Category Archives: walking dead

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

 

 

May7

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

Posted on by
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What I Watched Today

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

 

Fear the Walking Dead

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In the library, Luci flips open the book.

Victor sits in his car.

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

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

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

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

A tear rolls down Luci’s face.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Next time, John and Naomi’s story.

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

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

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

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

👻 Sadly, Ghost Wars has been canceled.

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

😱 🎢 Imagine Zombies Clogging This Up…

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

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Apr30

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

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What I Watched Today

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

 

Fear the Walking Dead

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nick jumps Ennis.

Morgan walks away, and keeps going.

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

Morgan is like, dammit, and turns around.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nick lies in the bluebonnet field.

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

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

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

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

😢 Sigh…

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Apr23

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

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What I Watched Today

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

 

Fear the Walking Dead

Before

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Now

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

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

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

😸 Ha-Ha!

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

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

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

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

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

🔮 Danny Learns About His Gift…

🌎 Happy Earth Day! 🌍

Apr22

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

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What I Watched Today

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

 

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

The Walking Dead

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Moving right into…

Fear the Walking Dead

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And there we have it. Until tomorrow night.

🔎 An Observation…

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

🎬 Another Thing I Watched…

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

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

🛀 Enjoy the Remaining Weekend Like…

Minions

Apr21

April 20, 2018 – No Match for The Jackal, a Golden Apron, a Quote Times Five & Tomorrow

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What I Watched Today

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

 

General Hospital

Carly tells Sonny there’s nothing physically wrong with her. He says that’s good news, but she says, now he thinks she’s losing her mind. He tells her, he didn’t say that. She says it’s obvious. He doesn’t want to talk about it right now. She tells him that he doesn’t know what’s going on, and then when he does, he dismisses it, thinking she’s making it up. He asks, what other explanation is there?

Griff tells Ava that Julian is conducting a search in the Charles Street area. Ava can’t believe it’s come to this. Her last, best hope is the city’s good will toward her brother, who used to be Public Enemy #1. Griff says the PCPD is looking too, and Ava wonders where Jordan is.

Dante starts to leave the station. Chase says, like or not, they’re partners, and he’s coming too. Dante tells him to keep up and keep quiet.

Avery, who looks like she’s aged a year from last week, tells Mike to wake up. It looks like they’re in a stable.

Peter sees Lulu go into Charlie’s. He sends a text, and follows. He tells her it seems he can’t shake her. She says she was there first, so who can’t shake who? He says, fair enough, and asks if she wants to join him for lunch. She can’t. She’s getting food for Dante’s family; everyone was up all night. Lulu’s phone dings, and she says this could be it. The man claiming to be Henrik just got back to her.

Robert tells Anna that Emma is in the game room with some other kids. Anna says, good. She’d rather Emma not be there when they question people about Faison’s son. He asks what Anna isn’t telling him about this case.

A Swiss banker tells Sam that he’s pleased to meet her in person. She says she can only give him forty-five minutes, and walks in with Jason. Sam says she was advised to transfer some of her assets to Switzerland, even though she’s happy with her Grand Keys bank. He suggests Jason go elsewhere, but she tells him that her mother doesn’t allow her to travel without protection. Just pretend he’s not there.

Ava tells Griff that she doesn’t need more caffeine, so her empty coffee cup has chamomile tea in it. She says the waiting is torture, and thinks about joining the search. Griff says they’ll probably want her there when they find Avery – and they will. She knows he wants her to keep the faith, but sometimes prayer and faith aren’t enough, and it’s too little too late.

Mike wakes up, and asks what going on. Avery asks about the horses. He remembers they were waiting for them to come back. She says she’s hungry, and he says, him too. He bets everyone is wondering where they are. He suggests they find everyone, and tell them where they were hiding.

Anna tells Robert that Henrik might have been an accomplice or a victim, probably both. She knows the kind of havoc Faison can wreak on someone’s mind. He’s probably not fully culpable, and she has medical information he needs. Robert says she’s only talking about Henrik and Faison. She asks who else, and he says, her. He asks her to talk to him, but there’s a knock at the door. It’s a Mrs. Everett Ashton. Anna thanks her for coming. They have questions about a former student. She says she’s sorry, but she can’t answer any of their questions.

Sam tells the banker she wants to diversify her assets between several countries with different banking laws. She gives him a flash drive, saying all of her information was put on it. He needs a security code, but she says she can’t say it out loud. While she’s typing it in, she makes sure he’s distracted by her behind. Or posterior, as Anna might say.

Sonny asks Carly how he couldn’t be worried, when she left her responsibility for Avery to reminisce at a grave? She’s called him out when he’s been off his meds. She tells him that she isn’t on meds, and Dante traced the calls, but he says it could have been someone calling a wrong number. There’s no proof of anything. She says she knows what she saw. She saw the scarf, smelled his cologne, and saw the writing on the flyer. She needs him to believe that she’s not imagining it. He doesn’t think she is; he believes that she believes it happened. She says, but he doesn’t believe it happened. He wants her to make an appointment with Doc after this is over and Avery is home.

Dante and Chase go to the stables, and find Mike and Avery. Dante asks if Avery is okay, and Mike says they must have lost track of time. Dante introduces Avery to Chase, and tells him to take her to the station. Chase makes a big deal about her riding in the police car. Mike wonders what’s going on, and Dante asks if he remembers meeting Chase. Mike says Chase threw him in jail, but Dante says they met another time, and they’re buddies now. Mike wouldn’t go that far. Dante is staying behind to talk to Mike. Dante tells Mike that he gave them a scare; they didn’t know where he was. Mike wishes everyone would keep their noses out of his business. He says where he takes his daughter is for him to decide, and Courtney wanted to see the horses. Dante says she’s not Courtney; she’s his granddaughter Avery. Courtney died a long time ago. Mike insists she was there. Is this man going to make me cry every time he’s in a scene?

Lulu tells Peter that she decided to follow up on the first email. She thinks it’s the real Henrik because it’s the same email address PK Sinclair uses for his correspondence with the publisher. She can trace it and find him.

Anna asks if Mrs. Ashton will hear them out. She says she thought they wanted advice regarding a prospective student, but she sees what’s going on, and it’s not the first time. Robert asks why she thinks they’re there, and she says many past students have become prominent figures, but she makes it a point never to engage with journalists. Anna says they’re not journalists, but Mrs. Ashton says the rule still applies. Anna shows Mrs. Ashton her ID, explaining they’re with the WSB, and a former student is a person of interest.

The banker tells Sam that he her investments are somewhat limited in scope, and they could accommodate her. She says her number one concern is security, and he says theirs is state of the art. Spinelli walks in, and the banker says it’s a closed meeting. Spinelli says they haven’t been properly introduced. He’s The Jackal, and dude and his bank are at his mercy.

Carly can’t believe Sonny wants her to see a shrink. Someone is messing with her, making her doubt herself and making everyone else doubt her. Sonny thinks they should be on the safe side after everything she’s been through. She says he thinks she’s losing her grip on reality. He says it’s not the first time. She had a breakdown before. When they thought Michael was dead, she had a delayed reaction. She realized she needed help, got it, and got better. He doesn’t want her to have to go away again. He needs her there in the present when Mike gets home. Her phone rings, and Carly says, thank God. She tells Sonny they’ve found Avery, and she’s okay.

Griff knows hope and faith aren’t in Ava’s tool chest. She says that’s putting it mildly. He starts to talk about when you lose hope, but Ava hears Chase coming back. She runs out of the room, and picks up Avery. Avery tells her that grandpa took her to see the horses.

Dante asks if Mike remembers the nice chat they had when he was arrested. He told Dante stories about the old neighborhood and they talked about the Yankees. They agree that the only reason there are other teams, is so the Yankees can beat them. Mike told Dante one of his first jobs had been cleaning stables at a racetrack. Mike says he admired the horses. They weren’t the Rockefellers, so cleaning up was the only way to get close to them. Courtney loves horses too, but they can’t afford lessons, so he should take her someday. Dante says that sounds like a great idea, but he looks tired and pained. Mike asks to go home.

Anna tells Mrs. Ashton that they think he attended school, and was a member of the Julius Caesar cast. Robert asks to talk to his colleague for a moment. He asks what Anna thinks she’s doing now? Anna says now Mrs. Ashton will answer their questions, but he’s concerned she’ll blab. Anna says after all these years, he should trust that she knows what she’s doing. He says he does, so he knows she’s off her game. This case starting to get under her skin.

Sam asks the banker, what was he saying about the security? He wonders how Spinelli got past the facial recognition, and Spinelli says state of the art is no match for him. He tells the banker the silent alarm has been deactivated, but will look like it’s still on. The banker says they’ve never been robbed, and Sam says, until today.

Spinelli sits at the computer and taps away, saying no matter how money is hidden, it still leaves a trail. He sees that the banker has done a lot of embezzling. He’s sure the people he’s stolen from will be happy their money has been found in his personal accounts. The banker says he can’t. Spinelli says he can and will, unless the banker cooperates.

Anna tells Robert that she’s a seasoned operative. She’s had years of experience, and knows what she’s doing. Mrs. Ashton asks if they’re playing good cop/bad cop. They’re both so polite, she can’t tell. Robert says he’s the good one. Anna says they were trying to find a loophole, so they could share more information with her, but they can’t. They can tell her that they don’t mean any harm, and aren’t out to ruin anyone’s name, but they need to question the former student on an urgent matter. She believes he was using another name at the school, and asks if Mrs. Ashton remembers Henri Françoise. Mrs. Ashton says she wishes they’d said so at the beginning. She’s certain he’s done nothing wrong. Anna shows her the photo, and asks which one he is.

Peter asks Lulu if she can really trace the email. She tells him when Spinelli tried, he hit a dead end, so it’s probably untraceable. He asks what her next move is, and she says he wants to meet up with her to share his side of the story. She’s going to take him up on it.

Sonny and Carly arrive at the station. Griff says checked he checked Avery out, and she’s fine; just a little dehydrated. Sonny asks where his dad is, and Chase says Dante stayed behind with him. Ava says they were apparently there all night, and they need to have a discussion about his father. Carly takes Avery to get some water. Ava tells Sonny that she was willing to look the other way when Mike vandalized the gallery. Sonny says she blackmailed him into letting Avery spend the night. She says they need to make sure Mike doesn’t do something like this again. Sonny asks what she’s suggesting. Mike walks in.

Spinelli says The Jackal has the banker’s information – the money he embezzled, how he spent it, and where he hid it. He sees that he also did some trophy hunting and killed two endangered species. Sam says that’s disgusting, and Spinelli makes an anonymous contribution to the World Wildlife Fund out of the banker’s account. He wonders what other charities could benefit. Jason reminds him that they still need to find Henrik.

Mrs. Ashton points out Henri. She says he was a handsome young man, always shy about being photographed. Anna wonders why a shy boy would take on such significant role, and Mrs. Ashton says the theater was safe for him, and where he was most comfortable to emerge from his shell. She thinks he relished becoming someone else, with a new name and identity other than his own.

Peter asks if Lulu is having second thoughts. She wants to meet with Henrik, but after what happened last time, doesn’t know if she should go by herself. He’s not wanted for a crime, but he is a person of interest. She thinks she should bring in the PCPD sooner rather than later. Peter asks what’s wrong with that, and she says she hasn’t told her husband what she’s up to yet.

Mike wants to go home. Chase says they’re good on their end. Avery says something about the horses, and Mike says he and Courtney waited all night. Ava asks who’s Courtney, and Carly explains she was Mike’s daughter and Spencer’s mother. Ava realizes Mike thinks Avery is his daughter. Dante gently explains again that it’s Avery, and Mike says, oh, right. He wants to lie down, and Sonny tells Avery let’s go home. Ava says, absolutely not.

Spinelli sees that the payment for the book has already been deposited, and sent by a wire transfer to Iceland. He says Henrik is very thorough in covering his tracks. He says Henrik’s picture is there, and everyone gathers around the computer. Sam looks puzzled.

Mrs. Ashton says, If she had to guess, Henri enjoyed being other people because his home life was troubled. He dreaded going home, and begged them to let him stay. His father had no use for him, and she could never rid herself of the impression that he would have been happier with a loving mother. She says he was a special boy. They thank her for her time. Anna asks if she might have any class photos, but Mrs. Ashton says she never held on to those. Anna asks if there’s anything physical she remembers that set him apart; something that would have distinguished him. Mrs. Ashton says he had the most emotive brown eyes, which was what made him so effective on stage.

Peter is surprised by Lulu, and not in a good way. She never struck him as someone who needed to ask permission. She says she doesn’t need permission, but wants to make him aware and persuade him. She’s not sure now is the right time with Avery missing, but she’s concerned Henrik could go underground. Who knows when she’d get another shot? Her food comes, and she thanks Peter. He tells her to be careful. Henrik could be more dangerous than she’s giving him credit for.

Anna tells Robert the meeting was productive. Now they know he has brown eyes; that narrows it down. Robert says, that’s if he’s the same person. She’s sure he is. He says it’s time to tell him the truth. What is the case really about? She tells him if he wants to help, help; if not, don’t. He asks what the child really means to her.

Ava says Avery is not going home with the man who kidnapped her. Chase says he’ll question him, but Sonny says his father didn’t kidnap Avery. Ava says she was gone overnight; what else would you call it? Griff understands, and shares her concern, but Mike didn’t mean any harm. She knows Mike isn’t well. Ava says that’s her point. Avery isn’t spending one more night under the same roof. Avery is coming home with her.

She and Sonny have a stare down.

On Monday, Robert realizes Henrik is Anna’s son, Michael tells Nelle he’s optimistic, and Spinelli tells Sam if she touches something they’re dead.

🍳 I watched the second hour of MasterChef Junior, and unfortunately missed the eggs Benedict challenge. Eggs Benedict is one of my favorite things in the world, but I’m sure I wouldn’t have learned anything, unless there’s a new way to order them at a restaurant. I came in at the tail end of the next challenge, where eight-year-old Avery’s superb cake won her immunity. While she went to the balcony, chocolate chips literally rained down on the rest of the junior contestants, since the next challenge was chocolate oriented. A golden apron was the prize, as well as a definite spot in the finals. Avery was given the option to forego her immunity and join in, but she thought better safe than sorry. Mikey got the gold, while Anthony and Cade were out for bad cream puffs and overpowering cocoa, respectively. Anthony told us that he was going to keep his head up and keep on cookin’. Well said. Next time, the young chefs will be cooking for now older alumni.

👄 Quotes of the Week

Death is only the end if you assume the story is about you. – Welcome to Night Vale, Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor

Looking at you is like looking at the Grand Canyon of ineptitude. – Dave Harken (Kevin Spacey), Horrible Bosses 2

I already have more filler than a two-hour Dateline. – Angie, minor character on 2 Broke Girls (S:5, E:21)

Anger finally only ages a person. – Elsa Lanchester

The worst is not. So long as we can say “This is the worst.”. – Edgar, King Lear, William Shakespeare (One of my favorite quotes!)

💀 Tomorrow, a special mini-cap of last week’s The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead. Just in case you’ve been under a rock, lost your internet like me, or just want to brush up before Sunday night. I watched them tonight, but still have to edit. Unfortunately, that pesky thing called sleep is getting in my way.

Weekend-Smell

SNLChip

Apr16

April 15, 2018 – My Day Sux Big Time

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What I watched today was, unfortunately, not much of anything. Sadly, thanks to Verizon, I have no internet, TV, or phone (borrowed this one). While it’s been fun watching the DVD of The Beastmaster with commententary, and several extra features from my set of Downton Abbey DVDs, it’s killing me that I won’t be able to see The Walking Dead/Fear the Walking Dead crossover, much less recap them. Quell disappointment! Hopefully, I’ll be back in business tomorrow and will be able to catch  up On Demand. If I can, I’ll do a mini-cap. Until then, enjoy your TV watching without me.

<SOB!>

 

Apr14

April 13, 2018 – Robert Joins the Mission, Twelve Small Chefs, Some News, QuadrupliQuotes & the 13th

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What I Watched Today

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

 

General Hospital

Carly tells Griff that she’s had a few incidents where she’s heard or seen something, then it’s not there. Griff asks why Sonny thinks something is wrong. Carly says she does too, but not with her health.

Mike is frustrated, looking for his glasses. Sonny tells him it’s no big deal, but Mike thinks losing anything is a big deal for him. Sonny takes the glasses out of Mike’s shirt pocket, and hands them to him. Mike wants to go for a walk, but Sonny says he could use some company. Mike asks what’s on his mind. Sonny says he’s happy Mike is there, and wants to make most of it. He says Mike brought something up the other day, but then they got distracted. He was hoping to finish the conversation. Mike asks if it was horses, cards, or ladies, and they laugh. Sonny asks, what about a field in Croton?

In Bern Switzerland, shopping bags are all over Anna and Emma’s suite. Emma asks Anna if she looks convincing for a secret mission in her new dress. Anna praises her look, and says she should give her mom a call. Jason knocks at the door. Anna tells him that he’s just in time. She and Emma need a bodyguard.

Carly brings Griff up to speed about the phone calls. Griff says it sounds intense, and Carly tells him that  Dante traced the calls to a phone booth on Angel’s Bluff, close to where Morgan died. Griff says it must have been difficult being there, but Carly says she misses him everywhere she goes. She explains about the scarf, saying it was in the picture of Morgan on her desk. She tells him that she’s not making it up; she held it in her hands. He asks where it is, and she says the fire alarm went off and they had to evacuate. When she came back, it was gone. Griff asks what it felt like, and she says, like a scarf. Ha-ha! She tells him it was torn, dirty, and had what looked like blood stains on it. Griff asks if she had any weird sensations, smelled any odors, or got nauseous. She says every time she remembers Morgan getting killed, she gets sick. She knows someone else was in the house. He asks if she heard or saw them, but she says she could feel them. He tells her that sometimes you can pick up on something your other senses don’t register, and to always trust it. Usually it’s nothing, but it can save your life. She tells him that Sonny showed up, and scared the hell out of her. She almost took him out with a baseball bat. She’d heard sounds coming from Morgan’s room. When the lights came back on, she found a framed picture of him, with the glass in the frame shattered.

Sonny tells Mike that he mentioned a field in Croton, and sounded upset. Mike isn’t recalling it, and Sonny says if he’s upset, he can take it off Mike’s mind. Mike appreciates the offer, but has the feeling he did something to piss Sonny off. Sonny says he just wants to help him. Mike says whatever it was, is gone now. Sonny knows it’s difficult to remember. Mike says he’ll do his best. Sonny says it was a long time ago, and he’s not upset or mad in any way, but it seemed like Mike felt guilty. If that’s the case, of something is eating away at him, they can find out why and move on.

Griff knows it’s difficult to talk about, but Carly understands he has to rule stuff out. He tells her that a compromised brain can lead to incidents.

Anna tells Jason that she’s posing as the Widow Ashton (a nod to Larry?), and needs a pretend bodyguard. She was going to make him into her son-in-law, but his look screams bodyguard. She needs to make inquiries, and wants a bodyguard for Emma. She asks him what his jacket size is, and he tells her to ask Carly. Ha-ha! Emma comes out, and tells him that they got new clothes for their secret mission. They got an outfit for him too. She gives him a garment bag, and he tells Anna that they need to discuss this. She asks Emma to do some more research. She says she loves it, and Jason says she’s obviously Anna’s daughter. Anna says that’s why they need a bodyguard.

He asks why they don’t just break in to get the information from the records room. Anna says if she wanted to do that, that’s what she’d do. Does he think she can’t handle a simple robbery on her own? He thinks it might be beneath her. She asks why break in, when they can walk in without suspicion? He asks why not save time? She gets that he’s used to working alone, and he asks how they’re going to do this.

Sonny tells Mike to try again. Mike is sorry. He wishes he could help, but he has to find his glasses. Sonny picks them up from the table, and hands them to Mike. He tells Mike to sit, and breaks out a jigsaw puzzle. He says Griff thought would help. Mike asks if he’ll be putting together a picture of things he’s forgotten. Sonny says it’s not about remembering the past, but focusing on the present. Mike explains that the way to do it is to find the frame first, and fill it from the outside in. Sonny has some business to attend to, and asks if Mike will be okay. Mike says since he has three hundred pieces to deal with, he should be all right.

Griff looks at Carly’s records, and notices that after Morgan was born, she had a bullet removed from brain. She explains that when she was in labor, Sonny thought someone was trying to hurt her, and when he shot them, the bullet went through them and into her. It was a helluva day. He notices she had another incident more recently. She says it was when she was pregnant with Josslyn, but they both came out fine. Griff says traumatic injury effects can show up years later. She has a history of falls and wounds. She tells him that he might as well know that she was hospitalized twice for nervous breakdowns; the first one was mostly fake. Michael was kidnapped as a baby, and the kidnapper only got a slap on the wrist, so she shot him in open court. She was afraid she’d go to prison, so she faked a break with reality. The second time was a real breakdown.

Anna wants Jason to watch Emma while she slips away to get the records they need. Jason says, so what she needs is a babysitter, which is exactly what I was thinking. She says she’ll be making a path toward Henrik. Jason thinks simple and clean is the best way. Just go in and make a demand; it doesn’t require a cover. She asks what about Spinelli, and Jason says he set Jason up with what he needs to catch Henrik. Anna insists that a widow with disposable cash and a beautiful granddaughter is how to pave the way. Jason says he knows how good she is, and knows she doesn’t need him. She’s making a diversion, so he doesn’t get to before she does.

Nanny Pilar and Avery are headed to the park. Mike says he’ll join them.

Carly tells Griff that she’s not embarrassed about it. Michael’s biological father, AJ, staged Michael’s death. They even had a funeral and everything. She forgot to breathe; she just couldn’t take it. She held breath for longer periods of time, like she was trying to keep in suspended animation. I can actually understand what she’s saying. She tells Griff, obviously, Michael came back fine, but she didn’t recognize herself. She was paralyzed, fragile, weak, and powerless, and she doesn’t do powerless. Her phone rings, and it’s Pilar. She asks if it’s okay if Mike goes to the park with them. Finding out the test won’t take long, Carly tells Pilar it’s fine, and she’ll meet them there. She continues her story, telling Griff that she went to the hospital, and made a complete recovery. He asks if the feelings she described ever resurfaced, and she says, never. Morgan’s death rocked her to her core, but she never felt like she was losing herself. Griff says he’ll put a rush on the tests, and get her out. She says she remembers what it’s like to feel lost, but this is nothing like that. It all happened, and it’s all real.

Sonny goes to the hospital, looking for Griff, but Deanna says he’s not answering. Stella comes by, and asks how Mike is doing. Sonny says, not so well. It seems like every day, Mike is slipping away a little more.

Mike is ready to go, and tells Avery, let’s hit the road.

Anna says even if Jason found Henrik first, he’d wait for her, because they’re on the same side, aren’t they? Jason says he wants answers; she wants to protect Henrik. There’s a knock at the door. Jason waits on the side, his gun ready. Anna opens the door, and immediately closes it. She opens it again, and asks, what the hell are you doing here? It’s Robert.

Sonny tells Stella sometimes Mike makes perfect sense, and he lets his guard down. Then, bam! a left hook. Now it’s fifty years ago, and Mike is wondering if his parents are waiting for him. He’s like a time traveler. Stella says there are no easy answers. She can occupational therapy to his schedule, and Sonny should discuss medicinal options with Griff. She tells Sonny If he needs any help, let he know, and she’ll make sure it happens. She tells him to bear in mind that no matter how well the disease is managed, as the patient deteriorates, the symptoms change; it’s curveball after curveball. Sonny says it’s funny. When he was a kid, he used to wait up, playing a game about if Mike was going to show up. As he’s talking, we see Mike playing in the park with Avery, and once again, Max Gail takes my heart and stomps on it. Sonny says eventually, he stopped playing; stopped expecting things from Mike, and learned how to take care of himself. Now he’s playing the same old, losing game, but worse. He’s asking himself is Mike going to remember what day it is or what he had for lunch, or does he work at Kelly’s? He wonders about the day to come when Mike doesn’t recognize him.

Carly sees the noodle house ad underneath the windshield wiper. There’s something written on the back.

Robert says a suite and a shopping spree; what is Jason doing there? He didn’t think Jason worked undercover. It’s not his style. Jason hands Robert the garment bag, and leaves. Robert asks Anna what’s going on. She tells him that she and Jason are in the middle of following an important lead, and he ruined it. He’s shocked she brought their granddaughter, and is using Jason as backup. Anna says she’d would never involve Emma in anything dangerous. It’s a research mission, and he’s blowing it out of proportion. He says not where Faison is concerned, and Anna says it’s Henrik, not his father. Robert says Faison still has an important hold on her.

Stella tells Sonny that she heard about the night at Luke’s, and he says it was like going back in time; Mike was his confident, old self again. She says it was a beautiful gift, and he says it was great while it lasted. Sonny asks if recreating a moment could be a way to get Mike to remember something, and Stella says there’s no magic wand. She’s not telling him don’t try, but there’s no guarantee. Sonny wonders if it’s worth a shot, and she tells him the bottom line is, there’s no way to influence or manipulate what he remembers or doesn’t. What he needs is kindness, compassion, and empathy. He needs to be kept calm and have structure in his life. Maybe it will come on its own, but like Sonny did when he was a child, prepare for disappointment; it might not come back at all. Sonny says that’s what he was afraid of. Stella says in the meantime, he and his family should treat themselves with the same kindness and empathy. He has unfinished business, and Mike’s memory will disappoint him. The one thing he can rely on, is that it gets worse until it can’t get any worse. Sonny likes her; she gets to the heart of things. Stella hopes he appreciates it when she tells him the time will come when Mike no longer remembers his name, and he should forgive himself for wanting what Mike couldn’t give him.

Carly calls Pilar, and tells her to go back to the house and meet her there.

Griff joins Sonny and Stella, Stella reminds Sonny that it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Griff asks how it’s going. Sonny says all right, but he was hoping to meet Carly there. Griff tells him that Carly had a test to rule some things out. Sonny asks if they were brain scans, but Griff says he’ll let Carly explain.

Pilar says they have to head back home. Mike says they saw a pretzel cart, and it wouldn’t be an outing without getting one. Pilar relents, and Mike looks at the money in his wallet, but seems confused. Pilar says she’ll get them, and tells Mike to stay with Avery. After she leaves, Mike calls Avery, Courtney.

Robert says Anna needs to get away from all things Faison, so she can heal. She says it sounds lovely, but she has to find his son first. Robert tells her to let Jason do it, and she says she would if they shared the same viewpoint. Robert says she makes Henrik sound like a victim, and she says they won’t know until the find him. Emma comes back out, and asks if Robert came to help with the mission. He asks what brings her across the pond, and she says a research project for school, and she’s helping grandma with a secret mission. She asks what he’s doing there, and he says there’s no secret mission without him. He’s coming too. Anna is like, no way, telling Emma that he has more important things to do. Robert says he’ll check with HQ, and looks at Emma. Emma says, permission granted. Robert tells Anna he’s going to keep her from getting into a mess.

Sonny returns home. He sees the frame of the puzzle completed, but no Mike.

Pilar also comes back to no Mike – or Avery. She drops the pretzels and runs off to look for them.

Deanna gives Griff the test results. He reads, the preliminary tests show no markers indicating that Carly is having episodes originating from a physical cause.

Carly starts the car. The noodle house ad is on the passenger seat, and the back says, find me where you left me tonight.

In the hallway of the hotel in Bern, Jason asks Sam what she’s doing there.

On Monday. Ava wonders what Griff is hiding, Jason tells Sam that Henrik is targeting his mother, and Carly looks for Morgan.

🍳 I saw the last hour of this week’s MasterChef Junior, which is now being billed as, MasterChef: Junior Edition. It’s down to the top twelve, who all have more cooking talent in their pinkies than I’d have if I had two bodies. It fascinates me that the kids have such sophisticated skills and palates, yet they’re still kids. They got really excited when given tonight’s mystery box, which was also a HUGE plug for Blue Apron. The boxes were empty, mystifying the contestants, who were then led to the Blue Apron pantry, where they were to pick ingredients for their Blue Apron recipe. Lots of brand placement here. Gordon cooked along with them, which was cute, and he also got a critique. The lightheartedness of the judges is also a nice change from the screaming and yelling. Not that I can’t wait for the next Hell’s Kitchen. Winner Billy got a sweet prize; his recipe gets a spot in the Blue Apron (he-he) rotation, and he got saved from elimination. As if that wasn’t enough, he also got to pick the pairs for a tag team challenge, and another contestant to save. The challenge was creating a plate of classic Far East appetizers. Billy told us it was like a chess game, and chose the teams based on more erudite reasons than I would ever think of. Best of all, no one went home.

🔉 Important News

I’m so excited. Tinsley Mortimer is back with Coupon King Scott.

https://pge.sx/2GR5ziL

🔊 Even More Important News

Big night for TV on Sunday if you’re a zombie fan. The Walking Dead season finale will be followed by the Fear the Walking Dead season premiere, at 9 and 10 pm, respectively.

📣 Quotes of the Week

People who are committed to becoming aware of what they’ve done and changing, they can be our strongest proponents in an issue like this. – Edie Falco, on whether Louis CK should be given a second chance. Ditto! He seems to be one of the few who actually know how to apologize.

If you have made mistakes, there is always another chance for you. You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call ‘failure’ is not the falling down, but the staying down. – Mary Pickford

You try to take a shortcut to success and end up with a mouthful of confetti. – Sophie (Jennifer Coolidge), 2 Broke Girls

If you make decisions based upon people’s reactions or judgments, then you make really boring choices. – Heath Ledger

Friday-The-13th-Rules

Friday-the-13th-Kitty

Apr9

April 8, 2018 – The Battle of Negan & Simon, a Little Atlanta, a Dash of Potomac & Bye-Bye Weekend

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What I Watched Today

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

 

The Walking Dead

Rick reads Carl’s letter and gazes out the window. Carl talks about his eighth birthday, and other things he remembers from how it used to be. Tears rolls down Rick’s cheeks. It’s not just the stuff that happened, but how Carl felt, special and safe. He thought growing up would mean a family and a job, but it means keeping those you love safe. He wants Rick to feel safe, like he did when Rick held his hand on walks. He doesn’t think the Saviors will surrender, but there’s regular people in there. They’re close to starting over, and have friends now – there have to be more places and people; a chance to make changes and have a real life. If they won’t end it, he has to. He has to find peace and move forward; not forget, but make it so it won’t happen again. Show them they can be safe again without killing, and maybe one day they’ll have birthdays, schools, jobs, and pizza on Friday night, like they used to. Carl tells Rick to take Judith on walks like they had, because she’ll remember. He tells Rick that he loves him. Rick sees Michonne walking hand-in-hand with Judith.

Michonne lies on the bed, pondering. She checks the nightstand. There’s a letter for Negan in the drawer. I’m hoping somehow, Rick and Negan can work together as frenemies. Not just because I think Jeffrey Dean Morgan is nearly everything on this show, but there’s a tremendous amount of story potential there. Please, Walking Dead, don’t blow another opportunity.

Gregory tells Simon that he came back to make amends. Simon is pissed because Gregory made him look like an ass. Gregory says his intel wasn’t current. Juice and momentum can give you a chance in the game. He had it, and did it. Maggie had Hilltop by the nut, and he didn’t know it. He wants to make it right with Negan. Simon tells him that he’s Negan, and not in the collective sense, but he’s assumed control. Negan no longer in the field of play. Gregory calls Simon, the man, and says he knew he could do it. Negan had a big personality, but was too unconventional. Simon is a leader. Simon tells Gregory that’s why he can’t be seen going easy on him. He has the juice and momentum, and wants to keep it. Ergo, Gregory goes. Gregory says the stupid troglodytes at the Sanctuary can’t advise him in community affairs and politics. Simon tells him, it’s ended. Gregory says he’s achieved, survived, and suffered too much. He’s been reborn as a certified sh*t-kicker. It’s not going to end with him wandering into the wilderness with his d*ck in his hand. Gregory says, he is the juice. Simon throws him to the ground. He says he wasn’t going to send Gregory away; he was going to kill him. He asks if Gregory can make coffee, and Gregory says, the best in the land. Simon tells him they’ll start with coffee, and see where it goes. Is this a date?

The Oceanside people go through the woods. Still trying to convince them to fight, Aaron is there, and is so dehydrated and weak, he can barely fight off a zombie. Cyndie says they made their choice. If wants to die in the woods, that’s his.

Eugene shows the Savior ladies the dish he’s made – mac and cheese with sardines – a staple from his college days. It’s a lasting energy source. He eats some, and says it takes him back. It’s all that’s on the menu until the order is complete. He reminds everyone that their lives are on lock. Negan is MIA, and Simon has taken over. They need to be lickety-quick, but he thinks the best they can hope for, is to squeeze out the bare minimum needed to stop Simon from finding out how short they are. Gabriel coughs up a lung, and Eugene tells him to keep his mask on. He either has influenza or cocca-something. Either way, it’s airborne or he would be dead.

He brings a bullet over to Gabriel, and asks him to feel it. Morgan says the imperfection was intentional. He wanted to make it so didn’t work. He doesn’t want anyone to die. Eugene asks if he wants to die, and Gabriel says he doesn’t want to hep him, but does fear death. He thinks maybe it’s God’s way of showing he’s still the same person who locked his parishioners out. He’s still the same scared animal, doing what he can to survive. Eugene tells him to find an unobtrusive corner; he’s off the line. He tells Gabriel to try not to cry too loud. He’s going outside to test rounds not compromised by Gabriel’s chicanery.

Eugene goes outside, and is ambushed by Daryl and Rosita. They spirit him away.

Dwight goes out for a smoke, and hears Negan’s whistle. Negan asks him if he’s surprised. He shouldn’t be. Dwight says they found his car, and Simon thought – Negan cuts him off, telling him it was a real punch in the d*ck (his second favorite word). Rick cornered him with those decomposed a-holes, and Dwight and Simon never showed. He knows what they were thinking, and wants to know if Dwight remembers who he is. He tells Dwight the conversation is just between them. Dwight says, Simon is his number two, and he thought Negan would want him to go by Simon’s call. Dwight says, he’s Negan. Negan says, good; that’s what he likes to hear. He tells Dwight that when time comes, and it will, to remember this talk. Remember what they’ve done, and can still do together. Dwight looks relieved.

In the boardroom, Simon tells Negan that he thought Negan had been killed, and he was gone. Negan polishes Lucille. Simon admits he lacks discipline, and made it personal. That’s why he moved it from infection to extermination at Hilltop. Things went bad, but he owns it, and asks for a pass. He’ll make it up to Negan; he promises. Negan smiles, and ask if Simon remembers when he took this place; when Simon helped him? He wasn’t sure he wanted to keep Simon on board before he had a system in place. Simon had killed all those people in a settlement long ago. People think that’s psychotic sh*t from a demented, broken ghoul. That’s someone you don’t want to work with, let alone stand next to. He figured he’d figure keep an eye on Simon, and everything seemed to work out until this point. He tells Simon he needs him on his knees. Simon gets ready for a bat in the head, but Negan says, all is forgiven. Get his ass up; they’re good. Simon tells Negan that he won’t let him down. Negan says he appreciates the hell out of that.

Negan has a board meeting, and a Savior takes out a map. Negan points, saying this is where they start. They don’t have to take Hilltop, but they’re going to make sure the farmers can’t leave. If they poke their heads out, the Saviors will clip their asses. They’re going to have teams 24/7, sniping them one by one, until they have full contrition. Simon is happy to have Negan back, and Negan says it’s good to be back. Negan tells them clear out, except for Dwight. He wants to kick around some things. I’m sure Dwight thinks one of those things is his head.

Negan tells Dwight he’s smart as hell. No matter what, he didn’t stew or do anything stupid. He just went about the business of getting his. Nothing shook him. He kept his eyes on what could keep him alive and well. He tells Dwight to keep on keeping that sh*t clear. Dwight nods, and Negan smiles.

Eugene suspects he’s alive because they have a nostalgia for comradery, but he’ll give them space until they’re ready to break the ice. Daryl pulls out a large knife, telling Eugene to shut his mouth or he’ll cut Eugene’s tongue out. Rosita tells Daryl to keep on moving; they’re going to be looking for him. Eugene thanks her, and she tells him to shut up. He tells her that she’s the one who told him making bullets would save lives. He thought the crack of a bat would be the last thing he’d hear, and then thought Negan would torture him, but he didn’t. He gave Eugene a chance to live. Rosita says everyone who has died since then is on him. He says Rick pushed to take the Savior’s home. Rosita pulls out her gun, calling him a selfish coward and a traitor. He turned his back on the friends he had, and didn’t give a rat’s ass about them. They’re going to stick him in the darkest hole, and the only time he’ll come out is when need him to teach them something. He’ll get his wish and live, but they’ll be forcing him to do something useful with his pathetic life.

Dwight writes things on the map. There’s a knock at the door, and he hides everything. It’s Simon, who says, it went well. The status quo has been re-achieved. He asks why Dwight was held back, and Dwight says, for a pep talk. Simon tells him they need to have a serious talk with others who are less than thrilled with the current management. It saddens him, but the time has come to gather like-minded individuals to gather strength, and do what need to do. He tells Dwight to think about what Negan has done to him. Everything he’s extracted; every indignity. He knows what he has to do. They’re meeting in the courtyard after rounds, and going to begin what’s next. Dwight says, all right, and Simon grabs his shoulders, and says, yes, my boy. Well, if it was a tossup I don’t think I’d pick Simon.

Daryl shoots some zombies with arrows.  While the zombies are being a distraction, Eugene sticks his fingers down his throat, and makes himself throw up on Rosita. Considering what he ate, that’s pretty disgusting, but she barely flinches. He takes off, and she shoots at him, but he gets through a hole in a fence. She and Daryl follow. Rosita says they can’t let him get back, and suggests they blow his head off. As soon as they pass, Eugene comes out from under a pile of ashes and mess.

Aaron is sleeping in the woods. It starts to rain, and he gets some water from a can nearby. He hears zombie sounds, and takes out his knife. It’s a mean-looking one, and he pikes it in the head. If we were in a 42nd Street movie theatre, I’d yell, look out behind you! Another zombie grabs him, and they fall together. Aaron loses the knife, and the zombie grabs at his legs. He manages to kick its brain out of its head, but here comes another one. The knife is lost, but he grabs a pokey stick, and skewers it. Yet one more comes, knocking him down, and it’s inches from his face only separated from him by the stick. He gets the upper hand, and beats the non-living crap out of it with the stick. He lies there, rain pouring down, surrounded by the now dead undead.

Someone asks if he’s dead. It’s the Oceansiders. He says they left him. It’s what the Saviors turned them into. They lie, they don’t trust, and don’t live the way they want because of the Saviors. The Saviors hurt them, and will keep on hurting them, unless they do one thing – fight. They just look at him vacantly, and I’m thinking this group seriously lacks personality. Give them a personality or get rid of them.

Commercial break. Red Machete is still not happening for me.

Dwight waits in the courtyard. The others come out, Gregory among them. Simon tells them that if they’re here right now, they’re in. They can talk about approaches and finesses, but they’re in; no take backs. They need to make it quick, quiet, and respectful. Negan has done a lot for them, and deserves it. He says Dwight has legit personal issues with Negan, so the kill is his if he wants it. Something quiet – not a knife, that’s too personal. Maybe a silencer. Then they’ll set a break to start healing. The destruction of Hilltop and its people, and then get on with their lives. He says, right, Dwight?

We hear whistling, and I literally lol. Negan says he’ll take it from here. He says, three… two… one… There are gunshots, and the renegade Saviors drop, save for Gregory, Simon, and Dwight. Two Saviors come out for Simon. Simon lunges at Negan, who says there’s the Simon he knows. He’s coming at him, instead of doing that backstabbing bullsh*t. He asks, why? After everything he did for Simon. He killed the garbage people, when Negan specifically told him not to do that. He pounds on one of the dead Saviors with Lucille. He says after all this, him being him, he’s still going to give Simon his share. If you want to be the man, you got to beat the man. If he can do that, then hell, he should be the man.

Inside everyone gathers. Simon blathers about how they have to get to work when this is done, and how he didn’t want this, but the Sanctuary must stand. As he’s talking, he catches Negan off-guard with a punch. He gets his bearings, and they fight. I’m just a little worried, since Negan is wearing his leather jacket, which probably isn’t a good idea. Negan gives Simon a head-butt. Simon goes down, and Negan kicks him in the face. Gregory inches away. Dwight grabs him, and tells him to get out now. He gives Gregory a map, telling him to give it to Rick. It’s about tomorrow, and the only move they’ve got. He hands Gregory some car keys. Hopefully, he won’t just keep driving.

Negan straddles Simon, strangling him. Finally, he lies still. Negan gets up, and says, what an a-hole. I realize my mouth is open. The crowd was certainly quiet about it. I have to admit, I’ll be glad I won’t have to work around writing Simon says anymore.

Gregory is shoved into the pen at Hilltop. Maggie gives the map to Rick. End Negan, end the risk, is written on it, along with something about where they’ll be. Maggie asks what they’re going to do.

Negan tells Dwight that Simon was a d*ckless worm. What else could he do but crush his throat? But what was bad for Simon, is good for him. They’ve had their ups and downs, but he’s always been able to count on Dwight. He’d like Dwight to be his right-hand man, if he’ll accept the promotion. Dwight agrees. He wants to help Negan finish things with Rick. Negan tells him not to sell himself short. He already has.

Laura, who knew Dwight was a traitor, is in his room. Negan says he found her on the side of the road. She says in Alexandria, he killed their team. She ran and kept running. She wanted to expose him for the scum weasel he is. Negan says it makes sense. He told RIck when to attack, and how to get to the outpost. He’s been slipping workers guns, and maybe even lied about Shari. He thinks he’s some sort of hero, but he’s a nobody and way over his head. When he said Dwight comes through when he’s needed, he meant it. He knew he could count on him delivering the plan to Rick – the brilliant fake-ass plan. He used Gregory. Negan thought he’d take a field trip, but he got a delivery boy; good for him. All that intel will lead them directly into the line of fire. They won’t know what hit them, all thanks to his new right-hand man. He’d thought about killing him, but that was too dignified for a backstabbing, double-crossing dirtbag. Negan says he has plans for Dwight, and laughs.

Looking all angry and rumpled, Eugene tells the workers that they have to prepare to protect the Sanctuary. Negan is back, and they’re going to finish Hilltop. A messenger tells him Negan needs the bullet order by tomorrow. He says to give Negan his personal congratulations on his return. His request will be filled in its entirety, and on time. If he needs bullets, he’s going to get them. All of them. They’re going to rise to the occasion, and will change Savior history forever. He tells Gabriel, all hands on deck. He’s going to be sorting shells. Follow his lead, or cry and die. He says, here we go. He quotes Rosita, saying, time to do something useful with their pathetic lives.

Yay! Simon is a zombie chained to the fence. He’s a good one too; a snapping maniac. Negan is on the deck, and Michonne radios him from a rooftop nearby. He asks if Rick is with her, and to put him on. She says this isn’t about Rick; it’s about Carl. Carl wrote him a letter, and she’s delivering it because that’s what he wanted. Negan says he can’t promise not to kill the messenger, and she tells him, shut up and listen. She reads.

Carl tells Negan that he was helping someone, and got bit. Now he’s gone. Negan might be gone, but he doesn’t think so. He wonders if Negan is working on a way out. Maybe got out. Maybe he thinks it’s a lost cause, and wants to kill them all. He wishes he could have asked if Negan feels that he has to be who he is. If this is what he wanted or wished he could have. The way out is forgiveness. There doesn’t have to be a fight. He hopes his dad offers peace, and he takes it. He hopes things can change. It did for him. He can still start over. Negan listens to every word so thoughtfully, I want to cry.

Negan says, there is no getting out of it now. He wouldn’t accept surrender if they were on their knees. Winning isn’t about beating them, but killing every last one of them. That is starting over. He never wanted this. Rick made it happen. Tell him that. No more talk. He throws the radio down and stomps on it, along with my storyline dreams.

Next week – both the finale of The Walking Dead (at 9 pm), and the premiere of Fear the Walking Dead (at 10 pm). Morgan tells Rick to finish it, the Saviors attack, and Dwight is sent to Jaundice Jadis. I can’t wait to see Fear, since they’re setting up camp in an amusement park. Abandoned amusement parks are creepy all on their own. Add zombies, and you can’t lose.

🍹 A Quick Wives Note…

🍑 The Real Housewives of Atlanta know how to pour on the glam. It was part one of their reunion, and Porsha went full-on princess with a tiara, mammoth jeweled earrings, and a blue velvet gown. Although she claimed to be a goddess because she’s grown. The earrings were all huge, sparkly, and fabulous. Only Kandi was slightly lower key with the accessories, but made up for it with the bling on her gown. NeNe was in red lace and fringe. Kenya was in a frilly yellow explosion. She confirmed her pregnancy, but she never did actually say, I’m pregnant, which made me wonder if the bun is in someone else’s oven. Cynthia had the most glamorous, Rapunzel-like side ponytail ever, and was wearing a red gown fit for a quinceañera. Marlo joined them swathed in lavender cotton candy. Only Sheree was a bit of a disappointment. Her gigantic emerald earrings passed, but she was covered all the way to her chin in a gown of silken material that did not look good on film. She said it was Gucci. Was it his nun period? I wondered if her new felon man doesn’t want her showing any skin. A viewer even pointed out that she seemed unusually covered up this season.

🏰 The Real Housewives of Potomac has mostly centered around Karen’s tax issues, since apparently her husband owes the government. They moved out of the neighborhood, although her idea of downsizing isn’t like the average person’s idea. I guess now they only have 6000 square feet and one pool. What blew my mind though, were the rest of them demanding answers from her like it was their right to know. I’m not a huge fan of Karen’s, but they were like a pack of vultures.

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