Category Archives: fantasy

Apr5

April 4, 2021 – Here’s Negan (the moment you’ve been waiting for) & Amazing Mahalia

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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, Negan says he had a deal with Carol. She said if he did this for her, he would be thought of differently. So he disappeared, and wore a flesh mask. It was sick as all hell, but he gained Alpha’s trust. He found a way to steal her kid, and brought Alpha’s head back. He helped take out Beta and the horde, but nothing changed the way Maggie sees him. He understands; he really does. Some things can’t be forgotten.

Maggie walks with her son Hershel through Alexandria, and they chat. She asks if he remembers the song they used to sing, and he sings You Are My Sunshine. Negan looks at them, but Maggie ignores him, saying good morning to the woman working alongside him. Carol watches from the window.

Negan sees Carol in the woods, carrying a dead rabbit she’s trapped. He walks with her, and thanks her for getting him the hell out of Dodge. Things with Maggie are tense. He doesn’t mind lay low Negan, but there’s only so far he can go to get out of her way. He’s thinking maybe Carol could put in a word for him. At least get the ball rolling. Given their recent history, he figures she owes him that much. He follows her to a cabin outside of the town, and he asks if she knows this place. She says, mm-hmm, and goes inside. He says he sees he’s moved in, and she says, Daryl helped. The council voted to banish him. What he wants isn’t going to happen, and she knows it’s not what she promised, but given their less recent history, it’s better than he deserves. He says, it is what it is. If she doesn’t mind him asking, is it that the council banished him, or is it more like Carol is seizing the reins? She smiles, and says the rabbit is for him.

Negan looks into the fire, and has a drink. He hears, little pig, little pig, let me in, and sees himself sitting in a chair with his bat Lucille. He turns away, but illusion Negan says, it’s all right. He knows Negan can hear him loud and clear. Nobody likes to hear an I told you so. He must be a bit masochistic. The sad part isn’t that he ended up there. Face it. It could be a helluva lot worse. The sad part is, he thought for a second those folks would see him for anything except who he truly is… which is me. He’s a clown, a cultive personality with no cult. Negan can call him names, but he wants Negan to admit that he got further with a kind word and Lucille than just a kind word. It’s time to face the facts, old man. He’s nothing without her. Negan smashes the glass against the now empty chair.

We see the tree where the stained glass panels hang, looking a little worse for the wear. Negan remembers telling Rick that Carl said they didn’t have to be fighting, and Rick beating him down near the tree. He flashes back to being in his cell, telling Michonne that he needs to see her, and Michonne saying they don’t have his bat. He’s brought a shovel with him, and starts digging near the tree. He sees a zombie in the distance, shakes his head, and keeps digging. He digs in another spot, and another, and pretty soon, the area is full of holes. The zombie is closer, and he digs some more. He finally hits something, and scrapes away the dirt. He smiles, and pulls out Lucille, turning the bat in his hands.

Twelve years earlier. Craven from the Valaks Vipers biker gang walks over to a guy tied to a chair wearing a hood. Craven removes the hood, and the man is a younger Negan. Negan says Craven has to let him go. His wife has cancer and needs that. Craven  takes an IV bag out of a cooler filled with the medicine, and takes a bag out. Negan says, keeping him here, kills him and her, and Craven says he knows; Negan told him. His heart goes out to Negan. He can’t imagine what Negan is going through, just wondering if she’s ever going to get her treatment. He handles the bag, and says they drove out to where Negan told them the doctors gave him the stuff, but they weren’t there. Negan says it’s not his fault. He told them, the doctors move around, but Craven says, they were never there. It was so overgrown, they couldn’t get the pick-up down the road. He can’t get this stuff just anywhere; somebody took care of this for a long time, and probably has a lot of other stuff too. Tell him where he got it, and Negan can take it to his wife. Otherwise, he’ll pour it in the toilet, and make Negan watch. He punches Negan in the mouth, and Negan says, please put it back in the cooler. He’ll tell Craven what he wants to know; please keep it safe. He tells Craven, the medical part is true, and Craven says, they have a facility, right? and Negan says, they have a stockpile. Craven asks where they keep the drugs, and Negan says he doesn’t know where the stuff came from, but he’d been tracking them for weeks. He found them…

Two or three days ago. Negan hides behind a tree in the woods, holding a gun. He takes a quick look at a couple of trailers, then jumps out. He startles a man outside, and sees another one on the roof of a trailer. He says he doesn’t want to shoot, but he will, and the man says, take it easy. Negan’s vision is getting blurry, and the man says, don’t! A woman hits Negan over the head, knocking him out, and the man says she didn’t have to do that. (FYI, it’s Laura who will become one of the Saviors later.)

Negan is handcuffed to a chair inside the trailer. He tells the man that his name is Negan, and the man says he’s Franklin. Franklin takes out a key, and asks if they’re going to have any problems. Negan says, no sir, no problems, and Franklin uncuffs him. He gives Negan some pasta, and Negan wolfs it down. Franklin says, Negan is exhausted, add malnutrition, and no wonder a guy like him is in the state he’s in. He’s trying to rob a bunch of doctors with an empty belly. Negan says his wife has cancer. She was under treatment when the world went to sh*t. They’ve been trying to keep it going. Franklin asks if Negan is a doctor, and Negan says he’s a high school gym teacher. Franklin asks what he means by keep it going, and Negan says the doctor gave him a calendar of what was needed when. All he had to do was find it, and figured out how to do infusions. Franklin says, a doctor taught Negan how to give chemo? and Negan says, it’s not complicated, unless something goes wrong. Franklin asks if something went wrong, and Negan says, yeah, you could say that.   

Six weeks earlier. Negan goes to the refrigerator, and takes out a bag. His wife Lucille digs in a box, and says she’s trying to figure out what James Bond movie to watch. He tells her, the generator makes too much noise, and we hear a zombie outside. She says he’ll have to kill it, but he says if he turns the generator off, they lose interest; they always do. He puts two IV bags in the freezer, along with a thermometer. He goes outside to turn on the generator, but sees a zombie clamoring at the fence.

Back in the house, Negan reads out loud from Pride and Prejudice, and tells Lucille, this book sucks; he can’t do it. She says he won’t let her watch James Bond, so read. We hear the zombie again, and she says he’s got to take care of it. Outside, the zombie bangs on the house, and Negan comes up behind it, but as soon as it sees him, it grabs him. He swings a hammer at it, but it gets the better of him, and pins him against the house, snapping at him. He stabs it in the eye, but the knife doesn’t go deep enough to even slow it down. He says, seriously? and a shot rings out, the zombie slumping to the ground. Lucille stands there holding a gun, and still attached to her IV. He asks if she’s all right, and she tells him, turn the generator on so she can watch a movie. She goes back inside.

Negan tries to syphon gas out of a car, but gets nothing. He goes inside the car, and looks around. He finds a pouch, looks in it, and smiles.

Negan asks his wife how she’s doing, and she says, good. He says he’s got something for her. He found a stash. It’s a little dried out, but it will help with her nausea. She says he has to go out further every time, and he says, they need gas, and the place has been picked over. That’s what’s keeping them safe; there’s nothing there anyone wants. She wonders about reaching out to other people, but he says, it’s too dangerous out there. She says, that’s her point, and he says, they have three treatments left. That’s it. When they get her strength up, he’ll strap her to his motorcycle, and they’ll go wherever she wants; wherever she dreams up. He promises.

They lie in bed, and Negan sings You Are So Beautiful to her. We see them goofing around in wigs, and him giving her treatments. A zombie makes noise outside, and Negan says, dammit. She says, it’s not like killing a person. It’s kind of like killing an animal; don’t let it bother him. He says, it doesn’t. He’s just worried he’ll get used to it. She says, okay, then turn the generator on. He continues to eat, and asks, how’s her dinner? She says, really good. If she’d known dog food could taste like this, she would have been eating that sh*t all along. He laughs, and she tells him, happy anniversary, handing him a gift bag. He asks if she actually knows what day it is, and she says, no, but they had one coming up. He takes out a leather jacket, and says, holy sh*t. Where did she get this? She says, it was in the crawlspace the whole time. She was so mad that she couldn’t return it, she hid it. She’s sorry. If she’d known all this was going to happen, she wouldn’t have cared about the stupid credit card. He says he knows, but he doesn’t deserve anything from her. She shouldn’t be apologizing to him. He should be apologizing to her, for the man he was, and the pain he put her through… He lies awake at night wondering how he got so lucky she stuck with him. She laughs, and sits on his lap. She says she stuck with him because she’s always seen the man he is now, even when he wasn’t. And that a-hole really had it coming. He says, yes ma’am, and she suggests they go to bed. He says, no, and she asks if he has to go to work tomorrow. He asks if she’s sure she’s okay, and she kisses him.

They lie in each other’s arms, and Negan wakes to the sound of dripping. He jumps out of bed, and says, no! He runs to the refrigerator, and opens the freezer. Water pours out, and he looks at the thermometer, which is in the Fahrenheit 40s.

He looks at a map, and asks if she remembers a guy and his family who came through. Their kid had leukemia, and they were looking for a group of doctors who travel around. He showed Negan his map, and said they travel the same route, and make the same stops every time. He thinks he knows where they are. If he leaves now, he could catch them. She says, they could be dead, and even if he finds them, he has nothing to barter with. He starts to argue, and she says, stop. She has something to tell him.

Seven months earlier. Normal life is still happening. Negan is playing video games, and says, don’t be a p*ssy. You’ve got to take it. Lucille comes in, and asks if he’s playing with children, and he says they’re mostly over ten. She looks at the credit card bill, and says please don’t tell her that he spent $600 on this Happy Days bullsh*t. He says he’s got two leads, one of which is going to pay a lot. He’s celebrating early. She says he’s telling her about leads, but he can’t be a gym teacher anymore. He’s being charged with misdemeanor assault, and he refuses to go back to school. Tell her all about the job that’s going to pay for his legal bills. He doesn’t say anything, and she says she’s returning the jacket. He says he threw the receipt away.

We see Lucille on the phone with a friend, who says talks about it being cute when he was younger, but not now. Lucille says, it feels wrong to give up on him. He wasn’t in a good space. He loved his job and the kids. The friend says he put someone in the hospital, and Lucille says, that a-hole had it coming.

Negan and Lucille have dinner in silence. He asks how the food is, and she says, good. Did he do something different? He says he used rosemary instead of oregano, and a white wine reduction for the chicken sauce. She tells him that she has a 2:15 appointment tomorrow, and he asks, what appointment? She says she’s getting an MRI, and needs him to drive her home. He says he can’t tomorrow. He has a meeting with his probation officer. She’ll probably have to sit for three hours for them to tell her everything is fine anyway.

Lucille sits in the waiting room, and thinks about hearing, if it’s caught early on. She stares into space, and the doctor asks if she has someone to drive her home.

She gets in her car, and calls Negan, but gets voicemail. She tries calling her friend Janine, and the call also goes to voicemail. She calls the probation officer, and says, he should be there. He said his appointment was at 3; he should have been there 20 minutes ago. The parole officer says, sorry. He doesn’t know what to tell her. He’s not on the calendar for another two weeks. She cries quietly, and looks at her phone, she sees the call to Negan and Janine both went to voicemail at the same time, and realizes they’re seeing one another. She slams phone down, and pulls out, blasting rock and roll. I think AC/DC.

Lucille sits at home with a gun by her side. Negan comes in, and asks, what’s going on? What is it? Her hand moves slightly on the gun, but she throws cancer treatment pamphlets on to the table instead. She says she’s got cancer.

Back to where we were before, and Negan says, she knew about them the whole time? Just so she knows, he broke up with her as soon as they got the diagnosis. He never saw or talked to her again. He cries, and she says she knows. He says he doesn’t understand why she’s telling him now, and she says she wants him to know he made up for it. If he really wants to help her, just stay. He says they’re so close. It can work; the doctors said it could work. She says, no, they didn’t. Now it’s time for him to go on without her. Live life for her. Stay. He says, no. They’re not giving up. They’ve made it this far, and they’re going to see it through. He’s going to find the doctors, and they’re going to kick the cancer out of her. They’re not giving up. Not ever. She kisses him, and I’m feeling very sad.

About six weeks ago. Negan tells Franklin, he scavenged along the way, but it was worse than they thought. Then they had a problem with the dead, and here he is. Franklin says he sent his daughter Laura to the warehouse to see if they have what he needs. Laura comes in with a cooler, and says they had it all. Negan tells them, he doesn’t know what to say, and Franklin says they have a lot, and just want to help.

Outside, Negan says he came threatening their lives, and they patched him up, and gave him the first decent meal he’s had in weeks. They gave him everything he asked for, and haven’t asked for anything in return. Franklin says, what goes around, comes around, and Laura asks if the gun is Negan’s only weapon. He says he broke his knife on the way there, and she says, take this, handing him the bat. He says, the bat she hit him with? Damn, that girl packs a wallop.  

Craven tells Negan, enough. Tell him where he got the drugs. All Negan has done is told one stupid pointless story after another. First, he wouldn’t talk, now he’s begging Negan to shut up. Storytime is over. Tell him where he got the drugs, or he’s going to pull the trigger. Then Negan’s wife dies, and she’ll think he ran out on her. If Negan doesn’t start talking, he swears to God… Negan says bring him his map. Another man unties Negan’s hands, and he circles a spot on the map. Craven asks, what about security? and Negan says, it’s light. It’s just a guy and his daughter. The guards on top of the RVs are decoys, and there could be a couple of others, but they have no guns. Craven says, if they’re not there for literally any reason, he’ll come back and kill Negan, no questions asked. He tells the other guy to keep Negan locked in the storage room.  

Negan is told he’s good to go. He grabs the cooler, and runs outside to his bike. I feel sick. The trailer is in the parking lot, and Negan hears Laura saying, no! Stop! He gets on his bike, and rides out, taking one last look. There’s a scream from the trailer.

Negan arrive back home, and calls for Lucille. He heads for the bedroom, but the door is closed, and written on it is, please don’t leave me like this, with a heart. He opens the door, and hears zombie noises. He looks at the bed and cries. Lucille has restrained herself, and there’s a plastic bag tied on her head. She makes zombie gurgles, and reaches her free hand toward him. He takes out the bat. He’s obviously in anguish, but she’s nothing but a monster now. He comes closer, and we hear Joe Cocker singing You Are So Beautiful. Negan rips the bag from Lucille’s head, and cries some more, getting as close as possible.

He sits against the bed, and she reaches for him, still chained down. He rolls a bottle of scotch around in his hands, and looks at the cooler.

Outside, Negan cuts barbed wire from the fence, and wraps it around the bat.

He pours gasoline all over the house, stands in the bedroom, and lights a match. He drops it, and the room begins to burn. He looks at Lucille through the flames.

He busts out the front door with the bat, and leaves the house. He drives away on his bike, knocking the mailbox (which says Smith) down with the bat as he goes by.

The house burns.

Craven pummels Franklin, and laughs. He says, it’s been a long day; he didn’t get much sleep. This is the last time he’s going to ask. Tell him where they keep the good stuff or he’ll bring out the girl. She’s a little young for Franklin, doesn’t he think?

The other guy sits outside, and Negan comes back with his bat, and bashes the guy with it. A guard comes out of the trailer, and Negan shoots him.

Hearing the shot, Craven asks, what the hell is going on? Another guy says he’s checking it out, and Franklin works at the same screw in the chair that Negan did when he was in it. At the time, I thought it insignificant, since nothing came of it. I should have known better. There are more gunshots, and Craven ducks. He gets on his radio, and asks, will one of you idiots tell me what the hell is going on? He hears shots come closer, and looks scared. Franklin unties himself, while Craven is preoccupied with aiming at the door. Franklin gets free as Negan walk in and shoots Craven. Craven crawls for the gun, and Negan whacks him with the new Lucille. Franklin asks if there are any more of them, but Negan says he got all of them. Franklin says, damn, and Negan hands him a gun, telling him to take it and find his daughter; make sure she’s okay. Franklin leaves, and Negan pulls Craven up to his knees.

Negan sits and says, look at us; here we are again. Last time, Craven said he talks too much. The bad news is, he’s got stuff to get off his chest this time as well. This time, Craven best hope he never stops talking. When he does, something terrible is going to happen to Craven. He never killed a man before tonight. He came close once. There was a bar that he and his wife used to go to; it was their favorite bar. It was their favorite because it had their favorite jukebox that played their favorite song; You Are So Beautiful, by the one and only Joe Cocker. The greatest love ballad ever written; he’s sure Craven agrees. There was this guy there who had one of those voices you can’t unhear; it was like Negan’s brain had been hijacked until he couldn’t hear anymore. Their song was playing, and the guy was talking and laughing, so Negan’s wife Lucille goes over to where the guy is, and politely asks him to keep it down so she can hear her song. Let’s just say he chose poorly. So now, Negan has to get up, and go over. He says the guy owes him 50 cents, so they can play the song again, and he can shut the hell up so Negan’s wife can enjoy her song. Now here’s the important part – the part where he really wants Craven to pay attention. You know when people say they’re so angry, they see red? That sh*t is actually true. The a-hole comes at him, and all he sees is red; it’s like he’s looking through blood. He wailed on the guy until he wasn’t moving, reached out, grabbed his wallet, and took out a dollar. They played the song twice. It turns out, the pr*ck had kids who went to school where Negan taught gym. Needless to say, the school was unthrilled. He got fired, the guy sued him, and since he had no job, his wife had to pay the guy’s medical bills. The point of the story is, there are consequences to him seeing red. Seeing red meant bad things then; he was a bad man then. Now, nobody is suing anybody, nobody got fired, and nobody’s keeping score. Now seeing red is a question of what Negan is capable of. He hates to break it to Craven, but he’s starting to think he’s capable of damn near anything. So this is for not killing him. He beats Craven with new Lucille.

In the present, the zombie has finally reached Negan, and he whacks it twice. He looks at looks at the bat, breathing heavy.

Negan is back in the cabin, sitting in front of the fireplace, holding the bat. He says he’s sorry. He was a coward. He couldn’t face the pain he was in. He ran away, and made himself not feel anything. He didn’t want to feel shame; shame was the one thing he still felt. He’s sorry she went out like that; he should have been there. He’s sorry he named the baseball bat after her, and sorry for the pain he put her through. He hopes she found someone in the afterlife, and is screwing her brains out… Not really, but fair is fair. He misses her. He loved the sh*t out of her, and he’s going to do her fighting for her. He puts a cloth over the bat, and puts it in the fireplace. He watches it burn.

Negan walks back into town. Carol and Maggie see him, and Carol walks over to him. He asks where the A-team is off to, and she says, an Army base. If they find anything, they’ll bring something back to his cabin. He says, that won’t be necessary. The situation isn’t going to work out. Carol says, if Negan stays, Maggie will kill him. Carol didn’t want his death on her conscience; now it’s not. He says, fair enough. He keeps walking, and looks at Maggie as he goes by. He smiles, but with Maggie, it’s more like, if looks could kill…

This was the finale, and Fear the Walking Dead starts its new season next week.

This had to be the saddest episode ever.

💐 Happy Easter…

Hope you enjoyed whatever it is you enjoy on Easter Sunday, or if Easter is not your celebration, enjoyed whatever you enjoy on any Sunday. See you tomorrow for Sailing, and until then, stay safe, stay seeking wisdom, and stay not judging those who carry baseball bats covered in barbed wire. You might not know their whole story. Although then again, you might want to non-judgmentally run.

Mar29

March 28, 2021 – Carol Needs To Fix Something, What’s To Come, Behind the Scenes, Psychic Dive & Visualizer

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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, Carol tells us that she didn’t plan on surviving. She was going die with the horde, but her family pulled her back; they always do. The Whisperers destroyed Hilltop, and she had to tell Maggie that she’d sent Negan to be part of them. They’re working tirelessly to rebuild in Alexandria, but the Whisperers destroyed their crops. The return of Maggie, along with more people, meant more mouths to feed, and she and Daryl found that the horde had killed everything worth hunting. Every tough decision Carol made was to protect them, and she’ll do whatever it takes. She’ll do what she can to make things right.

Carol walks with Daryl and Dog on a path through the woods, Daryl gives Carol a knife to open her canteen (I find out later on Talking Dead that it’s Leah’s knife), and they share some water with Dog. Carol says she wishes they had more to show for their trip. All the new mouths to feed… He says she’ll make it work. She always does. She says, he’s not coming back? and he says he’s staying a while longer. He asks if she wants a ride; his bike isn’t far. As they walk, he says, hey… and she says he doesn’t have to apologize. He tells her that he was just going to say good luck. She says, good luck to him too. They walk in opposite directions, and Dog is conflicted, but goes with Carol. Daryl says, fine.

Daryl pushes his bike out of woods, and starts it up. He drives off.

Carol returns to Alexandria with Dog. Dog pokes at a ratty scarf on the ground, and Carol picks it up and keeps walking. She goes into where she and Daryl stay, and gives Dog a bowl of water. Funny, I see Dog drink a lot of water, but never see him pee. She tells Dog, for the record, she didn’t need an apology from Daryl. She knows what he said – an apology is just a truce. It doesn’t fix anything. She pets Dog.

Carol walks through town, and sees Jerry. She says she was thinking of working on the north gate post, and if that works out, she’ll clean the dead fish from the fishery, but Jerry says Rosita already has a crew fixing the gate post, and the fishery has been cleared out. She says, it doesn’t smell like it, and he says it’s being used for fertilizer. He asks how the trip was, and she says, good. He asks if she need help, but she says, no. She has to figure something out. He asks what she’s got in her hand, and she says she found it in the street. Somebody must have dropped it during the evacuation, and she thought she’d mend it. She just wants to fix something. Tell her how she can help; anything at all. He says he’s thinking, and his stomach rumbles. He says, food is important to thinking. She says she’s sure she can whip up something from what she found, and he tells her, a bunch of people are crashing in Michonne’s kitchen, and the solar panels are messed up; Whisperers probably. They also had to throw out a bunch of grain. Carol asks, why? and he says, rats. She says, anything else? and he asks what she’s going to make. She says she doesn’t know; maybe soup. She’s got a couple of fish, nuts, and mushrooms. She’ll make it work. He says she always does, and she asks if he ever heard the story of Stone Soup. They used to read it in school. (I actually remember having that book as a kid.) A stranger came to a village, and had nothing to trade but rocks. He convinced the people that he could make stone soup. Then he told one person that he needed to borrow some salt, and another, a little bit of onion. A little bit of this, and a little bit of that from everyone in the village, until there was real soup, and everyone was happy. Jerry says, it doesn’t sound very tasty. Maybe Ezekiel and the others will bring help soon, and she won’t have to make soup out of rocks. She says she hopes so.  

Daryl is riding along the path, and his bike stops. He checks something, takes up his crossbow, and begins to walk.

Carol checks out the pantry/garage, and finds a few things. She cuts some mushrooms, and chops up some fish. She puts some salt in the pot, and throws some over her shoulder. She hears Dog growling, and runs into the living room where Dog is attacking a blanket. She says, hey, and he grabs the scarf. She picks up a book that belongs to Daryl, The Golden Age of Piracy, and says Dog is being a bad dog. He knocks over a lamp, and she tells him, back off. Take it easy. She rights the lamp, and sees the cord has been chewed. She looks down and sees rat droppings. And tells Dog, it’s okay. It’s a rat, She hears it too. Dog takes off through the house, and knocks the pot over in the pantry. She says, bad dog. Go. She tells Dog not to look at her like that. This is serious. They need that food. Go. Dog goes back in the living room, and Carol closes the door. She looks at the spilled ingredients, and says, dammit. She devises a trap, and sets it on the floor, saying, see you later, a-hole, and leaves.

Jerry sees Carol, and asks how the soup is coming. She says, great. She needs a couple more ingredients, and she’s going to see what she can rustle up. He tells her, rustle up some stones too, and she laughs. She walks around a field, gathering some greens. A zombie toddles along, and more come out of the woods. She asks if they think she can’t take them herself. She says, first, you, and stabs the loner in the head. She points to the others, and says, then you, you, and you, and you.

We hear zombie noises, and the sounds of zombies being whacked in the head. We see the wildflowers in the forefront, while Carol dispatches zombies in the background. Carol picks up her greens, and continues on.

Daryl walks through the woods on the path. He sees an abandoned car, opens the hood, and pulls something out. How convenient! He sees a truck, and goes underneath, taking something else. It’s like a mini graveyard of cars, and he sees another with a decrepit zombie inside. He opens the hood, but can’t find what he needs. He puts down his stuff, and slides under the car. I say, don’t do that, but he doesn’t listen. The zombie moves to the backseat, and the car moves, nearly squashing Daryl. He tells it, stop moving, and the car rocks as the zombie scrambles to the front. Daryl grabs some wires, and slides back out. He bangs on the window, picks up his stuff, and says, thanks, buddy.

Jerry sees Carol coming back with blood on her, and asks, what the hell happened? She says, nothing, and tells him that she got some greens for tasty nutrition. He asks if she’s sure she’s okay, and she says, yeah. Back to it. She returns to her place, and dumps out the greens. She checks the trap, but nothing yet.

Daryl goes back to his bike. The music is tense, so I wonder what’s going to happen. He checks his pockets, and remembers handing Carol his pocketknife. He takes out a bigger knife, and screws around with something on the bike. He walks the bike out onto the road.

Carol rights a solar panel, and strips the ends of the wires. Jerry comes by with a wheelbarrow, and asks if she’s got it. She says she’s good, and he says, let him know if she needs anything. He keeps walking, and she says, sure will. Then she single-handedly fixes the solar panel. On his way back, Jerry sees the panel, and just looks at her. She goes back in, and tries the light switch. The light comes on.

Daryl continues to walk alongside his bike, and pushes it up a hill. He comes to railroad tracks, and sees some zombies in the distance. He takes out binoculars, and checks them out, seeing one wearing military camo. He puts his backpack on the bike, takes up his crossbow, and walks toward the zombies.

Daryl gets his bow ready, and walks toward the zombies. He steps on a twig that cracks, and it captures their attention. He walks faster past them, and they follow. He aims his bow at a zombie in camo caught in a tree near the edge of a hill. I guess he figures, why waste a shot? since he puts the bow down, and tries to reach for the zombie. He slips, and the zombie goes sliding down the hill along with him. He manages to throw it off of him, and gets on top of it, grabbing for the knife on the ground. He stabs its head, and goes through the zombie’s stuff, pulling out what he needs. He hears the others coming, and sees them at the top of the hill. He sidesteps, and one slides down, the rest following like lemmings. He heads back to his bike. He messes with the engine, and a zombie crawls toward him. He’s like, enough already, and shoots it with his crossbow. He takes the arrow out of the zombie, and goes through its pockets, finding some good stuff. Too bad there isn’t an engine in there. He says, nice, and fiddles some more with the bike.

Carol tells Dog, come on. Dog sits, and she says, don’t make her beg. She tells him, good boy, and he comes into the pantry with her. She puts the greens in a pot, and tells him, if he’s good boy, she’ll save him some scraps. She lifts the trap, and is startled by the rat, who gets away. She chases it all around the pantry, knocking things over, and Dog is like, WTF? She yelled at me for doing that. The rat runs into a hole in the wall, and she stuffs a towel into it. She tells Dog, what? Are you two friends now because I yelled at you earlier? She says, screw it, and unplugs the pot, saying, she’ll make soup tomorrow. She goes into the bedroom, but dog hesitates. She tells him, come on, and he jumps on the bed without any coaxing. He lies next to her, and she says she feels the fight coming out of her. Dog misses him, doesn’t he? Don’t worry; he’ll come back. He always comes back. She doesn’t though, does she? She asks if Dog thinks they should scram, and get out of everybody’s hair. They could. Dog gives her kisses. I love Dog.

Daryl does an elaborate fixing of the bike, using a multitool, and holding a flashlight in his mouth.

Dog stirs, and wakes Carol. He makes a small bark, but she tells him, shh, and gets up.

Daryl tries the bike, and it starts. He drives off.

Carol goes downstairs, lighting the way with a flashlight. Dog goes ahead. I also constantly worry about Dog. She looks around the pantry, and hears Dog making noises near the wall where the rat was. She pokes through the wall with a knife, and makes a hole. She listens, and waits. She slashes at the wall some more, and waits again. She goes back another time, and makes more holes in the wall. She knocks over a shelf, and starts bringing down the wall by hand. She leans against what’s left, and slides down to the floor. Dog looks worried, and comes over to her, lying next to her. She puts her hand on Dog and pets him, because dogs calm everyone down and make everything better.

Carol cleans up the pantry, sweeping up the mess. Jerry knocks at the door, and she slides it open. She says, hey. He looks inside, seeing the wall, and she says, it’s fine; she’s fixing it. What’s up? He says his cover story is that he’s coming by for soup, but no poker face. He’s going to fess up. He’s just checking on her. She asks if he thinks she needs checking on, and he says he does. Ezekiel would agree with him. She says she can’t argue with that, and Jerry says he wishes he could check on Ezekiel too. She says she’s sure Ezekiel is coming back as fast as he can. He likes checking up on people as much as Jerry does; it’s pathological. Why can’t they just let people like her suffer in peace? Jerry says, it’s a real problem, and she says, yesterday wasn’t her best day. It was a bad day. He says, the wall is all busted up. Ezekiel would have a saying for this kind of thing. She says maybe she just needs to fix what she broke. He says, a friend thinks you’re perfect even when everyone thinks you’re broken. He noticed Daryl didn’t come back with her, and two plus two equals eureka. She says, what if you’re broke, and your best friend realized later than everyone else? and he says, Ezekiel probably has a saying for that too. He just doesn’t know what it is. She asks what he would say, and he hugs her. The rat walks out the door, and goes around the corner. He says, was that… and she says, yeah. Come on in. The soup is almost ready.

Daryl drives into Alexandria. Carol is putting the wall back together. She starts to put on the scarf, looks at it, and says, sorry, throwing it in the trash. She goes over to close the door, and Dog runs out. He runs to Daryl, and she asks, what the hell happened to him? He says he was going to ask her the same thing. The usual. He says, yeah, same, and she asks if he found anything. He says, yeah, and asks if Dog was good. She nods, and wonders if he’s hungry. She made soup for everyone. He says he’s all right, and thanks her. She says, sure, and tells him that she forgot to give him his knife back. He tells her to keep it, and she says, really? He nods, and she puts it in her pocket. He says he’s beat. He’s going to hit the sack. She says, her too, and he goes off with Dog. Carol goes back inside, seeming lighter.

Next time – the finale – Here’s Negan. Negan’s backstory, and the birth of Lucille. Hilarie Burton Morgan – Jeffrey Dean’s real life wife – will be playing Negan’s wife, the first Lucille.

🧨 Here He Is…

A preview of what’s to come in the finale.

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/the-walking-dead-heres-negan-sneak-peek-season-10c-finale-jeffrey-dean-morgan-hilarie-burton-morgan/

⚰️ Drama in Deadland…

A little gossip, a little news.

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/the-walking-dead-creator-robert-kirkman-defends-former-showrunner-scott-gimple-fan-ruined-show/

🩹 About That Splinter…

Showrunner Angela Kang does a deep dive into the psyche of Princess.

https://ew.com/tv/walking-dead-princess-angela-kang-showrunner-splinter/

🚕 You Don’t Have To Go Home…

The weekend has come to a close, so back to the same old after two days of the other same old. Whatever same old it is for you, stay safe, stay being open to opportunity, and stay thinking your friends are perfect, even if they’re broken.

Mar22

March 21, 2021 – Princess Removes a Splinter, The Commonwealth, the Eleventh Season & the Top

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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, Eugene tells us that he, Ezekiel, and Yumiko embarked on a journey to look for another civilization, and met Princess along the way. We flash back to that, and he says, arriving at the railyard, it appeared they’d missed their rendezvous. We see what look like a group of stormtroopers grabbing them, and Eugene says they found themselves in a nefarious pickle.

They stand back to back, hands up, and the soldiers take Yumiko. She tries to run back, yelling for them to leave Princess alone, but they grab her again, saying it’s her last chance. Yumiko yells, don’t hurt her, sh*theads! but they drag Princess away in the other direction. She’s thrown into a wooden boxcar so violently that she whacks her head on the far wall. She hears noise outside, and yells, what’s going on? She looks around, but the car is empty. She looks up to the ceiling, and sinks to the floor.

Princess tries to pry the door open, but no luck. She walks back, counting her steps in Spanish. She sees shadows of people outside, and remembers what happened. She recites the state capitals, and breathes a sigh of relief that she can still do it. She looks under an old tarp, but there’s nothing. She tries to look out the slats, but can only see part of the soldiers walking by.

She goes to the other side, and manages to pull off part of a slat, cutting her finger. She hears a voice say, Princess, are you there? and says, Yumiko? Yumiko tells her, shh. It’s her. She’s in the next car over. Princess says she’ll try to get to Yumiko, and asks her to move closer. She says she feels terrible, but she’s going make it up to Yumiko. She’s just got to find a way through the wall. She suggests Yumiko get the soldiers to come over there, so they can talk to them, but Yumiko says it’s a terrible idea. Princess says she has to do something. She says Yumiko sounds a little groggy. Did she hit her head? Yumiko says she did, and Princess asks, how bad? Is it bleeding? Yumiko tells Princess to calm down, but Princess says she can’t sit while Yumiko is hurt. Yumiko tells Princess, just do what she says, and Princess agrees, saying, sorry. It’s just that it’s dark and small. Can Yumiko still hear her? Yumiko says, yeah, and Princess says, stay awake. She’s going to try and get help, but keep talking. Princess picks at the wall, and tells Yumiko about an infection she got when she was 14, and had to stay home from school. There were some cool kids at school, and a girl who totally changed her life. Princess wonders where she is now, and blesses herself. She asks if Yumiko is still with her, but gets no answer. She says she nagged her mom, and her mom sent her back to school, but her finger got infected again. It swelled up like a birthday balloon; she felt like a swamp monster. Her stepdad wouldn’t let her eat at the table. He was mad, but she said he couldn’t push her away. It was her house first. He smacked her hard across her jaw. She told her mom, and asked if her mom was going to do something. Don’t send her out to eat by herself. Her mom said, don’t eat. She calls to Yumiko, but doesn’t hear anything. She tells Yumiko, wake up. Answer her. She hears someone, and yells that her friend needs help. She hears them come into Yumiko’s car, and asks where they’re taking her. Are they helping her? She’s told to shut up, and she starts to recite the state capitals again.

The soldiers walk outside of the boxcars, and Princess calls for Yumiko, asking if she’s back. There’s no response, and Princess walks the length of the car. She sees light coming through, and says, no way. She sees a loose board, and takes it off. There’s an opening bug enough for her to slide through, and she sees Eugene in the next car. He tells her, stop. Get back in. They’re making frequent checks. She tells him, they took Yumiko, and he suggests their potential benefactors are giving Yumiko assistance. Princess asks him to come with her, but he says, not a good idea. They’ll see what’s going on when they clear the process. Their metal is being tested. He’s sure the soldiers are required to keep them in good enough shape to talk. Princess says, this is bad sh*t, and he says, stop it. The soldiers walk past, and she slips around the back of the car, and watches them. They keep going, and she goes back to Eugene. He says, if they catch her, it could be disastrous. They’re in the middle of a fierce battle, and he’s being counted on to be a cross between Santa Claus and a guardian angel. They have to present themselves as being in allegiance. There’s no room for miscalculations. Don’t make things worse. She goes back into the car, and covers the opening.

The door opens, and a soldier tells Princess to come; hands up, move slow. She asks where they’re going, but he just says, walk.  

Princess is naked, and asks what they’re going to do to her. A soldier tells her, turn around, and she says, if he’s looking for bites, she doesn’t have any. She does have a splinter that’s driving her nuts. Can they take it out? She sits at a table, and works at the splinter, while the head soldier watches her from the other side. She says, please tell her why she’s there, and he says, start with her name. She doesn’t say anything, and he asks if she doesn’t know her name. She says, Princess, and he asks if she thinks this is a joke. She asks how her friend is. They’re helping her, right? He asks, how old is she? and she says, 28, 29. She could be 50. She’s lost track. He asks where she’s from, and she asks where she is. He says, okay, fine. Where was she when the fall happened? She asks why any of that is important? then says, Pittsburgh. Just tell her if they’re alive. He asks why they came there, and she says her friend hurt her head. He tells her that she’s avoiding the questions, and she says her friend might have a concussion. Just let her see… He says tell him about her friends. Start with the one she’s worried about. What’s her name? Princess asks why she’s there, and he says, the others; what are their names? She says, can’t he ask them that? and he says, tell him why they’re there. Where are they from? He gets up, and she asks what he wants. He says, they’re done. She says she gave him answers. Why can’t she see her friend? He says because she’s being a bitch, and Princess says she wants to see her friend. He whacks her across the face, and she falls to the floor. He says she should have answered.

Princess is back in the boxcar, and looks through the slat. She says, Yumiko? She’s so sorry. She tried to do like Yumiko said, and didn’t tell them anything. They kept grilling her, and asking what she knew about them, like she’s some kind of narc. Her friends… They used that word. She hears something, and listens where the opening is. She takes the board away, and slips out again. She looks into the next car, but Eugene is gone, and all she sees is his dousing rod on the floor. She hears the soldiers coming, and slips around the side, going back in the car, and replacing the board. She tries to get the image out of her head, and the car roof opens. Ezekiel looks in, and puts his finger to his lips. He drops down, and tells her, it took some maneuvering not to be spotted. She hugs him, and says, they got him too. He says, not the most fun interview he’s ever had. He tells her, they’ll be here soon, and she asks if he has any idea where the others are. Yumiko and Eugene are gone. He says he doesn’t know, but they’ll figure it out. They have to get out of there. She says, right now? and he says, no; next week. Yes, right now. She says she thinks they took Yumiko, and she didn’t do them any favors during the interview. He asks what she did, and she says, nothing… She got a little bit upset, and she might have… She hits her palm with her fist, and he says, the inquisition was aggressive. These people are toying with them. He tells her, let’s go, and asks, what’s wrong? She says she doesn’t think running will help, but Eugene said these people would help, and Ezekiel says he doesn’t know if they can be trusted. She asks if they can find a way out, but he doesn’t know. He tells her, it will be fine, but she says, nothing is fine. He can see something is wrong, and she says, d*ckhead nailed her over an old fracture, and she nurses her jaw. He examines it, and she says she’ll be okay. It healed fine every time before. He says, no one is going to hurt her anymore. Not while he’s there.

Ezekiel tells Princess, he’ll keep watch at the top for when they change the guards. She asks where Eugene is, and says, they can’t leave the rest of them. He asks if she thinks he doesn’t know that. They’re his friends. She says he doesn’t have to be an a-hole about it. She knows how to be friends with people, and was just trying to be helpful. He says, fear brings out the worst in them, as it just did in him. He apologizes, and they sit on the floor. He asks, what if Eugene trusted the wrong people this time? and Princess says, people suck. He says, they say one thing, and mean another. They tell you they love you… She says, and don’t act like it. People are a-holes, especially family. He says, not all families, but she says, most families. She just wants to do the right thing. He says he knows. They need a better plan. The door suddenly opens, and Ezekiel somehow makes himself scarce. A soldier brings in a plate of food, and Princess says, sorry about before. She didn’t mean to be difficult, but this is a little scary. The questions, the guns, the whole get-up. Ezekiel comes up behind the soldier, and knocks him out. Princess asks what the hell he just did, and Ezekiel closes the door.

Princess wonders what’s going to happen to them now. What about Yumiko and Eugene? This is not a better plan. He says, the opportunity presented itself, and he took it. Who cares? He’s here now. He takes the gun, the soldier rouses, and Ezekiel tells him, quiet. What did they do with their friends? The soldier says they don’t have to do this, and Princess tells Ezekiel to let her do the talking. She says, she just needs to  know her friend is okay. His boss said she’s getting help. Is she? He asks why she wouldn’t be. She’s probably with a medic. Ezekiel asks if they’re supposed to believe him, and the soldier says, for the benefit of all; and for all who seek solace. It’s what they stand for. She says they beat up her friend, and he says she doesn’t know that. What if it’s possible they’re not the bad guys? Just stay calm. She says, they’re locked in cars, and he says they can help. They have access to things that are valuable in times like these. She says, like food and medicine? but he tells her, he’s not saying yes, and he’s not saying no. They’re organized. Let them help. It’s why they came, right? She tells him, let’s say they’re actually helpful, even though they look like scary action figures come to life. What’s the point of messing with them? He tells her, this just standard protocol. They have paperwork to fill out. The place where they live is a good place, and it’s their job to keep the good people who live there safe. They have to be careful; they have a lot to lose. She says she gets that, but she still needs answers. Like a good will gesture. Where are her friends? He says he doesn’t know. His orders are to keep then fed until they’re ready. She says, for what? but he says he’s just a grunt. Three squares and a uniform. She has to believe him. He’s so green, the gun isn’t even loaded. He’s on probation, and this is going to get him fired, being snatched up by some chick. He tries to get away, and Ezekiel jumps him. He starts to pound on the soldier, and Princess tells him, stop. She says Ezekiel is going to kill him. Ezekiel keeps punching, and says, no one is going to hurt them anymore. Princess looks down, and sees the soldiers blood on her hands. She flashes back to everything that’s happened in this episode, and realizes she’s alone with the soldier.   

The soldier handcuffed in the car, Princess takes off running with his gun. She tries crawling under a fence, but the gun gets caught, and hangs her up. She remembers her friends, and turns around. She hears Ezekiel say, come on, girl. Get your sh*t together. Don’t be so hard on yourself. She looks back at the fence, and sees Ezekiel, standing between two zombies. He says, time waits for no one. They say we start dying the day we’re born. He tells her to come over there, but she says she doesn’t think she can. What about her friends? He says she met them a week ago. She says, that’s lifetime in apocalypse years. He says she’s learned to trust her instincts by now. She knows better than that. She looks at the splinter in her finger, and he says, she’s good on her own. She says she’s a superhero on her own. He says, so go on, and she says she wants to. He says, believe him. He knows it makes him like her like mom. She says her mom was a survivor, and he says, she was a monster. There are always monsters. She says she’s scared, and he says, everybody gets scared. His mom was like hers. They had to learn their lessons the hard way, and take their freedom. She says, not everyone is bad. Travis… She smiles, and says, Sammy and his people, and them. Ezekiel says, there are the stories you tell yourself, and then there’s the truth. She says, maybe, but they came back for her. She walks back to the cars, and we see there are only two zombies on the other side of the fence, yoked together, guarding it. She goes back into the boxcar.

She says she gets stressed at times, and the soldier asks who she’s talking to now. She says, him. She’s not crazy, if that’s what he’s thinking. There is the ADHD, anxiety, depression, crushing loneliness, an over-active imagination, and PTSD, but it helps her cope. Maybe it’s the only sane response to an insane world. Small dark spaces do bad things to her head. She doesn’t like them. He says, who does? and she says, screw him for judging. He says, he didn’t say anything, and she says, sorry. She doesn’t want mess anything else up. He says, then don’t, but she says she’d like to hold onto the gun a while longer, if it’s all same to him. He says, can she at least…? and holds out hands. She undoes the cuffs, and says, the splinter came out. He gets up, and she thanks him for not screaming. He says this isn’t exactly going to look good for him, and she asks if he’s really going to get busted. He says, what’s it to her? He’ll have to explain this, and he needs his rifle. She says maybe he could say he slipped, but he says, no. He screwed up, and he has to face the consequences. Then she and her friends can go back to whatever sh*tty part of the world they came from. She says there’s got to be a way they can help each other out, and he says he’s listening. She says, what if she answers his boss’s questions. Could she see her friends? He says, it’s not his call, and she says, fine. She just met them, and doesn’t now how old they are. Who cares? If you’re alive during the apocalypse, you’re 150 years old anyway. She doesn’t know where they’re from; nowhere and everywhere probably, like everyone else. She’s from Pittsburgh by way of San Juan. Do days and countries exist or even matter anymore? They had been on the road for a week. They had wheels for a while, then walked; that’s how they got there. He asks why she’s there, and she says, to be with them. Their names are Eugene, Yumiko, and Ezekiel. He already knew her name; it’s really Princess. He says, good, and  thanks her. She gives him the rifle back, and he says, see? It didn’t have to be hard. The rules are simple, and the questions are routine. People complicate them. They just need to know she can play ball with them. He puts his helmet back on, and she asks when she can see her friends. He says, right now, and yells he’s got her; let’s go. He opens the door, and she sees Eugene, Yumiko, and Ezekiel kneeling, flanked by soldiers, and wearing hoods over their heads. The soldier slips a hood over Princess’s head.  

Next time, another Carol and Daryl adventure. Daryl tells Carol that he’s staying a while longer, and they wish each other good luck. They go in different directions, but Dog goes with Carol.

🏙 Friend Or Foe…?

What role with the Commonwealth play?

https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a35875268/walking-dead-commonwealth-season-10-villain/

⚰️  All About Eleven…

Teasers…

https://bleedingcool.com/tv/the-walking-dead-season-11-teaser-god-needs-to-beg-for-forgiveness/

Spoilers…

The Walking Dead Season 11 Release Date on AMC : Cast, Spoilers and Everything Else

And Mercer.

https://ew.com/tv/walking-dead-season-11-mercer-explained/

🌠 Here Comes Another One…

I hope the weekend brought you something different, or you at least binged a good show. I checked out Showtime’s Your Honor (On Demand), and it was well worth it. Bryan Cranston stars as a judge who has to make a tough decision about his son, who’s been involved in a hit-and-run. It will make you question the lengths you’d go to protect someone you loved. As we move on through March, remember to stay safe, stay attentive, and stay giving a sane response to an insane world, whatever that may be for you.

Mar15

March 14, 2021 – Gabriel and Aaron Follow Maggie’s Map, Fun With the Dead, Nervous Norman & Spell

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What I Watched Today

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

The Walking Dead

We hear Gabriel in a voiceover saying, the Whisperers took their toll, and they saw darkness, but they kept the faith. The righteous enter and are safe. They had moments of despair, but a miracle happened, and by the grace of their friends, they were saved. But they still have more work to do to rebuild their community, provide for their families, and save their souls.

Gabriel and Aaron are surrounded by zombies in a clearing. They hack away, covering the surrounding wildflowers in blood. They walk through the woods and come across some ruins. Gabriel looks at his map of possible food sources. I guess not this one anymore. Aaron sees several burned bodies that are nothing but charred bones now, and asks, what happened here? Gabriel says they’ll never know, and they keep walking. The see a decrepit zombie sitting up against a tree, and it pulls away, part of it staying on the tree. It doesn’t get far, since Gabriel slices it through the top of the head. Gabriel sets a timer, and throws it into a field area. When it goes off, a bunch of zombies rise out of the grass, and head off to who knows where. Gabriel looks at Aaron, and they follow at a distance.    

Near a road, they see more skeletons, and a line of cars. Aaron looks at a zombie in a van, and Gabriel opens another car. Aaron asks what he’s doing, and he says, he’s searching; there could be something there. Aaron slides open the van he’s been looking in, and they go through all the cars. Gabriel opens a trunk, and finds some cans of food, but he turns it over to see what looks like a bullet hole in it. He tells Aaron, two more.   

They try to smash into an old, boarded up casino, and zombie arms pop out. Gabriel hacks off an arm. Aaron motions for him to remove a board, and when the zombie emerges, Aaron stabs it in the head. They each take an arm to pull it out, but the skin comes off, and they fall back with skin arms in their hands. When they realize what happened, they quickly rid themselves of the skin arms, and I laugh my head off. Aaron sees a shopping cart hanging off the roof, and Gabriel climbs up. He sees a near-skeleton lying down, and another with a little more flesh on it, tied to post, moving around a little. He sees a skeletal couple lying on mattress. Aaron asks if he sees anything, and Gabriel looks at the couple and says, just a ladder. The camera pans out, and we see SAVE US written on the roof.

Zombie arms reach for Aaron, and he hears Gabriel hacking away inside. Gabriel opens the door, and comes out. Aaron says, anything? and Gabriel shakes his head. He sheaths his machete, and looks at his map again. He says, one more, and Aaron says they’ve been at this two weeks, and what do they have to show for it? He can’t. Gabriel says they have to see this through. Aaron says they can go back to the hunting ground, but Gabriel says, it’s spent; there’s nothing there. Aaron says, so is every other place on Maggie’s goddam map. He misses his daughter, and he knows Gabriel misses his too. Gabriel says, one more, and starts to walk. Aaron follows.

They walk through some mud, and Gabriel slips, tripped up by a hidden zombie. It rises, covered with mud, but Gabriel holds his machete point up, and Aaron pushes the zombie onto it. Aaron laughs, and Gabriel says, a little help? Aaron helps get the zombie off of Gabriel, and helps him up. The map is officially screwed, covered in mud like Gabriel. Gabriel says there was a water tower by their last location. They just need to head north until they see it. Aaron says he’s not doing this without a map, and Gabriel says, it’s only an hour. Aaron says he doesn’t care, it begins to rain, and Gabriel says, fine. They’ll follow their tracks back. It starts to pour.

They come out of the woods, and Aaron asks, is this on the map? We see a warehouse, and Gabriel says, no. 

They shine flashlights around inside the warehouse. Aaron bangs on something, but there’s no response. Gabriel closes the door, and they split up. Gabriel finds a pile of Bibles, and picks one up, finding a bunch of pages torn out. Aaron hears something from behind a door, and says hello? Gabriel looks in a file cabinet. Aaron says, hello? again. He says his name is Aaron. He’s a friend. Please don’t be afraid. Hello? He opens the door, and Gabriel hears yelling, and takes off. He runs to where Aaron is, and finds Aaron standing over a wild boar. He says, it came at him, and Gabriel smiles. I say, food! Aaron says, what? and Gabriel says, nothing. That was quite the scream. Aaron says, these things are vicious, and Gabriel says, clearly… hence the scream. Gabriel starts to laugh, and says, sorry, but doubles over. Aaron says, all right. Let it all out. Is he through? Gabriel shakes his head, and keeps laughing, saying, oh Lord! Aaron smiles, and Gabriel says, know what he feels like? Aaron says, what? and Gabriel says, dinner. And drink. He holds up a bottle of whiskey.

Aaron shows Gabriel a toy, and says, remember these? Gabriel says he remembers news footage of people trampling each other at toy stores to get them. Aaron says, Grace will go nuts. They sit to eat, and Gabriel pours them each a tiny bit of whiskey. Aaron says, that’s it? That’s all they get? Why? It’s just whiskey. Gabriel says, no; it’s not just whiskey. It’s perfection. It’s rare. This bottle is easily over $2000. Aaron says, the fact people would pay that much to get drunk was a huge part of what was wrong with the world. Gabriel says, it’s not to get drunk. Smell it. Aaron does, and Gabriel asks what he’s getting. What does it remind him of? Aaron says, maple syrup… vanilla… breakfast as kid. Gabriel says, take a sip. Let it sit. Pay attention to the finish, and how the flavor evolves. Aaron says, wow, and Gabriel says, exactly. Now eat, and the meat will taste even better. Aaron says, look, he gets that it’s rare and all, but they had a rough day. He holds out his cup, and Gabriel pours some more, but Aaron continues to hold it out.  

They play poker for bottlecaps, and Aaron says he’s out. Gabriel says, he has the whiskey. Aaron considers putting his cup in the pot, but folds. Gabriel says, many thanks, but Aaron wants to see the cards. Gabriel shows him what I assume is a really poor hand, and Aaron rolls his eyes.

Aaron asks Gabriel what God would think about him gambling, and Gabriel says, He’d probably okay it. Aaron says, a card shark priest. Did he get training in whiskey class at the seminary? Gabriel says, Reverend George was his mentor. He was a good friend, and a great teacher. His first class was at a boy’s funeral; Tony Franklin. He died of cancer. He was in his freshman year of college and he died. Everyone in town came, and Reverend George performed the service. He spoke, and said all the right things without trying; it didn’t look like he was anyway. They got in the car to go to the wake, and he just took off. He floored it the whole way, saying they had to get there before the others. He was running stop signs, saying a prayer each time, and Gabriel had his eyes closed the whole way. They got there and the Reverend headed for the liquor cabinet. He asked what the Reverend was doing, and was told to shut up. The Reverend snatched off Gabriel’s collar, pulled off his own, and started pouring. The boy’s father walked in, and the Reverend walked over to him with two drinks in hand, and just started talking. He talked to everyone; put them at ease, smiling and laughing. He told Gabriel, just be with them in the moment. Speak from the heart, and don’t worry what you think they want to hear. He tried, but he’s not as good as Reverend George. Later, the Reverend told him, real ministering isn’t preaching from a pulpit. It’s talking to people one on one, on their own terms, relating to them. He smiles, and says, that’s how he knows about whiskey. That’s how he knows about a lot of things. Aaron says Gabriel needs to start preaching again. He’ll be mad if Gabriel doesn’t. When he was out there, finding people to bring to Alexandria, it felt right. Helping people was right. They haven’t done that in a long time, and they’ve got to get back to it. Gabriel says he doesn’t want to preach anymore, and Aaron asks, why? Gabriel says, does Aaron really think things will go back the way they were? Aaron says he does, and Gabriel says, they won’t. The world isn’t built for the way they used to be. Aaron says Gabriel’s head is full of Whisperers, who and what they were, and it’s not most people. Gabriel says, evil people are not the exception to the rule; they are the rule. Aaron says he’s getting sober. After the next round, he’s going to climb up on the roof and jump off head first. Gabriel says he wants to perform last rights, and Aaron says, they’re back to him again.  

Gabriel snores, and an obviously hung over and/or still drunk Aaron gets up. Gabriel asks where he’s going, and Aaron says, to piss. Gabriel goes back to sleep.

Light comes in through a dirty window, and Gabriel wakes up. He doesn’t see Aaron, and walks around the warehouse, his machete drawn. He sees a man by the entrance, and the man asks what he was cooking. Gabriel says, boar, and the man asks, how was it? Gabriel says, it was good, and the man walks into the light. He removes his hood, and we see his face is scarred. He says he’d like a bite.

The man eats, and Gabriel introduces himself, asking the man’s name. The man says Gabriel came there with a friend, and Gabriel asks if he’s seen Aaron, but the man says nothing. Gabriel asks what he wants, and the man says it seems like Gabriel is the one who wants something. They broke into his place, ate his boar, and drank his whiskey. Gabriel says it didn’t look like anyone lived there, and he asks if Gabriel thinks the boar got in there by itself. Gabriel says they were looking for food. They didn’t mean any harm. The man takes out Aaron’s metal spiked ball hand, and tosses it on the table, saying, does this say no harm to you? Gabriel says they’re part of a larger group, more than twenty armed fighters. They’ll be coming if he and Aaron don’t get back. The man wonders if they’re joining the card game. He sits back, his automatic rifle in his lap, and asks if Gabriel thinks it’s loaded. Gabriel says, there aren’t a lot of bullets left, and the man lets a load of shots fly. He asks Gabriel if he thinks he made it. Gabriel doesn’t understand, and the man says his friend is in there, pointing to the wall he shot at. He gets up, tells Gabriel, easy, and opens the door. He says, still breathing… he thinks. Gabriel says he wants to see Aaron, and the man asks why he’s still wearing his collar. Gabriel says, probably for the same reason the man keeps the Bibles. Because the Word of God still matters. It’s a light in an otherwise dark world; a reminder that light is still in them… love, mercy, forgiveness. The man says, toilet paper, and Gabriel says, what? The man says, the Bible. He like the bent pages. Gabriel suggests that he read it instead of wiping his ass with it, and the man says he read it, cover to cover. That’s why he wipes his ass with it. He says, it must be hard preaching about something Gabriel doesn’t believe in, and Gabriel says he does believe. The man says, evil people aren’t the exception to the rule, and Gabriel says he was drunk. The man says, drunk is honest. There’s nothing left but thieves and murderers. Gabriel says, there’s still goodness, but you have to look for it, and he man asks who Gabriel is trying to convince, him or himself? He’s so close. Gabriel says, close to what? and the man gets up, keeping the gun on Gabriel. He kicks he door open, and drags Aaron out, tied to a chair and gagged. He puts Aaron at the table, and takes the gag off. He unties one of Aaron’s wrists, and knocks all the bullets out of a handgun. He puts one back in, and says, one round. One in six chances. He spins it, and shuts it, and says they’ve got a choice. Each time, they can aim it at themselves, or the man sitting across from them. The winner goes home.

Gabriel says, they’re not doing this, and the man says, then they both die. Aaron asks how they know he won’t kill them both anyway? and the man says, they don’t. Aaron says, they’ll make it right. They’ll get him a new boar. The man says, it’s not about the boar, and Gabriel asks what it is about. The man says, enlightenment. Go ahead. Gabriel looks at Aaron, and picks up the gun. He puts it to his own head, and pulls the trigger, but it just clicks. Aaron looks freaked out, and the man slides the gun over to him, saying, now you. Aaron follows Gabriel’s example, and asks why the man is doing this. The man asks what happened to Aaron’s arm, and Aaron says, it was crushed in a construction accident. The man asks who blinded Gabriel, and Gabriel says, no one. It was an infection. He wanted to hear someone plucked out Gabriel’s eye or chopped off Aaron’s arm? Why? To prove how evil man is? Does the man think he or Aaron will shoot each other? The man tells Gabriel, pick it up now, and Gabriel repeats what he did the first time, and the gun only clicks. Aaron takes the gun and cocks it, and the man asks if Aaron heard that. It makes a different sound when the chamber loads. It’s his choice to make.

Aaron says, they’re not thieves or murderers. They don’t kill each other; they protect each other like family. The man asks if family is supposed to mean something. He knows about family. When he was with his brother and his brother’s family on the road, he saved their lives more times than he could count. One day, he woke up to find his brother stealing the last of his food. His brother just stared at him, then came at him with a knife. Aaron asks, what happened? and the man says he handled it. He didn’t blame his brother, because his brother gave him something valuable that day. Gabriel says, his brother didn’t give him anything. He’s just trying to make sense of what happened. He walled himself off, believing everyone left out there was evil. It was easier to accept than the truth – that he meant less to his brother than a scrap of food. Aaron says, Gabriel… but Gabriel says the man needs to hear it. He knows about looking for meaning. Most times, there is no answer, no grand design, no enlightenment. The man’s brother ripped up his face, and he’s so hate filled, he can’t see. So he murders good people for what? To prove what? The man tells Aaron, pull the trigger. Him or you? Who’s it gonna be?

Aaron starts to point the gun at his own head, and  the man says, what about Gracie. Aaron wants to see her. He knows what he’s got to do. Aaron looks like he’s going to cry, or maybe throw up, and the man says, does he want to see his daughter again or not? Aaron says he does and the man says, then what is he waiting for. Three…  two… one… Aaron starts to put the gun to his own head again, the man says, stop. That’s who people are. Gabriel says, he was wrong. People are capable of more than killing each other. They still love and sacrifice for their brothers. His brother didn’t give him truth; his brother only betrayed him. If he punishes them for his brother’s sins, he’s no better than his brother. He wasn’t always like this; none of them were. But they have to remember who they were, and know who they are. The man says he knows who he is, and Gabriel says he does too. He knows people like the man, good people who’ve been broken by the world. He doesn’t have to be; there’s another way. They have a community of real people, people who were lost and found their way back. He can too. They can help if he lets them. The man says he doesn’t believe Gabriel, but Aaron says, it’s true, and puts the gun down. He says the man should believe Gabriel because that’s who they are. The man thinks about it, sighs, and picks up the gun. He sticks it in his waistband, and cuts Aaron free.

The man says, Mays. His name is Mays. Then, stunning all of us, but mostly Mays, Gabriel takes Aaron’s metal hand, and whacks Mays with it, presumably killing him, and spattering Aaron’s face with his blood. He tells Aaron, it’s okay. They’re good. Aaron says, are they? and Gabriel says they couldn’t take him with them. He killed his brother’s family. Aaron says, let’s just go.    

Wow. I’m so disappointed. Can we not have one episode where everyone plays nice? I want Z Nation back.

Gabriel says Mays heard everything they said. Where was he hiding? Gabriel opens a hatch, and sees a lantern. They walk through the space, which is flanked by steel shelving holding all kinds of supplies. The see a restrained man, who looks like your classic hermit, cowering in the corner. Aaron says, it’s his brother. They see the brother’s wife and child dead on the floor, and Gabriel says they’re not going to hurt him. The brother is obviously scared out of his wits, and Gabriel moves forward. He undoes the restraints, but the brother suddenly has a gun. Aaron tells him, drop it, and Gabriel says they just want to help him. The brother says, help? and Gabriel says, yes; get him out of there. Aaron asks if he wants to come with them, and Gabriel says, just put the gun down. The brother sees his dead family, and in possibly the saddest moment ever, puts the gun to his own head. Gabriel and I both say, no! but he shoots himself, falling next to his wife and child. I almost want to cry.

Gabriel takes the gun, and grabs some cans of food and other supplies. Aaron looks at pictures of Mays, his brother, and his brother’s family in happier times.

Gabriel and Aaron continue to walk. We see a water tower in the distance, and Gabriel says, the water tower. It’s the last place on the map. What does Aaron think? Aaron looks sad, as he has through a lot of this episode, and he nods. He says, one more, and they walk toward the tower.  

Next time, Aaron’s nervous breakdown (just kidding). Princess and the others are captured by stormtroopers, and plan an escape. Ezekiel says they don’t know these people, and they can’t trust what they don’t know.

⚰️ On the flipside, Talking Dead was one of the funniest ever. Seth Gilliam (Gabriel), Ross Marquand (Aaron), Robert Patrick (Mays/Mays’s brother), and writer & co-executive producer Jim Barnes were guests. The lot of them were hysterically funny, with Ross doing a spot-on imitation of Sly Stallone. Robert said Ross had entertained them throughout filming with impressions, and ragged on Seth for being a lousy priest through the entire episode. We also got some nice insight into Robert’s acting technique. He said when playing the brother, he didn’t have much to work with as far as character development went, but tried to incorporate what a rescue dog would have felt like; one that’s been abused, and was afraid of strangers. I thought it was a brilliant choice. Another tidbit we got was that the whiskey brand was named after Duane Jones, who played Ben in the original Night of the Living Dead. This was probably one of the best TD episodes of all time IMO.

🏍 Not So Smooth Daryl…

I’m not sure why he was so nervous. It’s not like there was human contact.

https://ew.com/tv/walking-dead-norman-reedus-daryl-leah-find-me-interview/

🖇 Next…

Time to move on to my other job, and hopefully making up for that lost hour this weekend. Until we meet once again at the Hospital and/or on Deck, stay safe, stay looking forward to spring, and stay on Gabriel’s good side.

Mar8

March 7, 2021 – How Daryl Met Dog, How It Ends, Enter Mays, Josh Takes a Ride, Chaos Filmed, JimmyVision, Jen’s Called Out, Ex-Royal Bombshells & Bad

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What I Watched Today

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

The Walking Dead

Dog! Daryl messes with his bike, and gets on. Carol comes by and picks up a map from the ground, and puts it in Daryl’s backpack. The engine isn’t turning over, and she asks if she ever told him about the pedal sewing machine her grandma had. She’d help when her grandma got tired. She said Carol had an especially strong right foot. He says, she followed him out there… She tells him, no one is following anyone, and he says, she wants to come, right? She says she wants to hunt what’s left to hunt, and he needs a spotter. The bike starts, and she gets on. He tells her that he didn’t say she could come, but he takes off, Dog running behind them as they bicker in fun.

They go through the woods. Carol gives Dog a snack, and Daryl says, five miles due south at the east gate. He tells her, stay close, and remember this spot in case she gets lost. She says she’s not going anywhere. Dog spies something, and they follow him to a dead deer. Carol says, the other deer are probably all gone by now. She suggests they find another spot, and Daryl says he’s thinking the river. She says, let’s do it, and they walk.

Carol stops, telling Daryl that she has a foot cramp. He hopes it’s not her very special strong right foot, and she says she’s fine; give her a minute. He thinks they should have gone the other way, but Carol says they should fish before noon. It’s worth a shot. He gives her a stick, and says, be his guest. He tells dog, watch this disaster, and Carol immediately gets a fish. He says, no way, and she shows him. He says, beginner’s luck. She guts and scales the fish, as he watches, and she tells him, say it. He doesn’t think she’s doing it right. He tells her, try closer to the bone, and she says she’s fileted fish before. Why doesn’t he do it himself? He says, it’s fine, but they should go. It’s going to be dark soon. They need to find a place to stay. Carol asks if he thinks their luck has run out, and he asks what she means. She says, Hilltop was hard for everyone to take, but at least they were there to fight for it. But losing Alexandria… He says, they didn’t, and she says, not yet. It feels different, like everything good in the world is not on their side anymore. He says, they’ll build and start over, and she says, until it happens again. They had a good long run; longer than most. He knows this world. The dead will catch up to them eventually. He says, if they let it. He’s not going to let it. He tells her, let’s go, when Dog takes off. Carol wonders if it’s another animal. He calls to Dog, and they follow.

They move faster, and Dog runs into a clearing, where there’s a cabin with a sun porch. Carol asks if Daryl is coming, and she and Dog go inside to investigate. Daryl sees a woman on the porch, petting Dog, but it’s just in his mind. He goes inside, and Carol is there with Dog. He looks around, and Dog acts all busy. Daryl looks out the window.

Five years ago. Daryl sits by the river. Dog as a puppy runs up to him, and he picks Dog up, kissing him, and wondering where he came from. Dog runs off, and Daryl follows. He finds a makeshift shelter, and takes out a map, putting it on the wall. He circles something, and keeps walking. He sees Carol across the river, and asks, what’s going on? She says, nothing, and he asks if she’s sure. She says, it doesn’t matter. Things are just different. He asks, how? and she says, it’s harder to talk; harder to trade. Maggie left. She took Herschel, and went with Georgie. She’s on her own journey now, like him. He says she knows she’s got to do this, right? She says she knows, and he asks how the kids are. She says she doesn’t know. It’s been two years. How long does he plan on staying there? He says he doesn’t know. As long as it takes. She asks if anything has turned up, and he says there’s a spot up the river that he’s going to check out. She says she does understand. If not for Henry and Ezekiel, and things going on back at the Kingdom… Daryl says he gets it. She should go. There’s a storm coming. Carol tosses him a backpack, and he thanks her. She tells him, be careful, and he says he will.

Daryl sees a lone zombie, and looks near it through binoculars, seeing an overturned canoe near the river. He stabs the zombie in the head, and rights the canoe, seeing a body underneath it. It starts to move, and he smashes its head with his foot. That’s one way to get your aggression out.

Daryl sits in the shelter as it storms around him. He realizes his map is getting soaked and damaged. He grabs it, yelling at the sky. Some of the shelter topples, and he walks out into the storm.

One year later. Daryl sees a knife or something sticking out of a tree. Dog is bigger now, and runs to the cabin, Daryl running after him. He follows Dog into the cabin, and kills a zombie. A woman comes out of another room with a shogun, and asks who the hell he is. Daryl puts his hands up, and she says she asked him a question. He says he’s leaving, and she says, no, you’re not.

Dog digs at the floor, and Carol asks if he found something. She pulls up the floorboards, and Dog gets excited. He pulls out a cuttle bone, and runs off with it. Carol asks if she lived here, and Daryl says, it was a long time ago. He goes outside, where Dog is chewing his bone on the porch. He says he already told Carol everything, but she says, no, he didn’t. He asks what else she wants to know, and she says, whatever he wants to tell her.

It’s night, and the woman pulls the downed zombie outside using the rug. Daryl sits by a fire, his wrists bound. He asks if she’s going to kill him, and she says, should she? He doesn’t say anything, and she says, that’s what she thought. Something tells her that he wants to die. Not today. He says she doesn’t know him, and she says, he’s right; she doesn’t. So she’ll ask him again, who the hell is he? What’s he doing out there on her land? He says his name Daryl. He didn’t come looking for trouble. Her dog found him. He was just trying to help. She says he’s tied up in her cabin with a 12-gauge pointed at his head. What kind of help does he think she needs? She lowers the gun, and takes out a pocket knife. She cuts him loose, and he says, she’s letting him go? She tells him, get out, before she changes her mind. He puts on his backpack, and heads for the door. He asks if she’s going to tell him her name, but she says, no.  

Six months later. Daryl is using a tree stump as a desk, when Dog runs up to him. They walk together, and the woman sees him heading toward the cabin. She thanks him for bringing Dog back. She says Dog likes Daryl, and Daryl says, he’s just a dog; he don’t know any better. If she won’t tell him her name, what about his? She says, Dog, and he says, just Dog? She asks if he’s got something better, and he says, no. At least he won’t forget what he is. She says, it’s not for everyone; living out in the wild and chasing the dead. He says, it catches up with all of them after a while, but she says, only if you let it. He says he’s going, and she tells him, be careful, and goes inside.

Eight months later. Daryl walks down the river in the water. In the forest, he gathers wood, and a bunch of zombies come out. He shoots one with his crossbow, and stabs another in the head. He hears a gunshot, and the woman motions for him to come. He follows her, and they hide behind a tree, as the zombies toddle past. They’re in pretty close proximity, and Daryl almost smiles. When the zombies are gone, he tells her that she needs to stay away from his camp, and keeps walking. She says, name’s Leah, as she walk in the other direction.

Three months later. Daryl heads for the cabin, and tosses a fish inside, but it’s quiet, and he leaves. While he warms his hands over a fire in the woods, a fish is flung at his head. Leah says she can catch her own damn fish, and he asks why she’s always throwing something at him. He was trying to be nice. She says she doesn’t need him to be nice. She doesn’t him to be need anything. She wants to be left the hell alone. He says he won’t bother her again, and she says, then she won’t come around again. He says, good, and she says, great; bye. He turns around, and says, she’s still there. He says he thought she was gone, and she says she is. He tells her that he gets it; being out there by herself. She asks if he’s been out there a long time too, and he says, he lost track a long time ago. She looks at his hands and asks if it’s frost nip. He says, no big deal; he’s had it before. She says, it’s not a big deal until you lose a couple fingers or a hand. Come on.

Daryl sleeps on the floor of the cabin, and wakes to Leah picking up pieces of glass from a frame. She says, it’s his birthday today, and he sees her looking at a picture of herself with a little boy. She says she didn’t have a family growing up. She knew she had to find her own way, her own family. She found it in her squad. They fought side by side for years, and when the world went to hell, they swore they’d stay together, fight together. They gave her hope, and she tried to give it to her son… Matthew was her son. She didn’t give birth to him, but he was hers. He was born of her sister; that’s what Leah called her anyway. Leah lost her when he was born. It doesn’t matter; he’s gone. She fiddles with her bracelet, and covers the floor hiding spot, smoothing the carpet over it. She walks past Daryl, brushing tears away, and looks out the window. She says she held Matthew tight, Dog’s mama next to her; she was pregnant. The dead came from all sides; there was so much screaming… so much blood. She cries, and says she was separated from her family, and she ran; it felt like she ran forever. She ended up there. Her boy was bit. She said goodbye to him the same day Dog was born, and hasn’t seen another soul since. She turns to him, and says, not until he came along. Who did he lose? He says, his brother, and she asks, how? He says, it was an accident. They never found the body. She asks if Daryl thinks he’s still out there, but he says he doesn’t know. He’s not stopping until he finds out. She says, always the hero, huh?

At the river, Leah shows Daryl the fish she caught. He says, lucky shot, and she gets another. He walks away, and Dog follows.

Daryl and Leah look at the moon, and she says, it’s beautiful, huh? They lie together next to the fire, and she motions him closer.

Ten months later. Daryl and Leah eat in silence, and he says if she’s not going to talk to him. She gets up, and he says, it’s only going to be for a few days. She wonders where he belongs. Out there on the river, looking for his dead brother, day after day after day? Or does he belong to the family he left because it became too hard to face what happened? Or does he belong there with her? He says he doesn’t know, and she says he does. She tells him that he has to choose, and leaves.

Carol approaches Daryl, as he’s looking at his map. She says she’s happy to see him too, and he says he’s just busy. He asks, what’s up? and she says she was going to ask the same thing. Does that mean he’s coming back? He says, no, and she gives him a sweater. He says, tell him why she really came, and she asks if she can’t bring a friend a gift. She came because she wanted to tell him that it will be a while before she comes back. He says, okay, and she says, things are tough at the Kingdom, and Ezekiel needs her there. He wonders if she’s asking permission, and she says, no. He says she doesn’t need to ask him to move on with her life, and she says, it’s just… He says she wants him to move on with his? She says she wants him to find some peace. She doesn’t want to lose him because he can’t figure out when to stop. He says she ain’t gonna lose him. He’s just got stuff to do.

Daryl walks through the woods. And walks. And walks. He runs.

Daryl calls for Leah. He sees the broken, now empty, frame, and looks around the cabin, but Leah isn’t there. Dog runs up to him. He packs up some cans, and writes a note. I belong with you. Find me. He puts it under the floor, and leaves with Dog.

On the porch, Daryl tells Carol that he should have been there. He could have helped her. She asks if he thinks Leah is alive, but he says he doesn’t know. She says, it’s possible Leah just left, and he says, what? She says, it’s not an accusation. He says he walked away, and she says he didn’t. He thinks that every time he loses something, it’s because of him. He says he made mistakes, and she says, they all do. Losing Leah isn’t on him. Neither is Rick, or Connie. He says, no. Connie on her, because she never knows when to stop. Carol says she’s sorry for Connie, but not sorry for going after the horde, or making Alpha pay for killing Henry, because she was right. He says, and that’s all that matters; you being right. She says, it’s not just about Leah, or Connie, or anyone else. Why doesn’t he say what he wants, that she shouldn’t have gone. He says she wanted to help, but she says she wanted to run, so she ran. What the skins did to Alexandria, she just couldn’t deal with the guilt. He says, that’s not his problem, and she says, his only problem is that he thinks he can save everyone. She doesn’t need a savior. She doesn’t need a martyr. She needs a friend. He says, friends don’t have the damn same conversation over and over again, and she asks if that’s what’s happening. He says, that’s what’s been happening. He’s sick of it. She says he should have let her get back on the boat, and he says he should have stopped her from running. She’s a runner. Run. He knows where he’s supposed to be, and won’t stop her this time. She says she was right. Our luck has run out, you and me. She tells him, no one is around except them, and it’s going be dark soon.

Next time, Gabriel wonders if think things are ever going to go back to the way they were (as we all do), Gabriel and Aaron explore, Gabriel meets a stranger, and Aaron puts a gun to his own head.   

⚰️ Sometime In the Future…

Sadly, Walking Dead will come to an end with season 11, but at least it will be stretched out due to the pandemic. There’s always an upside.

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/the-walking-dead-showrunner-angela-kang-how-story-ends-season-11-final-season-summer/

🌱 Dead Newbie…

Speculation on new character Mays.

https://undeadwalking.com/2021/03/03/walking-dead-fan-theory-robert-patricks-mays-__________/

🏍 New Ride…

Josh Brolin was Norman’s guest rider on the first episode of the new season. It doesn’t ride any better than that.

https://www.amc.com/shows/ride-with-norman-reedus/episodes/season-5-the-north-island-of-new-zealand-with-josh-brolin–54234

💭 Note To Self: STFU…

I’ve never read this YA series, but it sounds like you literally wouldn’t be able to hear yourself think.

https://comicbook.com/movies/news/chaos-walking-movie-review-tom-holland-daisy-ridley/

🦸🏼‍♂️ Jimmy’s Vision…

Jimmy Fallon parodies the world of Wanda.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/late-night-lately-a-very-special-wandavision-episode

👠 AShahlted…

Well, if you can’t pop off at your designer, who can you pop off at?

https://pagesix.com/2021/03/05/jen-shahs-designer-accuses-rholsc-star-of-verbal-assault-amid-audio-leak/

👑 In Case You Weren’t Watching…

All the bombshells that were fit to drop during the ex-Royals’ Interview.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/07/uk/oprah-harry-meghan-interview-intl-hnk/index.html

https://www.popsugar.com/fitness/meghan-markle-suicidal-thoughts-oprah-interview-48203318

https://www.popsugar.com/celebrity/prince-harry-meghan-markle-oprah-interview-revelations-48201552

🚘 Another Weekend In the Rearview…

The Dead have come and gone, signaling the start of another workweek, or another stretch of seven days, depending on how pandemically affected you are. But regardless of the calendar you keep, stay safe, stay bouncing back from whatever life throws at you, and stay not having the same damn conversation over and over again with your friends.

Mar1

February 28, 2021 – Maggie Returns To the Fold, All the Globes, That’s a Fact & Good

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What I Watched Today

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

The Walking Dead

Lydia narrates some flashbacks, and brings us up to date. We see the fall of Beta. Lydia says they won, and now they’re on the verge of something else; a bigger world full of endless possibilities and uncertainty.

Maggie hurls a knife into a zombie’s head, pinning it to a tree. Judith walks with her, and Maggie asks what Judith told RJ. Judith said she told him that their mom is looking at same stars under the same sky as they are. She said the same to Herschel. It’s true. Lydia helps get a wagon ready to go out, and Negan tells them, be safe. Maggie looks at him, and he says, hey. He didn’t escape if that’s what she’s thinking. Maggie doesn’t respond, and walks past him. He says, well, sh*t. The credits now give us a short history of the story in silhouette.   

Carol and Daryl confer, and Maggie joins them. She introduces her people Elijah and Cole, thinking they can stay at Hilltop. Carol seems hesitant, and Maggie asks what it is. Carol leads them to piles of dead bodies outside the walls of Maggie’s old home. She says, Negan was with the Whisperers that night. She wanted Maggie to hear it from her that he’s in Alexandria. Maggie makes a face, and says, they let him out? Carol says, Alpha needed to die. Negan was their best chance. They were going to lose everything, and Negan was the reason they didn’t. Cole asks, what now? They go to Alexandria, where Maggie will live next to the guy who torched the place and killed her husband? Daryl says, they’re still figuring things out, and Maggie says they need to get to Hershel and the others. Daryl tells Carol that she didn’t have to, but Carol says she did. She owed Maggie that much. Maggie will never come around on him, but it’s good to see her though. Daryl grunts out a few monosyllables.

Kelly finds Daryl, and says she wants to come with him. She can be his lookout. He says, come on.

They walk through the woods, led by Maggie. Daryl shows Kelly a piece of material stuck to a branch. Maggie walks faster, but Cole says, they’re 10 miles east. They might not get there before dark. Maggie insists they keep going, but he says they have a half hour if they’re lucky. They shouldn’t be out there. They come to a lot full of storage containers, and see a bunch of zombies behind a metal fence, Maggie says, okay, and Kelly says, okay, what? Daryl thinks they should find higher ground in the forest, but Maggie says they’ll sleep better in a shelter. Daryl agrees, and Kelly says, so all they have to do is clear a parking lot of sickos and break into a container. Cole says, no sweat. They open the gate, slicing, dicing, and using a slingshot on the zombies. Cole does a nice double stab to the eyes, and slash upward through the head. (Talking Dead later saluting this one as The Eyes Have It walker.) Maggie opens a container, but a load of zombies are inside, and start to push their way out. She tries to shove the door shut, and cuts open her arm. She calls for help, and Daryl pushes alongside her. These are some tough zombies. Elijah joins them, and puts enough pressure on the door to nicely squash the head of the zombie still preventing closure. Very impressive. Cole tells Kelly, maybe a little sweat.

Daryl finds Maggie in one of the containers and tells her, it’s all clear. He’s glad Maggie is there. She says she was close to the drop for a long time, but when she was, she just didn’t stop. He sits next to her, and asks, what happened out there? She says, Georgie had all these good ideas about doing for others, and it felt good. They found groups, and did what they could, but it always went sideways. He asks if Georgie is still out there, but she doesn’t know. They were in a place near Knoxville a couple summers ago, and found a group. They taught the group how to find water and forage. Georgie and the twins went to check out another place, but she stayed behind with Herschel. The place fell, and they ran. She hasn’t seen Georgie since. He asks, what happened to the village? and Maggie says, not now. It does her good to say some of it out loud. She just can’t say all of it right now. Maybe she should have gone back after Knoxville. He asks why she didn’t, and she says she took a detour. Her Nana had a place by the ocean. After Beth died, she and Glenn had talked about going there for a little while, but they never did. Herschel loved it. Waves twice his size would knock him down, and he’d get right back up, laughing. They got up at sunrise, and watched the water crashing against rocks; it was so peaceful. There were hardly any walkers. They stayed up late one night, and she told him stories about his family, and his grandaddy. He asked how his daddy died – she knew it was coming eventually – and she told him a bad man killed his daddy. He wanted to know if the man got what he deserved, and was he dead. The truth is, she left because couldn’t have Negan taking up any more space in her head, and she realized she didn’t want to bring Hershel back to that. The next morning they met a community of people who needed her and Herschel as much as they needed the community. It felt like it was meant to be. That’s over too. Daryl says, come on home; Carol did. Maggie says, it’s what she had to do. God knows what she would have done if she’d been there. He leaves, and Maggie sighs.

They emerge in the morning, and Maggie says, it’s time to go. Kelly sees a truck farther out in the woods, and bangs on it. She knocks on the cab window, and opens the door. It’s empty. She looks up and sees a blanket hanging from the top of the container, and starts to reach up for it. Someone grabs her ankle, and she sees it’s Elijah. Maggie says Kelly left her post, and tells her that she can’t run off by herself like that. Daryl tells Maggie that Kelly’s sister is missing. Elijah jumps onto the truck, pulls down the blanket, and tosses down some other stuff. Kelly picks up a notebook, and looks through it. Maggie says, Elijah just lost his too, and tells Kelly, they have to go. Kelly says she just had to check.

Maggie asks Daryl if Kelly’s sister is still out there, and he says he hopes so. They can only look so many times. She says, they’re almost there. She can’t wait for him to meet Herschel. They see smoke, and Maggie says, no! and takes off running. They run behind her, and Cole says, sh*t. It’s them.   

Maggie runs into a smoldering building, and calls for Herschel. Elijah runs in, and he and Maggie walk through the house to the back, where Cole, Kelly, and Daryl are standing by a dead body. Cole says, they were followed. They were so damn careful. He doesn’t know how, but it’s them; they’re out there. Maggie says they don’t know that. Cole says, they have two dead, but where’s everyone else, and why haven’t they come back? It’s the Reapers, and Kelly asks, what’s that? Maggie says the Reapers attacked their home, and Cole says, they wipe out anything in their way… Maggie says, enough. They need to get their heads on straight. They need to find their people; find her son. Daryl looks through the rubble, and sees tracks. He says, they scattered. They were running, headed north. They’ll find them; all of them. He asks Maggie if there were more kids in the group, but she says, that’s it. She tells the others, come on. Be quiet and alert. If they run into anything besides their people, kill it.  

Daryl kills a random zombie, and they keep walking. Daryl says, the trail splits, and Maggie asks about Herschel, but Daryl says he lost him. Someone could have picked them up. If they split up the group… Cole says, no way, but Maggie says, splitting up is the best way to find them. Cole says, what if something else finds them? and she says, stay alive. Keep heading north, and she and Daryl will catch up. She and Daryl go in another direction. Cole, Elijah, and Kelly keep walking. Elijah stops for a moment, and looks around like he smells something, and continues on with them.  

They duck down in a ditch, and Kelly says, something’s out there. They’ve got to move. Elijah stays where he is, and Kelly asks if he’s okay. She crouches down next to him, and says, can he… He lifts his mask, revealing a the face of a young man about her age, and she puts her hand on his shoulder. She says, it’s a lot, but you’re not alone. You and me, okay? Maggie is counting on them. Cole hears something, and Kelly tells Elijah, come on.

Daryl seems to be following a trail as he and Maggie go through the woods. We see someone with a spear crouched down, but Daryl grabs them from behind. Maggie tells him, stand down; she’s one of theirs. (Her name is Ainsley, which I also find out later from Talking Dead, and she’s with Maya and Gus.) Daryl says, sorry, and Maggie asks, what happened? Ainsley says, everything was fine, then the whole place was set on fire. Daryl asks if they saw who did it, but she says, no. They just ran. She tells Maggie a few people didn’t make it out. There was something in the woods that took one out, but they couldn’t get a clear look. Gus says, it’s the goddam Reapers. The Reapers are hunting them one by one. Maggie asks where Herschel is, and Ainsley says, he’s out there somewhere, but they’re the first people they’ve seen. Suddenly, a dart hits Gus in the throat.  

They move, darts flying at them. Maggie and Daryl crouch behind some trees, then keep moving. It’s quiet, and they move forward silently. We hear a shot, followed by a scream, and Maya falls in a clearing, clutching her stomach. Maggie and Daryl run toward her, but Daryl says, it’s a trap. They’re trying to flush them out; pick them off one by one. Ainsley runs to Maya, and Maggie says, oh sh*t, calling out Ainsley’s name, but it’s too late. Ainsley falls, but before she dies, points toward them. Maggie says she thinks Ainsley saw Herschel, and that’s what she was trying to say. Daryl says they’ve got to get to Herschel first. Someone shoots at them, and Daryl says, there’s only one shooter. Maggie says, they’ve used three shots. When is it time to reload? She says she’ll go around behind, and tells Daryl to keep their attention. She slips around, and moves toward the shooter, her bow at the ready. She sees the gun sitting on a stand, and looks around.

Daryl goes the other way, and we see an eye watching through the bushes. Maggie hears something, and turns around. A huge dude in tree camouflage appears, and she tries to fight with him, stabbing him. He steps back, and takes out the knife. Maggie steps back as well, and right into a noose that tightens around her ankle. She’s pulled several yards, and he follows, but gets an arrow in his side for his trouble. Daryl flies at him, but arrow or not, this dude tosses him aside like he’s a tissue.

It’s blurry, and we see tree guy remove his camo. He takes a knife out of a tree, while Maggie struggles with the rope. She gets herself loose, and Daryl crawls forward, picking up a weapon on the way. Maggie is on her feet, and says, come on. Tree guy gets an arrow in the chest, and Kelly, Elijah, and Cole surround him. Maggie asks who he is. He’s one of them, right? He attacked their home, and killed her friends and family. Why? They did nothing to them. Who is he? What does he call himself? Tree guy remains silent, and she says, they know it’s just him. Answer or die; his choice. He sees he’s surrounded, and drops his knife. Maggie asks why he did it, and he smiles. He says something that sounds to me like bo-bo chick, but I find out from Talking Dead (tonight’s font of information) that it’s, Pope marked you. He reaches in his jacket, and bringing his hand out holding the pin of a grenade. Maggie yells, get down! and tree guy explodes.    

The dust clears, and they move on. Maggie whistles, and hears a whistle back. She looks up to see a cute little Glenn mini me, wearing a baseball cap, and sitting in a tree. He says, hey mom.

Cole sleeps, and Elijah gives Kelly something to eat. They fist bump. Kelly chows down like she hasn’t eaten in a while. Maggie thanks her for helping Elijah. He’s been through a lot. Kelly says, it’s okay. They all have. Maggie asks who’s older, Kelly or her sister? and Kelly says, Connie is. She came as a surprise for their parents. By that point, their parents were too tired, so Connie kept an eye on her. Even when she had her own life, she shared it with Kelly, and tried to take care of her. She says, Maggie had a sister too. Is she the oldest? Maggie asks how she knew, and Kelly says, you can just tell sometimes. It seems like Maggie has been in charge her whole life. She protects them, so she must have protected her sister. Maggie says she hopes to get to meet Kelly’s sister someday, and Kelly says she will. Daryl looks in, and asks if they’re all right. Maggie nods, and says, yeah, and Kelly leaves. Daryl tells Maggie, it’s real quiet out there, and she says, for now. He says, that guy knew he was a dead man. He was just messing with her. They’ll stay a couple more days, sweep the grounds, and make sure. They’ll take the long way back, cover their tracks, and make sure nothing follows them. He asks if this means she’s coming home, and she says, her people deserve it, and so does Herschel. She’ll deal with Negan if she has to, but right now, all that matters is Alexandria.

They get to Alexandria, and see everyone building the city back up. Daryl asks Carol, what happened? and she says the Whisperers left a parting gift. Cole says, home sweet home? and Maggie says, yeah, it is. She takes Herschel’s hand, and walks in. Negan watches as she walks past him, and he goes inside. Maggie walks through the town with Herschel.     

Next time, Carol says it feels like everything is not on their side anymore. She and Daryl both know this world is going to catch up with them. Daryl finds an occupied cabin in the woods, and lots of zombies are killed. You’d think we’d be running out of them by now.

🏆 Tomorrow, Fashion; Tonight, WTF…?

I don’t even know what to say in a year when Borat wins over Hamilton. People have no taste? It fits with our pandemic times?

Winners & Nominees

I vote for making a highlight out of overturning the vote for Best Musical Comedy.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/28/entertainment/2021-golden-globes-highlights/index.html

Okay, just a little fashion, to take the edge off.

https://www.instyle.com/awards-events/red-carpet/golden-globes/golden-globes-red-carpet-2021

📌 That’s a Fact…

Some moments in Black HERstory, past and present, courtesy of R. Riveter.

Madam C.J. Walker [is] an icon when it comes to entrepreneurship and was the first female self-made millionaire in America.

https://www.rriveter.com/blogs/american-women/black-her-story-month

Gloria Jean Watkins, otherwise known as Bell Hooks, is an author, professor, activist, and feminist who was born during a time when the United States was experiencing lots of change. These changes and their lasting impacts became the topic of many of her writings and professional career. Her unique perspective has given readers insight into how race, gender, and class intersect and shape each person in society.

https://www.rriveter.com/blogs/american-women/black-herstory-month-bell-hooks

Get ready to be impressed beyond your wildest dreams. Kathryn Finney is founder and CEO of digitalundivided, an author, and mentor. It seems she has always been a dreamer and a go-getter her entire life. She graduated from Rutgers University having participated in their student government, honors program, USA Today All Academic team, and had other awards bestowed upon her.

https://www.rriveter.com/blogs/american-women/black-herstory-month-kathryn-finney

⛵️ Until We Sail Away…

Tomorrow brings a new season of Below Deck Sailing Yacht, but whether you’re on board or not, stay safe, stay away from trees that are really dudes in camouflage, and stay continuing to learn about Black History every month, not just February.

Nov30

November 29, 2020 – Double the Finale, Beyond To Come & Back To Work

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What I Watched Today

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

The Walkng Dead: World Beyond – Finale, Part One

Last time, we found out Huck, whose real name is Jennifer, was Elizabeth’s daughter. Huck got pretty excited over a sandwich that Elizabeth brought her. Huck told Elizabeth that Hope wasn’t ready for integration yet, but she’d make it work. She said there were others, but it had been unavoidable. Elizabeth said nothing was unavoidable, and she wanted this to succeed. Elizabeth insisted Huck take her dad’s watch giving her some bullsh*t about it uniting their family. I noticed they’ve followed Fear the Walking Dead’s lead in changing up their opening credits each week.  

The girls worried about Elton and Silas. We got backstory on Felix, who flashed back to interviewing Huck for security intake, and Will crashing the interview.

The tire blew on the group’s truck, secretly courtesy of Huck, and they had to look for somewhere to find supplies. They came across a mini horde of zombies, and fought them off. Iris looked like a born zombie fighter, but Hope stuck her flashlight in a zombie’s mouth, which did nothing but distract everyone. Felix had a wound, but it was unclear as to how he’d gotten it exactly. He brushed it off when Huck asked about it, saying he’d been hooked by barbed wire.

Meanwhile, Elton moped over the his mother’s necklace and the book. Then ripped up the book, scattering the pages to the four winds. Thinking better of it, he gathered up the pages, but the dedication page (it was dedicated to him) kept blowing from his grasp. When he finally pinned it down, there was blood on it. He searched around, and found Percy dealing with a zombie. Percy babbled something about having the money, and fell over.   

The girls, Felix, and Huck searched a retirement home for something rubber and waterproof to fix the tire. Felix said it looked like the house has been evacuated quickly. Huck felt like Iris was avoiding her, and told Iris that she could have trained with them. Hope only did it because wanted to go to Omaha, and it took Hope months to catch on, while it only took Iris weeks. Huck said Hope was more like her, but Iris was disciplined and principled, and was who Huck wanted to be. She suggested the situation with the girls’ dad might not as bad as they thought. While she and Iris were searching the house, Huck looked inside a room, and quickly came out, closing the door. She said the people who lived there were still there, and they weren’t leaving, making a triggering gesture at her temple. She told Felix that they should ditch the car, and go by foot from there, but it would be over mountainous terrain.

Felix remembered getting busy with Will, who said Felix had been in a mood. Felix told Will that Dr. Bennett wanted him to stay behind and watch the girls when he left for the research facility, but he thought the doctor might have wanted him to stay because he was happy. He felt like he owed Dr. Bennett, and the doctor had made him promise, even though Felix wanted to go on security detail. Will said that Felix didn’t trust anyone to take care of things, and just because someone had saved Felix’s life didn’t mean he had to live the rest of it for them.

Elton dragged Percy to an open field. Percy asked why Elton was bothering with him at all, since he was going to die anyway. Elton said he needed to try and save Percy. The wind had brought him there, and it was a sign. Percy said Elton had better bandage him before he bled out. It turned out that the Percy Elton was talking to was an illusion; a stress relief. The real Percy was unconscious. Illusion Percy said Elton didn’t want to look at him too closely because he was scared to find out what Silas had done, and Elton wanted to prove him wrong. He looked Percy’s body over, and saw he’d been shot. Since a wrench doesn’t shoot bullets, it obviously wasn’t Silas.

Felix and the others came across a bunch of school bus blockades, and Felix suggested they go around, but Hope insisted on climbing over. Felix ended up falling off of a bus, and managed to hurt himself even worse by rolling his ankle. He said the pain was no big deal, and he’d already started on antibiotics for the cuts. Huck told the girls to look for a splint, and told Felix that he wasn’t going anywhere for a while. In a flashback moment, we discovered Huck had been the one to slash Felix with the barbed wire.

Felix remembered hanging with Dr. Bennett, Will, and the girls. Felix pumped Dr. Bennett for information on the security detail, and found out Will was being added, and to make it worse, Will had asked to go. Later, Will said he only wanted what was best for Felix, and he was going for Felix, so Felix didn’t have to worry about Dr. Bennett. When he got back, maybe things would be different. Will told Felix that he loved him, but it wasn’t up to Felix to carry everyone else. Felix had to figure out how to let it go and trust other people.

Elton tried to tend to Percy’s wound. He asked who did it, and Illusion Percy asked if it mattered, since he was a figment of Elton’s imagination. Elton made a poultice for Percy’s wound, but Percy said it wouldn’t make any difference; he was dying. Elton insisted it wasn’t over, and Percy told Elton to look behind him. Elton did, and saw several zombies headed their way.

Hope said Felix wouldn’t make it far, and wondered if taking more time would make a difference. Iris said they weren’t going to leave him.

Elton dragged Percy up the hill. Figment Percy told Elton it was okay to leave him and save himself. It was over for him, but not Elton. It was cool. He told Elton that he had a minute, and the zombies slowed down. He and Elton sat on the hill, and Figment Percy told Elton, good people could sometimes be disappointing, but it was still a beautiful world. Elton was no longer just the guy behind the camera; he was part of it now. Elton said this wasn’t the way it was supposed to be, and Percy said, it never was. Elton didn’t want him to die, and that was a noble thing. He told Elton that he would save people down the line who would change the world. Elton said it would be only fifteen years before the world was extinct, according to his mom’s research, but Percy said Elton’s mom had more faith in people than Elton thought. Otherwise, why would she have a son, and a daughter? He told Elton, there was a big, beautiful world waiting, and to fight for it. Be brave like his mom knew he could be. Elton wept as the zombies came closer. He looked at his mom’s necklace, and finally turned his back.

But then he said, no. He dropped his stuff, and took out a pokey/wrench stick, and a thing you zip-tie bundles with. He whacked one zombie, bundled another two together, who fell over, and smashed the fourth’s head with the wrench end of the stick.

Felix thought about the night Will left. Hope had made herself scarce, and Will told him that anger was the soul’s attempt to avoid sadness. Some people couldn’t bear to say goodbye, but there was no point trying to outrun pain. It would wait patiently until you were too tired to run.

Iris thought the highway would be easier, but Felix wanted to stick to the original plan. She said it would be impossible for him to hike, and he said they didn’t need him. He would hold them up, and put them in more danger. They’d needed him in the beginning, but not anymore. He said Iris was more than capable, and he believed in her; in who she’d become. Huck said they were leaving first thing in the morning. Iris thought it was bullsh*t, and they shouldn’t even be discussing it. Huck told her take a deep look inside, and she’d see it wasn’t bullsh*t. She’d know her purpose was to find her dad. If Felix stayed there, he’d be safe.

Hope brooded by herself. Iris found her, and asked about Huck’s life before this, and Hope said Huck had been in the military. Her mom died when she was little, and she’d been found on a raft. She wondered why Iris was asking, and Iris said, what if they couldn’t trust Huck? She thought something was off, and she had a gut feeling that Huck was untrustworthy. Hope asked if that was because Huck was willing to make hard choices. Huck had been there for her in ways Iris didn’t understand. Huck had saved her life, and when Hope had told Iris how their mom died, Iris had started to look at her differently. She’d told Huck everything, and said Iris didn’t know her as well as she thought. Iris asked if Hope was originally going to tell her that she was going to Omaha, and Hope said, no.

After everyone was asleep, Hope woke Huck, and said they had to talk. She told Huck that Iris didn’t want to move on without Felix, and he’d drag them down. She wanted to leave immediately. Huck said she’d grab her stuff.

Elton found a walkie talkie and tried to radio Felix. To his credit, Percy was still breathing.

On the road, Hope thanked Huck for believing in her, and Huck said she was glad Hope felt that way. I could see wheels of doubt turning in Hope’s head though, when Huck wanted a moment alone. She went behind a shed, and took out her radio, hearing Elton. Elton started to tell her where they were, and told Percy that he’d gotten ahold of Huck instead of Felix. Percy sat up, and said she was the one who’d shot him.

Iris told Felix that Hope and Huck were gone. Felix aka Captain Obvious said they’d been left.

Hope flashed back to figuring out some codes on a map. It said, en route to pick up the asset in a raft, and all four expendable. She reached into her back pocket for a gun.

⚰️ Part Two ⚰️ 

Will tripped near a super old zombie coming up from the ground, that looked like a Halloween decoration. He was being chased by military men.

In no one in particular’s flashback, Dr. Bennett thought about his daughters as he had dinner with Dr. Belshaw. She asked what he thought they’d be doing, and he said Iris must be helping someone, and Hope must be getting in trouble. Dr. Bennett told Dr. Belshaw that it had been sad to lose Dr. Abbot. Dr. Belshaw said, apparently he’d gotten word that his sister wasn’t well. I had no idea/couldn’t remember who Dr. Abbot was, so it was like a non-conversation.

Hope asked who the hell Huck was, and held a pistol on her.

Elton saw smoke from a chimney, and found Silas, who said he shouldn’t have come. Elton said he’d found Silas’s cassette player and headphones, and something else. Sitting in a wagon, Percy said, just for the record, he was doing good.

Iris couldn’t believe Huck and Hope just left, and Felix said sometimes it was easier that way. Iris said she’d told Hope something she hadn’t wanted to hear. She didn’t trust Huck; something was off with her. Felix said just because there was something wrong with Silas, didn’t mean there was something wrong with Huck, and Iris told him the room Huck said was filled with bodies was the only one they hadn’t searched.   

Hope told Huck that she had decoded the map, and knew who she was, but wanted her to say it. Huck said she didn’t want to hurt anyone. It was like the night with Hope and her mom. Huck’s manipulation didn’t work, and only irritated Hope, who fired a shot. Huck said part of Hope knew she was on her side, and Hope said when Huck had agreed to come with her, she knew she was the asset. A load of zombies started coming out of nowhere.

Huck swore she wouldn’t hurt Hope, and told her to put the pistol down, so they could fight together. Hope didn’t have to, since a zombie knocked it out of her hand. There were about a dozen of them by now.

Felix and Iris checked out the room, which was full of medical supplies. Iris said they could have used some of it treat Felix’s ankle, and fix the tire, but Huck had avoided it.   

Percy told Elton and Silas that Huck had killed Tony, and tried to kill him, but he didn’t know why. Elton told Silas that what they knew for sure was that Silas hadn’t done it. Silas was hella relieved not to be a monster, and said they had to save Hope and Iris.

Huck said, all the training showed what Hope could do if she applied herself. Hope said she thought Huck was a friend, and cared about all of them. Why were the others expendable? Huck said it wasn’t supposed to be this complicated. Her dad was never in danger. The last two messages weren’t from him; they were from her. She thought it was the easiest way get Hope to leave, and Huck thought she was strong enough to go. She was right. She’d thought Iris would try to talk Hope out of it, Hope would come to her, and just the two of them would go. She needed Hope to see civilization, and that the world was worth fighting for. It was the same thing the Civic Republic was fighting for. That’s why she told Hope about the greater good. Other people getting in the way of her seeing it made them expendable. Huck did everything she could to split them up, so they could go on their own. Hope asked about Tony and Percy, and Huck said if the second location had been compromised, the whole thing would have been over. She killed them to save everyone else. Hope asked, why her? and Huck said Hope had no idea who she was.

Dr. Bennett told Dr. Belshaw about how, when Hope was six, she completely took apart a computer because she was curious. She had it put back together by the by next day, all by herself. Maybe she’d save the world.

Huck was impressed that Hope had cracked the CRS cypher, and Hope said she thought they were a bunch of idiots. Huck said people like her had to make sure the gifts of people like Hope weren’t being wasted. Hope asked, what if they’d just made it there like they’d intended, and Huck said, it would have been easier. They had to find shelter for the night, but Huck told Hope not to think of running. The CRS wouldn’t do anything to her, but they always find you.

Silas, Elton, and Percy decided to find Hope. Percy said Huck would pay for what she’d done. They saw a truck, and Silas said there were refueling stations close by. Percy told them, men had just gotten out with guns, and they ran.  

Iris repaired the tire, and Felix thought, with luck, they’d get 50 miles out of it. He told Iris that she’d have to drive, and she said she’d never learned. He said she was going to now, and told her to be one with the car. She said, he did not just tell her that, and he said her father had taught him to drive.  

Huck said there was more going on than Hope knew; maybe more than she knew. They heard the truck, and Huck doused the lanterns, saying Hope had to trust her. Felix and Iris came in, and Huck wondered how they’d gotten the truck going. Iris jumped right on Huck about supplies being in the room she’d claimed bodies were in, but Huck told Iris that she must be mistaken; she’d never said that. She said they were there, and safe, all together; all good things. Huck said she’d pull the truck around, and Felix handed her the keys, making sure she’d drop them. When she bent to pick them up, he grabbed her gun, and asked what the hell she was doing with Hope.

Dr. Belshaw said she cared about Dr. Bennett, their future, and everyone’s future. She said Hope was going to be there in the morning. When he’d told her about Hope’s gifts and genius, he trusted her, but she’d had to tell them. They need generations of great minds. Hope had seen the world, and now and she was ready to bring back the world. It would take the brightest minds brought together, but if they didn’t make progress, human life would be gone in 30 years. She could live with him hating her, so the world could live. We see saw she wasn’t actually talking to him, but practicing her speech.

Felix aimed the gun at Huck, and told Iris to take Hope and go. Iris said the CRS wanted Hope, but Huck said they couldn’t save her by walking away; bringing her there was the only way they’d live. She said she wanted Felix to be happy, and she was sorry, then knocked him down the stairs. A lantern went with him, and started a fire.

In the meantime, Silas, Elton, and Percy hid  from the trucks. Silas said he thought he knew a way out, and told the others to follow him.

Huck and Felix struggled, and Felix told Iris to take the truck and go. Iris told Hope to find the gun, and Felix and Huck fought like characters out of Conan the Barbarian, while the house started to burn. It was a pretty decent fight, and for a guy with an ankle injury, Felix brought his A-game. Hope found the gun.  

As he led Elton and Percy to the back gate, Silas thought of all the good stuff he’d done. As soon as the other two were outside, he locked himself in. He cut his palm with a knife, and said he was saving them.

Felix told Hope to take a shot as he struggled with Huck. Zombies started coming toward the house, and Iris fought them off. Huck was in a position to kill, and said she was sorry as she stood over him, but Hope fired a warning shot. She told Huck if she didn’t get away from Felix, she’d shoot herself, and held the gun to her own head. She told Iris and Felix to take the truck. The CRS needed her to help her dad with research because of who and what she was, and Huck’s mission was to get her there. She’d decoded the message, and realized she was the asset. She was smarter than they’d thought.

Silas told Elton that he’d be okay. Getting him would slow them down. Elton had believed in him when he didn’t believe in himself. Elton was his best friend. He told them to protect Iris, and gave himself up.

Felix said it wasn’t too late, but Hope said the CRS would just keep looking for them. She was doing what she was doing because she had what she had. She told Iris that they’d always protect each other, and they’d all be okay. Felix said Hope was just a kid, but Huck said, not anymore. She wanted Felix to know he was ace, and sometimes you had to do bad to do good in this life.

Dr. Bennett told Dr. Belshaw, something sensitive had been eating at him. The place was important to them – he wasn’t questioning that – but the military scouting mission had been gone for a few days. He thought it was possible they were being lied to, but he needed her help to find out for certain.

Percy and Elton had no idea where they were going. Elton said he didn’t know what lay ahead, and it wouldn’t be easy, but they were part of it now. He’d thought they were the last of their species, but he’d seen the impossible happen. He knew they could find the others because they could do the impossible. They could make their lives count, not because they were the last generation, but the beginning.

As they walked, Hope told Huck that she was thinking about the big picture. They walked out into a field where a helicopter met them. Elizabeth popped out, and she said Huck’s judgment had been in question, and she had to make sure the mission was an unmitigated success, with no loose ends. As far as the campus colony went, they’d talk. She said the Bennetts would accomplish great things together.

Felix told Iris that they had to find shelter and food. Telling Felix about their conversation, Iris thought back to talking to Hope, and saying they would get them back, and kick Civic Republic ass. Hope said, the two of them together were the asset. Iris was smart, had good instincts, and bravery. She had no clue how they were going to beat them. They thought they were saving the world, but Iris would save the world from them. Felix asked Iris, how? and Iris said they just would. They were the future.

Iris and Felix heard something in the woods, and saw people in the distance. One of them broke away, and it was Will. He and Felix embraced, and a bunch of people came out from the forest.

 🎬 Another Reason…

I’m sure most of us will be glad to kiss 2020 goodbye for many reasons, but one is television going back to filming new season. If all goes according to plan, World Beyond’s Season 2 should see it’s premiere in the summer of 2021.

https://screenrant.com/walking-dead-world-beyond-season-2-release-date-story/

🥧 Calling It a Weekend…

While the non-stop eating was fun, part of me will be glad to get back on the exercise and food moderation track tomorrow. While there’s no new Deck, I’ll see you at the Hospital, and I’ll also pour you some tea. So whether it was a long weekend for you, or just a coupla more days, until then, stay safe, stay blue skying, and stay believing civilization is worth fighting for.

Nov23

November 22, 2020 – A New Kind Of Taxidermy, a Split World, the Eternal Train Returns & a Duet

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What I Watched Today

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

Fear the Living Dead

The dead feed on a deer. Some Rangers on horseback shoot them. In a car with Victor, Dakota says the Rangers are slowing them down. Without an escort, they’d be there already. He says, without an escort, they might not make it. She asks if he thinks the Rangers are there to keep her safe. He says he assigned them, so yes. She says they’re keeping an eye on her. They’re just a bunch toy soldiers. They’re keeping an eye on him too. Ginny doesn’t fully trust him yet. He says, she will, and Dakota asks when he’s going to do it. He says, do what? and she says what he was planning at the molasses plant. He says he has no idea what she’s talking about, and she says she’s sure he doesn’t. She looks out the car window, now covered in blood. She says they could run away; there aren’t enough Rangers to stop them. A lot of the Rangers are dead, and John has been missing for a week. Now is the time to do it. Victor says, people are at their most dangerous when they feel threatened, and calls Dakota a font of sisterly love. She says he doesn’t know the half of it. A Ranger says, hold up, and they slow to a halt. Victor tells Dakota, wait here, and gets out. Terry’s horse comes back without Terry.

Victor and Ranger Samuels ride forward, and Victor says, Terry was scouting ahead. He tries to get Terry on the radio, but there’s no answer. He thinks they should check to see if there’s a horde in front of them, and he and Samuels ride on. They come to a downed tree, and Victor said they’d need to get men with saws out there. He tries Terry again, but still gets nothing. A team of riderless horses gallops by. Samuels and Victor follow them. When they get back to where the convoy was, they find everyone dead, lining the road on both sides. The dead begin to rise, and Victor and Samuels shoot them. Samuels asks if Victor thinks it’s the same a-holes who attacked Tank Town. He says, there’s only one person who matters, and she’s gone. Victor gets down, and looks through the people, but Dakota isn’t there.

Alicia looks at a map in a ranger station in the woods. Charlie is out on the balcony, looking through binoculars, when Victor’s voice comes over the radio. Charlie looks in at Alicia. Victor says, it’s an emergency; he needs her. He sees walker activity. Charlie says, he’s been trying all day. Maybe Alicia should see what it’s about. Alicia says, they’ve been there six weeks. What has Victor done for them? Nothing. So that’s what they’re doing for him. Victor says he needs to talk to Alicia. She’s the only one who can help. She finally picks up the radio, and says, what does he want? Talk.  

Alicia and Charlie meet with Victor and Samuels. He asks if he can trust Alicia; lives depend on her agreeing to help them. Samuels takes the horses, and Victor says their convoy was attacked. Alicia asks if he knows who, and he says he thinks it’s the same people who attacked Tank Town. She asks, what happened there? and he says, it’s gone. Luci and Wes are okay though. Alicia asks what they were doing out there, and he says he was taking Dakota to a safe house. She asks where Dakota is, and he says he thinks she fled on foot. He’s screwed if Ginny finds out he lost her sister. She knows they were delayed, and it should be a half a day before heads start rolling. Alicia asks, what makes him think she’ll have a better chance of finding Dakota? and he says Dakota looks up to her and trusts her. If she helps him, he’ll deliver Dakota to the place she’s meant to be situated, then finally do the damage they talked about. He promises. She asks if he means that, and he says that’s what it’s all been for. He tells Alicia, when she finds Dakota, click three times, and she says she knows the drill. She tells Charlie, come on, and Victor thanks her.

Alicia and Charlie walk through the woods. Charlie asks why Alicia is helping Victor, but Alicia says she’s not. It’s not about Victor, it’s about the Rangers who brought her back when she ran. They need someone to deal with the Rangers. Whoever attacked the convoy and Tank Town, can do the damage they need. Charlie wonders if Alicia is going to ask them for help, and Alicia says she wants to see who they are; know who they are. Charlie asks if she thinks Dakota can tell  them, when a couple of zombies toddle out of the trees. Dakota and Alicia stab them in the head, but Alicia spaces out as a third comes toward her. The zombie knocks her down, but Charlie stabs it in the head. The zombie looks like it’s been modified, and Alicia says, someone did that. Charlie says, whoever did that is crazy. They see an old hunting lodge, and Alicia says if she was kidnapping someone, she’d go there. She tells Charlie to be the look-out. She’ll go in and check. They have no other choice. They need to find Dakota. She goes to the lodge while Charlie waits.

Alicia smashes a window with her pokey weapon, and goes inside. She looks around with a flashlight. She sees a taxidermied bird, and keeps walking hears music, sees more taxidermy. (Useless trivia: The song playing is Tonight You Belong to Me. Steve Martin and Bernadette Peters sang it in The Jerk.) She goes upstairs, following the sound of the music. She hears sounds of the dead from below looks down, seeing a guy experimenting on a zombie strapped to a table she backs away. She looks again, but doesn’t see him. He comes up behind her, and says, don’t worry, it won’t hurt much. He sticks her with a syringe.

Alicia opens her eyes sees a counter with things like eyeballs in a jar sitting on it. Her hands are tied, and she’s strapped down.  She struggles up, and she’s able to cut the duct tape on her wrists, sawing it against a pair of antlers. She hears someone at the door, and looks around for a weapon. She breaks one of the antlers off, and stands to the side of the door. It’s Dakota, who says, no one saw her. Alicia says they have to get out now, and the guy who was working on the zombie says, what’s the rush? Alicia tells him, don’t come any closer, but he says he thinks it was a misunderstanding. Dakota says the convoy she was with got attacked, and Ed thought maybe it was her. Ed says he found Dakota while he was hunting, and she seemed shaken from what happened with Ginny and her community. Alicia says she’s not talking until he tells her what he was doing with the walker. He says he was working on something to scare people; keep them from getting close. Dakota tells Alicia, he’s okay, and Ed says he doesn’t suppose any of them are chess players.

Ed puts on some music, and plays chess with Dakota. I wonder where Charlie is. Ed says Dakota reminds him of his daughter. They used to come there every summer to get out of the city. The last summer they came, it rained the entire time. They stayed in the game room, which wasn’t the worst way to pass the time, especially after the world went south. There’s something comforting about at least one thing not having changed. It’s nice to play with someone again. Dakota asks, what happened to his family? and he says, the same thing that happened with most people’s families. Dakota says, Ginny killed her parents, and Alicia says they should get going. Ed says they’re not going anywhere. Whoever attacked the convoy is still out there. This is the safest place there is. Alicia says she’s cold, and asks if Ed will start a fire. He says he will, but in the meantime, he has blankets. He tells her where they are, and Alicia takes a lantern to go looking for more than blankets. She finds Charlie, and asks how she got in there. Charlie says when Alicia didn’t come out, she snuck in, but now the doors are all locked, and the windows are shut. Alicia says, there’s got to be a way out, and Charlie says, not without making noise. Alicia tells Charlie to stay hidden, and opens a closet, looking at tools. Dakota joins her, and asks, what’s going on? Alicia says, the whole place is locked; they can’t leave. Dakota says she doesn’t want to leave. By now, Ed is there too, and says he’s trying to keep them safe. Alicia says, if that’s what he really wants, he has to let them go. Dakota is Ginny’s sister, and Ginny is going to come looking for her. Letting her go is the only way. Ed says they can leave at dawn. They’ll have a better chance when it’s light. He leaves, and Charlie asks why Alicia told him about Dakota. Alicia says she’s keeping Dakota alive. He’s not who they think he is. The walker he was working on was a Ranger. Charlie wonders why he was doing that, and Alicia says she doesn’t know, but if they stay, they’ll end up like that. Dakota says, when they were attacked, she thought she could finally get away from her sister, and thought this was the place to do it. She can’t go back. Alicia asks if Ginny really killed their parents, and Dakota just looks at her. Alicia asks, why? but Dakota says she doesn’t know. Alicia says they’ll leave first thing in the morning. Get some sleep.

Alicia finds a radio, and shuts the door. She fiddles with the dials, and asks if Ginny copies.

Ginny picks up, and asks what Alicia is doing on that channel. Alicia says she’s with Dakota. The convoy was hit; the Rangers are dead. Ginny says, and Victor? but Alicia tells Ginny, Victor wouldn’t tell her what happened until she found Dakota. Ginny says, smart man, and Alicia says, she found Dakota, not him. Let her and Charlie go, no questions asked. They get a fresh start, and Ginny doesn’t look for them – ever. Ginny asks where they’re going to go, and Alicia says she knows a place. Do they have a deal? Ginny says they do.

Charlie watches Alicia sleep, while outside, the zombies gather. Ed watches from the balcony, and Charlie asks what he’s doing. He says bringing back all of his creations. Alicia wakes up, and seeing all of the zombies outside, asks, what the hell is this? Ed says, they won’t leave until he tells them to. It wasn’t safe; he’s making it safe. He’s not letting it happen again. Alicia says, what? Ed comes downstairs, and says, his father did taxidermy. He couldn’t understand how his father could do that to an animal who was vibrant and alive; freeze them in time. His dad said he was preserving them in their most perfect state forever. It’s the same reason he came up there. He wanted to be able to hold onto things as they were, what the place was to them. They had food for years, and they were happy there. The trouble was, things inside were preserved, but not out there. When he was on a supply run, the Rangers got there, and took over. Emily and her mom tried to protect the place. Ginny killed his family too. He should have done more. He could have done more. He bangs on the door, and the zombies clamor. He says he started making them. He wanted them to be scary (like regular zombies aren’t scary enough). Alicia says, to keep people away, and he says, yes. The kind of people who would hurt them, and her. He can keep them safe. He takes out a gun, and says, let’s go upstairs.

Loud music plays, and the zombies gather outside. Dakota tells Alicia that she should have kept going. She was just looking for a way not to feel trapped. She knows it sounds stupid, but Alicia says, it doesn’t. The door opens, and Charlie comes in. She says, he’s asleep and she got his keys. Alicia says, he’s going to wake up, but Charlie says, not anytime soon. Alicia says, they’ll lower the music, and wait until the zombies clear out, then go. Dakota says she knows a place where Ginny can’t find them. The music stops, and the zombies start to wander off. Alicia says, it’s working. Ed appears, and says, you have to hit a vein to make it last. He holds a gun on them, and Alicia asks why he’s doing this. He says he’s just trying to keep them safe, but she says he can’t keep them there. He makes her put her weapon down, and she says he’s going to get them killed. Dakota is coming with them. Ed tells her, no, she’s not, and Alicia asks if he’s doing this for Dakota, or for himself. He says Alicia is one of Ginny’s people, but Charlie says she’s not. He asks how come his radio was set to Ginny’s channel? Alicia rushes him, and he ends up impaled on one of the many pairs of antlers lying around. Poetic justice, I’d say. Dakota tells him that he’s going to be okay. The zombies outside get energetic again, and Charlie says the zombies heard them.

Alicia pulls out the antler, and Ed cries out. The zombies push at the door, and Charlie says, it’s not going to hold. He tells them to go out the side door. He’ll buy them time. Leave now. He’s resigned to be with his family. Alicia tells him not to do this, but he says the first one he was working on got loose, and it was his fault. Alicia says he did it because of his family, but he says again, it was his fault. He created them, but couldn’t control them. He tells her to go, as the zombies start to break through the door. She leaves, and the zombies start to pour in. Dakota watches from the balcony, and Alicia joins her. Ed opens his arms, as if embracing his fate, and the zombies take him down. Upstairs, the three girls break open the door. They see the zombies leaving the house, and Dakota wonders where they’re going.

Alicia runs downstairs, and sees a zombie with antlers approaching. Morgan comes through, slicing and dicing, and Alicia begins to help. Dakota and Charlie watch from above. When they’re finished, Alicia and Morgan hug. She asks how he’s there, and he says he heard the music. She says, no; how is he alive? Charlie and Dakota join them, and Charlie says they heard what he said on the walkie and a gunshot. Morgan says he had help, and Alicia asks, from who? He says he’s been trying to figure that out.

Ed is buried, and Dakota says he was just trying to keep her safe. Alicia says, he did. Morgan says they should get going, and Dakota asks why he’s wearing Emile’s clothes. He says Emile tried to hunt him down, but it didn’t go his way. Alicia asks who Emile is, and Dakota says, a bounty hunter Ginny sends after people who run. Morgan says, he won’t be going after people anymore. They need to leave before Ginny finds this place. Alicia asks where they’re going, and Morgan says, it’s a spot he’s been building up. Al and Dwight are there already. Pretty soon it will be all of them. They should go.

Alicia sits on a porch swing, and Charlie asks if she’s okay. Alicia says, yeah, and Charlie says what happened to Ed isn’t her fault. Alicia is silent for a moment, and says, he was right. She did make a call to Ginny’s radio. Charlie asks where she was taking them, and Alicia says, the stadium. It’s not as far as Charlie thinks. She just couldn’t figure out how to shake the Rangers. Charlie says, the stadium is overwhelmed. Is that why Alicia was training her to kill walkers back at the watchtower? Alicia says she was trying to do what Ed was, bring back something that was gone. Charlie says, she’s not turning Dakota over? but Alicia says she doesn’t know. Ginny is expecting her to deliver her sister. Charlie says she can’t do that to Dakota.

Inside, Morgan packs whatever supplies he can find. Alicia asks where the place is, but he says it’s easier to show her. She says they’re bringing Dakota, right? Morgan puts his hand on his chest, and she asks if he’s okay. He says they’ll talk about that, but now, how to get everyone back. Alicia says Ginny has people who are important to them, and they have someone important to her. Morgan says, that’s what they’re up against; doing things they never would have done before. Alicia says, it was him. He attacked the convoy. Morgan says he gave them a choice, and they chose Virginia. She says he killed all of them? and he says, there was no other way. They’ve got to get the ones they haven’t lost back. She asks if he blew up Tank Town, but he says it wasn’t him. She asks if he knows who it was, but he doesn’t say anything. Alicia says she gets what he’s doing. She was going to trade Dakota in for herself and Charlie. After seeing what Ed did, creating things that destroyed the people he cared about… They don’t have to do that. Morgan says, it’s the only way to get everyone out. Charlie and Dakota join them, and Charlie asks, what’s going on? Dakota asks why they’re fighting, and Alicia tells them, let’s go. They’re taking Dakota to the place Morgan talked about, but they’re not going there. Morgan says, it doesn’t have to go this way, but Alicia says they can’t do it his way. He begs them not to go. He can’t watch them walk out; he can’t let that happen. Everything they’ve done, they did to get all of them back together. It doesn’t work if it’s not all of them. He’ll do whatever takes to get them all there, and Dakota is welcome. They all are. Alicia says, okay. Alicia, Charlie, and Dakota head out, and Morgan nods, saying, okay.

Outside, Victor picks up a necklace, and radios that he’s checking on the house. Alicia comes out, and he asks, what happened? He saw the smoke, and knew he could count on her. He sees Dakota, and says he’s glad she’s all right. He’s taking her back. Alicia says, Dakota isn’t going there, and Victor asks, why? Morgan comes out, and says, they’re coming with him. It’s good to see him. Victor looks stunned, and asks if Ginny knows Morgan is alive. Morgan says, she does, and he’s guessing she doesn’t want him to be. He found a place that’s safe, where she won’t find them. He’s getting the others; Victor should come join them. Victor says they’ll be targets for the rest of their lives. Ginny is on her way there, and he’s taking Dakota. He draws his gun, and Morgan draws his whatever that new weapon is. Victor asks if he really wants to do this, and Alicia draws her pokey weapon, asking, does he?  Morgan says they’ll do what they have to, and Alicia and Victor’s eyes meet. Victor ponders a moment, and says he won’t be there to protect them. He tells Alicia, this is going to dismantle everything they’ve been working for. He gives her the necklace, and we see it’s a St. Christopher’s medal. She says she’s just doing what he asked her to do. She tells the others, let’s go, and they leave.

Victor gets back to Lawton, and Ginny asks where Dakota is; is she safe? Victor says, yes, and she asks if he and Alicia are in cahoots. They made a deal for him to bring Dakota back. He says she’s with Morgan, and Ginny grabs Victor, getting in his face, asking, which side is he on? He says, hers, and she touches his badge. She says, okay; come with her. She knocks on a door, and they go through it into an alleyway. She says she told him the day would come when she’d call him for the big show. Today is that day. She moves aside some shelves to reveal a secret door. She goes inside, and he follows. Grace is there, and Ginny tells her, get up. Victor suggests Grace do what Ginny says. Victor asks where they’re going, and who does Ginny want next? Ginny says, all of them. She wants every single person they took from that damn gulch.

Next time: Death, destruction, and decay; it’s inevitable, but from this death comes life. Someone has been looking for someone like Alicia for a long time.

The Walking Dead: World Beyond

Silas was tied up outside, taking deep breaths, while the others discussed what to do about him. Iris insisted that Tony and Percy must have had enemies out for revenge, but Huck said there was no evidence. Silas was passed out at the scene, covered in blood. Hope said she didn’t want to believe it, but she’s heard the stories. Elton said Silas was their friend, and had earned their trust. There had to be an explanation. Iris said they never found Percy’s body; what if he was alive? Felix said they followed a blood trail to the river, and he was most likely dead. Elton wondered why Silas would attack those who tried to help him. Huck said she thought she knew when she saw this at camp, and pulled a copy of the Tiger poem and Iris’s drawings out of Silas’s bag. Iris said those were hers.   

This week, we got more of Silas’s backstory, seeing how abusive his father was; screaming at him. throwing things at him, slamming him up against the wall, and trying to choke him. Finally having enough, Silas cracked his father over the head with a picture frame, and punched the crap out of him. His father seemed to be dead, when there was a knock at the door.

Hope thought it was messed up. Iris had thrown the drawings away. She said Silas liked Iris, and was different with her. Maybe he’d seen that she liked Percy. Elton said all they had was what they carried on their backs, and Silas thought it was important, but Hope thought he had no right to take them. Huck told Felix that they should take Silas back for a trial, but Felix was hesitant. The girls weren’t going to turn back, and Huck wondered if they should leave them behind. Elton disagreed with Silas’s hypothesis, since the only time he’d seen Silas be violent was in self-defense or defending someone else. He didn’t think Silas would hurt anyone without just cause, but Silas said he didn’t remember.

Silas remembered his dad ripping his headphones off at the dinner table. In his flashback within a flashback, the knocking on the door continued. Silas finally opened the door to a woman who wanted to see his mother. She said she didn’t want to alert the authorities, but she knew people who could make sure Silas and his mother were safe. Silas asked her to leave, but when he went back to where his father had been, his father was gone.

Elton told Silas, if he couldn’t believe in himself, he’d do it for him. He was going to find proof Silas wasn’t involved. If he didn’t, Silas was going to be left behind. Huck and Hope dug a grave for Tony.

Felix checked on Silas, and Silas asked, what if it wasn’t him? He couldn’t remember, and his dad was the same way. Felix asked if Silas had killed his dad in self-defense, and if he could trust Silas not to put anyone in danger. Silas said he didn’t want to be like his dad.

Silas flashed back to looking around for his dad. When he saw the picture in the now-broken frame, he remembered the good times they’d had. Silas kept looking, and called to his dad. He followed the blood trail to the bedroom, and remembered his mom covering her bruises with makeup when he saw a bloody towel. He heard noises upstairs, and went up.

Huck told Hope that she had to keep asking herself how to serve the greater good, and Hope said she had the wrong sister. Huck said it wasn’t always about right and wrong, but about doing your best for everyone, even if it was going to hurt. Every choice Hope made had to be about getting her and Iris to their dad, and getting where they needed to go. Iris told Hope, none of it made sense. Even with everything that happened, she had the feeling that Silas didn’t do it; he wasn’t capable of it. One mistake didn’t make you a bad person. Hope said they were so close, they couldn’t let anyone stand in the way of getting to their father. Iris said maybe Silas thought he was protecting her, but Hope said that would make it worse.

Felix found Elton by the river, and told Hope to keep an eye on him. Elton said he’d been following Percy’s trail, looking for evidence that would exonerate Silas. The only fact he knew was that he hadn’t had a family in a long time, and now he did. Hope asked if that meant he’d let Silas get away with murder, but Elton said, you don’t get away with it; it’s something you have to live with. Hope said they had to do whatever was for the greater good, and Elton said he thought that meant staying together.

In his mind, Silas went up an excruciatingly long staircase until he finally found his father. He said he just wanted his dad to stop, but it was too late; dad was zombiefied. He attacked Silas, who was pretty stunned, and pushed him away a couple dozen times. Silas locked himself in a room, and was like, wtf? He tried to get out a window, but there were bars on it, and then I was like, wtf? Going back further in time, Silas remembered his father telling him to lie down on the floor, and putting a speaker blaring loud music next to his head. He told Silas to close his eyes, and said, that’s what a concert sounded like before it all turned to sh*t. He turned it up louder, got on the floor with Silas, babbling about 1988 and how this was what music should be like. You needed to feel it with your entire body. This bummed me out, since obviously there had been better times in Silas’s household. While his zombie father scratched at the door, Silas put on his headphones, and turned the music up louder, until zombie dad finally wandered off.

Here’s where it got kind of scary. While Silas was reminiscing within reminiscing, a zombie came by. It was outside he fence but started banging itself against the seam, which started to give way. In Silas’s head, the tape ran out, and he listened at the door. He heard his mom come home, and then scream. He ran downstairs. In the present, the zombie got through, and moved closer to Silas, while in the past, Silas fought with his zombie dad, finally smashing his head on the floor, and finishing him off. His mother quietly freaked out. Silas got as far away as possible from the zombie, but then seemed to accept his fate and looked up at the stars. He opened his eyes to Hope saying, what the hell? She asked why he didn’t yell, and he asked why she saved him. She said enough people had died, and fixed the fence.

Iris went to Silas, and asked why he kept the drawings. He said they were too beautiful to throw away, and she said if he told her that he didn’t kill anyone, she’d believe him. He didn’t say anything, and she started to leave, but he told her to wait. He showed her that he’d gotten himself free, and said he wished he could tell her what she needed to hear. He just remembered being angry, and it had happened before. He thanked her for believing in him, and wanting him to be a hero. He killed his dad, Percy, and Tony; he was a killer. He didn’t want to cause any more problems, and while he was sorry she met him, he was glad he met her. He said he’d never forget her. Iris went back to the others, and I felt mega dissatisfied.

Iris told the group that Silas was gone. Huck wondered if Silas would come back for them, but Felix said, no. Silas wanted a fresh start. Maybe he would finally get one. Elton told Hope that he’d come to a difficult decision. He was going to join Silas. Silas’s odds of survival would be better, and if Elton didn’t do this, Silas would spend the rest of his life thinking no one believed in him. Silas would be believing a lie, and he couldn’t let that happen. Hope asked, what about family? and Elton said Silas was family too. He told her, everything happens the way it’s supposed to, and he was supposed to find Silas, and his mother and sister. Hope said, what if they weren’t out there? She admitted she’d lied to him, thinking she was protecting him from the truth, but she’d only made it worse. She couldn’t let him look for someone who wasn’t there. She gave him the necklace she’d taken from his mother, saying, he forgave Silas. Maybe he’d forgive her one day. She told him about shooting his mother, and no surprise, it didn’t make him want to stay. He put on the necklace, and headed out to find Silas.   

Silas trekked on, wearing his headphones, which was probably a bad idea. Then he whacked a zombie in the head with a 2×4, which was a good idea. Before moving on, he left his headphones, which was the best idea, although just carrying them would have been sufficient.   

Flashing back to a few days earlier, Elizabeth, who I all but forgot about, told her guard to bring someone in; her daughter was late, but she made it. She was risking everything because there’s no easy way. The guard brought Huck in, who said she could only get away for 48-hours. Elizabeth asked about their asset, and Huck said, safe. Elizabeth said, and her? and Huck said she was fine. Elizabeth told her to clean-up, and she’d be debriefed. But first, here was her dad’s watch. 

Next time, a two-episode season finale. No surprise, lots of zombies, and Elton finds Silas.

🚝 Because I Can’t Wait…

Snowpiercer is coming! Snowpiercer is coming! Not only does season two begin January 25th, season three has already been ordered. 2021 is really not that far away, and it’s got to be a better year, right? Right?

https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/snowpiercer-season-2-release-date-trailer-cast-plot-nycc

➖ Dashing Off…

See you on Deck tomorrow, and hoping you continue to stay safe, stay tough, and stay doing your best for everyone.

Nov16

November 15, 2020 – A Fire In Tank Town, Percy Creates the Louvre For Iris & Lovely

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What I Watched Today

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

Fear the Walking Dead

A woman named Page runs through the woods. We hear horses following. She falls near a zombie downed by a tree. Ginny rides up with John and Ranger Hill. Ginny says it doesn’t have to be the end for her. Page asks what she did, and Ginny calls Hill over. He takes a can of spray paint out of her backpack, and Ginny says she’s been marking the trees. Page says she’s marking which ones to fell, and Ginny says, like this one? pointing to the one on top of the zombie. It says, The End Is The Beginning on it, and Ginny says they’ve found it a lot in the woods, and other places. What the hell does it mean? How long has Page been working with them? She tells Page, Jasper lost his way, and asks Hill if they didn’t bury Jasper around there. They’ve been chopping the lumber she’s using to build a future, and she’d do anything to protect it. Page smiles, but Ginny says she doesn’t recall saying anything worth smiling about. Page says Ginny is scared, and Ginny asks if she looks scared. Page says she does. Ginny asks Hill if Marcus is finished back at Lawton, so she can get the answer she needs. Page grabs Hill’s gun, and says, it’s not about them, but it’s about what Ginny is building. Their future. Ginny says, what about it? and Page shoots herself. Hill asks what they’re going to do with her. A zombie is already gnawing on Page’s arm, and Ginny says, see what she’s got. Cut her stomach open, and see what she ate. There may be a clue. Then bury her where Jasper’s leg is.

We hear voices on an unattended radio. June stands in the back of a truck, and motions two zombies toward her, stabbing them in the heads when they get close enough. She closes up the truck, and Sarah says June is good at making new friends. Malcolm is on a table, surrounded by medical equipment, and June asks when was the last time he ate. He says, a couple of days. June examines him, and tells Sarah her findings. Sarah looks something up, and says, ruptured appendix. He should have been there yesterday. June says, it has to come out, and he asks if she’s done this before. She says, there’s nothing to worry about, and gives Sarah some surgical gloves. June says she’s seen dozens of emergency appendectomies; he’ll be fine. He asks if Sarah is a nurse, and she says, truck driver; a marine before that. She was booted out of boot camp. She told them stick it sideways. He wants to wait for the doctor, but Sarah says, he’s not so good anymore; he’s dead. June gives him some booze, and he says, it’s terrible. Sarah says she’s working on it. June tells him that she’s giving him a shot to make him calm and sleepy. Everything is going to be okay. Sarah says, he’s stable, and June says, let’s do it. They hear a zombie outside, but June says she needs Sarah to stay there. June cuts into Malcolm’s side, and looks at the instructions Sarah is holding. The monitor begins beeping like crazy, and June says he’s going in shock from the infection. He flatlines, and June gets on top of him to begin CPR, telling Sarah to get the adrenaline. She says, come on, Malcolm, and continues, but Sarah says, it’s not her fault. It’s over. June won’t stop pumping on Malcolm’s chest, and Sarah unplugs the monitor. June still keeps going, and Malcolm turns and wakes, throwing her to the ground, him tumbling on top of her. He’s totally crazed, and Sarah stabs him in the head.

June buries Malcolm, and Sarah hands her a flask. June takes a swig, and coughs, saying, she’d hate to taste the bad stuff. Sarah says, it doesn’t matter. Like her brother always says, as long as it gets you to the same place at the end. They pass the flask back and forth. June asks where Wendell went, and Sarah says, wherever June was. June asks how long they’ve been away, and June says, 29 hours. They have to be at Paradise Ridge in three. June says they can’t keep this up, but Sarah says she’s got No-Doze. June says they’re stretched too thin, and there are too many people too far apart. They keep doing too little too late. Sarah says everything June is asking, to build a hospital, Ginny won’t go for it. She already asked, didn’t she? June says Ginny told her it was too dangerous for people to travel. Sarah says, too dangerous for Ginny. Speaking of which, where’s Terry; he’s late. John comes on the radio, and asks if they’re still near marker 68. Terry is sleeping one off, so he volunteered. He tells them, sit tight. He’ll be there in five. June can ride with him.

In the car, June tells John that she lost Malcolm. She told him it was going to be okay and she lost him. When Ginny put her in charge, she thought she’d actually be saving lives. John says they could leave. She asks what he’s talking about, and he says, the cabin is 100 miles from Paradise Ridge. If they’re careful, they can make it on the gas they’ve got, although they might have to hoof it for the last 10 to 14 miles. She says they can’t leave, but he says, Janis and Cameron had a whole plan before Cameron died. Janis tried to give it to him so he and June could escape, but he didn’t take it. She says she wants to save people and make a difference. How can she save anyone by running? John says she can save him. He can’t stay there. He has the feeling if he does, he’s not going to last long. June says, whatever happened, he doesn’t need to protect her. They could get as far away as possible, and Ginny will hunt them down. He says, not if she can’t find them. They’ll be there before she knows they’re gone. June says they can’t leave everyone behind, but he says he wants this for them. Wouldn’t she? Come with him. They hear someone on the radio say, get their asses to Tank Town. There’s been an accident. It’s bad. June tells John, no one will know they’re  gone if they don’t show up. He suggests they go, and put some cans of gas in the car. they can have gas to spare to look for supplies. I wonder why Ginny is so unoriginal with town names.   

They pull up, and see people blackened with soot, some still coming out from under the bridge. June tells Sarah to start assessing who needs help. She asks Luci, what happened? and Luci says, a well blew. They were digging a new one, and everyone got hurt who was working there. There are open flames near the tank. She says they have to go back in, and Sarah tells June, they have to get them out. June asks if they can walk, but Luci says, no. That’s why they’re still there. Another car comes, and Luci says, sh*t. Ginny gets out, and I say, sh*t. Luci says, workers are still in there, and June says she’ll do what she can. Luci tells Ginny, she’s not stopping them, but Ginny says, she wouldn’t dream of it. She came to make sure to keep everyone alive. Luci says, it was safe; they did everything by the book. Ginny tells a Ranger to question the people outside, and tells John to go up above. Make sure oil is the only thing raining down on them. John tells June that Ginny is only helping people for her own ends, but June says she’s going to help those people come out. Then they’ll go away together. They have a brief kiss, and she goes to the truck.

Sarah drives them in, and Luci tells her, be careful. The soil might be unstable. June asks, what happened? and Luci says they had to drill a new well. Sarah asks if she knows why, but Luci says, no. Oil spurts up and is pouring down everywhere. Luci says they don’t want get stuck in it. Keep their eyes on the wind. If it changes direction, they might have to get out. June says, don’t breath it in, and don’t look up. Sarah asks if she’s done this before, and June says, it’s kind of how they met.

They get out, and Ginny asks how long this could go on. Luci says, for months, actually years. Ginny wants them to stop the oil flow, but Luci says they’ll get the workers out first. Ginny looks up, and says, they’re resident philanthropist has been at work. We see a water tower with The End Is The Beginning written on it. Ginny says, it wasn’t there this morning. That’s not an accident; someone meant to do this. She’s not leaving until she finds out who. June says she won’t be finding out anything if they’re not alive, and yells for stretchers. She asks a guy lying on the ground if he’s okay, and Ginny asks his name. June says, he might have a perforated eardrum, and has someone move him. She sees Wes, and asks if he can walk, and Ginny asks where the bunks are. She has to narrow down the field somehow. June calls for bandages, and tells Wes he did great. There’s shrapnel in his stomach, and they have to stop the bleeding. A zombie toddles in, and June fights with it. Ginny shoots it, and looks at scratches on June’s arm, saying, it looks like she arm wrestled with a polecat. We see razor blades attached to the zombie’s fingers, and June says, someone put those on there. Ginny asks what Wes isn’t telling them. This is what she’s there to find out. June asks why she makes it so hard, but Ginny says, everything she does is to protect people. June gives a nearby woman a flask, and says, to take the edge off. The woman takes a swig, and says, it’s terrible. Ginny tells someone to get the woman in the truck, but she says she doesn’t know anything. She tells June, she’s not doing so hot, and June says, load her up. Luci tells the woman, she’ll be fine, and June tells Wes to do his best to stay still. Ginny says they need answers, but June says he’ll die if they move him. Luci says, Wes didn’t do it, and Ginny says, maybe; maybe not. She calls to one of the Rangers to show them what he found in Wes’s bunk. The Ranger dumps out some spray paint cans, and Ginny say she wants to know why he’s spreading destructive ideas around the community. She tells June and Luci that they’re going to help her figure it out.

Ginny asks how long he’s been doing this, and Wes says he doesn’t know what she’s talking about. She asks why he has paint, and he says he likes to paint. She says, here’s the deal. Tell her what she wants to know, and he’ll stop hurting. June says, he needs to be sedated; get him in the truck. Ginny asks why he likes paint, and Wes says he just does. She presses on his wound, and he cries out. She asks where his brother is, and he says, dead. She asks if his brother was with the rebels, but Wes says he doesn’t know. She pushes on his wound again, and he yells. Ginny says, come on. Answer the question. June sticks in the syringe, giving him the sedative. She tells Ginny that she’s going to kill him, and Ginny says, all right. Get him in the truck, but she’s not letting him out of her sight until he answers every question. Is that clear? Ginny looks unhinged, which we’ve never seen before.

June tells Ginny, don’t even look at him until he’s patched up. Ginny says she doesn’t let people die for no reason. They both want the same thing. June says she wants to help these people, and she can’t even help her husband. They open the truck to find everyone has turned into zombies. I guess June won’t be helping them either. June stabs their heads, and Ginny shoots. Sarah gets Wes into the truck, and June tries to lure the zombies away. Luci calls to June, and closes the truck. June says she’ll be right behind. Ginny continues to shoot at the zombies, and the tank that’s on fire blows up. It’s a domino effect, and everything blows and burns.  

Ginny lies unconscious. She opens her eyes, and a zombie next to her gets up. June wakes up near them, and the zombie is on top of Ginny. She smashes it’s head with something, but still gets bit on the hand. She says, no, no, no, and cries. Karma anybody? Couldn’t happen to a nicer person. I’d actually like to see zombie Ginny.

On the radio, Hill asks if Ginny is okay. Ginny says, no, and he says they’re trying to get entry. She tells him, try harder. Where the hell is he? He says, the whole place went up. It’s going to take time. She says she doesn’t have any more time, and smashes the radio. She takes off her belt and makes a tourniquet. She pours alcohol on the wound. June grabs an ax lying nearby, and Ginny says she can do it with that. June says, yeah, but she’s not going to. Ginny asks what she said, and June says, Ginny heard her. Those people died because of her. She made them wait while she asked questions. Ginny says she’ll do it herself. Give her the ax. June won’t give it to her, and Ginny goes all Joan Crawford, repeating, give me the ax. Ginny knocks June down, but June fights back. She sits on Ginny, and picks up the ax. Sarah radios, and Ginny asks June to help her. June says, some dogs you need to know when to put out to pasture. Sarah needs help with Wes, and June gives her instructions. Ginny says she was trying to save everyone from something effecting all of them. June thinks this rag tag group is going to help, but they don’t know what they’re doing. Page blew her own head off rather than answer some questions. They care more about themselves than their women. June may not like her, but they need her. She’s the only thing standing between them and what’s out there. June says Ginny is the problem; she always has been. Ginny asks what June wants. She’ll get it for her; anything. June says she wants to wake up and have her husband back. Sarah comes on the radio, and says they goddam did it. Wes is stable. Get her ass out there. Ginny says June helped people after all. One thing she’s begging June for… Dakota, her sister. June needs to make sure Dakota is all right and taken care of. Everything she’s done, she did because she wanted Dakota safe. That’s all she wanted. Maybe June will have better luck. She does love Dakota; she did love her. June has no idea what it’s like to care so much about someone, and not able to help. June says she does, and puts the grain alcohol on the ax. Ginny asks what she’s doing, and June says, something she may regret. Ginny yells, and we hear a chop.

Ginny comes to, and June tells her, don’t move. There are two things that can calm a rising wound; gun powder and hot metal. Today is Ginny’s lucky day. Ginny says, that’s not what it feels like. June asks what Ginny knows about these people. Who did this? Ginny says they should talk; they’ll talk. June says they will. Ginny was right. There is something she wants. Ginny asks, what is it? John comes through the wreckage, and he and June hug. He sees Ginny, and radios for a stretcher.

Ginny is in the car, and Hill asks what she wants him to tell her sister. She says she needs to talk to her. She needs to hear Dakota’s voice. He radios for someone to find Dakota. June asks Luci if Wes is okay, and Wes says he’s in one piece. Sarah says they can’t say the same for Captain Hook, and asks June, what happened? June says she saved Ginny’s life, and Wes asks why’d she do that? Luci says she was wondering the same thing, and Sarah says, that makes three of them. June says she’s giving them a hospital, but Luci says they can’t trust her. Good people died; their people. They have to matter. June says they have to make it matter. They can watch their backs. They’d be calling the shots, not Ginny. They get to choose where to put the hospital, and who works there. Sarah says they’re force isn’t exactly John Hopkins, and June says she made Ginny give them another medic. Or at least someone who should have been one. A car pulls up, and Wendall says, got room for him? Sarah runs out, and hugs him. I get a little teary.

John tells June, they’ll be clearing out soon, and June says they’re going to be given a hospital. She can’t leave. She doesn’t want to leave. He doesn’t understand. Every time she’s run, it leads to something worse. She wants to lead; she doesn’t want to run. He says he can’t stay, and June says, they might need him too. Ginny goes past in her car, and John says Ginny pulled the wool over June’s eyes like she did with him. June says, it’s them, here, now; and John says, maybe she can do it.  Sarah tells June, they’re going scouting, and Wendall says they have no gas to burn anymore. June asks if John will follow behind, and he says, of course. She runs to the truck.

John follows the truck until they get to a fork in the road. He goes the other way.

Next time – the mid-season finale – Dakota tells Victor, now is the time to do something; Morgan says, it doesn’t have to go this way; Alicia gets into trouble; and Ginny asks Victor who’s side he’s on.

The Walking Dead: World Beyond

Huck had a weird ass acid trippy dream involving a bar with a jukebox. She woke up, cleaned her gun, and went out hunting for whatever she could find. She rifled through a zombie’s clothes, taking what was usable, and found a Marine pin, which she took as well. A truck came by, and she hid until she saw it was Felix. He took her back to where they were holed up, and she passed out clothes. Tony showed Elton some magic, and it was all good. For a minute.

Huck gifted Felix with a full bottle of Mountain Dew, and he said he would never stop missing it. He drank it like water back in the day. She told him, as long as they kept to the side streets, they should be good, but he said they didn’t have enough fuel to get to New York. Tony said he had a lead on where they could get some more, and showed them a military map. He said it looked to be useless, but looks were deceiving. He took out some sheets of plastic, and explained he’d used them in illusions. When they put the plastic on the map, and shined a light on it, it oil drops were revealed. Tony said, that’s where the hidden CRM fuel caches were. It was all gas they needed. Percy told them it was where the helicopters touched down to refuel. Tony asked Felix when they were going to drop him off, but Felix didn’t know yet. He told Tony that the girls’ father was in a secret research facility. 

We got some of Huck’s backstory when she flashed back to the same bar her dream took place in. She was there in a blindfold playing darts, and hit the target in the center. She flirted with a guy there, who said they had each other’s backs. Suddenly, there was breaking news on the TV that a 6th hospital was on lockdown.

Percy found Iris using the plastic sheets on another map, and asks if she found anything. She told him to get Hope, and said it was the map the colonel gave her. She pointed to something, saying, there it was; a double helix. Now they knew where their father was. Everyone was happy. For a minute.  

The kids found some liquor, and partied upstairs. Felix wanted to put a stop to that, but Tony told him, let them be teenagers. Huck excused herself, saying she was tired. Her trip had brought back memories. Tony and Felix shared a flask.  

Elton said the booze was like a warm sack of nails hugging his insides, and Hope said, let’s party. They pulled some couches over, and Percy suggested they play Truth or Dare. Elton didn’t know what that was, but he was in. Iris chose truth, and Percy asked, if she could do anything she wanted, what would it be. She said she’d hit the Louvre, and Percy said he’d been hoping for an answer with a less tranquilizing effect, but she said, a girl can dream. Percy made a toast to dreaming.  

Felix drank with Tony, and wondered if he was helping or putting everyone in more danger. Tony said they couldn’t predict the future. He was a man of many lives before he became Percy’s legal guardian. He got money from the state, and thought he’d hit pay dirt, but it wasn’t a day before he knew he’d give his life for Percy’s. Who knew? They heard the kids laughing, and Felix said, who knew?  

It was Hope’s turn, and she also chose truth. Percy asked what was the worst thing she’d ever done, and she said she locked the faculty bathroom after spiking the teachers’ coffee with laxatives. Percy didn’t think it was the truth, and said, you can’t con a con man. Silas told him to stop, but Hope said he was right. The worst thing she’d ever done was agree to play this stupid game. She left, and Elton followed her. He hugged her, and she told him that he was drunk, and she needed to be alone.

On the roof, Huck pondered the Marine pin, and remembered being back in the military, along with the guy from the bar. The sergeant told them they were being deployed to the city. They were to locate civilians, escort them to safety, and eliminate the hostile targets they encountered. Everyone yelled, kill! They shot a bunch of zombies, one of the Marines asking, what the hell were those things? Huck said they had been people, and a shot in the head shot seemed to take them down. Huck and her friend heard live people in a building, but it was dark, so they had to put on special goggles that made the live people show up in red. They shot the zombies, and Huck told the people they were safe.     

Hope found Huck on the roof, and Huck told her that she shouldn’t be up there drunk, or there at all. She asked what was eating at Hope. Something had been up since the blaze, and it wasn’t something small. Hope said she’d killed someone the night the sky fell. She didn’t know who the woman was, but the woman was scared Hope’s mom was going to take her truck, and freaked out. Hope started to cry, saying, it was all her fault. She told Huck, the woman dropped the gun, and she picked up, pointing it at her, and it went off. The woman was pregnant, and Hope killed her. She was Elton’s mom. Huck told Hope that she was just a kid, and the woman had killed her mom in front of her. Hope said Iris knew, but didn’t know it was Elton’s mom. Huck told her, she shouldn’t. They couldn’t change what was done, but they could carry the truth for others. They had the strength to do it. She said, welcome to the party, kid. The night managed to get darker, but she promised the light would come.

When they got to the fuel cache, Tony told them there was gas enough for whatever they wanted. Hope told Huck that she’d finished his mother’s book, and thought she was smart and kind. She thinks his mother just freaked out because of what was happening, and thought Elton would forgive what happened, but Huck told her to choose the finer thing. Hope said they’d be stuck living lie, but Huck said no one knew it was a lie. The others got to live, while the two of them would pay, but the others would live because of them.

Huck flashed back to getting orders from Central Command; Sunset Protocol. They were to kill all targets in the grid, and put down anything walking. Friendly or unfriendly; civilian or hostile; living or dead.

Still on the roof, Huck heard a noise, and thought it was Hope. She went inside to find a guy holding a gun to Hope’s head. Downstairs, Tony and Felix were checking the place out. Tony said his philosophy had been keep moving, keep conning, keep surviving. He’d been living on the streets, surviving on anything, when he met a girl who showed him there was more, but it’s different now. Felix said, maybe it didn’t have to be. They went into a room filled with pipes, and found the fuel. Tony said, jackpot.

The guy told Huck to stand back, and she said she was a statue. She saw a wound on his leg, and he said, they were the helicopters. He asked how many more there were, but Huck said she and Hope were just scavenging; they weren’t them. He said they had the same symbol on their jackets, and asked who they were. The place was belonged to his group, and they took it, so his group took it back. Huck said it wasn’t them, and he said he woke up, and his brother had turned. Huck told him that he wasn’t going to last much longer with that leg. She said their names were Hope and Huck, and they were just passing through. She asked his name, and he said, Walter. Huck told him that she could help him, but he had to let her friend go first. Then he could train the gun on her. Hope was just a kid; focus on her. Walter let Hope go, and he asked how she could save him. It was impossible. She said, trust her. They could do it. He let Hope go.

In Huck’s mind, her friend said a Central Command order was like a order from God. What if it was the only way they could stop it from spreading?

Walter said they shouldn’t be there. Maybe none of them should be. It wasn’t personal. Huck said if he shot her, he’d be taking his own life. She could help him. She’d seen people survive after the infection.

Huck remembered the sergeant saying he had verification on Sunset Protocol. He didn’t like it any more than they did, but it was absolutely necessary. Any Marine that failed to comply with orders would be taken into custody, and brought up on charges.

Walter said, it wasn’t supposed to go this way. Huck took his gun from him, and told him it was okay. Huck flashed back to seeing live people behind a fence, including children, frightened and crying. She kicked the light switch, and shot all of the Marines, including her friend. In the present, Huck shot Walter, and Hope said Huck told him that she could save him. Huck told her, sometimes, you have to forgive yourself. The others joined them, and Huck said she saved Hope. She suggested they get the hell out of there, and Tony looked at a CRM notebook Walter was carrying. He said it was something to work with.

Iris checked out the notebook, and said Hope was more bummed than she usually was. She felt like they were changing, and Hope said she felt like it was just a start. Tony announced that he and Felix talked it over, and he and Percy decided to extend the terms of their agreement. They were going to stick around and help find the girls’ dad. After that, who knows? Let the chips fall where they may. Felix said they were getting on the road at first light. Percy told Iris to come to the truck in an hour. She asked, for what? but he told her to just come. Silas kept an eye on all of this. Elton told Hope that he was sorry about what happened. It meant everything that she was still alive and with them. He did a disappearing card trick, and said he wouldn’t want lose her like the queen of hearts. Show someone the impossible, and suddenly everything seems possible. She thanked him for sharing his mother’s book, and said, she was an amazing woman. Elton said she was, and maybe she still is. Who knows? Everything is possible. Hope agreed.

Hope told Huck that she was right. If she’d told Elton, she would have just been doing it for herself. The truth would crush him. Huck said Hope was a good person, and Hope showed her a necklace, saying she took this from Elton’s mom. Did Huck still think she was a good person? Huck said she knew it, and the necklace proved it. It was a reminder, something she wore every day, to remember something bad she’d done. A reminder to keep living to do good. It was the only way to make the bad mean something.

Iris looked inside the truck, and Percy had made it like a room in the Louvre. At least as much as you can make a truck look like that. He had posters of artworks hanging up, and a larger reproduction of the Mona Lisa with a light on it. There were candles all around, and books on art. Iris fell asleep reading one, and when she woke, went back inside to find Percy. What she found instead was Tony with his face bashed in, and Silas’s wrench nearby. She called to Felix and Hope, and they saw a trail of blood leading to another body. Elsewhere, Silas was drunk and passed out.  

Next time, Felix says Silas was found passed out covered in blood, Iris says Tony and Percy must have had enemies, Elton tells Silas they’re going to leave him, and we see Silas tied to a tree while a zombie approaches.  

⛴ Until the Ship Sails…

I have to get up early, so that’s all, folks. I’ve tried that staying up all night stuff, but then I crash by noon. Until we meet on Deck, stay safe, stay unflinching, and stay living to do good, and making the bad mean something.

Nov9

November 8, 2020 – Dwight Almost Makes a Change, the Travelers Hitch a Ride, an Explanation, Final Question & Early

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What I Watched Today

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

Fear the Walking Dead

Shari looks at an infinity symbol she’s written on her letters to Dwight, while he makes breakfast for dinner. Candles are lit everywhere. He tells her, the bubonic plague couldn’t even keep them apart. She says she forgot a lot of places she wrote from, and he says it kept him going. In a way, they were connected. No matter where he was, or what he was doing, he wanted to make sure he was the man she fell in love with, so she’d have nothing to feel sorry about. They kiss. Dwight hears voices on the radio, and realizes he forgot to check in. He says, sorry about that, and tells Hill that they’d had to clear a herd. Hill says Ginny wants them to head back, but Dwight says there are some spots on the map they’d like to check off. He thinks it will be worth their while. Hill says, it had better be, and tells him to be back in 48 hours. Shari asks if Dwight wants to look for Al, and he says he’ll go when the sun comes up; he doesn’t want Shari mixed up in this. He says they could run away, but she says Ginny hunts people down. He says, not if she thinks they’re dead, but Shari is worried Ginny would still find them. He says, there’s got to be a place she won’t. They got back to each other. If they can do that, they can do damn near anything. Shari says, sorry. She can’t run away with him. She gets up.

Dwight hears something, and it’s not Shari. He takes his pick ax, approaches the door, and asks, who’s in there? He hears banging, and calls to Shari. He goes closer to the door, and someone comes in wearing a mask like in those home invasion movies. Dwight turns around to find more of them, when they grab him, and a cover is put on his head.

Dwight has zip ties on his wrists, and the hood is removed. He asks where he is, but none of the masked people say anything. He yells for Shari, and tries to attack one of the masked people. He’s pretty good at this, since he knocks the guy down, and gets his gun. He says, tell him where his wife is, and the guy says nothing. Dwight looks up, and  the wall is lined with snipers. A masked woman says, it’s okay, and takes Dwight’s gun. She takes off her mask, and it’s Shari. Dwight asks, what’s going on? Who the hell are these people? She says she wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for them, and tells them to lower their guns. She tells Dwight, they’re outcasts, people Ginny didn’t think were good enough, people she was going to kill. Shari calls for a meeting, and Dwight asks why she didn’t tell him. She says she didn’t think he’d want to be a part of it, and he says, of what? A now unmasked Oswald says, there’s no telling what Virginia is going to do next. Dwight says he doesn’t know, but Oswald says he doesn’t buy it. Shari says he’s telling the truth, but Oswald whips out a video of Dwight and Al communicating with Virginia. He says, that’s the only explanation, and Dwight asks why they care where Ginny is going to be. Oswald shows Dwight a video of Al telling him, whatever they say, don’t do it. Oswald says they needed assurance of his cooperation, and Dwight says he and Al work for Ginny, but that doesn’t mean they enjoy it. He asks where Al is, and Oswald says if he doesn’t tell them where Ginny is going to be, they’ll be scrubbing his friend’s brains off the tile for weeks. He starts to count down.

Another masked guy arrives, and asks what the hell they’re doing. Oswald says, getting answers, and the guy says, not like that. He takes off his mask, and Dwight says, I’ll be damned. Shari asks if they know each other, and Rollie (an ex-henchman of Logan’s) says, remember the guy he told her saved his life? Twice actually. He tells Oswald that he was working for Ginny once too; let him go. Whatever they’re trying get out of him can wait. They have to roll out now; it’s their only chance. Dwight asks what’s happening, and Rollie says, a Hail Mary. Shari says they might have a shot to bring them down, but they need to blow up the van. Al joins them, and says they can’t blow it up. It’s designed to be impenetrable; they won’t do sh*t. If they want to take Ginny down, they don’t destroy something like that. They steal it.

The group waits on horses Shari takes Dwight’s hand. They all put their masks over their faces as the van approaches. As it passes, they take off behind it. Inside, the driver radios that he refueled, and he’s heading back. He sees the riders in his rearview mirror. One rides up to the van, and cuts the wire for the radio. The driver says, sh*t. Dwight asks if he’s really doing this, and Al tells him, ride like hell. The driver says, not today, and opens up the widow for the guns, but the riders get close, so it shoots over them. The bullets run out, and Dwight gets close enough to climb on. The driver floors it, then makes a sharp turn, but Dwight hangs on. The driver turns the other way, and Dwight climbs higher, getting to the top. The driver jerks the van around some more, but Dwight is tenacious (would that make him Tenacious D?). The driver sees the riders coming, and cocks his gun. Dwight is in the cab, and says the driver is out of bullets; they’re not. He smacks the gun out of the driver’s hand, and as the driver reaches for it, Dwight kicks his ass right out of the van. He gets control of the steering, and manages to stop.

Everyone has gathered at the van, and Dwight says, he got away. He saw the driver’s face, and he’s going straight to Virginia. Morgan rides up on a horse, dragging the driver behind him. Dwight says, Morgan, and Rollie asks if Dwight saved his life too, but Dwight says, the opposite actually. Morgan asks if hey lost something. He laughs, and looks at the driver, saying, he thinks he found it. 

Al says Morgan realizes she has to interview him again. She asks what he wants when they’re settled, and Dwight says he thought Morgan was dead. Morgan says, Dwight knows he doesn’t die. He’s letting Ginny believe he’s dead. Dwight asks how he survived, and Morgan says, some woman saved him. He’s not sure who. Al asks if he’s been out riding like the Lone Ranger. He says he kept them in the dark to protect them. Things changed since that night in the gulch. Dwight says, no sh*t, and Morgan asks how long since he found Shari. Dwight says, a little over a week. Ginny had nothing to do with it. Morgan says he’s happy for Dwight, and Dwight says he couldn’t have found her without Al. Morgan asks how long Shari has been with these folks, and she says, a few months. They were kicked out of where they were. Al says it’s a better situation than the one they left behind, and Morgan asks if Dwight knows where everyone else is, but Dwight says he’s been on the road. Morgan asks if they know where Grace is, but Al says, sorry. Morgan says, they’ll find her. They’ll find everybody.  

There’s a German Shepherd behind a fence where Shari’s group is staying, and Al asks what the dog’s story is. Rollie says they found the dog near a wildlife sanctuary. They tossed him scraps, and he’s been with them since then. He thinks the dog has wolf in him. He tells Dwight, they may have had differences in the past, but after what Dwight did today, he’d go so far as to consider Dwight a friend. Shari asks what Morgan is doing out on his own, and he says he’s looking for somebody. He thought she might be with them, but he’s glad he found them. He’s building something. He found somewhere Ginny can’t find, and need people like them to help make it what it can be. Shari says they don’t need a place. They’ve got everything they need to take out Ginny. Morgan doesn’t think now is the time to strike, but Rollie says, it’s the perfect time. Ginny has no idea they have firepower. Morgan says, that doesn’t mean they need to use it. Shari says she was told Morgan believes all life is precious. This is different. If one can control so many others… Morgan says, he’s been through this war too long, and seen the end of too many lives; so has her husband. They have friends that are still inside. If they strike, and it doesn’t go their way, they’re putting all of them in danger. Al says they want to make sure to get their people out first. Morgan says, not until they have somewhere to go. He’s got a place he’s getting ready. He’s going there tomorrow. Whether they come or not, all he’s asking is that they don’t make a move until the right time. Please.

Dwight has a smoke, and Shari asks if he wants to go with them. He says Morgan and Al are like family. They’re a big part of the reason he is who he is now. She asks if Morgan wasn’t how he ended up inside Ginny’s walls, and he says they wanted a place to disappear. They should give it a shot. They can get Ginny when the time is right. Shari asks when that will be. She appreciates what Morgan is trying to do, but they have a plan; right here, right now. The only way to have what they want is to take her out. She tells Dwight, if he wants to, go with Morgan, but she’s not leaving until Virginia is dead. He ponders, then says he’s not leaving without her.

In some kind of cave, the driver is bound to a chair with a hood over his head. Loud music is playing. Dwight, Shari, and Oswald come in wearing their masks. They take his hood off, and Dwight asks where Virginia is going. He’d better not say again that he doesn’t know. Dwight thinks he has a lot of guts, but he needs more. Dwight dumps a bucket of literal guts on him, and the driver says, what the hell? Does Dwight think that will make him talk? Dwight says, no, but he might. Rollie comes in with the dog, baring his teeth and growling on the end of his leash. Dwight asks where Virginia is going to be next, and the driver says, if Dwight kills him, he’s got nothing. Dwight says he’s got one happy dog. The driver asks, what did she do to you a-holes? and asks Shari if the cat’s got her tongue. Dwight says, don’t talk to her. He removes his mask, and says he will kill him. The driver says he sees why Dwight wears a mask. Dwight says the driver has seen his face now. He can’t let him go back, unless he helps them deal with Virginia. Where is Virginia going to be? The driver says Dwight is the a-hole with the chess pieces. What happened? He saw Dwight at the truck stop. Dwight grabs his neck, and  the dog is practically in the driver’s lap, snarling and snapping. Dwight kicks the driver’s chair out from under him. Morgan comes in, and asks, what’s happening here? Dwight says he’s asking questions, but it seems the driver doesn’t have the answers he’s looking for. Dwight and Morgan leave. 

Outside, Morgan tells Dwight, he’s got to wait, but Dwight says they might not get another chance. Morgan says he’ll put people they know in danger. Why go there in first place? He’s got a place waiting. Dwight says, Morgan tells him that he’s got a place where it’s safe; where he’ll help protect them. He’s heard it before. Why is this place, this building, any different? Morgan says, he’s different. He does things different. Dwight says he’s sorry, but Shari is right. Nothing will be different until Virginia is gone. Morgan says he can’t let Dwight do this, but Dwight says he is doing it. If Grace was asking Morgan to do the same thing… Morgan considers that for a moment, and says, sh*t. Dwight walks away.

Back at the tank, Shari asks if Dwight wants to talk about it. He says, no, and Rollie asks if he wants the dog back out. Dwight says, there are other ways to get the guy to talk, and Rollie asks, what ways? Dwight says, ways that will make him wish they were still using the dog. Shari says they don’t need to find out where Ginny is going to be. They can make her come to them. Rollie says, she’ll smell that coming a mile away, but Shari says, not if it’s coming from her own people. Isn’t time for Dwight’s next check in? Dwight says it is, and gets on the radio. He asks if Hill copies, and Hill says he’s late. Dwight says they found a place where there are still living people, and Hill asks, how many? Dwight says, over 100. They want to make sure Ginny makes the first overture. Hill tells him, stay put. They’ll be there by nightfall. Dwight tells Shari, soon enough, it will all be behind them. I tell him, famous last words.

Dwight says he’ll show Shari how to do the guns; sometimes it sticks. He asks, what’s wrong? and she wonders if he was really going to let the dog kill that guy. Dwight says he had to let the guy think that’s what he was going to do. She asks if he had to do that before, at the Sanctuary. He says, they can’t take any chances on screwing this up, including Morgan and Al. They might have to stand by until he’s done. She says, she thought he told her they were like family, and he says they’re like family; she is his family. He’s not going to let anyone get in the way of what he has to do. She asks what he has to do, and he says, when Ginny gets there, he’s killing her himself.

Morgan says, Al lied about the van, and she says, if worse comes to worse, she can take out the steering column. She hopes she can get the tank out of range. Otherwise it might blow up. Morgan says, screw up their people and pay the cost. Dwight knew if he tried something, there would be consequences. It might not work, and he’s going to make it worse. He tried it Dwight’s way. This time, they’re doing it his way. Al says, it’s not his call. It’s theirs. Rollie opens the gate, and stands there with her crew. Morgan sets aside his ax, and raises his hands, saying, okay. Al raises hers, and they all go out. Shari looks sad.

Rollie opens up one of the buildings, and says, the driver is out cold. Dwight asks if they searched him. Morgan says he’s sorry, and asks if Dwight is too. Dwight says, no, he’s not, but they both want the same things. Maybe Ginny does too. They all have their own lives, and their own rules, so there’s a fight. Somebody’s got to lose. He asks if Shari is okay, and Shari tells the guard, make sure he stays in there too. She tells Dwight, she can’t have him be part of this. It’s the only way. She won’t let him be the person he used to be. He goes inside with Morgan and Al, and Shari walks off.

They pull the van into the woods. Rollie tells everyone to get into position now. They should be here in 10 minutes.

Dwight pouts, Al bites at the ties on her wrists. Dwight says, Morgan was right. Taking Ginny out now is not the right time. He wanted to be with Shari so bad, he thought this was what she needed. Morgan says, Shari has to figure out what she needs for herself. Morgan says he spent so long thinking his way was the only way, he didn’t realize the trouble he was causing them. He didn’t realize he had to change until it was almost too late. Dwight says Shari is in the dirt with them, and Morgan asks what he’s doing to make sure she doesn’t have to go through what they did.

Rollie radios that they’re heading toward the gates. Shari cries quietly. Several cars come up the road, and form a line across it.

Dwight gets himself free. Rollie tells Shari they’ve got company, and she asks, who? Dwight opens the passenger door, and she asks what he’s doing. He says the same thing she was trying to do for him. Don’t be a fool.

Ginny isn’t with them, and Dwight tells Shari, don’t do this. Don’t kill her own people. She’s about to end up dead too. Wait a while. Work with them. It’s not going to work the way she said. Shari says, somebody has to do something, and Rollie radios, it’s now or never. Dwight tells her, she said she didn’t want him to turn into someone he hated. He doesn’t want that for her either. On the radio, Hill says, if Al and Dwight are listening, there had better be a damn good reason for this. Shari puts her hand on the lever to open up the guns, but her hand shakes. The cars leaves, and she smacks Dwight. She says he had to make it hard, and gets out of the van.  

Shari cries in her room. Dwight knocks at the door, but she says, not now. Dwight hesitantly comes downstairs. He site, then kneels in front of her. He asks what Ginny did to her, and she says, it’s not about Ginny. It never was. She gets up, and Dwight says, it’s about Negan. She says she could have done something a hundred times, but she didn’t. He says, this isn’t then. They can’t change the past; not him or her. He wanted to be with her more than anyone, but not like this. People are trying to change them into something they weren’t. He’s not standing around and watching it happen again. She says, then he needs to leave. She needs this. There’s the truth. That’s who she is, but he’s right; they can’t change who they are. At least he can’t because – she takes his face in her hands – he actually reminds her of who they used to be, before all of this. So go. She tells him louder, go. He leaves, and she cries.

Dwight leaves the building, and approaches the dog. The dog growls at him, but he puts his hand on the fence, and the dog licks it. He opens the gate, and lets the dog out. Great, now I have another dog to worry about. Dwight takes a last look.

Dwight meets Morgan and Al, who tells him that Shari and the others took off with the driver. Al asks how she is, and Dwight says, not good. He doesn’t think she’s going to be for a while. Morgan tells him, come with them, and he says he’d really to take out Ginny. Morgan says they will, but they’re going to need more than the van. Al says Dwight found his way back to Shari; she’ll find her way back to him. Dwight says he needs Al’s hat and jacket. He puts it on a zombie, and puts his own on another one. They put hoods on the zombies, and Morgan beats the crap out of the zombies’ heads. They lead the zombies away, and Morgan asks if Dwight is sure they’ll find them. Dwight says, they patrol every day. Al says, she’s got some people she wants Morgan to meet, and the three of them drive off.  

Al and Dwight open a truck, where Nora and the others have been waiting. Morgan asks, what’s going on? and Al says, they’re looking for a place to settle down. She thinks she’s found one for them, with help from a friend. Nora asks if they can trust him, and Al says she thinks so. Morgan says, he has to warn them, the place they’re going needs work. The people come out of the truck, and Dwight gets inside. Above the door, he draws an infinity symbol and an arrow. Morgan leads Everyone down the road on his horse.  

Next time, John suggests he and June leave, June performs surgery, and Ginny says, it doesn’t have to be the end.

The Walking Dead: World Beyond

Hope spoke in a voiceover, as we saw shadow puppets go from a happy world to an apocalypse. She told us, it had been a world with pets and homes, jobs and weekends, then everything changed. People died and returned; neither living or dead. The love they’d felt had been erased. The memory replaced by a hunger that was never satisfied. Everything they’d counted on couldn’t save them. Roads crumbled, cities fell, and to those born right before, the end of world was their beginning.

Iris, Hope, Silas, and Elton found the guy stalking them in the woods. Felix had gone looking for them, caught up, and questioned the guy. He said his name was Percy, and he’d just been taking a leak. Hope said, and he suddenly decided to rob them? but he swore he hadn’t, and had nothing on him. Felix said there were no signs of anyone else being with him, and they invited Percy to eat with them. Percy explained that he’d teamed up with a pair of nice enough guys named Mike and Tony. They gave a biker vibe, and bickered like an old married couple, but they ended up robbing his ass. They said they were from a settlement that seemed friendly to newcomers, so they found a place to camp, and went to sleep. When he woke up, they were gone, and so was his stuff. He said they were headed for an abandoned town called Andersonville, and he was going to get back what was his. Felix said he should be grateful for his life, and move on. Percy said it wasn’t a vigilante deal or the principle, but some things can’t be replaced. Elton said he understood that.

Percy told them, early on after the apocalypse, he was looking for a place to camp in the snow. He heard zombies coming, and thought, the world was so screwed up, why fight so hard to live in it? He got on a car roof, closed his eyes, and braced himself for the end, but nothing happened. He opened his eyes, and saw 200 bison crossing the overpass he was on. It was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. The real is surreal. Hope realized the timeframe wasn’t right, and thought he’d stolen the car. He said telling them he had a car, was like telling someone he had buried treasure, and not expecting them to look for it. He’d been in a truck carrying refined fuel, when it was stolen from him. Iris suggested they help him get his truck, then he could drive them where they needed to go. Felix thought it was too risky, and Huck suggested they get back-up, but Iris said they had no time. Percy said when his truck was hijacked, he hadn’t seen any guns. Felix relented, and said they’d go at dawn.

Elton told Hope about his mom, saying, she was the coolest. She saw death and decay as no better or worse than any life cycle. He was working on finishing his mom’s manuscript about nature, and said he wanted to pass the book along when he was done. Iris explained to Percy that she and Hope were going to save their father, and he thought she was lucky still having someone to save. Silas told Felix that he didn’t like Percy, and didn’t understand how anyone could.

They got to Andersonville, when a truck pulled in. Percy said it was his truck, and Felix thought they should do a smash and grab. Silas thought they shouldn’t do this. The truck stopped, but there was no movement, and Felix and Percy went to check it out. Percy said the driver was dead, and Felix wanted them to go back to the campsite, but that was a no. Felix agreed to help him, and Elton and Hope went around to the front of the building to find a door that wasn’t boarded up. Felix told  them to stay there, and I wondered why he continued to give orders when no one ever listens. He met Percy inside, while Iris paced. She told Silas she was going in, and he said she’d promised Felix she wouldn’t, like that meant something. She asked how they were going to save her dad if they were always waiting for people to save them, and Silas said he wouldn’t stop her. I would go zero places by myself in the apocalypse.

Iris found an entrance, and a random mannequin scared the hell out of her. She almost shot Percy, then a zombie popped its hand through a gate, and scared the hell out of me.

Elton told Hope that her dad had encouraged him to finish the manuscript. Her father hadn’t known his mom, but admired her research. Hope looked at the picture of Elton’s mother, the same woman she’d killed the night the sky fell. The thunder continued off and on, and I wished it would rain already, since that’s been going on since last week.

Felix checked out the building, killing random zombies, while Percy and Iris searched upstairs. Percy rifled through some pants pockets, and found car keys. The weird part is, I didn’t catch any explanation as to why the driver didn’t have keys or why they weren’t in the truck. As they started to leave, Percy looked in a room, and saw his stuff. He gave Iris the keys, and told her, find Felix and start the car. He was getting his stuff back. She left, but on her way downstairs, heard him argue with someone for a moment, then heard a gunshot. She debated with herself on the stairs, but went back up. Felix heard zombies, and got ready. It finally started to rain, and while Silas was staring at the door, the truck driver got up. Iris found an empty room where Percy had been, and the driver was apparently not a zombie as we all thought. He grabbed everyone’s stuff, jumped in the truck, and took off. Hope looked around, but found nothing except a zombie in the bathtub. Silas ran in to get Hope and Elton. Hope ran after the truck.

Iris saw Percy also headed for the truck. They locked eyes, and Percy ran, going out one of the windows. Iris followed, but fell into a dumpster. Percy jumped into the back of the truck as it drove away. Hope told Iris that help was coming, but a zombie popped out of the garbage. Iris got ready to spike it in the head, but then another one popped up behind her. Silas and Elton dealt with a bunch of zombies, while Felix got the dumpster gate down, rescuing Iris. Percy came back, and the driver told everyone to get in the truck. They left just in time, since it was going to be zombie city in a moment.    

Felix said, no good deed goes unpunished, and Percy – who called the zombies has-beens – introduced his Uncle Tony aka the driver. Felix asked if they should feel grateful that all Tony and Percy had changed their minds, and Tony said, out there, this was as good as it got. Tony did magic tricks, and told them he’d worked in Vegas as an illusionist and ventriloquist. Percy explained that his mom had split, and Tony raised him. Tony said Percy was a quick study; he was grifting kids in the sandbox. Iris was seriously bummed, and wandered off to be moody. Percy followed her, and she said he didn’t have to pretend that he cared now. She’d thought she had good instincts. Percy said she did; she came back to help him. He’d done this grift before, and every single person had taken the keys and run. She saw him as someone worth saving. That’s why he came back. She’s who he wanted to be now, and it was on him to prove he could be more like her.

Hope wanted to read Elton’s mom’s book, and he said he thought he must have been the last person who knew her. Now someone else would. At this point, I wondered if she was really dead. Tony tinkered with the truck, when Felix said he wanted to talk. Tony said he intended to make good on the ride, and asked about the emblem on Felix’s jacket. Felix said it was a university emblem from where they lived, and Tony told him not to bullsh*t bullsh*tter, especially one from Vegas. He thought whoever Felix was involved with didn’t mess around. He saw helicopters with the same emblem, periodically flying by. He said they’d incorporated avoiding these a-holes in their routine. He asked Felix, if they were in a bind, could his patch get them out, and Felix said, of course it could. Tony said he’d take them tomorrow, but first, a little acting.   

Silas told Felix, some people made starting over look easy. Iris told Hope, she wished she knew what was a lie, and what was real. Hope said Percy and Tony weren’t much different from them. They all had parts they wanted to hide. Tony and Percy did shadow puppetry like at the beginning, about the end of the world. It started out happy, then got sad, but ended with hope.

Next time, the group gets ahold of a military map, Percy says there’s fuel for the taking, and Iris is held hostage.  

After the preview, there was an extra scene. We saw a female scientist looking over Hope and Iris’s father’s notes, including personal correspondence from the girls. She received a call from Elizabeth, and promised Elizabeth that the doctor wouldn’t be a problem when the group arrived. After she hung up, we heard zombie noises, presumably from the ones she’s experimenting on. See below for more on this.

⚰️ Dead End…

A detailed explanation of the end after the end.

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/the-walking-dead-world-beyond-post-credits-scene-explained-crm-106-shadow-puppets/

😢 What Is Goodbye…

Saying farewell to a class act.

https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/Trebek-brought-consensus-class-to-a-nation-in-15711891.php

🌱 Back To the Beginning…

Once again, it’s Monday, or another day, depending on whether or not you’re still paying attention. No matter what, I’ll see you on Deck tomorrow. For now, stay safe, stay exceptional, and stay away from people wearing masks. Unless you’re one of them. Or unless it’s Halloween.