. He’s sorry, but Madison’s kids are gone. Madison shoves him against the wall, saying, he told her they were alive, but he says he wouldn’t lie. She says he never did know about her kids, and he says, Nick was shot; Victor, Alicia, and Luci were all there. They buried  him themselves. She says, and Alicia, and he says, she got bit not long ago. She took her own arm off, but not before infection set in. She fought it off for months; longer than anybody ever has. Madison leans on him, and says, no. He says, the last time he and Alicia talked, she was close to the end, and Madison cries, saying, no. Morgan says he’s sorry.

Zombies are starting to get the door open, and Morgan says, there’s 30 of them out there, and more on the way. The man on the radio asks if Ava is there, and Morgan tells Madison, he’s still waiting on their deal. She says she can’t give what she promised, and he tells Ava that those people tried to kill him already, and they’re going to kill all of them. Ava says they can get out, and the man on the radio asks why she isn’t answering. Morgan turns the radio off, and asks how long before they’re found. Ava says, it’s a big property; it could be hours. Morgan says, they’ll have to fight their way through the zombies, and get out before the posse finds them. Ava doesn’t want to bring Madison, and Morgan says, he’s sorry about what they did, but they’re going to need Madison. He tells Madison that they’re going to need her. He’s sorry he didn’t tell her the truth from the beginning. He did what he thought he had to. She asks what they were doing when they died, and Morgan says, Nick was going through a bad patch when they met; Alicia too. They thought Madison was gone, but they’d been making steps to build something better when it happened. Madison asks how Alicia got bit, and Morgan says, the bombs they were talking about; she was trying to stop them from going off. She survived the explosion, and escaped the fallout. She fought the infection for as long as she could. Madison says, he didn’t see her die? and he says, he had to leave with Mo. Alicia could still be out there. She says, no one survives a bite, but he says, Alicia is different. Maybe she found a way. Madison says, even if she did, she doesn’t want to find her, and he asks, why?  

The voice over the intercom says, we think it’s time. She’s rescued more children than any other collector, so now they’ll help her find hers. She pulls her sleeves over her tattoos, and folds her hands on the table. She says, no; she doesn’t want to find them. She tells Morgan, she was willing to die in the stadium so her kids could see what she was building was worth fighting for. PADRE played her from the start. They made her do things she didn’t want to, so when she could finally get her kids back, she’d say no. Morgan asks why she’s still taking kids, and she says, because she knew what they’d do if she walked away. They’d find Nick and Alicia, and make them do what she wouldn’t. Now she doesn’t have to worry about that anymore. She wishes she knew that before she took Morgan’s daughter. They hear gunfire outside, and Morgan says, the posse is going to kill them both. He tells Ava that Madison saved him once before, but Ava wants to give her up. Morgan says, they need to get their kids back, but Ava says she doesn’t think this group will see it that way. From outside the door, the head hood says, if they’re hiding Madison, they’ll have a problem, and Madison says, let them in. Don’t do this for her. Morgan says he has to get his daughter back, and Madison says, she can’t undo things. Morgan says, they just need to find a way, but Madison says, there’s only one way to show them that he’s not with her. Morgan calls to them to wait. He’s going to open the door and hand her over to them. Morgan tells Madison, sorry, but she says, it’s the only way he’ll live to see his daughter one day. He and Ava move the bench away, and open the door. The head guy says, hands where he can see them. He removes his hood, and asks if Madison remembers him. She took his boy last winter. He puts a hood on Madison’s head, and tells the others, start digging. High tide is in less than two hours.

Outside, Morgan looks pretty bummed, and Ava says, Morgan made the right call. Morgan asks what they did with Madison, and the head hood says, left her to watch the tide; it’s worse when they see it coming. Morgan asks what Madison told them, and he says, not much, but she didn’t need to. He shows Morgan the PADRE notebook, and says, now they know when Madison was being picked up. He gives Morgan a hood, and says, they’re going to surprise her friends at the beach and bury them all. Someone will talk. He asks if Morgan has a problem with that, and Morgan says, it won’t get their kids back, and it will get everybody killed. Ava tells them to let Morgan go, and the head hood says, that’s not how any of this works. She says, the PADRE people took their kids; why are they fighting each other? Let him go. The head hood says, Morgan knows what happens if he gets in their way, and Morgan says, he knows and he won’t. He tells Ava, don’t go with them; she doesn’t have to. She says she has to get to her kid. She has to do something. She shows him a stuffed toy, and says, Odessa lost it the day before Madison took her. Ava promised to find it and give it back to her. She’s not breaking her promise. He says he knows, and she goes with them.

Madison’s head pokes out of the sand, and she coughs. Zombies begin coming out of the water, and she flashes back to the intercom. We see a toy dropped into a bin, and hear a baby crying. Madison drops toys and other baby stuff into a bin, and holds a stuffed tiger, hesitating before finally dropping it in with the others. She closes her eyes as the zombies come closer. One falls, and crawls toward her. She remembers the bin again, and the zombie’s face is chopped off by Morgan. He slices and dices the other two, and says, Madison doesn’t deserve to go out like this. She says she can’t help him, and he says, when he met her kids, he was in a place not too different from her; wanting to get away from everything and everybody. Meeting Alicia and Nick, and seeing what she gave them was a big part in turning him around. In a way, he owes her. The people who did this are wrong, and they have to fight for what they believe. No one is gone until they’re gone. Alicia told him Madison used to say that. Madison says, everything she’s done, she is gone, but Morgan says, hang on; he’s got her tanks. He runs off, and more zombies come out water. She says, they’re all… She realizes they’re wearing hoods, and says, she told them not to go to the dock.  She calls to Morgan, who begins to stab them until he sees the one with the stuffed toy hanging from its belt. He takes the hood off, and it’s Ava. He says, no, no, no, and Madison calls his name. He says he never should have done this, and because he’s so distracted, he falls backward, Ava on top of him. Madison gets an arm out of the sand, and manages to grab her battleax, chopping off the surrounding zombies at the knees. Morgan tells Ava that he’s sorry, and Madison bashes her head in. She grabs the oxygen mask, and inhales. She asks Morgan, what the hell was that? and he says, Ava is dead because of something he did. She won’t see her daughter because of him. Madison says, she’s dead because of PADRE, and Morgan says, Madison was just ready to give up; what changed? She says, she’s gone, but he’s not. She’ll help him get to his daughter, and they’ll show PADRE that they’re wrong. He says, then what? and she says she doesn’t know. She wasn’t lying when she said the only way to get to PADRE is to take another child. He says, there’s got to be another way there, but she says, there isn’t. He looks at the tape player, and says, there is. It just means they can’t fail.

They go to the dock, and the guard asks who Morgan is. Madison says, he’s a collector with something to offer. The guard says he doesn’t see anything, and Morgan says he has information. There are rafts with people on them. The guard asks, what kind of people? and Madison says, the ones they might want. Morgan says, there’s a pregnant woman on one of them. He can tell them more, but the guard’s got to let him go with them. The guard says, get in.

On the boat, Morgan asks Madison, where the hell are they going? Where’s PADRE? She says she’s been meaning to tell him – she doesn’t know. They’re blindfolded, and we see the boat speeding away toward an ocean liner.  

This was the finale, so no preview.

🔎 Since We Have Nothing Better To Do…

Speculation on when the next season will land.

https://undeadwalking.com/2022/06/04/fear-walking-dead-season-8-release-date-speculations/

🏃🏽 Rushing the Season…

The body’s not even cold yet.

https://screenrant.com/fear-walking-dead-season-8-news-updates-details/

🐣 Where Children Are Eggs…

The way Madison described it, it sounded like Christmasland in NOS4A2.

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/fear-the-walking-dead-where-is-padre-explained-madison-clark-season-7-episode-16-gone/

🕶 Who Gonna Check Victor…?

Madison’s Why.

https://undeadwalking.com/2022/05/30/fear-walking-dead-madison-will-return-now-know/

Her best moments. At least according to TVInsider.

https://www.tvinsider.com/1047056/fear-the-walking-dead-madison-clark-best-moments/

🏂 Sliding Into Monday Like…

Come on by tomorrow for some soap and peek at what’s on Deck. Until then, stay safe, stay looking for the good in the challenge, and stay knowing, no one is gone until they’re gone.