Category Archives: walking dead

Oct15

October 14, 2018 – Rick Builds a Bridge, Dedicated to Scott, a Bit of 90, Double Trouble, Goodbye Joe & This Little Piggy

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What I Watched Today

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

 

The Walking Dead

Rick says it’s been a while since they had a talk. He does most of the talking anyway. He’ll keep it short. We don’t see who he’s talking to, but my guess is Negan.

Today is day 35. Things are taking shape. Not that long ago, they were fighting just to stay alive. It’s not like that anymore. They’re building and growing. They’re ready to deal with world on its own terms, but not letting it define them. They’re getting back a piece of how it used to be; how things were before this. it’s all happening. They’re not just fighting to survive anymore. They’re making a new beginning. Rick looks out from a platform over the new world.

Ezekiel says Henry should be proud. Someday, he’s going to cross the bridge with his grandchildren, and tell them how he built it. Henry thinks that would be a boring story, but Ezekiel says, it’s the lifeblood of civilization. Without it, there would be no trade. The structure connects them all. Be proud. He tells Henry to be ready in an hour; he’s going home. Carol gives Henry his pokey stick. She thinks he’s taller. Ezekiel says he’ll be in college before they know it. He’d stay to drive in the last nail if Henry didn’t have school. Carol says she’ll be heading back after. Ezekiel tells her, fairy tales and heroes live forever, but in this world, it’s about finding small moments. It’s just good-by for now; he’s not giving up on fairy tales.

Eugene tells Rick that with the spring rains, they have six to nine days before the dam overflows, but he thinks they can beat it. Rick says he’ll talk to the foreman. Rosita thinks should push along the blasting. Rick asks Eugene about runoffs, and he says they’ve been down in the last six in past months Zzzz… and that doesn’t stand for zombies.

At the infirmary tent, Siddiq tells Cyndie she’s lucky her wound didn’t get infected. Tara says she’s ready to take on anything. Rick tells Eugene that there’s a bug going around. Eugene tells him that Alexandria is slim on supplies, and it’s getting slimmer by the day.

Michonne rides into Hilltop. She tells Maggie that the Sanctuary didn’t get the supplies. Maybe the delivery guys were taken out or went AWOL. She’s hoping Maggie can tide them over. Jesus thinks they can do it, but Maggie is hesitant. Until they get fuel for the tractor, their yield will be short. Michonne asks what about the plow from museum, but Maggie doesn’t have what she needs to fix it. Michonne asks how long Earl is going to be locked up, but Maggie hasn’t decided. Michonne says that’s why they need to start talking rules, so there isn’t another situation like with Gregory. Maggie asks if Michonne thinks she should have let Earl walk. Michonne says, no. She hates what he did to Maggie and Enid, but if keeping him locked up means crops aren’t planted, it’ a problem. Maggie says they’ll be fine, but until the ethanol shows up, she can’t plant. She offers for Michonne to spend the night. Michonne takes her up on it, and Jesus says he’ll get her set up.

Ricks’ crew works on the bridge. Aaron tells Daryl about an exploding diaper, and Daryl says, good times… Aaron thinks Daryl will be a great dad, and Daryl laughs. Henry gives out water. Savior Justin takes a cup and wants more. When Henry won’t give it to him, Justin pushes Henry down, and takes it. Andy uses the side of his pokey stick to knock Justin down. Another Savior tells Justin that he had his ass handed to him by a kid too – although he was six at the time. Daryl tells Justin, the kid was just doing his job. Get back to work. Justin says, don’t tell him what to do, and Daryl punches him. He throws sand in Daryl’s face, and they start to scuffle.

Eugene is telling Rick about his scheme to turn expired food stuffs into gazpacho, when Rick hears the fighting on the bridge. He runs over, and tells them, break it up. He gets in between Daryl and Justin, and tells them to go back to work. Daryl asks if that a-hole gets a free pass. Rick doesn’t like it either, but the bridge needs to get done. Daryl says some of the Saviors have walked off already. They’re not going to fall in line just because he says so. Carol says they never had to work together; he can’t expect them to just forget. Rick says it’s about moving ahead together. If they keep doing that, they’ll see they’re all on the same side. Daryl says, are they? Rick says, you tell me, and Daryl says he’s trying to, but Rick doesn’t want to hear it. Daryl walks away, and Carol says, it’s complicated. He’s been different since Gregory, maybe before. Rick wants her to talk to him, and she says, and say what? Rick says she gets what he’s trying to do. She says he’s doing the right thing, but for some aren’t ready for it. He tosses A Key to the Future on the table.

Michonne hears talking outside. Jesus is telling Tammy, not today. She asks, when? She deserves an answer. Since her husband has been locked up, no one talks to her. She doesn’t have much, but she still has rights, and they can’t take those away. Jesus says Earl tried to kill Maggie. Give her time to figure it out. Tammy says, tell Maggie that she’s not moving until she’s allowed in there. She has no place else to be.

Michonne tells Jesus that Maggie should talk to Tammy about it. Jesus says she’ll do what she wants. Maggie asks what he thinks, but he says it’s not his call. Michonne asks if he agrees. He doesn’t know if the hanging was for everyone, Maggie, or both. He’s not against Tammy seeing her husband. Michonne tells him to talk to her; Maggie trusts him. He trusts her, but no one is right all the time. Michonne says that’s why they need to build something bigger than all of them.

Anne does a sketch, while Gabriel dictates the features. He says she’s talented, coming from a half-blind art critic. She says she likes doing it; it’s intimate, and makes her feel like one of them. He says she is, and she says, thanks to him, Rick, and Morgan. They reached out. He says the others will come around. No one trusted him at first either. Anne says they had good reason not to trust her, and Gabriel says, him too. Rick reached out; he’s good like that. Anne says, he’s not the only one, and takes his hand. He says that’s his job; being there.

Maggie tells Jesus they can move the school trailer until the heat wave is over. Eww! Imagine all those dead during a Georgia heat wave. No thanks. Jesus says he’s been thinking about how much she’s done for them. He wonders if she’s thinking about joining Oceanside. She doesn’t think they’ll get tired of asking, but she’s busy building a future there. He says Tammy is asking to see Earl; he’s been there over a month. Maggie asks if Jesus thinks she’s unfair. He thinks some decisions are too big for one person. That’s why they have laws. Michonne isn’t wrong. She’s a good person, and good people disagree.

Maggie takes Tammy to Earl’s cell. Tammy tells Earl that she’s been trying to see him every day. He says he’s okay; they’re treating him fair; more than he deserves. He was twenty years sober, and brought shame on himself. She says he made a mistake, and lost himself, but he came back. She forgives him. it’s not her forgiveness he needs though. He misses their son.

Enid blows something up. Decrepit zombies trundle through the woods toward the sound.

Maggie approaches Earl’s cell. She never thought when he helped her build them, he’d be the first person in one. She asks him to tell her about the drinking. How did he get there? He says he started drinking after he quit smoking. He was always a bad drunk. He was drunk the day Ken was born. He can’t remember the first time he saw he saw him. He joined AA when Ken was two. They were barely making ends meet, and the stress got to him. On the way to pick Ken up, he saw the sign for McDuffy’s. The sitter could smell the whiskey on him, and tried to grab his keys. He put his son in the truck, and the next thing he remembers is being pulled off the road. Tammy was there; he guesses the sitter called and told her that he was drunk. She took him home, and he thought she’d be gone, but she stuck around. She said he was sick, and swore they’d stay together no matter what. He never took drink after that. He wasn’t even tempted until… Maggie knows the rest. She thanks him, and starts to go. He asks why she hanged Gregory, but not him. He was drunk and weak, but what he did was in him. Gregory didn’t make him do anything. Maggie asks if he thinks she made a mistake? He says, no, and she says, good, and leaves.

Enid watches from a cherry picker, and radios Rick on the bridge. She tells him they’re on schedule, and Rick says, okay, let’s do this. Enid tells Jerry, crank it up, and he starts up a crank siren. A Savior whose name I don’t remember tells Rick that the Saviors making the supply delivery never got there. The people at the Sanctuary are getting worried. They want guns. Rick says they were disarmed for a reason. The Savior says they’re scared. Rick says he’ll protect them. The Savior says, if they work for him, they’ll protect him; who does that sound like? Jerry can’t get the alarm to work a second time. Enid radios Rick that it’s not going off. If the zombies aren’t diverted, they’re going to run right into his crew.

The horses start to get antsy. Daryl senses trouble. Zombie start coming. Daryl does a ballet move, and spears a couple of them in the head, but a zombie crowd forms quickly. He thinks they should get the hell out, but logs tumble down from a pile, and Aaron gets pinned. Daryl tries moving the log from on top of Aaron, but the zombies are getting closer. Aaron tells him to go. Daryl kills a few more, and gets someone’s attention to help get the log off of Aaron’s arm, which is pretty messed up. He pulls Aaron up from the ground, and they try to jet, but aren’t fast enough. A zombie grabs Daryl’s shoulder, but Rick and his crew arrive, slicing, dicing, and shooting arrows, Carol and Ezekiel join them. Rick shoots the rest of the logs, and they slam into the zombies. I laugh because it’s a little Three Stooges looking.

In the infirmary tent, Enid tells Aaron the bad news. Amputation and cauterization are the only way to stop the bleeding. Aaron is like, wait a minute, as we all would be. Daryl says, sorry, and ties off Aaron’s arm. Enid tells Daryl to hold him, and reads the instructions from a book. Aaron says, do it, and she does. He screams.

In one of the tents, Carol tells Justin that she doesn’t give a sh*t. Daryl says he was supposed to turn the herd. Justin says the walkie wasn’t charged. Daryl says, it’s solar, and he didn’t check? Justin says it’s not his fault the radio is sh*t. Daryl lunges at him, but Carol tells him to stop; he’s out of control. Some of the kids stand there watching. Carol says, don’t deal with him like this, but Daryl says, it’s the only way to deal with these a-holes.

Michonne visits Maggie. She says Maggie has done something amazing with this place. Maggie says she knows what Michonne came to do. She’s thought about it; talking about common law, but she’s not giving up the right to do what she thinks is best. Michonne says, what’s best for everyone? Maggie says, what’s best for Hilltop, and Michonne says, neither will they. Maggie asks Jesus to load up the food like she promised. She tells Michonne that Earl till owes a debt. He can pay it by working under supervision. She’s going to get the plow fixed, and the field planted. Michonne asks, what changed? Maggie says her daddy drank. He was a good man, and if he hadn’t gotten a second chance, a lot of people would have been worse off. Michonne counts herself as one of them. Maggie says, but Gregory had chance after chance, and he wasted them. She doesn’t regret what she did. Some people can be redeemed; others can’t. Michonne asks, who makes that decision? and Maggie guesses it’s one of the things they have to figure out.

Justin tells Rick to keep his dog on a leash, referring to Daryl. He tried to kill him over nothing. Rick says he knows Justin. He used to be a cop. Every Saturday night, he’d pick up a dipsh*t like him, trying to blame someone else for their own damn problems. Justin says he doesn’t have to listen, but Rick says he does. Rick gave him the benefit of the doubt. That’s done. Pack his sh*t, and get out in the morning. If Rick sees his face again, even stitches won’t fix it. Justin says he wouldn’t stay if Rick begged him to, and he’s not waiting until morning.

Rick tells Aaron it’s going to be all right, which is easy for him to say. He would have died if the wound had gotten infected. Rick sits, and says he’s sorry. They were all supposed to be working together, and he thought they were. He knows he was pushing hard, putting the project first, and he paid the price. Aaron says it’s worth it. When the dead started to rise, he thought he was seeing the end of everything. Rick changed all that. It’s not the end of the world anymore. It’s the start of a whole new one. He’ll always be glad he was there to be a part of it.

Gabriel and Anne sit near a pong. Gabriel says those are frog mating calls. There’s a wild frog party going on. Anne says, that’s a strange thing to know, and Gabriel tells her that he grew up playing in the woods. It sounds like home. She asks if he knows the woman he had her draw. He says he doesn’t ask her secrets, and she asks if that’s who she was; a secret lover perhaps. He says it was nothing like that. She was the organist at his church. He cared for her very much, but was afraid and lost her. Anne thought he was supposed to be celibate, but he says he’s Episcopal, not Catholic. His vows don’t prohibit him from… He kisses her, and she kisses back. Wow. I didn’t see that coming. Gabriel says he’s supposed to be on watch. She says, then watch, and kisses him again.

Everyone jokes around the campfire. Carol asks Ezekiel if he’s still carrying the old ring around. She just wants to try it on for a while. He tries to get on one knee, and she tells him, no. He says he wrote a speech, and she says she’s sure he did. He can read it to her later. He puts the ring on her, and they smile at each other. Rick watches.

Rick says, it was a hard day. The hardest in a while. A man lost his arm; the project fell behind schedule; people were at each other’s throats. As bad as it was, when the day was done, they came together. Not all of them, but enough. They chose to be together. See what he’s getting at? No matter what happens, it’s human nature to come together. It’s what they do.

Negan (I was right) says, it’s a real pretty picture Rick is painting. When does he get to see it? Rick says, never. He’s going to die behind bars. He knows that. Negan says, then as a final request, why doesn’t he bring… Rick asks if he ever gets tired of acting still he’s still in charge. Negan asks, does he? Does Rick think because they had a weenie roast he has it locked? When everything goes to sh*t – and it will – make sure to come back and tell him. Rick says they’re thriving without Negan. They’re building a future, like he said. Negan asks, for who? Carl? Rick tells Negan not to speak Carl’s name. Negan says Rick’s family is gone; the same as his. The bridge isn’t the future. It’s a monument to the dead. Rick isn’t saving the world. He’s just getting it ready for Negan.

In the cherry picker, Anne hears something, and looks up. She sees a helicopter flying across the night’s sky.

Justin walks along the road in the dark, alone. He’s drinking, which probably isn’t the brightest idea. He tosses the bottle, so he’s a litterbug too. He hears something, and brings out a sword. Someone comes out of the woods who he recognizes. He says they could have gotten themselves killed… What the hell?

Next time, the future belongs to all of them, rioting starts, and Maggie and Daryl walk a road together.

😔 Tonight’s episode was dedicated to Scott Wilson aka Herschel.

http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/the-walking-dead/news/a868328/the-walking-dead-hershel-scott-wilson-tributes-cast-crew/

💍 Tonight was the finale of 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days. The Couples Tell All is their version of a reunion, where at least one cast member has to SKYPE in because they didn’t get their visa or it didn’t work out. This time, there were several, and it was probably the messiest Tell All ever. Fingers in faces, walkouts, Shaun Robinson the worst host in the world. I read there’s an internet petition to get rid of her. A sad show made even sadder. That’s not to say it wasn’t the best thing since the invention of reality TV. One couple never even made it to meeting each other, and was a no show. Darcey and Jesse went from Jesse claiming he was going to file charges, to hugging it out. Karine announced she was pregnant, and Paul asked for another DNA test. Ricky decided to stay with his ex-wife, making him look like even more of an idiot, and leaving Ximena grateful she didn’t get more involved. Angela broke up with Michael, who was on SKYPE, because he brought up their age difference once again. It was apparently once too many. She ended up taking it out on Rachel when the couples present at the studio were brought together. We also found out that Michael did not steal all of Angela’s money when she gave him her PIN, and it was a bank error, probably the biggest surprise of the season. The only disappointment was that John wasn’t there in person, since I’m sure he would have had a fistfight with someone. After taking copious notes throughout the season, I’ll be submitting my analyzation of these couples in the near future.

👰 Almost Wife Meets Sister Wife…

Because being involved with one bad situation isn’t enough.

https://radaronline.com/exclusives/2018/10/90-day-fiance-nicole-nafziger-sister-wives-meri-brown-shady-business-lularoe/?utm_source=email&em_hash=72048a93bc8188334dc1071a32fe8f3b

✈ Say It Ain’t So…

Looks like not-so-Juicy Joe might be getting the boot to the boot.

https://radaronline.com/exclusives/2018/10/joe-giudice-deported-family-house-italy-teresa-giudice-husband-rhonj/?utm_source=email&em_hash=72048a93bc8188334dc1071a32fe8f3b

🐷 Best Music Video In a While…

Oct8

October 7, 2018 – The Original Walkers Return, Talking Tidbit, RIP Herschel, 90 News, He’s Back, a Scammer Scammed & Cabin Fun

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What I Watched Today

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

 

The Walking Dead

Alexandria is being rebuilt, and looking pretty good. Michonne teaches Judith to paint. She and Rick take Judith for a walk. Why does Judith look more like Michonne than Lori or Shane?

Two Alexandrians hang up a zombie scarecrow, but Daryl shoots it in the head with an arrow. Jesus kicks zombie ass outside. Aaron wants to learn, and Jesus says he teaches a class. Zombie Ass Kicking 101? Rick gets a group together to go to DC.

Outside, it’s quiet. A group of zombies meanders up the street, begins to gather. Rick and Michonne gallop by on horses and whack them in the head. King Ezekiel follows, along with some others on horses and a horse pulled cart. Daryl brings up the rear with his motorcycle dudes.

The group does a sweep of a museum. A lone zombie pops up from behind the desk. Oh, it must be government run. Rick says they have their lists. Circle back when they’re done, and be safe. They split into smaller groups. Maggie says it’s going to work. Michonne sees zombies roaming underneath them through a glass floor, and carefully walks across. A zombie plummets over the bannister of an upper floor. Although he’s impaled on something, Daryl finishes him off.

Downstairs, Rick’s group looks around in the dark. Siddiq gets caught under a tarp with a zombie crawling with spiders. He doesn’t like spiders. Apparently even less than he likes zombies.

A zombie ambles toward the chain of human evolution, and becomes the final frame in the display. Daryl helps Cyndie with a canoe, and asks if she’s all right. She was thinking about her brother. They were fighting in a canoe at the county fair. She asks if he has random memories like that. Daryl says most of his memories of his brother involve fighting. He had friends who fought with him, but they didn’t make it.

Rick’s group finds a crate where seeds are being stores. Anne remembered where they were from the days when she was teaching; she brought her class there. Rick tells them to take the lot. Gee, seeds aren’t that heavy; take them all. He wants to get back, and see if the others need help.

Michonne is surprised that Gregory called for an election. Maggie says he had one great idea, but he’s sore about the results. Michonne says, the rebirth of democracy – by that guy. Who’d have thought. Carol says she lives with a king. Maggie says, it works, but there’s something about a vote. She tells them that they have to help the Sanctuary, and Michonne says she’s glad Maggie won.

Rick, Carol, and some others try to get a covered wagon down the stairs, and over the glass floor, which is at the bottom of the staircase. They wheel it slowly off the bottom steps and across the glass. The glass begins to crack, but the zombies don’t notice them. Maggie helps bring down a vintage plow. As the carry it across the glass, it isn’t looking good. Rick says, no sudden moves; nice and slow. Rick, Ezekiel, and Carol take another piece of equipment across. The glass cracks some more, and Ezekiel falls through. The zombies come at him, and latch onto him. He’s tied to a column with a rope that’s rubbing back and forth against the jagged glass. Dangling, Ezekiel kicks at the zombies, who are pulling at him every which way. The others try to pull him back. I’m freaking out, and hopping around in my chair. Daryl tries to use the crossbow, but can’t get a clear hit. Somehow, they get him back up. Carol hugs him, and then kisses him. Whoa. Nothing like romance in the apocalypse. That was rough. I don’t like many characters on this show, but he’s one of them.

The caravan heads back out.

Daryl pikes a random zombie in the head as he drives past it. He circles back to get his pokey stick. A few guys discuss how Daryl never smiles. Ezekiel tells Carol that he was scared back there. Carol was too, but she’s glad he’s okay. He says it made him remember something he’s been taking for granted. You can’t wait on life. He asks her to marry him, and shows her a ring. She tells him, put that thing away; it will snag on everything. She told him not to ask, especially after something like this. He laughs, and says he’ll always love her. He’ll keep it until she’s ready.

They get to a bridge, but a herd has taken it out. Maggie needs to get back to baby Herschel. Rick says, keep an eye on the road. He tells Gabriel to take his group back to Alexandria. The rest will go to Sanctuary and Hilltop, stay overnight, then head out from there. Enid writes bridge out on the sign.  Michonne tells Rick the horses can’t pull the wagon in the mud. Ken thinks they need a break. Maggie thinks they should come back, but Michonne isn’t so sure. Rick says they should swap out the horses, while they see what they can do about the trailers. Rick, Michonne, Daryl, and Ezekiel pull the wagon, but zombies toddle out of the woods. They get the wagon past the mud, and Rick tells Daryl and Michonne to take care of business. They load the wagon up with the farm equipment. The horses get nervous and rear up. The plow falls out and breaks apart. Rick tells them leave the wagon. Ken runs back to free the horses, and gets bit. Making sad face.

Siddiq tells him be all right, but no, he’s not. They start to make a tourniquet, but it’s too late. He’s gone. I hate this stupid show. Maggie cries, and I get annoyed that she’s suddenly being a baby.

Back in Alexandria, Maggie visits Ken’s parents, Earl and Tammy. Tammy says she took their boy out there, and now their son is dead. And what do they have to show for it? A broken plow. Maggie tells her they got more than that, but Tammy says the Sanctuary will get it all. Earl tells her to calm down. She says she hates Maggie but asks what kind of man would let this go? Um… a realistic one? Maggie would like to arrange a funeral, but Tammy says they’ll do it, and Maggie is not welcome. Tammy voted for her, but they’re not friends. Gregory was the one who said he put Hilltop first. He’s a scoundrel, but he’s no fool. Their son is dead, and Maggie’s boy has no father. The Saviors eat their food, and take everything Hilltop has bled for. It ain’t right.

Maggie watches as the funeral happens. A guy sings, and says he’s going to miss Ken. The world was a better place for having him in it. They drink to Ken.

Rick and his group arrive at the Sanctuary. Eugene says they all have a well-compiled list that needs attention. Someone asks Daryl if he’s giving a speech, but he says it’s a bad time; they just lost someone. Michonne sees, Saviors save us! We are still Negan, written on the wall. Michonne asks who did this? and Daryl tells a guy to clean it up or paint over it. The guy says they’re running out of paint; they’re finding it all over the place. He doesn’t seem too eager to get rid of it.

At the funeral, Gregory eulogizes Ken, saying, Ken had a good heart; he wasn’t a fighter. He tended to the animals. Regular guys like Ken keep the place going. He’s remembered as a son, a friend, a shining example of Hilltop. The straight face of fundamental decency, even in tragedy. Rest in peace. Jesus says, that was beautiful. Gregory says, it makes think about what you have, and what you’ve lost. He’s grateful for what he has.

Rick shakes hands. Eugene says they need a boost until help comes. Rick says he came with farming equipment, and heirloom seeds. They’re going to look to the past to help them with the present. A dude thanks Rick, and everyone applauds.

Rick asks Daryl, what’s up. Daryl doesn’t want to be there; it doesn’t feel right. He’s always better out there. He always has been. Rick says Daryl put this place together. He kept the people in line. He can’t let the Sanctuary fail. Daryl says it will anyway. It’s a factory; nothing grows. They still need other people to provide. Nothing changed. Rick says they give willingly, but Daryl says, nothing lasts. The bridge is out, and pretty soon, it will take days to ride from one place to another. Everyone is everywhere. When they were a small group at the beginning, they could do anything. That was right, and what he knows. Rick asks if Daryl wants to come to Alexandria, but he wants to go to Hilltop to check on Maggie and the baby. Daryl says they’ll need someone to take his place if he leaves. Eugene is going to Oceanside. The Kingdom has their own problems, and they need help back home. They’re not together because things have changed. Daryl says, he changed them. He gets it. Carol watches. I can’t figure out why, for all his smarts, Eugene couldn’t come up with some kind of hydroponic farming or something.

Gregory offers Ken’s parents a drink. Earl tells Tammy to go ahead; he’s fine. She takes a slug of whiskey. I guess she has a few more slugs, because now he’s putting her to bed. He asks what he’s supposed to do. She wants to be by herself and sleep. He asks if he should leave, but she says, no. He covers her with a blanket, and kisses her. Gregory appears, and offers to sit with her.

Daryl passes a smoke to Carol, who puts it out, saying it will kill him. She says they don’t sleep. Ezekiel sleeps like a baby. Daryl thinks Ezekiel is all right, but he’s corny. Carol is glad she has his approval. Corny is nice, after what she went through with Ed. Daryl is happy for her. He says if anyone deserves happiness, it’s her. He doesn’t like not seeing her. She wants to take over the Sanctuary for a while for him. She says Ezekiel asked her to marry him. Part of her wanted to say yes. Daryl asks, why not? She doesn’t know. She wants to take her time with him. He asks if Ezekiel is coming with her, but she says, no.

Earl tells Gregory his son didn’t need to be out there. He didn’t need to die. Gregory says, no, he didn’t. Earl wants to know, where’s the justice. Gregory says Maggie thinks she’s above the law. The election was a joke. He asks who Earl thinks counted the ballots – her buddy Jesus. A lot of people aren’t happy; they’re just afraid to speak up. She does whatever Rick says, even if it’s not good. Earl doesn’t see what they can do about it. She decides. Gregory says Maggie’s priorities are set, and the decisions she made put his boy in the ground. He’s speaking plainly because he’s angry. He see their lives being treated as the price of doing someone else’s business. Earl says, she’s the leader, and Gregory says, she doesn’t have to be.

Rick washes up, and gets in bed. Michonne calls him the famous Rick Grimes. He tells her not to start. She says don’t let it get to his head. Not today for sure. She wouldn’t want to be Maggie right now. Rick says, no, and she asks if he saw the name on the wall, Did they do the right thing? Sometimes she thinks they should have killed him. Rick thinks about it a lot, but it wouldn’t have changed anything. They don’t want Negan; they want food. Michonne has been thinking maybe they need an agreement between the communities. This is what they believe; this is how they treat each other; this is what happens when they don’t. Rick feels like it’s the right time. She says they couldn’t before; they were always running and fighting. Rick thinks it could pull people closer together; it’s smart. He tells her that Daryl isn’t happy. He’s worried about things breaking down. Michonne says he wouldn’t say anything if it wasn’t important. He cares. Rick says, too much sometimes. Michonne says, if he’s worried, there’s a reason. She wonders what they do, and Rick says they need to fix the bridge. She adds, and get the people to agree to a charter. He says, not constitution? and she says, charter. He says, okay; tomorrow. He feels lucky that he found her, and Michonne says they both lost enough. It’s time they won a little. They get busy, and she calls him the famous Rick Grimes again.

Maggie pushes Herschel’s stroller. Gregory sees her, and says, tough night. He’s been there, and he’s sorry. He knows it hasn’t been easy. She won fair and square, and was a worthy adversary. The election forced him to do some soul searching. Maggie says, it’s hard, not knowing where your place is. He can have one if he wants. He tells her when they were burying Ken, he didn’t want to say anything, but it looked like someone defaced Glenn’s grave. It was probably an accident, or kids who didn’t know any better. He hopes it wasn’t someone angry about the election, but it’s probably no big deal. She can check it tomorrow. Maggie jets.

A hooded figure ambushes her. She struggles with him, and Enid comes running to help, but gets knocked out. A bunch of people grab him, and pull his hood back. It’s Earl. Gregory asks what happened, like he doesn’t know. Maggie says he tried to have her killed because he’s too chicken sh*t to do it himself. He says she wants to ruin it. He built this place. It wouldn’t exist without him. She’s just Rick’s lackey. Maggie says Rick is her friend and mentor. He says she can’t go back because you-know-who is still there. She can’t believe after all the chances she gave him. He tries to stab her, but she gets the better of him.

Carol says goodbye to Ezekiel. She tells him that she’s not running away. He feels like she is, and wonders if he pushed too hard. She say her friends need her help. She has a home to come back to, and that’s enough for her for now. Ezekiel says he’ll be content to move at her speed, calling her Lady Carol. They kiss, and he says it’s such sweet sorrow. Carol tells Jerry to take care of him for her, just for a little bit. Ezekiel and Jerry gallop off.

Rick, Michonne, and Daryl drive in to Hilltop. Rick holds baby Herschel. Maggie calls Herschel a little stinker, and Rick says he’s perfect.  She thinks she’ll keep him. She puts the baby in the playpen. Rick says they’re going on runs again. She should visit Alexandria sometime. Judith talks about her a lot. He’s surprised she still remembers, but she does. He tells her that he needs her help in fixing the bridge. Hilltop is thriving; they’re better than anywhere else. She’s been generous, and given so much already, but he’s asking for more. The Sanctuary is still short, and the project will take a lot of people and supplies. He’s hoping she can be generous again. Maggie says, no more supplies without getting something back. If the Sanctuary needs food, she’ll give it to them, but in return, they provide the labor and fuel from their dead corn. Rick says, they’re barely holding on. Maggie wonders why he feels obliged to help. They surrendered, and weren’t killed. They can’t solve all their problems when there things here to deal. He’s sorry about what happened with her and Enid. She says she’s survived worse, but it has to stop. It changes now. She says it will be dark soon; it’s time to put the kids to bed.

It’s nighttime, and Gregory stands on a gallows, a horse underneath him, and a noose around his neck. Maggie says she doesn’t want to do this, but people need to understand, at Hilltop, the punishment fits the crime. She asks if he has any final words. Gregory begs for somebody to stop this. Killing him in the dead of night. She should be ashamed. It’s wrong. Maggie says she’s not ashamed. She nods and Daryl moves toward the gallows. Gregory starts wailing, stop! Suddenly, a couple of little kids are there. Michonne starts to run to the front, but Rick grabs her. Daryl slaps the horse, and Gregory hangs, swinging from the rope. Maggie tells them to get the children back in bed. She made this decision, but it’s not the beginning of something. She doesn’t want to go through it again. Rick looks at Ken’s parents. He tells Daryl to cut Gregory down. Daryl cuts the rope, and Gregory’s body drops to the ground.

Next time, rebuilding the bridge, Daryl wonders if they’re on the same side. Michonne wants rules, and Negan says they’re not saving the world, just getting it ready for him. Glad he’s still feisty.

👄 On Talking Dead, director Greg Nicotero said this season would have more of a Western movie feel, which was the original idea, with Rick being a sort of cowboy. They also talked about the new opening, and I watched that a second time. It definitely gives the vibe of a modern Western.

😞 Sad TWD News…

One of the characters I actually liked.

https://comicbook.com/thewalkingdead/2018/10/07/the-walking-dead-scott-wilson-dead-age-hershel/

💍 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days – or as I like to call it, you all deserve each other – concludes its season next week. I have a lot to say about it, and am working on my dissertation as we speak. And luckily, just around the corner, are all new couples on 90 Day Fiancé, the original. This show has so many spin-offs, it could have its own channel. Which would be okay with me.

🎃 Because It’s That Time Again…

And because he never really dies.

http://www.denofgeek.com/us/movies/halloween/276659/halloween-a-legacy-unmaskedJax

🃏 Something Funny…

To make Monday less painful, enjoy this dude having fun with a scammer on CraigsList.

https://twentytwowords.com/man-gets-revenge-on-craigslist-scammer-in-the-most-satisfying-way-imaginable/?utm_source=deck&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=influencer&utm_campaign=dm

⛺ And Because I Can’t Leave It Alone…

The Cabin in the Woods. Never. Gets. Old.

CabinSpeakerPhone

Cabin-WeWorkWithWhatWeHave

CabinEvilDefeated

DanceCabin

 

 

Oct1

September 30, 2018 – Fearing, Walking & Talking Dead & Back Again

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What I Watched Today

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

 

Fear the Walking Dead

Al runs from some zombies, and tries to find a working car. She’s trapped on the street, leaps over a car, and locks herself in the nearest building. Zombies scrabble at the door. It’s a parking garage, and she breaks a car window, grabbing a radio out of it. She tries calling Morgan and June, but all she gets is static. She leans against the car for a moment, then says, you have to be sh*tting me, seeing a police van with all kinds of equipment, including a video camera. She gets a police car started, and hauls ass out of there.

Al stops, and here come Martha and zombie Jim. Martha says, he’s strong now. Al asks where everyone else is. Martha took her van, and owes her. Martha says she likes Al; she doesn’t make people weak. She’s watched Al’s energy. So many people need something, but she gave them what it took to get their stories. Al asks where her van is, and Martha says Morgan is looking for her. She wants Al to give him a message. Al says, tell him herself, and Martha lets Jim go. Al shoots Jim in the stomach, and blows another zombie’s head off who’s coming up behind her, but when she turns Martha is there, and knocks Al out with her zombie pole.

Al wakes to June saying her name. Al asks where she is; the woman who’s trying to kill them all. John says they heard her on the radio. When they didn’t find Al in the garage, they thought she must have doubled back to the hospital. Al says she saw Jim. John says, they’re all there; circling the wagons before the push to Virginia. June asks what Martha said, and Al says, the bitch said she liked her, and wanted her to deliver message to Morgan, but she wouldn’t. John says she delivered it anyway. She was used as a carrier pigeon.

On the radio, Martha tells Morgan that she’s disappointed in him. She’s given him chances to be strong, and he didn’t take any of them. Maybe it’s her fault. Maybe she wasn’t strong enough. He’ll see her again, and when he does, she’ll be stronger than ever, and make him strong too.

Sarah asks Momo where the hell in Virginia they’re going, and he says, it’s called Alexandria. There are also a few places around, more or less. Al asks about the king and his pet tiger, and Morgan promises they’ll go there. Victor says they’re going by caravan. Morgan thought they should go to Polar Bear’s truck stop first to get the boxes. Victor suggests hitting the road at dawn.

Outside on night watch, Morgan looks at the message again. John says he’ll take over. He expected to find Morgan walking away, and thought he’d have to jog after him. He knows what Morgan is up to. He’s going to run again. Morgan says, it’s not running. She’s dying. He tried to help, but she didn’t want it. Whatever happened, she thinks killing is the only way. John asks how he’s going to convince her otherwise, and Morgan says he understands her; he used to be her. John says he’ll come, but Morgan says he has to go on his own. He’s giving John directions, just in case. John says he almost got killed once before; why is he doing the same thing again? Morgan says, because he is. John says, she’s not the only one who’s stuck. Morgan says he’ll get there and meet them; hopefully with her. John says if Morgan isn’t back in two days, he’s going to look for him. They’ll be at the truck stop. He tells Morgan, some fish won’t be caught, no matter what you dangle in front of them. His gut tells him to leave them be, and he thinks it applies to Martha too. Morgan still has to try. John knows, and says Morgan might be the fish. Morgan says maybe he is, and starts to walk.

Morgan puts on the radio. He knows she’s listening, and thinks this is the only way she can be strong, but he’s telling here there’s another way. Let him try to show her. Martha responds, saying she knew he’d come looking for her. He asks where she is, and she says, mile marker 54. He’s on his way.

The others go to the truck stop, which is amazingly clean. They make coffee, and I can’t imagine how good it must taste. Charlie brushes her teeth. Victor says they can always go back to the mansion, but Alicia says, there’s nothing there for them anymore. Luci thinks they should find another place to go.

June and John get flirty among the shelves. She says, it’s like shopping at Bill’s. John doesn’t think they’re getting back there anytime soon, or his cabin. She tells him she was scared he’d realize she wasn’t who he thought. He says he knows who she is; it doesn’t matter to him. He knows her, and it doesn’t take a whole day to recognize sunshine. June wants him to know she knows who she is now; he gave that to her. She needed him. They kiss. Does this mean he’s going to die?

Morgan sees zombie Jim in a police car. He looks inside as Jim claws at the window. He lets Jim out, and pikes him in the middle of the forehead. Goodbye, Jim – for the second time. He closes Jim’s eyes, and looks around, seeing Martha lying face down in the grass. He asks if she’s armed, gets his pokey stick ready, and approaches her. He turns her over. She says, not yet, and he says his people can help her. She shoves her into the car, and she repeats, not yet. He says, no time. He’s taking her back. He drives away.

She futilely kicks at the door, and says he wasn’t supposed to see her like this. He has a pill bottle, and tells her to take them; it will clear up her infection. He asks, what was that place? What happened back there? What did she lose? He tells her, it’s a long trip; talking might help. John calls on the radio. Morgan says he found her, and he’s bringing her back. Martha asks where he’s taking her, and he says, Mississippi. He loses the signal with John.

John says he never should have let Morgan go. Sarah says if Morgan’s got ears, he can hear them, but his signal won’t get there until he’s closer. Al messes with the van engine, saying, smiley, rode the engine without coolant. She puts some in the van. Two zombies approach, and she tries to get out the weapon strapped to her leg, but she gets shaky, and keels over. Alicia shoots them. June and Victor run to Al, and Alicia says, get her inside. They’re going to have more company.

Martha sighs, and tells Morgan, her husband… Morgan asks his name, and she says, Hank. Morgan asks, what happened to him? Martha tells him back when everything was starting, they were trying to get out of the city. She was driving. Someone was weaving in and out of traffic, trying to get ahead; get theirs. and they clipped the car. Her hank needed her help, and she didn’t know what to do. She went out to the road to flag someone down, but no one stopped; no one pulled over to help. Morgan says it wasn’t her fault, but Martha says, he needed her to be strong, and she wanted to be. Morgan says he knows what she thinks, but it’s not true. She’s stuck. June radios, telling Morgan, Al got sick. They thought she had what she had before, but it’s not just her; it’s all of them. I’m thinking it’s the coffee. June says, something’s not right. She tells him get back. He loses her, but says he’s on his way back. He tells Martha to hang on. She wants him to pull over, and he says he can’t. She says she’ll take the medicine, but when he opens the partition to give it to her, she grabs his arm, and the car runs into the side of a mountain.

Morgan keeps slipping in and out of consciousness. Martha says she told him that she was going to make him strong. She writes on his face. He comes to, and sees a metal pipe has been driven into his leg. He says it doesn’t have to end this way for them. She laughs. On his forehead, it says, I lose people – I lose myself. She says it does for her. She made sure he couldn’t help them. Now kill her, or she kills him. He says he doesn’t kill. I’d start right about now if I was him. He says he has to get to them. She says he’ll never make it, but he says he has to try; not for them, for him. He’s scared if they die, he’ll become what he used to be. That’s why he left. He hears them on the radio, and Martha asks why he came to find her. He says she was on her own, and needed help. He knew she wouldn’t take it. He’s been where she is. She says he’s still there. Whatever is getting worse, always will be, unless he tries to be strong. Let her make him strong.

Everyone at the truck stop looks like they have food poisoning. June says they have to keep hydrated, and realizes the caps on the water aren’t sealed. They used the water to make the coffee, and had also been drinking it. She tells them, all the seals have been broken. Someone poisoned them. Al says, she did.

June radios that Martha put something in the water. Martha admits it’s true. She did it the last time she was there. She didn’t know him, but it was like saying that’s what you get for helping. He asks what it is, and she says, it doesn’t matter. There’s nothing they can do. He asks again what it is, and she tells him, antifreeze. Morgan gets the radio, and tells the others. Martha says they can’t hear him. He can’t help them. They are going to die, and there’s nothing he can do. He slams her down, and squeezes her throat. She says, now he’s strong. Morgan thinks of them, all dead, and squeezes tighter. He sees himself in the cars side mirror, and lets go. He says he won’t. She says, they’re going to die, and there’s nothing he can do. He says, yes, there is, and pulls the rod out of his leg. Martha says he’s going to be strong; they both will. He drags her up, and handcuffs her to the car, and she wails. He says he won’t kill her, but he’s not letting her kill after she’s turned. She yells, it’s not supposed to be this way. He starts walking, leaving her cuffed to the car.

Morgan walks through the woods. He asks if anyone can hear him on the radio.

Alicia rubs Charlie’s head. Everyone is looking pretty bad.

Morgan hotwires a car. A pretty nice car, for being out in the middle of nowhere after a hurricane.

Al sets up her video camera. She fast forwards through the videos and smiles a little, a tear trickling down her cheek.

The nice car doesn’t work very well, and Morgan starts walking again. He falls, but tries to pull himself back up.

Al laughs over a video of a father with his child, and cries some more. Morgan radios again.

The zombies are getting more restless at the truck stop. Al says she’s not letting that bitch beat her. She radios Morgan, saying if he’s out there, tell Martha she’s coming for her. He can hear Al, but she can’t hear him. He pulls himself up. I say, Morgan, you got this, and SHE HEARS HIM. Al copies, and he tells her its antifreeze. June says the antidote is ethanol. Sarah says all they have to do is get to it; it’s in the truck. Al laughs, and John asks, what are they waiting for? Al tells Morgan that they’ll be okay. Get his ass back there. He says he’s on his way.

Al unlocks the door. John asks if everybody is ready. June bangs on a window to get the zombies traveling in that direction. John gets his gun out, and says, now! For being sick people, they come out guns blazing, and pokey things stabbing. Sarah falls, Alicia helps her out, and they squeak by. Victor gets to the truck first, and tries to get the dispenser open, but the valve is stuck. June keeps banging, but the zombies get closer. Al gets the top of the van opened, where the arsenal is, and blasts the crowd. This is great, but she also shot at the dispenser, and it all pours out.

Morgan asks how it’s going. June says, they lost what was in the truck, but he says there has to be more. June says, no one is in any shape to get it, but he says they have to find a way. John doesn’t think it’s going to happen. Morgan says he can’t lose any of them. He can’t go back to what he was. He almost did. John says, but he didn’t, and Morgan says he will; he’s not strong enough. John says Morgan is the strongest person he knows. He’s still going to be him, whether they’re here or not. People out there need him. Morgan loses the signal, and tosses the radio. A few zombies come his way, and he gets savage on them.

Al makes a video, saying, whoever finds these, keep them safe. Make sure they survive; make sure they matter. Sarah asks, what’s the final count? How many meat puppets did they take out? Wen says, not enough. Victor says, just when he stopped trying to drink himself to death, he succeeds.  Alicia and Charlie say something about second chances, but I think the boom person stepped out of the room. The zombies suddenly start moving away, and we hear…

Morgan, who limps in. John says he came back, and Morgan says he told him that he would. He says, ethanol is just a fancy word for alcohol, right? He made a stop along the way. He runs outside, and we see the Augie’s Ale truck, and gives everyone a beer. Sarah says, that’s twice Jim saved them. Here’s to you, a–hole. Victor tells Alicia that he thought he didn’t have anyone to share a drink with anymore, and they both drink. John tells Charlie, it’s a onetime deal, and not to get poisoned again until she’s twenty-one. Luci says she gets it, and toasts to the heavens. I presume to Nick.

Morgan sees himself in the bathroom mirror, and washes the words off of his face. I guess it wasn’t indelible ink.

He goes back to the car, and sees Martha’s arm hanging from the cuff. The rest of her is toddling down the road. Morgan comes up behind her, and taps his stick. She turns around, and he pikes her in the head with another forehead bullseye. Being the kind dude he is, he buries her.

Wen asks if they can get going, but Morgan says they’re not going there; at least he’s not. He says, that woman. She was the way she was because no one stopped to help when she needed it. There’s more like her out there. Everyone looks sad, and he asks if they still have Polar Bear’s journals.

The group walks down a hill, and Morgan says, Polar Bear tried to set up a system that lasts. The supplies, the fuel, the trucks even, all came from here. We see a big building with a waterfall in front of it. He says, it used to be a denim factory. Before, Polar Bear made deliveries there, and after, he set up shop there because it’s out of the way. Sarah says. I don’t need new dungarees, Momo. He says, no one is being forced to stay. Luci tells Sarah that she wants to make up for what she did to Clayton; here’s where she starts. Alicia says, it can’t be just about the boxes. She wants to do what her mom did. Build this into something more. Victor asks where they find these people? They’re in short supply. Al says she has interviews with people all over, and some aren’t doing so hot. They can start with them.

Thy group comes back with a caravan. John thinks they can be found there; it’s a good place to start. Sarah says, let’s boogie, and they load their weapons. Morgan says they’re ready; let’s go. They pull into the factory lot.

Morgan takes the radio, and says he doesn’t know if anyone is out there or listening, but if they are, hang in there. We’re coming for you.

This was the finale, so next time, The Walking Dead. Negan says, a new world is being built. Not a future monument to the dead. They’re not safe from the world. They’re just getting it ready for him.

💀 On Talking Dead, we found out that Gerret Dillahunt’s (John) grandfather was the one who said, it doesn’t take a whole day to recognize sunshine. Gerret asked that the original line be changed to that. Sweet! They also called the zombies that Morgan took out on his way back to the truck stop, the Whack-A-Momo Walkers, which I thought was pretty funny. And an audience member got to go home with Martha’s arm. That show gives the best swag.

🌾 Heard online: Vegan zombie wants grains.          

🙀 How Are We Back Here Again?

MondayGoT2

Mondays

😀 But The Good News Is…

October

Aug6

August 5, 2018 – A Whole Lot of 90 & a Cockroach

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What I Watched Today

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

 

There was a special on the upcoming Walking Dead season on AMC tonight, but I took a pass. Yvette Nicole Brown hosted, and I love her, but I’ll wait until the season starts, when hopefully Talking Dead will be back to normal. Or abnormal. However you look at it. Instead, I took the opportunity to gather my notes and thoughts about…

💍 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After?

Where to start? This franchise now has so many spin-offs, they could have their own channel – all 90 Day all the time. Which would be fine with me. For whatever reason, I’m obsessed with this train wreck. The new season of Before the 90 Days starts tonight, so I figured it was time to catch up with the previous group.

Let me start by saying, there must be a pamphlet they give you when you come into the US that includes the translation in all languages of the f-word, as well as the phrase WTF? Not one person on this show, regardless of their level of English language capability, hasn’t gotten those two things down.

Let’s begin with Jorge and Anfisa. My opinion of Anfisa has totally changed since we first met her. While Jorge didn’t seem like any huge prize, but she was constantly screaming, hitting, and throwing things at him. I get it now, since apparently, the way to tell that Jorge is lying is that his lips are moving. He lured Anfisa to America, claiming he was going to give her the lifestyle of a princess because he was huge weed mogul. She knew no one and couldn’t even get a job until she got a green card, and it turned out she didn’t know Jorge either. He didn’t even have a job and was deeply in dept. At their first tell all, he got downright creepy, throwing veiled threats her way, acting like he was a member of the mafioso or something. He kept hinting about what she did “for a living,” making it sound like she must be a prostitute. Later, a webcam video (which has only ever been referred to as the webcam) surfaced. Of course I had to check it out, and it really wasn’t much of anything, and was her alone. She still insists it was just someone who looked like her, but I dunno about that. It sure looked like her, but I couldn’t see what the big deal was, especially since the video was supposedly taken long before they committed to each other.

Fast forward to the latest season. Although separated, they decided to go to counseling, both together and separately. Jorge said he lied to deflect Anfisa screaming at him, although she was usually screaming at him because he lied. When asked what he loved best about her, Jorge said, her honesty. The counselor said that was interesting, since it’s something she said she wants, but isn’t getting, from him. Jorge believed money was the answer to their problems, and wouldn’t consider otherwise. She also told the counselor that she thought they should go their separate ways, but was afraid Jorge would ruin her life as he’d threatened. She felt like a prisoner in the relationship. To make matters worse, an ex had come out of the woodwork, with a ten-year-old child she claimed was Jorge’s. He said he’d get a DNA test, but he’s yet to do it.

Next, we have Chantel and Pedro. The crux of their issue is the family dynamic. Pedro continuously sends loads of money to his mother and sister in the DR, who thank to him, live in a spacious four-bedroom, two bath apartment. Meanwhile, he and Chantel live in a cramped one-bedroom where most of their living space is taken up by his gaming system. The only people who think this is a good idea are Pedro, and his mother and sister, who seem like a couple of nasty-ass grifters. They couldn’t care less about Chantel or Pedro’s marriage to her. Case in point. When Pedro, Chantel and her family came to the Dominican Republic to have a second wedding and meeting of the families, their first question was, where is the gigantic TV you were going to bring us? Chantel’s parents met with a private investigator, with Chantel tagging along. The investigator was gung-ho about looking into Pedro’s family, thinking their might be an illegal business like a marriage ring involved, but Chantel put the kibosh on it, so it was a big bunch of nothing, except for the P.I. getting a free TV spot. We also got the free advice to always follow the money trail. I seriously doubt Pedro’s mother is anything except greedy, but I would have liked to see if anything got turned up. Pedro’s sister came for a visit, and although Chantel did her best to be accommodating, sleeping on the new $1000 couch was not good enough for Nicole. Somehow, they got past that, but dinner with the family Chantel was a total disaster. To be honest, Chantel’s parents don’t come of as very sympathetic characters either. I understand why they don’t have a good impression of Pedro’s mother and sister (his mother once called them stupid Americans for wanting a prenup), but they’ve consistently talked down to them, as though they’re deaf three-year-olds who are slow learners. They also have a tendency to come off like bad actors, in their interviews and their interactions with the others on the show, which makes me wonder if they’re just badly playing to the camera. They did not, however, instigate the fight in the most scandalous episode ever.

During Nicole’s visit, Chantel’s parents invited her, along with Chantel and Pedro, to dinner. They did tongue in cheekily serve chicken wings, although I was disappointed that they didn’t say, sorry we were all out of chicken feet, when they served them. I almost felt badly for Nicole, when Karen (Chantel’s mom) blindsided her, firing questions about how the visit was going. When Nicole lied, saying everything was fine, Karen told Nicole that she knew better, and Nicole had applauded when Chantel left the apartment after the couch argument. Pedro told Chantel’s parents to shut up, brother River told Pedro not to talk to his parents that way, and Pedro stood up. River stood up, and while they were having words, frustrated, he hit the pendulum light, which was a big paper lantern thing. It swung in Pedro’s direction, and Pedro teleported over the table, grabbing River by the collar. It was on after that, with the two best parts being Nicole getting knocked down and her high-heeled foot sticking up from the floor; and Pedro, doing a sidekick and knocking what was left on the table to the floor. That was after the fight had been broken up too. Chantel’s father kept repeating, what did you do that for? while Karen yelled immagaçion for Pedro and Nicole! While it was amusing, it lessened what little respect I had for Pedro. I can’t find out how old River is, but he looks like a big teenager, and there was no excuse for Pedro jumping on him. While it made me almost – almost – sympathetic toward Nicole, she’s been nothing but a brat, thinking it’s all very funny that she’s being disrespectful to Chantel, and calling her hysterical, when she was nothing of the kind. Exasperated maybe. Her mother encourages this behavior, but for Pedro to allow it in his and Chantel’s home is a no. There was some weird after-show where Michelle Collins interviewed a very reluctant cameraman who had a front row seat for the fight. Last we checked, Chantel and Pedro were talking divorce.

What can you say about David and Annie, but poor Annie. At this point, she’s thinking she made a huge mistake, and wanted to go back to Thailand. As if David not having a job wasn’t enough, they ended up moving into an apartment above a storage facility in exchange for David working there. Owned by David’s friend Chris, the firehouse they were living in was sold, and they had three days to move. Chris is probably an ex-friend now, although he did steer David to the storage facility. Three days to move is inhumane, but perhaps he got tired of David’s perpetual need to be helped. He’s not exactly looking that hard for work either, thinking many jobs are beneath him, because he has a masters degree. Hey, sport, you’ve been out of the country for years, are not collecting unemployment, and can’t afford to be choosy. According to David’s sister, who we also met this season, he’s made a lifelong career out of being a sponge. She wouldn’t lend him money either, having done it a few times. Daughter Ashley was her usual bi-polar self, acting nice to Annie one minute, and accusing her of being a prostitute the next. She claimed not to trust Annie, which is interesting, since David was another one who lied to hook his wife. I noted that David’s sister, Nancy, looked like David in a wig. There was much ado about Annie wanting a child, with Ashley griping that he didn’t take care of the ones he’s got. She’ll be forty and still complaining about that. Annie did find a Buddhist temple – in the middle of whatever middle of nowhere they live in – which gave her some peace, and was cool to see.

My first thought when seeing Pao and Russ again was, what is up with Russ’s hair? He went from looking normal to looking like he’s three and his mom cut it. Russ left any job opportunities he had in Oklahoma to move to Miami, so Pao could pursue her modeling career. While it’s nothing sleazy, and I hate even saying it, what over-thirty Pao calls a modeling career isn’t exactly Heidi Klum modeling or even one of the Kardashians. She wears a lot of lingerie, and also did a music video, wearing lingerie. This season, she and Russ went to Columbia, and Pao did a calendar wearing body paint, which is even less than lingerie. Pao invited Russ, her parents, and mean queen friend Juan to the shoot. Russ and Juan were not supposed to cross paths, since seeing Juan makes Russ’s blood boil, but cross paths the did, Juan making a big show out of greeting Pao’s parents. Juan hoped to make Russ feel like a cockroach, and wanted to spit on him, but needed to maintain his good boy image. I’m not crazy about Russ, but I’d love to knock Juan on his ass. I will admit, him singing a bar of La Cucaracha was amusing.

After Pao and Russ got back to the US, Pao’s doctor told her it wasn’t as grim as she thought after her miscarriage, and could get pregnant again, bringing the baby to term. She talked to her friend Jenny, telling her that Russ wasn’t being supportive, and Jenny suggested that maybe Russ wasn’t sure what to do for her, and she needed to communicate better. Yeah, like maybe not screeching at him to STFU when he’s not saying anything. Pao explained that she didn’t tell Juan because she didn’t think he had the kindness or tenderness to handle it right. Making me wonder again why she’s friends with that cretin. At present, as mentioned in another post, Pao and Russ are expecting, and her doctor gave me one of that week’s best quotes: You googled, so now you’re dying from something.

We already knew things weren’t working out for Molly and Luis, and it was the end of the road. It wasn’t the radical age difference – somewhere around twenty years, Luis being younger – but the lifestyle difference. Luis was not ready, if he’ll ever be, to settle down and help raise children. Molly’s oldest daughter had booked to her boyfriend’s house, and Luis was strutting around, blasting music from a portable speaker. Molly said Luis wasn’t the same man, and thought he’d expected vacation Molly. He put his heart in it until he got there. Luis cleared out when Molly wasn’t around, leaving his Dominican shirt behind. His room was a total wreck. She’d thought he was her lifelong love, but it didn’t happen. I’m not sure why she thought it would, but maybe there was something I didn’t see. All Molly knew for sure is that she no longer wanted to be with him, and filed divorce papers.

Here came the worst part. Molly found out she might have to be responsible for Luis for the next ten years, since she signed an affidavit of support. The lawyer explained it was because our government says, you brought him here, you deal with him. I can’t say as I blame them, but I felt badly for her.

Nicole and Azan just plain don’t know what the hell they’re doing. Or he’s a scammer and he’s bad at it. Azan was denied his visa, but not because of any of the horrible things the immigration lawyer suggested. He explained the interviewer focused on him having a previous visa to visit an ex-girlfriend. Azan believed they thought he just wanted out of Morocco. That’s funny, because he seems like that’s the last thing he wants. The wedding was canceled – twice. The first time was because scatterbrained Nicole thought a photocopy of a document was good enough. It’s not good enough for a driver’s license, so it’s highly doubtful it would be good enough for a foreign government. Azan’s family was not too happy, since they’d sunk money into this thing. Nicole’s mother came to Morocco anyway, to see May, and also grill Azan, who admitted he’d talked to other women before realizing Nicole was the one. I realized something too. That Nicole’s family always gives in to her because she whines. Especially when she’s the one who screwed something up. Fast forward to the second cancellation.

This was in a separate episode, subtitled, I can’t remember exactly what, but it could have been Nicole and Azan’s Journey to No Wedding. After being outfitted in several gorgeous dresses, along with accompanying tiaras; having a tasting in a place no woman had been in for a tasting before, and where Nicole had to explain pigs-in-a-blanket, which Azan translated to American hotdogs; and Nicole’s family being all pumped and ready to fly to Morocco, the wedding was canceled. In their interview, both Azan and Nicole claimed they’d made a joint decision, but the look on Nicole’s face said everything. Not only that, Azan suggested they take any money they were putting toward the wedding, and invest it in buying a “make-up store.” I have no clue if that meant something like Sephora or what. He put in $500 to her $6000. Again, Nicole’s mom insisted on coming, since she had the reservation anyway. She was not too happy when she didn’t get to see the store, being told it wasn’t ready yet. To date, don’t think it has been. Like a website that’s always under maintenance or a hotel pool that’s always being cleaned.

🔥 Capsule of The Couples Tell All

Shawn Robinson is the host of these reunions, and she’s the worst. Way too many over-the-top faces, and wows. I once again wondered if Pedro calls Chantel baby because he doesn’t remember her name. Ashley Skyped in, and acted like an idiot, demanding to know how David met Annie. Who cares? Annie has so far drawn the short straw here. Let’s not punish her further. Annie did make it clear that David had 90 days (yes, she said that) to prove his worth, or she was going back to her homeland. By the end of this roller coaster ride, Annie said she hoped she and Ashley would be “a good family,” and had everyone crying.

Not so much Anfisa, who came in with an attitude because of remarks made behind-the-scenes about her, by Pao in particular. At one point, Pao was trying to get Jorge’s attention because a cameraman was signaling him, and Anfisa gave her the finger, thinking Pao was giving her the finger. I think Anfisa was actually embarrassed when she realized what was happening, but never one to give in, she said Pao deserved it anyway for what she’d said. Anfisa got up in a hold-my-hoops kind of way, but nothing came of it. And maybe she’s right. I’d give Pao the finger too. She needs to dump Juan, who also Skyped in. Russ said Pao is a mean girl when she’s around Juan, and he’s definitely right. Juan did his usual lowlife thing, saying Pao should divorce Russ and marry someone he had in mind who was “worthy.” Pao knew who he was talking about, but acted coy, making me ill. I’m hoping Juan is out of the picture now that a baby is in it.

Chantel’s parents also dropped by on Skype, causing Pedro’s head to explode for a moment. He walked off, but then Chantel talked him down and back to his seat. The fight was rehashed, but it was like the parents were reading it off of cue cards. Nicole’s mom joined the group, as did Azan and Nicole from Morocco, via Skype. They were interrogated about everything from Azan’s lack of a job to his phone call habits. Nicole whined that how she spent her money was no one’s business. This has been a repetitive whine of hers, but I wonder how much money she’s gotten from her family.

Anfisa again insisted the webcam wasn’t her, and Annie agreed with me that it sure looked like her. Annie cracks me up. She’s very sweet, and also seems like a bit of a kinkball. Jorge and Russ nearly came to fake blows, when Jorge told Pao to mind her own business. We also found out that Jorge had been arrested for several hundred pounds of weed. He couldn’t talk about it, even though the poor excuse for a host prodded him.

Luis also didn’t want to talk. He never showed up, but David called him on the phone. Apparently, David talks to both Pedro and Luis all the time. Luis might not be talking to him anymore though, since he passed to phone to Shawn. Luis abruptly said he was busy, call later, and ended the call. Molly called him a narcissistic turd, which pretty much said it all.

🌄 Refreshing Our Memories…

In catching up, with the last Before the 90 Days group, What Now? found Cortney still chasing Antonio. I’ll bet her friends are sick of her talking about Antonio. He was in NYC working, but when Cortney suggested she visit, he said it was a stressful time. I’m thinking Cortney makes it a stressful time. She ultimately decided it wasn’t worth waiting forever, and ended the relationship. Antonio couldn’t understand why, which proved her point that it was going nowhere.

Myriam visited Patrick in the US. After some friction with his mother – or rather, from his mother – they bonded over soul food. Andrei is still dour, and his father-in-law is bugging him to do something with his life. The family was not thrilled when Andrei and Elizabeth thought they should have a second wedding in Moldova. It was only going to cost a measly $15K.

Kirlam and Alan had their baby, and damn if Liam wasn’t the cutest thing. They had this baby wrangler do professional shots, and he was born for the spotlight. They’re a really nice couple, and I can’t figure out how they ended up on this show. Aika wants to be pregnant, but Josh wants her to be practical expense-wise, and freeze her eggs until she’s forty. He got a hard no on that. He also made sure she knew that his sperm weren’t duds. He was still producing; they just couldn’t get out. Devar’s did, and he and Melanie have a baby, but they seemed to be at an annoying stage in their marriage. They’d had a big blow-out, Devar swore off booze, and all was well. He does seem like a doting father, and it looks like they love each other. Another couple who made a wrong turn and ended up here.

Danielle still hasn’t learned her lesson, and was already well on her way to being catfished by a new dude named Nelson. Just prior to, and during, the six-hour drive she was making to meet him, her calls went to voice mail. And then it was mailbox full. No surprise, there was no answer to her knock when she got there. She blamed Mohamad for cursing her. Until he came along, she didn’t have these problems. She’s also suing him. I’m pretty sure Mohamad has a stalker for life.

🔄 Back to the Present…

Before the 90 Days is back, along with Paul and Karine, and D’Arcy and Jesse. There are some new people, whose names I can’t retain yet, but one looks like a scam, and another looks like a catfish. Jesse is visiting D’Arcy in the US, and it looks like it won’t be long before there’s trouble in paradise. Paul is headed for Brazil, where he’s hoping to marry Karine. Her parents want a look at his arrest record for themselves, although with her father being an ex-cop, you’d think he could get that online or something. Paul didn’t tell his mommy that he might be bringing back a wife. Mommy packed him a lunch and told him not to have an anxiety attack.

🐜 Now It’s Stuck In My Head…

 

 

 

 

Jun18

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

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What I Watched Today

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

 

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

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

That being said, moving on…

🚀 Recommendations from the Wayback Machine…

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

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

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

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

👔 Last But Not Least…

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

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

🏆 It Takes Someone Special…

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

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

👑 My Dad…

 

Jun11

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

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What I Watched Today

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

 

Fear the Walking Dead

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

😵 Why Does Weekend Time Go Faster?

SupermanTime

Ferris

 

 

Jun4

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

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What I Watched Today

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

 

Fear the Walking Dead

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Excellent episode!

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

🎭 Sadly, Imposters has been canceled:

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

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

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May28

May 27, 2018 – 90 Day Night, a Little West Shogunworld, Some Random Info & Memorial Day

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What I Watched Today

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

I mostly watched reruns of The Office today, but since Fear the Walking Dead was replaced by Jaws 2 tonight, I was thrilled to be able to watch 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After? in its entirety, and not at 2 in the morning. I’m somewhat obsessed with this show because it’s like the worst people in the world are on it. Okay, Jax isn’t on it, and maybe Big Brother might take the number one spot, but some really awful people are on this show. And I love it. Here’s my take on the couples so far. Obviously, Mohamad (still watching for that headline with his picture) and Danielle aren’t joining the cast, and the least horrible people, Lauren and Alexi, chose not to participate, as they want some privacy. So without further ado…

90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After?

Pao and Russ went to Columbia to visit her dying grandmother. Whatever the hell city she’s from was very engaging and colorful, with a carnival atmosphere, but she’s apparently never been to NYC, since she said no city had that much passion in the US. I’m starting to think these two deserve each other. Pao is a selfish twit, insisting Russ move to Miami, leaving his native Oklahoma where he could actually make some money, because she wanted to further her nude picture modeling career. The sad part is, her family seem like decent people, and she claims to love them oh-so-much, but she’s barely talked to them in years, since moving to the States. I’m waiting for her to blame Russ, even though it’s obvious she loves Miami and being photographed naked for whatever gigs she does. (During the previews for next week, it looks like her family is going to blame Russ.) I should add that I’ve never seen her get her picture taken when she’s totally nakey, but might as well be. Russ isn’t happy about the lack of clothing, or even lingerie, which he finds different from a bikini because it evokes thoughts of bedroom antics. She’s basically called him a stick-in-the-mud for feeling the way he does, but I disagree. I’m not prude by any stretch of the imagination, but she knew how he felt, and agreed to terms she didn’t keep – all for the sake of this illustrious career. Honey, you are thirty. And while thirty isn’t old (I’d love to see it again), no one starts modeling at thirty. More like thirteen. I’m not denying that she’s doing legit modeling of some kind, but she acts like she’s Heidi Klum whenever she talks about her “career.” On the other hand, Russ can totally be a wet blanket. While in the city whose name I don’t know, a large group of motorcyclists came past. It turned out that Pao had known one of them since she was a teenager, and they’d briefly dated. Russ kept saying what tough guys bikers were, but dude, these guys were wearing neon and had stickers on their helmets. They were not the Hell’s Angels. To his credit, he did get on a bike for a spin, along with Pao, who rode with her friend. Russ got bent out of shape afterwards, when Pao said she and biker guy had dated, but it wasn’t anything serious. I mean, come on, it’s not like she suddenly hatched when she met him. She also has that mean queen friend, Juan, who’s been outright rude to Russ from the jump, probably because he lost his drinking/gossip buddy. I can’t imagine allowing a friend to talk to your SO the way Juan talks to Russ. Pao has repeatedly acted like she just doesn’t know what to do in the situation, but I know what I’d do. Dump Juan. I’m sure we’ll see him later in the season.

I just shook my head watching Anfisa and Jorge. First, he sought advice about divorce, and even his attorney thought he seemed more relaxed without Anfisa screeching at him every five minutes. I get it. He lied to her. But she could have gone back to Moscow if she’d wanted to, and she didn’t. Anyway, I blinked, and the next thing I knew, he couldn’t live without her again. They met at a restaurant, and she agreed to give it another shot, providing they get marriage counseling. But it looks like next week, she’s back on the fence again. I give up. Another two who deserve each other. I finally found out what the deal was that Jorge was alluding to with her profession in The Couples Tell All. Apparently, she’s done a nakey video with herself. While I didn’t look at the video, I did see some almost tasteful stills from RadarOnline, and it sure looks like her, pre boob job.

What I still haven’t found out is why Pedro calls Chantel Pinky. Maybe I don’t want to know. Their story was much of the same. Pedro’s momma is still waiting on her TV, whining for money, and saying his name in the most annoying way possible. He finally said he’d send her money to get her own damn TV, since it would be $1500 to ship. And I cry over $8. Chantel thought Pedro and her family would bond during a trip to a mountain cabin for five days. Pedro reluctantly agreed to go, but in the preview, says he wants to leave. So many cast members on reality shows love to cut out when the going gets tough, they should issue roller blades with every contract. He’s never going to forgive them for the display of disrespect to his family in the DR. My jury is out on that. After his mother called them stupid Americans and offered them chicken feet to eat, I’m not so sure I blamed them for not wanting more of the same. For the record, Pedro kept saying they eat chicken feet all the time, but other than his cursory nibble at one to prove his point, they went untouched by all. His mother and sister were definitely playing Chantel’s family. On the other hand, her family overreacted when they went to his grandma’s house in the middle of nowhere, sat in the car for a couple of hours, refusing to get out, and then left.

Molly decided to give Luis another chance, although I’m not sure why. Despite his insane ranting at her last season, about having Buddhas and owls all over the place, he actually seems like an okay guy. An okay guy who isn’t ready for the responsibility of a family. Daughter Olivia booked, deciding to stay at her boyfriend’s house while Luis was in the picture. Molly tracked her down, and Olivia said she was being selfish, but agreed to try and work things out. It sounded like Molly said she was done again, but we’ve been there before. SPOILER: I read that Molly has since filed for divorce, and Luis went on a social media rant about how TLC is racist and he’s going to sue them. Good luck with that.

Azan was still waiting on his K1 visa, while Nicole was on pins and needles. When Azan finally did call, no surprise, the video began to break up. How bad is the Wi-Fi in Morocco anyway? First, Azan was required to get a statement from a third party, confirming that the two of them had actually been a couple during the past two years. Then he was denied. Nicole’s mom thought maybe he didn’t really want to come, and had sabotaged things, but in the preview, the lawyer Nicole sees, tells her that he has ties to drug smugglers. Ruh Roh! These two seem too young to be getting that involved anyway. Face it, her weight is always going to be an issue for him, and she’s just looking for a daddy for her daughter.

Annie and David were living in friend Chris’s refurbished firehouse – mega cool digs – but Chris’s wife put the kibosh on Chris funding David. While I’m not sure what David’s problem is with the job thing, it seemed kind of mean to cut him off abruptly when Chris had promised to float him for a few months. He also suddenly asked for $1000 a month rent, which was like a double-whammy. Annie can’t work because she hasn’t gotten her green card yet, and she’s going stir crazy, since she can’t get a driver’s license either. Life in America hasn’t worked out the way she thought, since they’re clipping coupons and she had to pawn her jewelry. That’s right. You can’t believe everything you see on TV – we are not all the Carringtons. His son is moving in with them, which doesn’t make newlywed Annie too happy, since she likes being loud during sex, and… Never mind, it’s bad enough she gave me a mental picture that I can never erase.

🐎 Thoughts on Westworld, which I also got to watch in its regular time-slot. Wow. This show is a little depressing, but I love a good head lopping, and we’re getting a lot of that. The Shogunworld storyline was sad, and so is the wiping of Teddy’s mind. Mostly because I like James Marsden. It looks like Delores is only on her own side, and Maeve has telepathic powers, but is using them for good, trying to help other hosts and humans. Too bad she was a little late for Sakura.  I did approve of the man bun on the dudes in Shogunworld, so they are now added to the list of one – Josh from Sweet Home Oklahoma – that gets my okay. Another thought – whose cleaning up that mess?

🍸 Monday night at 9 pm, BRAVO will be serving up Vanderpump Rules: Secrets Revealed. It’s also being rerun at 10 pm. I love the Secrets shows. They were once called Lost Footage, until the network stopped insulting the viewers with that title. Like I really thought Andy Cohen looked in one of his desk drawers and suddenly found it. The clips are random, but usually more lighthearted, and I swear they save a few things that are better than what we’ve seen during the season.

🏥 General Hospital has no new episode tomorrow. They’re airing the episode from April 13. Normally on a holiday, they rerun something significant, but I can’t tell from the blurb which one it is; it’s so vague.

🙋 So it looks like I’ll be back on Tuesday. Some information for you in the meantime:

😪 The 8 Stages of Grief We All Go Through After a Relaxing Long Weekend

https://www.levo.com/posts/8-stages-of-grief-we-all-go-through-after-a-relaxing-long-weekend?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_email&utm_term=

🎆 In Case You Didn’t Know Why You’re Off Work…

https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/memorial-day-history

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MemorialDay7

 

 

May21

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

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What I Watched Today

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

 

Fear the Walking Dead

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

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

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

Before

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Now

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

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

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

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

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

😔 Sigh…

BackToWork-Office

BackToWork-GetOut

BackToWork-Cry

 

 

May14

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

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What I Watched Today

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

 

Fear the Walking Dead

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nice episode.

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

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

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

🍀 Speaking of Quotes…

👵 Favorite Irish Mammy Sayings for Mother’s Day

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

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

💖 Speaking of Mother’s Day…

HappyMothersDayAll

💕 And My Best Girl Forever Mom…

Juliet&HerBabies