Category Archives: walking dead

February 27, 2017 – Eugene is Negan, an Oscar Story & a Medicine Quickie

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

 

The Walking Dead

A group of Saviors gathers around Fat Joey’s body. Dwight goes running inside, and finds that Daryl is gone. Didn’t take them too long to make that discovery. Only about six months.

Eugene is brought into the camp. You’d think by now he’d stop blubbering about everything. He’s led to a relatively nice room that has a microwave and refrigerator. Savior Laura tells him, welcome home. Could be worse. A lot worse. He starts looking at the books, and she tells him that there’s a library, and informs him about Daryl’s escape. He says the room is satisfactory, and she asks if he wants something to eat. After finding out one of the few things they don’t have is lobster, he asks for canned pasta – orangey – and chips. They have homemade chips. I’m in.

Eugene locks the door and looks in the fridge, where there’s beer, eggs and produce. He puts the radio on, and it’s that freaking Easy Street song. I start laughing. There’s no escape from it. Given a choice between hearing it over and over again, and being beaten to a pulp by Lucille, I’m not sure which I’d choose.

Dwight finds the note telling Daryl to go now. A bunch of guys bust into the room and beat the crap out of him, while Negan stands there with Lucille, watching.

Negan bangs on the door where Dwight is in solitary. He says they looked around and he realized he was short a wife – Sherry. He asks Dwight if he knows anything. Negan thinks It’s some coincidence that she’s gone just after Daryl is. He says someone must have opened the door, and Dwight says it wasn’t her. Negan asks if it was him. He says Dwight has legitimate gripes, and asks if he’s started to see things differently. He asks Dwight who he is, and Dwight says he’s Negan.

Negan opens the door. Negan says Daryl isn’t like Dwight; he’s emotional. Either Daryl is on his way home or on his way back to kill them. Either way, they’ll find him. He asks if Dwight thinks he knows where Sherry went. He does, and Negan tells him to fix what he can fix.

Dwight talks to Dr. Carson. The doctor thinks Sherri was soft and let Daryl go. He says Dwight was beaten unfairly, yet he stays. The kind of selfless soul that Sherry is, is the kind of person who isn’t expected to stay around anymore.

Dwight goes back to get his coat, and takes a pack of cigarettes out of a mounted fish’s mouth. He gets on his motorcycle and jets.

Laura shows Eugene around. She says they use a point system, depending on what people bring in. She suggests that he get a haircut, hands him a jar of pickles, and takes him out to Negan. Negan asks Eugene’s name, and then asks everyone else who they are. They all say Negan. He tells Eugene he might have to get real close to Lucille, and under normal circumstances, he might have let Eugene get close over and over again. He asks Eugene if he’s a smartypants, and Eugene says he is. He explains about how he taught himself to cast bullets. He says he reads a lot, and if knowledge is dropped, he picks it up. Negan says he’s some a-hole, but Eugene says he is not. He has PhD’s in several fields, is technically a doctor, and was part of the Human Genome Project before the zombie apocalypse.

Oops! Half of an impaled zombie falls off.

Negan says the problem with his system of keeping people out, is that the guard zombies fall apart. He asks Eugene how they can keep them on their feet. Eugene says they already have the means to fix the issue, an operational smelter. He explains how to pour liquid metal over both the fence and the zombies. Negan thinks it’s the coolest thing he’s ever heard – it’s practical and badass. He calls Eugene Dr. Smartypants. He asks if Eugene was doing valuable stuff like this for Rick, and says Rick’s loss, their gain. He wants to give Eugene a bonus, and Eugene says he was gifted some pickles. Negan says he’ll send some of his wives over, but no sex. He can have drinks, dinner, and laughs only. Eugene and his pickles get led away. Looks like Eugene is smiling a little.

Commercial break. Better Call Saul returns Monday, April 10, at 10 pm. This show was better than I expected it to be, and quite funny, although I lost track of it sometime during the second season. You can’t watch them all.

Eugene plays video games while he chats with wives Amber, Tanya and Frankie, although Amber is doing more drinking than talking. Frankie asks if he wants a massage, since she was a licensed therapist before the apocalypse. Eugene says he’s aware that none of them are there of their own volition, but Tanya says that doesn’t mean they don’t want to be with him, and some intelligent conversation would be good. She suggests talking about the Human Genome Project. Eugene tells her that he’s not at liberty to discuss it, and they might not understand. It’s not a dis, he’s just stating a fact. They decide to do a science experiment.

Eugene carts a bunch of stuff outside. Frankie tells him to relax; he’s one of them. Like something you’d see your eighth-grade science teacher do if he wanted to get the class’s attention, Eugene mixes some ingredients, and a fat stream of foam comes shooting out. When this experiment is recreated later, on Talking Dead, I find out that this foam is called “elephant’s toothpaste,” which is a perfect description. And if you decide to try this at home, don’t touch it.

Dwight goes to his old house and calls out for Sherry. Everything is a wreck, and he picks up a pre-apocalypse photo of them from the floor. He takes the Daryl note out of his picket and compares it to something she had written, and the writing looks the same. We hear her reading the note that she’s left him with her wedding rings on top. She reminds him that he’s told her if they got separated, they should meet there, and he’d bring pretzels and beer. She says he’s lucky he doesn’t remember things. He didn’t want to live in Negan’s world, but she made him. Now he’s become everything he didn’t want to be, and it’s her fault. She says she let Daryl go because he reminded Dwight of who he used to be, and she wanted Dwight to forget. Being there isn’t better than being dead; it’s worse. She hopes he gets away, and remembers the good days, but she doesn’t think he’ll ever even read this. She wants to meet him, but can’t. She doesn’t know if he’d run away with her, take her back to Negan, or kill her. She’s sorry she made him into who he is; she loved who he was.

Dwight takes out a cigarette butt with her lipstick on it, and shakes his wedding ring out of the pack, putting it with hers. He leaves a six-pack of beer and some pretzels. Wow. That was kind of sad.

Frankie and Tanya knock on Eugene’s door. They need his help. Frankie says Amber just drinks and cries. They signed up for this, but she didn’t. Her mother needed medicine, and she thought she could live with it, but she can’t. She’s asked them to help her end it. He suggests they find a doctor. Frankie says that Amber wants to go to sleep and not wake up. Eugene says that’s wildly irresponsible, since she’ll turn when everyone is asleep. They tell him that they’ll take care of that end. He’s a good man, and they know he can make things. They’ll handle the rest. He says he’s not good, but he can jerry-rig a lethal toxin. Frankie says that he is good, and Amber will do it with or without them. He asks how much she weighs. If they can get her exact weight, he can cook something up.

A bunch of people are in line to get supplies. Eugene goes to the front and asks for cold capsules. The woman at the desk tells him to get in line. Eugene asks her number, and tells her that he’s now chief engineer who reports directly to Negan, which means she reports to him. He wants the capsules now. She gives them to him. Good for you growin’ a pair, Eugene! He takes a bedpan, a flyswatter, a sort-of sock monkey that he calls Grimblygunk, and the rest of the medication. Double good for you, Doctor Smartypants!

Dr. Carson asks if Dwight found Sherry, and Dwight says that he killed her. The doctor says that before they got there and understood, they were cowards. They don’t get to have big hearts, and Dwight needs to remember that.

Eugene is brought to a gathering of people. Dwight stokes the fire, and Negan paces around with Lucille. It’s face-burning time. Negan tells Eugene to pay close attention, and whacks Dr. Carson. Negan shows him a note that says good-by honey, and says he found it in the doctor’s desk. It’s from the bottom of the note that Sherry left for Dwight. Negan says the doctor left the door open, and let Daryl out so he could be the hero. Dr. Carson says that she’s the one who ran. Negan says she ran because she knew he’d blame her. Dwight told him that after she ran, she got eaten by zombies, and now a super-hot girl was killed because of him. Dr. Carson says that Dwight is lying, but Negan says why would he do that, and if he is, he’ll find Sherry and kill Dwight. He says all Dwight needed was a night in the hole to get his head on straight. Here comes the iron. The doctor begs not to be burned. Negan says he hates this sh*t and just say he’s sorry. Dr. Carson says he did it and he’s sorry. Negan says that’s all he had to say, and drops the iron. Then he throws the doctor into the fire. Amber is distraught, but I thought that was pretty good. Quick too. Negan says good thing they have a spare doctor, and he never should have doubted Dwight. He says he’s sorry, and Dwight say he’s not. Negan says, ice cold, he loves it.

Frankie and the Tanya come back to Eugene’s room. He says he made the pills, but they can’t have them. Frankie says Amber is counting on them. He says don’t insult his intelligence – the pills are for Negan. I’m guessing that he knew by the weight. They would have had to tell him the truth with that, because it would be deadly for them to under-estimate Frankie asks if Negan didn’t kill his friends, and Eugene says they killed his too. Frankie says they’ll tell Negan it was his idea. He says she’s replaceable; he isn’t. She calls him a coward, and he says that’s a correct assessment.

Eugene enjoys a pickle, and as soon as this show is over, I’m eating one. Negan knocks on his door.  He looks pissed. They stare at each other. Negan walks in. He asks how Eugene likes it, and if they’re doing right by him. He says he knows how hard it is to accept change but needs Eugene to understand that he doesn’t make this invitation to everyone, and doesn’t make it lightly. He tells Eugene that he doesn’t need to be scared. He just has to answer a question, a big one. He starts to ask who Eugene is, but before he can finish the sentence, Eugene says, he’s completely, stone cold Negan. He just needed to meet him properly, but he’s Negan.

The next morning, Eugene is outside, giving instructions on the molten metal and enjoying another pickle. Omg, I’m eating a whole jar after this. He and Dwight stand there, watching metal get poured over the zombies. Eugene says, “I’m Eugene, you’re Dwight, and we’re Negan.”

Okay. They might be reeling me back in here. The big question is, is Eugene really on board with the Saviors, figuring this is the safest route, at least for now; or is he a bigger smartypants than we thought?

Next time, Michonne and Rick take a road trip, Rosita can’t wait, and neither can I, because we’re getting zombies at an amusement park. The kind of thing I live for. 🎡

🎟 No new Housewives of Atlanta this week. I guess Bravo didn’t want to compete with the Oscars. I lost interest in the Academy Awards years ago. And no, it wasn’t after the Rob Lowe/Snow White fiasco. In 1986, I knew two of the nominees, one quite well, and the other just in passing. The late William Hickey, who’d been nominated for Best Supporting Actor in Prizzi’s Honor, had been my acting teacher for many years. I remembered him saying that if he was ever up for an Oscar, that he wouldn’t go unless he could bring his dog. I thought this was admirable. However, Bill did go, and I didn’t see his dog there. I’ve always wondered if he was wearing socks though.

The other was William Hurt (the two Bills!), who was up for Best Actor in Kiss of the Spider Woman. I’d done some work putting together charity events for off-Broadway’s Circle Repertory Theatre, and also volunteered to take tickets. During my time there, our paths crossed, as he was doing a fantastic play called Childe Byron in which he was playing Lord Byron. I watched it several times, and although he was already becoming well-known by then, he was very approachable and always kind. I was thrilled when he got the award (Bill Hickey lost to Cocoon’s Don Ameche), but I knew after that, there was nowhere for the Academy Awards to go for me, but downhill. There’s not much chance of me knowing another nominee, and even less of me being nominated, which is the only thing that could top that.

This year, sadly, it spares me from kudos to an industry that has become less about the work, and more about opinion, political and otherwise.

🏥 Married to Medicine‘s Heavenly summed up part two of the reunion perfectly when she called Mariah “dirty, dingy, and dusty.”

February 20, 2017 – Ned Makes a Sacrifice, the NOLA Party Drags On & Your TWD Questions Answered (Maybe)

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

 

General Hospital

Nelle copies the audio file of Sonny onto a flash drive, and puts it into an envelope to Carly. She says, game on, Sonny.

Sonny buys Jason breakfast at the MetroCourt. Carly waits on them, telling Sonny not to plan anything for tomorrow, because she has a surprise. He doesn’t like surprises, but she says they have a lot to be grateful for, and she wants the two of them to celebrate. After she leaves, Sonny asks Jason if Ava didn’t plant the bomb, who did?

Alexis’s doorbell rings. I have to stop watching so much TV because I somehow get this mixed up with Daryl visiting Carol on The Walking Dead for a moment. It’s Sam. She talks about Kristina abandoning Alexis, but Alexis doesn’t blame her. Sam says she’ll keep trying to talk to her. She tells Alexis about Ava’s arrest, and says that for once, she doesn’t think Ava did it. Sam sees the bouquet, and Alexis tells her it’s from Julian.

Olivia-J hopes Julian wasn’t followed this time. She asks if there’s hospital news. He says by this time tomorrow, the hospital will be hers.

Hayden helps crunch the Quartermaine numbers. She says their offer isn’t as high as the realtor’s offer. Michael says Jason could kick in more, but Tracy doesn’t want anyone looking into where he gets his money. Ned says he’ll sell Lois his half of the record business.

Finn has a never-ending bottle of pills where there’s always just one left .He takes it, and looks at the newspaper headline about Ava. Griff asks if he’s been there all night, and Finn says someone had to take care of the patients. He also wanted to rush Anna’s biopsy.

Anna calls for a nurse, and an orderly tells her they’re all out sick. She asks about her biopsy, and he says he’ll see when he can do. She says she’d like to see a doctor, and Robin pops in, asking if she’ll do.

Commercial break. Like the Clapper and Chia Pet heralding in the Christmas season, Eastertime is officially here since the Cadbury bunny tryouts are happening.

Sam says she guesses Alexis didn’t slam the door in Julian’s face. She says Alexis is vulnerable, and asks her to please not let Julian manipulate her.

Julian reaches into his coat, and Olivia-J pulls a gun. Julian pulls out some champagne, and Olivia asks if he’s being presumptuous. He says tomorrow the Quartermaines lose.

Ned says he could hear Lila’s voice telling him about all the people he could be helping. Tracy asks since when is his life in Port Charles, and he says it’s time to set down roots again. He asks if she has Lila’s engagement ring. He wants to ask Olivia-F to marry him.

Nelle sticks the envelope into the mail cart at the MetroCourt.

Carly thanks Jason for talking Sonny down. She says she couldn’t have convinced him; she would have encouraged him. Jason says he doesn’t think Ava is behind the bomb, and he doesn’t want anyone doing what they can’t take back. Carly hugs him, and says what a great friend he is. Nelle watches.

Finn calls Sonny. He says he needs a favor. Sonny says it’s a bad time, and to call him next week. Finn says he doesn’t have until next week.

Anna says it’s good to see Robin, and Robin says it’s good to be seen. She tells Anna that Griff called her. Anna says obviously the test is a big deal. Robin says she had a clear schedule and thought they could spend time together. Anna says she saw the look on Finn’s face, and now this. Something must be seriously wrong.

The orderly gives the results to Griff. His face doesn’t look happy. He says, oh no, which confirms his unhappiness.

Finn tells Sonny that the medication would be helpful to some of his patients. Sonny says he has eyes on him right now, but he’ll call around for a favor. He says it will take a few days, and Finn says he’ll figure something out. Hayden tells Finn he looks better, and asks if he’s going to the meeting with the pharmaceutical company. He says he can’t go to Manhattan today, since they’re short staffed. Hayden suggests that the profits from the patent could be donated to the hospital, and he likes the idea. He tells her that if he was rude, it was just because he was just tired. She asks if he’s sure, and that she thought he was going to tell her something important. Their conversation is interrupted by Griff with the biopsy results.

Robin tells Anna that a blood biopsy isn’t an everyday procedure. Anna tells her about it, and how the scraping against the bone was weird, almost as if she could hear it from inside. Robin says she’s sorry she wasn’t there, but it saves lives, so Anna did the right thing.

Michael thanks Olivia-F for pitching in at the family meeting. She says it was really none of her business. He says if Ned hadn’t sold L&B, they would have lost. Olivia is surprised that he let go of the business.

Tracy tells Ned no way is he getting Lila’s ring. She said it cost more than most people’s homes at the time her father bought it. Ned says he thought she liked Olivia-F. Tracy says that Olivia has two illegitimate sons from two different mobsters, and is not daughter-in-law material. Ned says that Tracy is one to talk, and he’s going to marry her. Tracy calls her uncouth and uncaring, and Ned says he looks at it as genuine, spirited, and sincere. He says he’s not losing her again.

Nelle finds Carly, who says she has a task outside of Nelle’s job description. She tells Nelle about the cabin that she and Sonny used to go to, and how she’s renting it again. She asks Nelle to make it special. She says they’re trying to move forward, and they could use some time alone. Nelle says things always work out for her. Carly is resilient and resourceful, and she admires that.

Alexis tells Sam that she’ll never be vulnerable to Julian again. Sam asks if he knows that. Alexis says she thinks he was saying good-by.

Olivia-J asks why Julian is breaking out champagne. He says he’s celebrating his freedom. She says she’ll have him killed if she doesn’t get the hospital, and if he’s drinking to his eminent demise. He says she can either raise a glass or kill him.

Alexis tells Sam about the safe deposit box. Sam wonders if Julian is leaving, and Alexis says she doesn’t know, but there’s an explanation letter in the box. Sam thinks it’s a poorly manufactured lie, but Alexis says, what if it isn’t?

Julian tells her to get it over with, and Olivia-J says don’t waste the bottle. He puts something from a metal capsule into her drink. I might add that he does it pretty loudly. They could hear the unscrewing of the capsule at the hospital. He toasts to GH’s demolition.

Sonny tells Jason about Carly wanting to kill Ava, and that they agreed on doing nothing until they know for sure. Jason says Carly might think she wants revenge, but she doesn’t want to wreck lives. He hopes whatever they decide, they can move forward. Sonny says it’s not an option anymore. He tells Jason that something is going on with Nelle. She wants Carly to find out that they slept together.

Michael tells Nelle about losing his investment, and asks if she’d like to go to brunch and talk. Nelle tells him that she has to set up the cabin. Michael says he’ll give her a ride. He’s going to be busy for a while, and they might not have a chance to hang out later.

Robin tells Anna it’s okay to be scared. Anna says WSB agents don’t get scared. Robin says not in public, but it’s just her. Finn and Griff come in. Finn says he was hoping for better results, and the biopsy indicates she has Polycythemia Vera (PV). Griff explains that it means she has cancer.

Tracy relents about the ring, saying that Lila would want it to be worn and not kept in a dusty vault. She apologizes, and Ned asks what the objection is. Tracy says she doesn’t really have one, and that Olivia-F is ballsy and outgoing. She says when she got sick, she changed perspective on a lot of things and selfishly wants to keep him close. When he talks about marriage, the next step is getting their own home. He says it’s a big house, and there’s room for all of them, at least for now. He asks for her blessing, and she says of course. They hug, and we see Lila’s picture behind them, causing me to tear up.

Sam tells Alexis that what Julian wrote could hold the answers they need.

Olivia-J bumps into Julian and he drops his glass. She says how clumsy of her, and explains that being Alexis’s sponsor, it wouldn’t be good to have champagne on her breath. She encourages him to take her glass. He says it was a stupid idea, and she says he tried to poison her.

Anna says she never heard of a blood clot causing cancer. Finn says that cancer is a technical term, and her condition was once classified as blood disorder, but now is considered blood cancer. Griff says she’s in the age range where it’s commonly diagnosed, and the blood clot was a symptom. Finn tells her that the cancer causes thickening of the blood, and if left untreated, could result in a heart attack or stroke. It’s what’s been responsible for her migraines. Anna asks if she needs chemo. Finn says no, they’ll give her blood thinner and do phlebotomies, which Robin says is like donating blood on regular basis. Anna says it sounds like they’re just treating the symptoms, and asks how they beat it. Griff tells her that there’s no cure.

Michael and Nelle get to the cabin, and the caretaker gives them the keys, calling them lovebirds. Nelle is like, not too awkward. Michael tells her that they used to come up here all the time, and she says he must have wonderful memories of the place.

Sonny tells Jason about finding the bra, and that Nelle planted it. He says no way was her bra in the bed for two months. Jason wonders why, and asks if Nelle is interested in him. He says he doesn’t care, but she’s becoming a problem. Jason says the only way out is to take away her power and tell Carly.

Finn tells Anna that it’s a chronic condition, and Griff says it’s manageable. She asks if she’ll have to deal with bloodletting the rest of her life. Robin asks to talk to her in private. Anna says she’s sorry for being insensitive. Robin says she’s angry and sad, and just because it’s manageable doesn’t mean it doesn’t suck. When she’s done venting, they have work to do, and she has to be strong. Anna doesn’t feel strong, and Robin says she’ll be strong for both of them.

Finn tells Griff that he didn’t tell her everything. Griff says to let her deal with the shock. He thanks Finn for letting him be there. Finn joins Tracy and Hayden. Hayden asks about the meeting again, and he says that he doesn’t have time. Tracy says the jet is at his disposal, and he says maybe he’ll take her up on it.

Olivia-F comes into the Quartermaine drawing room to find Ned looking at Lila’s engagement ring. He says he was going to do this at dinner, but why wait? He asks her to marry him.

Commercial break. Finola Hughes does a PSA for PV. You can get more information at VoicesOfMPN.com.

Anna says Robin can’t be by her side forever. Robin says being HIV positive has taught her one thing – not to think about 50 years from now, but about today and tomorrow. Anna will need someone to run errands and translate medical terms. Anna says it’s not necessary; she’ll be all right. Robin says everyone needs help sometimes, even her. Right now, her place is here. They hug. Anna tells Robin she loves her.

Hayden says that she’s proud of Finn, and they’ll talk later.

Olivia-F tells Ned that she can’t. He says he understands no, but what does “I can’t” mean? She runs out.

Nelle has changed the sheets, and the fridge is stocked. She tells Michael that no matter what happens, his friendship has meant the world to her. He says he feels the same way, and wonders if she’s skipping town, but she says she’s just expressing her feelings. They start to leave, but the caretaker comes back, telling them that the roads are closed and they’re not going anywhere.

Sonny tells Carly they need to talk. She says they can talk tomorrow. They need a break away from everything, a break from the questions about Ava and the pain of Morgan. Sonny says okay, and they hug. The mail cart goes forward.

Olivia-J tells Julian to empty his pockets. He gives her the capsule. She sniffs it and says, oleander. He says it’s nothing she wouldn’t do to him. She says she would have succeeded, and he tells her that now’s her chance. She says until the deal is finished, he can live, and to get out before she changes her mind. He leaves, along with his fresh haircut. Olivia tells herself that Julian needs another reprimand, and she knows exactly how to deliver it.

Alexis tells Sam not to be digging around. Sam says she can take care of herself, and just hang on to the key. Alexis doesn’t like it, but tells her to be careful. Sam’s phone rings. It’s Olivia-J pretending to be the doctor’s office, and asking her to come in.

Tomorrow, Michael and Nelle are stuck, Jordan tells Curtis that she might lose her job because of him, and Olivia-F wants to know who’s after Julian.

Vanderpump Rules

I’d better see the Gigster tonight or I’m going to start questioning the integrity of this show.

In New Orleans, Jax wakes Brittany with a fart. This is actually better than an alarm clock, since you’ll never hit snooze. She asks if he remembers crying the night before. She tells Jax that if he really wants to be a better human, don’t treat her like crap. Seems simple enough. She says it’s awkward when he apologizes to an ex, and then acts like an idiot with her. In his interview, he says he can’t win. Because he’s so simple, he can’t even understand simple enough.

Schwartz wakes up on the couch. He tells Katie that she was super mean to him the night before. We flash back to the revelry in the streets. Katie says they left for the hotel around 4:30 in the morning, and everything was fine. In her interview, she says she wanted to take a car home, and he thought she was being unreasonable, but in his version, she’s drunk and yelling at him. He says she doesn’t remember because she was too drunk, and she insists that she wasn’t. Want to make a bet that both of them were?

The girls go to Galatoire’s, one of the oldest restaurants in NOLA, for brunch. Stassi says all holidays and birthdays were celebrated there when she was a girl, and we see some retro photos. Brittany says the boys were acting like weirdos last night, and Stassi says she was embarrassed.

The guys go on a swamp tour. I’ve never been to NOLA, but I have gone on one of those in Florida. The guide instructs them that if an alligator comes in the boat, it’s not part of the tour, and to run. Ariana is joining them, since she’s a groomsman and wants to see gators. Schwartz starts drinking, and tells them about having a fight with Katie. The boat stops, and everyone looks at an alligator. Ariana feeds it some popcorn. Or Cheetos. Or something. The guide picks up the alligator and everyone takes pictures. Tom says he brought doughnuts and there’s a snake in the box. This is not a euphemism for anything. There is an actual snake in the box. There’s also a snake in the cooler. The guide pulls out a baby alligator and teases Schwartz with it. He freaks, but I’d want to hold it.

Kristen passes out rubber wristbands to everyone, each with an appropriate name for the recipient. The food looks fabulous. My sister lived in NOLA for a while, until Katrina hit. I’ve always regretted not visiting her there. Love the food. Love the music. Scheana doesn’t like anything in a shell; it grosses her out. I don’t have a problem with it, but I think eating a whole crab or lobster is a lot of work for too little payback. She and Kristen step away from the table, and talk, while Stassi talks to Katie. In her interview, Kristen says she, Scheana, and Carter discussed Katie’s anger toward Schwartz. They think it stems from him cheating two years ago, and she’s been mad at him ever since. Scheana says Schwartz needs to own it and apologize.

After the swamp tour, the guys and Ariana have a blue crab picnic. Tom says Schwartz doesn’t look too good, and he says he feels sorry for the crabs. Tom thinks they should go to counseling. Schwartz and Katie, not Schwartz and the crabs. Carter says Katie doesn’t feel like she has his back, and he thinks Schwartz hooking up in Vegas is still weighing on her. She takes it out on him because he’s never taken full responsibility. In his interview, Schwartz says every time he thinks it’s resolved, it’s not, especially when Katie is drinking. Jax feels partially responsible, since he introduced Schwartz to the Vegas girl. In his interview, Tom says Carter’s words have Kristen’s fingerprint on them. Shay explains how he and Scheana had to deal with their issues. Schwartz says Scheana doesn’t take your deepest insecurities and rage at you for hours. Jax wonders why they’re even getting married. Shay says marriage isn’t easy, and Ariana says something is troubling Katie. Tom says Schwartz sounds like a battered wife. In his interview, Tom says he’s known Schwartz forever and wants him to be happy, and gets all teary. He gets teary at the picnic too, saying he doesn’t want to see Schwartz like this. Jax wonders what’s up with everyone crying, and Ariana says she should have stuck with the girls. Tom suggests they go back and throw on heels and a dress.

Lisa checks into SUR, and talks to the chefs about adding some new dishes to the menu. She wants to keep things current, and doesn’t want the chefs to get complacent. She questions one of the chef’s trousers that have a cartoon mushroom pattern. So do I. They look like pajama bottoms for a ten-year-old.

The girls get ready for the bachelorette party. A girl shows up with a cake, and turns into a stripper. Kristen has hired her to turn things up. Kristen hands Katie a bunch of dollar bills. The girl does a lap dance for Katie. They wonder how to tell the guys that they got a stripper, and the guys didn’t.

Tom rallies the guys after naptime. He’s called in the experts, and brought in Miss Aubrey to be their drag mother. She brings a couple of other drag queens with her. Jax needs help deciphering how to put a bra on, getting the arm strap wrapped around his head somehow.

Ariana visits the girls and says they’re blurring the lines of what it means to be a man or a woman in today’s society. Hardly. Blurring the lines of what it means to be an adult maybe. In her interview, Kristen thinks Ariana wishes she was a bridesmaid instead. Ariana tells the guys that they’re losing in the fun department, and shows them pictures. Tom says they’re just getting started. He’s brought an entire wardrobe stash. Ariana tells Schwartz that Katie is having a great time, and he’s happy. Jax says let’s go break some hearts or break something.

The girls take more pictures with the stripper, and get ready for the evening.

The guys pick a sports bar to grace with their dragness. I doubt anyone is going to care, but they actually get cheers when they come in. Ariana has also dressed in reverse drag. The guys and Ariana mingle, and Schwartz wonders how to pee with all the undergarments he’s wearing. He asks a table of women where his penis is, and says they can have it for a while, but he needs it back. He’s getting pretty drunk. Omg, we actually do see Jax trying to pee (from the back, but still), and he pees on his dress. You can dress him up, but you can’t take him out.

In her interview, Kristen says at Scheana’s bachelorette party they did the standard stuff, like carving cucumber penises and making toilet paper wedding dresses. Stassi planned this one, so they went on a murder tour. Kristen informs us that the main reason for murder in NOLA is cheating, and if they lived there, it would be a ghost town. Scheana tells them that Shay had an allergic reaction to something, but really he’s feeling left out because he doesn’t drink. That’s totally understandable. For the record, we did not carve cucumbers or make toilet paper dresses at my wedding shower, but I did have to wear a hat made out of the gift bows.

Giggy! Harrison! Lisa and Ken taste test the new dishes, along with Lisa’s business partners. Lisa says it’s a different vibe without the kids there, and they discuss the combined bachelor/bachelorette parties. Lisa tells them about how she upgraded Schwartz and Katie’s room.

The group reconvenes at the hotel. Tom has changed wigs. He felt that the dark wig was too stepmom, and the blonde is more sexy and youthful. Stassi thinks he’d get more likes than her on her dating app. She says Jax looks like your friend Tiffany, who spells her name with an “i” at the end, and needs a ride to a check cashing place and then to a 7/11 for cigarettes. I like Stassi a lot more now that she’s mellowed in the thoughtless department. She’s really very funny. In her interview, Katie says she and Tom take their fighting to extremes, but are able to forgive. Kristen doesn’t think Schwartz is as adorable as he looks.

Jax and Brittany’s room is trashed from earlier antics. I’d hate to be a maid in a Vegas hotel. Jax takes off his drag, and apologizes to his balls, saying he’ll never do that to them again.

Kristen talks to Schwartz. She says he and Katie really only fight about one thing – the chick in Vegas. Schwartz thinks the logic is flawed, and doesn’t want to discuss it. Kristen begs him to listen. He walks away, saying that Kristen is a psycho bitch. She says she just wants them to be on the same page before they get married. Schwartz is not receptive to talking, and Tom tells Kristen to leave him alone. Schwartz starts to go in the elevator, and Kristen says it’s not Tom’s business, and tells him to get out. In his interview, he says she’s a psycho and he’s been there. In the elevator, Schwartz says all kinds of crap about Kristen, including calling her a whore. Carter tells him to back off, and Tom tells him he was there, and Carter is dating the new and improved Kristen. Carter, the voice of reason, says this isn’t about Kristen right now. Tom says if she brought up the past, he has a right to.

Jax and Brittany hear them arguing, and Jax says he’s not getting involved. Schwartz says all he did was make out. Jax tells Brittany it’s a ten-year battle, but she doesn’t like the way they’re attacking Kristen when she’s not even there. Katie comes upstairs. Scwartz complains about Kristen. Katie says Kristen has been downstairs, and asks why they’re trashing her. Jax says this is going to be a disaster tomorrow.

Kristen tells Ariana and Scheana that Katie told her she’s never gotten over Schwartz cheating on her. Ariana says she gets it now.

Tom tells Scheana that all Schwartz did was kiss a girl. Schwartz says he’s not sure what happened, but he’s almost positive they didn’t have sex. The girls and Carter gather. Stassi tells Katie that she had no idea that’s why they’d been fighting, and now it makes sense. In her interview, Katie says Kristen had good intentions even if her delivery was off, but you can’t put toothpaste back in a tube. Meanwhile, Scheana tries to explain things, and Schwartz says he can’t marry Katie.

Next time, Katie calls Lisa, Jax says Schwartz admitted to hooking up, more shots are downed, there’s a possible game of spin-the-bottle, and Schwartz loses his penis again.

Walking Dead Questions Answered (Kind of)

For those who wondered about Winslow on The Walking Dead, this article probably won’t enlighten you:

http://comicbook.com/2017/02/20/the-walking-dead-who-was-winslow-/?utm_source=Comicbook.com&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=170219_221058_Comicbook.com%20Daily%20Newsletter&utm_content=Image

For those who wondered about Michonne’s lost cat, this article will enlighten you somewhat:

http://comicbook.com/2017/02/20/the-walking-dead-why-did-rick-give-michonne-cat/?utm_source=Comicbook.com&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=170219_221058_Comicbook.com%20Daily%20Newsletter&utm_content=Image

 

February 19, 2017 – Rick Gathers Recruits, Porsha Gathers a Thought & a Stupid Quote

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

 

The Walking Dead

Morgan and some of the Kingdomites wait for Negan’s crew so they can hand over the usual plunder. Gavin says the watermelons look light, but Ezekiel tells him to take another look and Gavin is satisfied. One of Negan’s men starts a quarrel with Richard. They stand there like two idiots with their guns pointed at one another. Apparently, the Savior’s name is idiot, because that’s what Gavin calls him. There’s a small scuffle where Morgan gets whacked with his own stick. Gavin says they can’t have this, and Ezekiel agrees. Gavin says things might need to get visceral. Yikes. Morgan asks Idiot for his stick back, but he refuses. Gavin calls Morgan “sensei,” and tells him to read the rules.

Back at the ranch Kingdom, Ezekiel tells Benjamin he’s impressive, but just because he knows how to fight doesn’t mean he should seek one. He tells Richard they’ll talk later. Morgan excuses himself to speak with Daryl. Daryl asks what’s wrong with him, and tells him that he’s bleeding. Daryl says that if Carol saw that, she’d be leading them to kill all of Negan’s people. Morgan says that’s why she left. Man, Daryl could use a shower. I can tell just by looking at him, and I’m glad I don’t have to smell him.

Richard does archery target practice. He tells Daryl they’ll have to start using arrows more, and hands Daryl a crossbow. (Bit of trivia: This is Daryl’s third crossbow so far.) Richard says that they want the same things and need his help.

Richard tells Daryl that if they band together, and hit them fast and hard, they can get rid of the Saviors. Daryl and Richard go to an abandoned area where there are old boxcars. Richard starts talking about a woman who lives alone nearby, and says if she lives out there, she’ll die out there; she has more balls the both of them, but it’s inevitable. If they make it happen sooner, It will show Ezekiel what he needs to do. Daryl asks her name, and Richard says Carol. He says this is how they can have a future. If they don’t do anything, people will die who want to live. They can wait for things to go bad and lose people, or do the hard thing and choose for themselves. Cars begin coming up the highway. Daryl punches Richard out. They both draw their crossbows at one another. Richard says they’ll have another chance, but they’re running out of time. What they have to do requires sacrifice one way or another. Daryl says he doesn’t know who he’s talking to. Richard says that Carol might as well be dead, living on her own. Daryl says if anything happens to her, even if she gets struck by lightning, he’ll kill Richard. Richard says he’d die for the Kingdom, and Daryl suggests that he does.

We see a landfill, where some of the garbage has been made into art, and I get confused, thinking I’m watching Hoarders. There’s an empty space in the middle of the garbage heap, and the group that kidnapped Rick and company gathers. They form two circles around our heroes. One of them asks if it’s a collective or if one leads. Rick introduces himself to a woman who says, we own your lives, and asks if they want to buy them back. Rick says they can talk after he sees Gabriel. Gabriel is brought out. The woman says everything that was taken by him got taken, and they took him too. Rick says they have nothing to buy their lives back with then. He tells them about the Saviors, and says they own their lives. If they kill them, they’ll be taking something from the Saviors, who will come looking. Rick tells her that either they kill you or they own you, but there’s a way out. He asks her to join them in fighting the Saviors. She says no, and Gabriel is led away. Rosita starts fighting with the nearest member of the group, and it starts a mini free-for-all. Rick tells them to stop. Gabriel holds a knife to a woman’s throat. He tells them that the Saviors have other communities, and whatever they want, the Saviors have it. He puts the knife down. He says if they join together, fighting with them will be rewarded. He says Rick can do anything. He says they can get them anything, and to let them show what they can do.

The woman tells them to show Rick shoo-be-doop-wop-op. I didn’t hear what she said, but that’s what it sounded like. Rick goes off with the woman and a couple of the others. Rosita asks Gabriel who these people are, and Michonne asks where Rick is being taken. He pops up on top of the garbage pile with nameless woman and a couple of the others. She says they take, they don’t bother. Things grow harder, times have passed, and things have changed, so maybe they need to change. Maybe. Quite the philosopher, but Aristotle has nothing to worry about. She wants to know if Rick is worth it, and shoves him down the garbage hill. All right, I’m ready for some actual dialogue now.

Rick is inside the pile, and Michonne calls to him through a kind of peephole. He says he’s fine. A steampunk zombie with spikes all over it pops out of the garbage, and roars toward Rick. Rick whacks it with a piece of plastic and pushes it around a little, just annoying it more. Rick gets cut on a spike and now he means business. He climbs up the pile, but slides back down. Michonne calls to him, telling him to use the wall, and he pulls some crap down on the zombie. Then he stabs it probably more than necessary. He asks nameless woman if she believes them now. She drops a rope down, and Rick climbs back up. This would be a good time for her to introduce herself.

Doesn’t happen. She says they need guns and they’ll fight his fight. He says they’ll win. They negotiate terms. She wants half, he says a third and won’t budge. She says only if they keep what they stole from him, and amends it to half of what they stole. rick agrees, and they shake. We discover the zombie’s name is Winslow, although I fail to see why that matters now. What does matter is that we also find out that her name is Jadis.

Rick is all limping around, but proud of himself, and tells the others that they have a deal. He hugs Michonne and bleeds all over her.

Commercial break. It’s for a Lincoln Continental and I laugh, because, Andrew Lincoln. Then I see Matthew McConaughey and groan. I’m tired of him ironically waxing poetic over cars.

Carol emerges from her house. Ezekiel approaches with a few of his guys. She says that she told him no more visits, but he says they were just doing some clearing; he didn’t think they’d disturb her. She tells him they tripped her wire. Jerry gives her a casserole or something that he claims they brought just in case she came out. Carol settles down to read, and there’s a knock. It’s Daryl. She starts blubbering, and hugs him. He tells her Morgan said she’d left, but he saw her. He asks why she disappeared. She says she had to. Nah, these two together does not work for me.

Morgan tells Rick about how he got apprehended, and says sorry the supplies got stolen. Rick says he got them there. Morgan says that he was beginning to lose faith, and gets all misty-eyed about Rick and the gang coming to rescue him. He says they’ll set things right. It will be hard, but they’ve got to hang on. Morgan wonders why Rick is so confident. Rick says that someone showed him that enemies can become friends. Michonne rolls her eyes at how corny that is, but not before I do.

Rosita thinks they should go. Tara says they’re getting supplies and regrouping. Sasha says she’ll go on her own, but Tara tells her that they have to stick together. Rosita tells her to grow up. Geez.

As they’re leaving, Jadis tells Rick, guns. Shoobedoop adds, soon. Obviously, people of few words. Rick grabs a cat made out of wire and presents it to Michonne because they won, and to replace the one she lost. Huh?

Commercial break. Kong: Skull Island looks great and all, but seriously, how many times are they going to remake that thing? I know they want to act like it’s not a remake of King Kong by changing the title, but come on. It’s probably outstripped the Rocky sequels by now.

Carol tells Daryl she couldn’t lose any more; she couldn’t lose him. She couldn’t kill them, but if any more of their people were killed, she would have, and there wouldn’t be any more left of her. She asks if the Saviors came, and Daryl says yeah. She asks if anyone got hurt, and if everyone is back home okay. Daryl says nothing. He finally tells her that they made a deal, and everyone is all right. He asks if you have to be a king to get food around here, and she breaks out the casserole. Daryl says Ezekiel is okay, and she agrees. Before he leaves, Daryl hugs Carol, and tells her to watch out for herself.

Shiva! (I finally looked up her name, but I still want to call her Simba or Sheba.) Daryl sits in front of the tiger’s cage. Morgan says Ezekiel will be impressed. Daryl says any guy who has a pet tiger must be okay, and tells Morgan about seeing Carol. Morgan says Carol told him to say she went away. Daryl says they need the Kingdom and have to make that happen. Morgan says sorry, but it can’t be him. Daryl tells him whatever he’s holding on to is gone already, and to wake the hell up. Morgan says they’re the same, because he didn’t tell Carol what happened, otherwise she’d be there. He says they’re all holding on to something. Daryl pets Shiva, and says he’s going to Hilltop in the morning.

Daryl leaves the Kingdom. Richard and Morgan watch as the gate closes behind him.

Next time, the return of Eugene and Negan, Negan wonders who Dwight is, Dwight ventures out on his own, and Negan says they’ll find them.

🍑 Some of The Real Housewives of Atlanta continue to take the low road. This week, Porsha and Kandi had an argument where the both of them talked at once throughout most of it, causing the audience to hear almost none of it. It was loud, and not just in public, at outside restaurant tables. I forgot to add, it began with Porsha accusing Kandi of having had a six-year lesbian relationship. This led Kandi to say that she’s had no such thing, however, Porsha did proposition her when they were out drinking. The best part of the whole thing was the women at the next table who were dying laughing. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but I think if Kandi had been involved in said relationship, not only would we know about it (remember, Porsha? Kandi was actually famous before she was on this show), I doubt she’d hide it. Oh yeah, Porsha also said that Kandi has a sex dungeon at her house, confusing having a sex dungeon with having a sex toy business. Let’s all be reminded again that Porsha is the one person in the civilized world who thought the Underground Railroad was an actual railroad.

Because It Applies

The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits. – Albert Einstein

February 12, 2017 – The Walking Dead Returns & Quotable Dead

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

 

The Walking Dead

Well, here we are again. The show hasn’t even started yet and I feel drained. When they show clips from last season, I think Rick said that he’s either getting out now or he’s not gay now.

It’s nighttime, and Alexandria seems to be at peace. Father Gabriel stands outside, reads a little something, then heads back to town. He throws a bunch of cans into a bag and consults a chart. He digs around looking for some tools, and loads up a car. Looks like he’s headed out.

Gregory tells Rick and the gang that all he has are farmers, and he can’t help them fight the Saviors. Daryl says either he’s with them or he ain’t. Gregory’s viewpoint is that he’s not the one with the problem; he’s fine with the way things are. He says he’s made his position clear, and thanks them for not being there today, requesting that they leave out the back way.

Daryl says they don’t need him anyway. Enid pops out before they get to the door, and tells them to come outside. A girl named Bernie says she owes her life to them, and wants to know if Maggie thinks they can beat the Saviors. She does, and a small group leaves with them. Daryl says maybe they don’t need numbers and can just blow the Saviors up. Rick says geography and distance are against them, and they need to be back before Negan starts looking for Daryl. Jesus shows them a long-range contraption that they can listen in on the Saviors with. He thinks it’s time they met Ezekiel.

Oh look! Our first zombie of the season. It’s sitting there just like a spring crocus too. Jesus brings them to The Kingdom. Richard and another guard ride up on horses and recognize Jesus. Richard asks who his friends are, and Jesus tells him that they’re from a like-minded community, and would like an audience with King Ezekiel. Richard says, like-minded how? and Jesus basically tells him they’re all trying to stay alive. Richard says that they don’t usually allow strangers into their world. Michonne says they’re trying to make the world less dangerous, and he tells them to leave their weapons.

Richard wonders what Jesus is up to. Jesus tells Richard that he’s never seen him smile, but he might for the first time today. Looking around, Michonne says they have the numbers, but Sasha wonders if they can fight. Jesus says they can. Enid sees Morgan, and there are hugs all around. Richard asks how they know each other, and Rick says they go way back. Richard tells them that the king is ready for them now. Before they go in, Morgan explains what happened with Carol, and how he had to kill someone to save her. He says she got help at the Kingdom, and then left.

Simba! Or whatever the tiger’s name is. King Ezekiel asks if Jesus brought him new allies. Jesus introduces Rick, and Ezekiel welcomes them. He asks why they seek an audience. Rick tells Ezekiel that their communities have something in common – serving the Saviors. Rick says they rule through violence and fear, and that Alexandria beat them once. Ezekiel gets ticked off, saying that their deal with the Saviors was a secret, and wants to know why Jesus broke his confidence. Jesus says he wants Ezekiel to hear Rick’s plan. Rick asks Ezekiel to join them in the fight. Michonne says good people have been killed. Morgan asks who, and she tells him about all the people who have died since he left. Rosita adds that Daryl is now a target, and Sasha tells Ezekiel what happened at Hilltop. Jesus suggest that they change the world. Rick says they’re strong, but there aren’t enough of them, and they don’t have enough weapons. Richard says if they strike first, they could beat them, and begs Ezekiel to set things right, saying the time is now.

Ezekiel asks Morgan what he thinks. Morgan says people will die, and not just the Saviors. If they can find another way, they have to, maybe by capturing Negan. Ezekiel says he has much to ponder. Rick repeats a story his mother told him about a dangerous rocky road (not ice cream) that people avoided because there were so many accidents on it, and a little girl who wondered why it was still there after so many people had been hurt and killed. She dug at the road and found a bag of gold underneath. Rick says the king knew that the person who dug it out deserved a reward, and deserved to have their life changed forever. That was a very nice story, Rick, but huh? Ezekiel invites them to dinner, and asks them to stay overnight. He’ll deliver his decree in the morning.

Benjamin tromps through the woods and comes across Carol. She holds a gun on him, and he says sorry. She wonders why he didn’t run, and he says he’s in training. She tells him not to be wandering around after dark. He tells her that Ezekiel doesn’t want to bug her, but wants to make sure she’s okay. He says there’s no use telling him not to, and asks if she wants some food. She tells him she heard him from a mile away, and be sure to be quiet.

Ezekiel tells a bedtime story to a child about being free at last. Benjamin stands in the doorway. Ezekiel asks where he was at supper, and he says he went for a walk, casually mentioning that he saw Carol. Ezekiel asks if she’s well, and Benjamin says they should say yes to Rick. His group will risk everything regardless, and they won’t win. Even if by some chance they do, the Kingdom will be sorry they didn’t help. He tells Ezekiel, if you’re going to be a hero, be a hero. Ezekiel thanks him for his sage counsel. He tells Benjamin that his father would be proud and the king is proud.

The next morning, Ezekiel tells Rick that their idyllic lives came at a cost. He wanted to create more places like this. People died because he sent them into battle when he didn’t need to. Rick says the dead don’t rule them, and some people don’t have it good at all. Ezekiel says that he has to worry about his people. Daryl tells him that he’s not acting like a king. Ezekiel repeats that it came at a cost. The peace they have with the Saviors is uneasy, but it’s peace, and he has to try and hang on to it. Even so, he’s sympathetic, and offers Daryl asylum because the Saviors don’t set foot inside. Daryl asks how long he thinks that will last. Rick and company walk toward the gate.

Sasha tells Rosita that she knew he’d say no, but it still pissed her off. Rosita says just because they had sex with the same dead guy doesn’t make them friends. Geez. Richard tells Rick he’ll come with them. Rick says they only have enough manpower for one outpost. Richard says the more they give the Saviors, the harder they become to beat. At the gate, Rick tells Daryl to stay and try to change Ezekiel’s mind.

The gang hears Howard Stern Negan over the radio, talking about the loss of Fat Joey, and announcing that Skinny Joey will now be just Joey. They come upon a road block of cars. Jesus says the Saviors must be trying to make it hard to get to the outpost. Rick says they’ll move the cars and then move them back. Michonne sees something with the binoculars and calls Rick over. There’s some kind of set up with some cables going across the road, and Carl says he’s seen it before. It’s a trip wire for a load of walkers. They decide to remove the explosives.

Rosita works on the wiring, and on the radio Negan says he needs a search party for Daryl. Michonne says they’ll have to get going. Rosita gets the first part finished, and gives instructions to the others. Everybody does serious-looking stuff with knives and wires. Nothing blows up, so I guess they did it right and Rick has his mojo back. Rosita tells them even though the explosives aren’t live, to be careful with them.

There’s a horde of zombies coming, but Rick thinks they still have time. He wants the cars back the way they were to buy them more. Then Rick blows himself up. Just kidding. The cars are repositioned. Rick tells Sasha and Jesus to run back and tell Maggie it’s all good. The zombies are getting closer. Everyone gets into a single car, except for Rick and Michonne, who string the cable between two cars on opposite sides of the road. The zombie horde hits, and is on top of them just as they get into the respective cars. As they drive, the zombies are slashed to pieces and it looks pretty damn cool. Later, on Talking Dead, Chris Hardwick called it the Slice Capades, and I literally lol’d. They stop the cars and get in the one with the rest of the crew, with zombies clawing at them the whole time. Now who’s going to clean up that mess? Oh, might not have to. As they drive away, an explosion happens.

Michonne tells Rick they made it and they’re going to make it again.

Back home, Rick says they have to get everyone ready, but here comes Simon right behind him. Rick says he thought they had more time, and Simon says (ha-ha!) that they’re not here for a tribute; they’re here for Daryl. He says Carl showed up and Daryl went missing. Rick acts like he has no clue about it, and Simon tells his crew to make a search. He says if Daryl is here, they’re going to see him die. Good move leaving him at the Kingdom, but of course these sh*theads wreck the place anyway while searching.

Simon wonders what’s up with the bare shelves. He says hiding stuff doesn’t go over well. Aaron says they’re still adjusting to the new system and don’t have much. Rick says they were going on a run today. Simon tells them to dig deep, go the extra mile, and take risks. Go, Tony Robbins. He thanks Rick for his cooperation, and says sorry to leave the place a mess. He says if Daryl does turn up, even if it’s years from now, there’s no statute of limitations, and it won’t turn out the way it did for Carl.

Rick is told that the morning after Gabriel was supposed to keep watch, the shelves were bare and his car was gone. Enid can’t believe it. She says that’s not who he is, and she wants to believe he held on to his courage. Rick wonders why he’d leave his books. Rick sees Gabriel’s notebook with BOAT written on the last page, and says he wants to be found. There was someone watching him keep watch.

Aaron packs to go after Gabriel. Eric tells him that it’s going to end up being about more than Gabriel, and asks him not to go. Aaron says Gabriel is one of them, and he has to go. Eric wonders what happens if the Saviors come while he’s gone. Aaron says they could just run off and leave everyone behind, and tells Eric that he wants to keep both of them alive.

No surprise, Aaron joins the others. They go toward the shoreline. Rick calls Michonne over and shows her some tracks. They follow the tracks silently. Rick hears a noise. Suddenly, people with guns surround them. It looks like a bunch of kids from The Warriors. And they do not look happy. Rick smiles.

Next time, the group leader asks Rick if they want to buy their lives back, Rick says the Saviors will be looking, but there’s a way out, and we see increasingly creepy zombies.

A Few Fun TWD Quotes

We made it. We can make it. We can. We’re the ones who live. – Michonne

If I had known the world was ending, I’d have brought better books. – Dale

Look at the flowers. – Carol

 

February 10, 2017 – GH’s Nurses Prepare to Strike, Random TV Thoughts & a Quote Quartet

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

 

General Hospital

Hayden practices firing people by talking to a CPR dummy with a staff photo stuck to its head. Tracy doesn’t think it should be too hard.

Epiphany gets the nurses together at the bar. Amy 2.0 asks if the doctors are going to be cut too, and mentions Finn. Elizabeth calls Felix, saying they need his voice of reason. I find it difficult to believe that these are all the nurses they have for a big hospital. There’s only about seven of them. Are they recruiting from other hospitals for the Nurses Ball?

Andre tells Jordan that he won’t be blind to what’s in front of him, and it’s not healthy for either of them. They need to break up. Jordan won’t accept that. She thinks they just need to put things in perspective. Andre says he sees things clearly now, and he doesn’t want it.

Olivia-J talks to Alexis about her stress level, and warns her not to turn to alcohol. Alexis says she’ll call if she gets in trouble. Sam walks in, and Alexis introduces them. Olivia says they were just talking about her.

Carly tells Dante that Sonny knows she’ll leave him if there’s more violence.

Jason tells Sonny that he’s in the clear, and Carly is waiting at home, but if he pulls the trigger, it’s all going away. Sonny says that Ava took his son from him, but Ava says she had nothing to do with it. Sonny brings up the recording, but Jason says he’s not sure that was Ava. Doesn’t Ava know there’s another sister? What is wrong with these people that they don’t know how many immediate family members they have?

Finn overhears Amy II, and asks why he’s a topic of conversation. Amy tries to backtrack by saying she said dorsal fin and they were talking about sharks. Bobbie tells him he walked in on a nurse’s committee meeting, and he’s been voted hottest doctor, causing him to extract himself from the conversation and pick up his take-out order. Epiphany moves to muzzle Amy. Elizabeth says they need to present a united front; Bobbie adds, and not panic. They go over the staff members who might have their backs.

Tracy tells Hayden that everyone on the list has to go, but Hayden says they should rethink things. Tracy thinks her romance with Finn has made her soft. Hayden suggests that Tracy do it herself. Tracy says that the hospital saved her life, but it won’t be saving anyone if it goes under.

Jordan can’t believe that Andre is going nuts over one kiss. She says she thought that they loved each other. He says they already spent a month apart because of Curtis, and what does he have to show for it? He tells her that he wants all or nothing. He thanks her for her honesty, and says she should do herself the same favor and admit he’s not the one.

Carly suggests to Dante that they call Jason, and says they have to be patient. Dante says he can’t wait any longer. Carly begs him not to call. His phone rings. It’s the station.

Ava wants to know what recording Sonny is talking about. Jason says there was no clear picture, they never heard the voice of who Julian was talking to, and too many things don’t fit. If Sonny kills the wrong person, he’ll tear his family apart. Sonny says they’re already torn apart, and Jason says they’re just healing. He’s sorry he couldn’t save Morgan, but the other kids need their father. He tells Sonny to hand over the gun and go home.

Olivia-J tells Sam that Alexis is always talking about her. Sam asks how they know each other, and Alexis says through a mutual friend. Sam says she forgot the book for Danny, and Olivia suggests she stay and chat with them. She says she knows they’ll get along famously. That would be enough to make me run in the other direction.

Sonny tells Jason that maybe things don’t add up for him, but Ava confessed. She begs to differ, and he asks why she said things went too far. She tells him that she never wanted Morgan to get hurt. Sonny says, but he did, and cocks the gun.

Andre says it’s not that he can’t forgive Jordan, but what’s the point? He’ll always be stuck wondering what’s in her head and heart, and if she’s thinking about Curtis or him. She asks if they can’t work through it. Her phone rings. She says something about the Jerome gallery and tells them to give it to Dante. When she turns around, Andre is gone, but her apartment key is on the desk.

Carly tells Dante that whatever is going to happen already did, so they should just wait for the fallout. His phone rings.  He says he’s on his way, but can’t tell Carly what it’s about.

Olivia-J asks Sam about Danny. Sam asks Olivia if she has a family of her own. Olivia says forces conspired to tear them apart. We flash back to Anna saying she’s going to kill Olivia, and wants her to feel the pain she’s caused others. Wow. We were all a lot younger then. The two of them look like children. Sam says she understands, and Olivia says Sam got a happy ending. Alexis says Olivia can too.

Felix gives Anna a prescription for her migraine. He asks if she wants to talk to anyone. She says no, then changes it to yes.

Finn sees Tracy, who asks him to install a backbone in Hayden.

Bobbie says they have to look at things from the hospital’s perspective, and the financial picture is grim. Epiphany says it can’t run without them, and they should go on strike.

Hayden continues to practice on the dummy with Bobbie’s picture on it. Finn comes into the office bearing food. She says it will give her the energy she needs to fire a third of the nurses. So that’s like two of them?

Elizabeth doesn’t think going on strike is the way to go. Epiphany says it’s time they beat them to the punch. She takes a vote. Everyone is in favor except Elizabeth.

Anna sees Andre, and says she thought he’d left for the day. He wonders why she’s there so late, and she explains that she was picking up a prescription. She tells him that ever since the confrontation with Valentin, she’s been doing research. She refuses to believe a man turns into a criminal over a rebuffed kiss. Andre says maybe it was a bigger deal to Valentin. Anna thinks it’s her, and that she may have committed other slights or wrongs. He asks if she remembers anything else. She says her memories are pretty clear now, and nothing says that Valentin was more than a friend. She’s had a lot of enemies, but he wasn’t one of them.

Olivia-J asks when Sam is due, and Sam tells her in a couple of weeks. Olivia doesn’t want to pry, but wonders if Sam is happy with her OB. She claims to be asking for a friend.

Sonny tells Ava that she can die with a clear conscience or just die. She swears on Avery’s life that she didn’t do it. Jason tells him Dante is on his way, and he can either make his family pay for his mistake, or do the right thing and let them figure out what’s really going on.

Jordan arrives at Sonny’s place and wants to see him. D’oh!

Dante shows up at the gallery, telling them that the silent alarm was triggered. He asks where his father is, and what’s going on.

Carly tells Jordan to come back tomorrow, but Jordan says she has news. Carly says Sonny has a hangover, and he’s sleeping it off. Jordan tells her to give him an aspirin, and he’ll feel better once he hears what she has to say. Sonny pops out of nowhere, and asks if he needs to call his lawyer. Jordan says the charges have been dropped.

Dante asks who wants to go first. Ava says she will, and tells Dante what happened, and that Sonny would have killed her if Jason hadn’t shown up. Jason says he has no idea what she’s talking about – it’s just been the two of them the whole time. Dante sees the gun, but wonders why Sonny would violate his bail. Ava says he’s insane, violent, and delusional. Dante asks why Jason is there, and he says he has evidence that she’s involved in Morgan’s death.

Olivia-J makes up a story about a friend who needs an OB, and Sam tells her who the doctor is. Olivia says she’ll pass the referral along, but it’s getting late and she has to go. She tells Alexis to call if she needs anything, and says it’s nice to put a face with Sam’s name. When she’s gone, Alexis says Sam doesn’t like her at all.

Finn tells Hayden that cutting nurses can’t be the way to do it. Hayden says if there was another way, she’d pick that. Finn says they’ll be angry at first, but they won’t hold her personally responsible. She says they will. He says she’s not alone, but she says Finn can’t be there with her. He says he will be in spirit. He says he’s given a lot of bad news to a lot of people, and maybe can walk her through this.

Felix joins the meeting. He thinks they should meet with Hayden, and work for a solution that doesn’t involve layoffs, but they can make concessions. Bobbie says it’s a great idea. Felix thinks Elizabeth should do the talking, since her sister is in charge.

Finn takes the place of the dummy and Hayden practices some more. She talks about the layoffs possibly being temporary, but Finn says it won’t do the nurses any good waiting around for something that might not happen. He says the cleaner she does it, the better it will be for them. She says she’s supposed to start tonight, and he says it’s better for them to hear it from someone who cares. She hopes Elizabeth understands. Elizabeth overhears.

Andre thinks Anna’s problem is better suited to a detective than psychiatrist. He asks if she has any leads, and she tells him about the other trainee. She says she doesn’t think they’ll be forthcoming though. Andre says he’d love to help, but can’t right now. She tells him that she didn’t mean to impose. He says he’s honored she’s asking, but he’s going through something personal and isn’t on his game. She asks what’s wrong, but he doesn’t want to talk about it. He tells her good luck and be careful.

Alexis asks Sam what her problem is with Olivia-J. Sam says she doesn’t have one, but Alexis says she does, and so does Julian. Sam says it’s nothing that Olivia did or didn’t do, but she seems like too much. Alexis makes some excuse for that, and says she’s been nothing but helpful.

Ava asks if she’s in the Twilight Zone, and says she had nothing to do with the bomb. Jason gives Dante the recording. He says Julian made it clear that his sister planted the bomb.

Jordan tells Carly and Sonny that a witness came forward, and explains about Buzz. She says she can’t get into specifics, but to let them handle it. She says as they build a case, she’ll give them the facts. Sonny asks about the monitor and how you get it off. Ha-ha! She tells him that it’s been deactivated and to come by the station to get it removed. Carly thanks Jordan. Jordan says it’s not the only reason she’s there. She wanted to tell them she’s sorry she can’t take away the misery, but hopes they can go forward in peace. Carly doesn’t know if possible, but thanks her. Jordan says she’s going to make sure whoever murdered Morgan pays. After she leaves, Carly asks Sonny wth?

The nurses ask Elizabeth how it went, and she says it didn’t. She asks where Amy Part Two is, and finds out she’s working the late shift.

Hayden says here goes nothing, and asks Amy to come to the conference room.

Elizabeth overheard Hayden practicing her speech, and says the board won’t negotiate. She says she’s in. Epiphany says tomorrow, they’re on strike.

Ava says Dante should arrest Sonny, and that she’s going to the mayor. Dante says they’ll sort it out at the station, and takes her out.

Sam tells Alexis that she can talk to her, but Alexis says that’s the idea of a sponsor, so you don’t have to unload on your family.

Carly asks if Sonny knows what he put her through, and she knows Brick must have helped him. Sonny asks if she wants to know what happened. She says she had to do backflips to get Dante not to arrest him, and asks why he left. She asks if he found out who killed Morgan, and he says he’s not sure. Carly says he seemed sure a while ago. He says he’s not in jail because she covered for him, and it means a lot to him. She says, more than revenge? Sonny tells her that he didn’t take revenge, because he wanted to come home and he loves her; isn’t that enough? She says it shouldn’t be, but he asks again if it is. She hugs him

Sam gets a call and says they’ll talk later. She tells Alexis that Dante has brought Ava in, and there’s evidence that she killed Morgan.

At the hospital, Olivia asks Finn for directions to obstetrics. Anna almost sees her.

On Monday. Lulu tries to apologize to Valentin, Jordan tells Julian that evidence was found to clear Sonny, and Carly threatens to kill Ava herself.

😈  Grimm and the Wesen still elude me. Now I remember it’s back on Fridays, but I forget that they changed the time from 9 to 8 pm. Thank God for On Demand.

♿  I’ve been catching Married to Medicine on the flipside. I’m actually embarrassed to say I watch this show because it’s one of those train wreck things. While I’m at it, I might as well admit I watched the Anna Nicole Smith show too. While this isn’t quite that bad, I guess I’d expected more. I don’t know why, but I’d assumed since they all have grown-up careers that they’d act like grown-ups. Nope. Didn’t happen. Dr. Jackie keeps trying to be the voice of reason, but that’s not happening either. This week was the season finale. The reunion looks scary.

💀 Don’t forget, The Walking Dead is back on Sunday, February 12 at 9 pm.

Quotes of the Week

Some of you like pickles. I get that. But you are not decent people, at least not if you think it’s OK for a restaurant to force pickles upon those of us whose stomachs turn at the mere sight or—worstly—smell of those squishy, acidic intruders. — Brian Hickey, The Philly Voice (My note: This does not reflect my personal view on pickles.)

I always think there’s something rather foreign about high spirits at breakfast. — Carson, Downton Abbey

It was the first time anyone had seen anything on TV other than TV, and I thought, wow, this is technology. — guy being interviewed on The Eighties, CNN docuseries

I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts, and beer. — Abraham Lincoln (My note: Or just beer.)

 

December 11, 2016 – Rick Comes Home & to His Senses

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

 

The Walking Dead

At Hilltop, Maggie surveys the land from the top of the wall. Gregory tells her that people are saying nice things about her and Sasha saving the place, but not to let it go to her head. She says it seems like it bothers him and don’t let it. He polishes an apple and she’s like, are you going to eat that? Eduardo shames Gregory into giving it to her.

Negan shaves while Carl and Judith watch. He tells them to always go against the grain. I’m not sure if he’s being philosophical or giving actual instructions.

At the Sanctuary, Daryl sneaks out of his cell.

Negan makes spaghetti sauce. Is there anything this man can’t do? Tara gives Olivia some lemonade. She tells Olivia to go home and let her take over, but Olivia says she’s fine. She told Rick that she’d watch Judith. She tells Tara to go – they’re about to set. I guess that means have dinner?

Negan is all pleased with himself while Carl sets the table.

Aaron and Rick are at a loss about crossing a lake chock full o’ zombies. There’s a canoe, but it’s full of holes. Rick tells Aaron if he wants to stay, it’s cool, but Aaron is offended by the suggestion. He says they’re both going to see it through.

Everyone is quiet around the table. Negan says he’s not waiting for Rick anymore, and Lucille is hungry, so pass the rolls…please. Lucille eats rolls? Dammit! Jeffrey Dean Morgan Negan is just too cool for school, and so good-looking and weirdly funny, that I can’t get past that and hate him like I should.

Eugene is his usual cheerful self. He watches some Saviors unloading the stuff for Negan that Spencer brought back and giving him compliments. A girl tells Eugene to get out.

On the outskirts of The Kingdom, Carol reads by the fire. Morgan is wandering around outside with his staff, and she calls to him. He offers her some apples, but she says she’s good and just wants to be left alone. He says he was trying to do that, but she called him over, why? She asks how he is, and when he says good, she tells him he can go. He says she’s going soft.

As he’s leaving, Richard comes to the door. He’s glad to see Morgan since he wants to talk to the both of them.

Rick and Aaron paddle like an Oxford rowing team. They hit a zombie clog and whack at the zombies with their makeshift oars.  The canoe is taking on water and sinking fast, but they make it to an aluminum one. A zombie pops out, but Rick manages to pike it in the head. Aaron falls overboard. This doesn’t look good. He sinks. Rick calls to him and he pops back up saying he’s okay. How’d that happen? They both get to the dock in one piece.

Daryl sneaks around. He hears someone coming and goes into a room. Hopefully, that’s not where they’re headed. It looks like a young person’s bedroom. He sees a jar of peanut butter and eats it with his fingers. He changes clothes. He sees some toy soldiers and ponders them. Daryl finishes the peanut butter and takes something he can use as a weapon.

Rick and Aaron go through the house on the other side of the lake. Aaron finds a drawing of a middle finger and says the homeowner was a sore loser. Rick says it looks like the only thing he ran out of was ammo. He tells Aaron that he didn’t mean to imply that he couldn’t do it, but he wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t want to. Aaron says all they’re doing is keeping people living. Rick says Michonne doesn’t think it’s living. Aaron gets that, especially after the way they lived before, but says either your hearts are beating or they’re not; they take what they’re given so they can live.

Someone watches them from the opposite shore.

Still in the car she jacked in the last episode, Michonne asks the woman how long she’s been with Negan and why she was out there alone. The woman remains silent. Michonne says the woman doesn’t know her. She says she’s not going to kill him today; she’s going to find a way that they win. She’s going to change things for her, and that’s why she’s alone.

Maggie brings Enid and Sasha a pie.  Jesus has given Sasha some knives. He left earlier, but Sasha forgot to tell Maggie. Maggie scarfs down pie and leaves. Enid asks why Sasha lied; she knows that Jesus left yesterday. Sasha says it’s for her own good. She needs to do something and Maggie will want to help. She says if there were more people, she wouldn’t feel so responsible. Enid says she’s not the only one who wants to take Negan out. Sasha says they have to keep Maggie safe. Enid says it’s not just her being proactive, but Sasha says it feels like it.

Richard tells Carol and Morgan about all the communities and camps that are gone, but then he found Ezekiel. He thinks they’re under threat from the Saviors. He says they recognized Ezekiel’s abilities, but he didn’t want to fight. In exchange for supplies, they said they’d leave The Kingdom alone. He says sooner or later something will go wrong, or maybe Negan will just decide to stop honoring the deal. When that happens, The Kingdom will fall. Richard says that he had a family he lost to this world, and he’s scared if they don’t do something now, they’ll lose everything. He knows what the Saviors are and what they do and that they can’t be trusted.

Morgan wants to know what Richard is asking. He wants to convince Ezekiel to attack the Saviors first and destroy them.

In the church, Father Gabriel asks Rosita if the bullet is for her or Negan, and she says Negan. He says if he dies, she will too. He tells her there’s no need to lie if it’s their last conversation. She says if Abe was alive they could fight. If Glenn was alive, Maggie would have a father. She lists why it’s important for each person to stay alive, except for herself. He asks about Sasha. He tells her it shouldn’t have to be her or anyone. They’ll win, but they need to wait for the right moment or create it together, and she’s a part of that together. He asks her not to do this. They need her. Tears slip down her cheeks. He puts a hand on her shoulder and leaves her in the church.

Daryl is sneaking around again. He sees a room where guys are playing poker.

Richard explains to Carol and Morgan that the element of surprise is their only hope. They need to do it now before it’s too late. He thinks Carol has never fought, but Morgan corrects that perception. Carol tells them that she doesn’t want to be a part of it. Richard says she just has to convince Ezekiel. She says she wants nothing to do with their lives or their deaths; she just wants to be left alone.

Morgan says he’s only taken a life to save a life. Richard says he’ll have to choose one day, so choose now before it’s too late. He says their blood will be on his hands, but maybe they’re both used to that. Ouch. He leaves, and Carol says Morgan should go too. She says if he sees anyone they know, please tell them she’s gone.

Spencer sees everything trashed in his house. He practices saying “hi” in the mirror. Wha…?

Richard knocks down a no camping sign, and goes into a trailer in the forest. He looks at some bottles and cries. He sits on the floor bummed out. I have no idea if the bottles are significant or not.

Spencer walks past Rosita sitting on the porch, and she asks if he has a hot date. He says he thought they had something good, or at least the beginning. He asks why she ended it, and why she even started it. She says he’s cute, tall, and sometimes sweet, and she used him. Nice. Although at least she’s honest. She apologizes, and he asks if she’d like to meet for dinner, no strings. She says okay.

Sneakin’-around-Daryl gets outside. He goes over to a row of bikes. Fat Joey asks if he needs help. He sees Daryl has a weapon, and tells him he can just walk out. He says he’s just trying to get by like him. Daryl beats him to a bloody pulp. Jesus comes along and is like, wtf, Daryl? Daryl sees that Fat Joey had Rick’s gun and takes it. He tells Jesus it ain’t about just getting by, it’s about getting it all. He says he has the key, so lets’ go.

Spencer goes to Rick’s house. He introduces himself to Negan and gives him some good liquor.

The carjacked woman stops the car and looks out to a  compound inhabited by the Saviors. She says that’s Negan. They’re all Negan. Michonne says, whatever she’s trying to do, she can’t. The woman tells Michonne that she should go home and make the car disappear. Michonne shoots her in the head and turns the car around. Kind of harsh.

Rick gets back to Alexandria. The guard says Negan is in his house waiting for him. Another guy tells him they’ve been waiting for hours and wants to have a look at the goods first.

Negan and Spencer have a drink. Negan says he’s getting himself a vacation in Alexandria. He says nothing better than a game of eight-ball, and Spencer says there’s a table in the garage. Negan says it’s too nice a day to be cooped up though, and has a better idea.

Rick’s truck is unloaded. The note they’d found is in with the stuff. Along with the middle finger, it says, congrats on winning, but you still lose. The guard questions Spencer about the note, thinking it was meant for them, and Spencer says they didn’t do it. Another guy punches him. He tells Rick that Negan is waiting for him, but Spencer has nowhere to be, and they beat the snot out of him.

Negan has had someone bring the pool table outside, and they begin to play. Negan tells Spencer that it’s great being with him; Rick would just be giving him the side-eye. Spencer says he gets what Negan is trying to build, even though he doesn’t agree with his methods. He’s building a network and having people contribute to the greater good. He says that Rick has a history of not playing well with others, and tells Negan about his mother being the real leader until Rick showed up, and now she’s dead. Negan says that’s the saddest story he’s ever heard, but good thing Rick isn’t in charge. Spencer says that Rick has a huge ego, and he’ll do the same thing to Negan that he did with Spencer’s mom. Negan asks what he proposes. Spencer says he can be the leader his mother was. Negan asks if he should put Spencer in charge, and Spencer says they’d all be better off.

Aaron wallows around on the ground, and the guard says point made. Rick helps Aaron up.

Negan tells Spencer that Rick clearly hates his guts, but he’s out there gathering stuff so Negan won’t hurt anyone. He’s swallowing his hate and getting sh*t done, and it takes guts. He says then there’s Spencer, waiting for Rick to be gone, so he can ask Negan to do his dirty work and take over. He asks why Spencer doesn’t kill Rick himself. Negan says Spencer has no guts and disembowels him with a very large, serrated sword. Bye-bye, Spencer. Negan says how embarrassing – he did have guts. Everyone just stands there, stunned. Negan says someone clean this mess up, but there are no volunteers. Negan asks if anyone wants to finish the game with him, but there are no takers for that either. Rosita pulls out her gun and fires.

Rick hears the shot and moves faster.

The bullet has hit Lucille. Arat takes Rosita to the ground. Negan is like, what is this? and shows them the bullet. He says it was homemade. He tells Rosita that she might be stupid, but she showed ingenuity. Arat holds a knife to Rosita’s face. Negan says Lucille’s surface isn’t going to be the same, so why should hers? Rosita says she made the bullet herself. He says it’s a shame to mess up her face, and he’ll ask again. Rosita insists it was her. He says have it her way and tells Arat to kill someone. She shoots Olivia.

Rick and Aaron run up. Rick tells Negan that they had an agreement. Negan says he’s losing his voice from all this yelling, and I wonder if it was an ad-lib. Negan tells Rick that they started the relationship on a bad a note and will never braid each other’s hair or have sleepovers, but he’s reasonable. He tells Rick what Carl tried, and says he brought him home and fed him spaghetti. He says another one of Rick’s people wanted Negan to kill Rick, and he took him out. Another one shot Lucille trying to kill him, and now Rick has one less mouth to feed. Rick tells him his sh*t’s waiting for him at the gate, so just go. Negan says as soon as he finds out who made the bullet.

Rosita again says it was her, but Eugene says it wasn’t; it was him. He starts giving the formula, and Negan says he believes him. He asks Lucille for strength. He tells Rick he’s relieving him of his bullet maker and whatever he left for him, but whatever he scavenged isn’t good enough, and he’s in a serious hole after today. Rosita cries for them to take her instead.

Negan tells Rick his kitchen is a mess and see him next time. Rick is a mess. Crane shot of Rick, the pool table, Spencer, and a whole lot of blood.

Uh-oh Spencer comes back, zombified. Rick stabs him in the head. Good riddance.

Rick is in a cell of some kind. Michonne enters. They hug. She says she found what she was looking for. She wanted to go with him and Aaron, but couldn’t; she had to go her way. When she found it, she realized that she didn’t want it to be her way, but theirs. She says there’s more of them than they thought. It’s not even close; they’re way outnumbered, but it doesn’t change the way she feels. They’re still alive. So much has happened that they shouldn’t have lived through. Despite or because of it, the both of them are still standing. They’ll stay standing, but how do they make it mean something? Michonne says that Rick once told her they’re the ones who get things done, they’re the ones who live, that’s why they have to fight. They have to fight for Judith, Carl, Hilltop, Alexandria, and all of them. They can find a way to beat them. But only if they do it together.

Rick says he knows that now. They kiss.

Maggie climbs to the top of the wall. We’re back where we began. She sees something and smiles. She calls to Sasha and Enid. The group is back. Rick tells her that she was right. She told them to get ready to fight, but he didn’t and couldn’t listen. He can now. Daryl and Jesus are with them. Sasha and Rosita smile at one another, and Daryl hugs everyone. He looks like crap. He gives Rick his gun back. Rick looks at it like he’s never seen one before.

The group walks back into Hilltop.

The stranger who had been watching Rick and Aaron sneaks in behind them.

Next February, Rick gets ready to fight; he’s sure they can beat the Saviors, and asks Ezekiel to join them. It would be really funny if Negan was afraid of cats.

 

December 4, 2016 – Emma Lives in a Dreamworld, Negan Wants to Live in Alexandria & Westworld Lives On for Another Season – But When?

Standard

What I Watched Today
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)

Once Upon a Time

The Evil Queen tells Regina that she wants “the best version of us.” She says the only way for Regina to hurt her is to hurt herself, and tells her that love is weakness. Emma uses her sword to slice the Evil Queen’s cheek and nothing happens to Regina. The evil queen disappears, poof! in a cloud of purple smoke, and Emma says it’s possible kill her.

The Evil Queen reappears elsewhere. Gold tells her it looks like the Savior found a weapon. He says he can focus on finding his son and she can prepare to die. He puts the cuff on her so he can track her whereabouts. It’s like a GPS. He says at the end of the day, if Emma hasn’t done away with her, after he’s done finding his son, hell gladly finish the job.

Snow sleeps. Emma says the Evil Queen needs to die. Hook tells her not to do it. Henry says what if this is how she dies? There’s no face under the hood in her vision, so for all they know, the queen kills her. Emma has a mini vision. She tells Regina to stay with Henry. Hook, David, and Emma set off to face the queen. They hear a cry for help and run into Granny’s. Jasmine is tied to a chair. The Evil Queen says it’s not about Jasmine, it’s about her – always. She can snap Jasmine’s neck before they step any closer. She rubs the lamp and Aladdin appears, poof! in a cloud of yellow smoke. She says she has three wishes. He says they come at a price. She says she’s not going to wish for her, but something someone else wants. She wishes that Emma’s wish to not be the Savior be granted. Emma says no, and charges forward. Aladdin raises his hand and she disappears. No poof or anything though. I just thought. What if you weren’t done with your three wishes yet, and someone else got ahold of the lamp? Does that mean you lose out?

Somewhere, it’s Emma’s birthday. She’s a princess and the palace is celebrating. She didn’t wish for anything, since everything she’s ever wanted is already there. Snow and David are now king and queen, and older. Snow asks Emma what’s wrong. Emma says she had a dream that the queen was successful with her curse and she was the Savior. Snow says that was avoided. Emma says she was in a fantastical land, but David says it was just a dream. Emma says when she woke up, she found this, and shows them a sword that was under her bed – the same one as in Storybrooke Emma’s vision. Henry runs in saying he had been practicing for tomorrow and sorry he’s late. He thinks the sword is for him. Emma says his father would be proud, and he says he wishes he’d known him. They look at his portrait, and Emma says he’s watching over Henry. David says time to celebrate, and Snow tells Henry put the sword away; this family is done fighting. Henry gets a weird look on his face. Or maybe it’s just me reading too much into it.

Back in the future, Hook and David start to argue, and Regina says that’s just what the Evil Queen wants. Regina says she’s thrown a lot of punches, but she knows a way to get her back.

Gold makes magic that includes a strand of his hair. He asks a globe to show him his son. Nope. Didn’t happen.

Aladdin makes a martini for the Evil Queen. She tells him it’s a request though, not a wish. She flirts with Aladdin and he says, eww. Regina walks in. The Evil Queen tells her that wishes can’t be undone, but tells her to have a seat, and tells Aladdin to make another drink. She says there was a time all Regina wanted was to tear Snow and David apart and kick Emma out of Storybrooke, and now it’s been done. She gives a one-sided toast. She tells Regina she’s won and can’t even admit it, but that victory feels luxurious. Regina says she’s right, they are the same person, so she’s not the only master of the lamp.

Regina asks to be sent to the same place as Emma. Aladdin obeys.

Regina is in a beautiful wood. She calls out for Emma. She hears the dwarfs whistling on their way to work, and asks if they’ve seen Emma. They think the Evil Queen is back and Grumpy tells the others to run and warn everyone that the war isn’t over.

Regina sees a statue marking the spot where she was defeated by Snow and David. She sees Emma dancing around, carrying a basket of flowers, and humming Someday My Prince Will Come. Regina frightens her, but she says she’s Emma’s friend and none of this is real. Emma thinks she’s the Evil Queen and tells her that she’s been banished. Regina says she risked her life coming here because Emma is the Savior and her family needs her.

An arrow nearly misses her. David and Snow have arrived. David tells Regina that this is their kingdom now. Snow says they’re protecting their people. Regina tries to convince Emma that this isn’t real, saying some part of Emma must know. David tries to attack her with his sword, and she disappears, poof! in a puff of purple smoke.

Moving forward, David is freaking out. He wants to get the lamp. Hook stops him and says they’re out-gunned and they need a plan. Jasmine wonders what the Evil Queen is doing to Aladdin. Probably not what she’d like to be doing. David says to meet him at the sheriff’s station in an hour. The Evil Queen’s reign ends today.

Somewhere in the Enchanted Forest, Regina goes into a mountain where there’s a prison cell. Rumpelstiltskin is in it, humming the tune of the day, Someday My Prince Will Come. He tells her to come closer and says the apprentice is back to see the old master. Regina says she needs his help. He says she’s his biggest failure, so why would he help? She says she’s not the Evil Queen in this reality, and it’s not even a reality, it’s all fake – he’s fake. She says the world was created by a wish to trap Emma.

Rumpel says maybe he can help her and wants a deal. Regina says he’s not even real. He says he wants his freedom in return, and she says it’s not worth it. He says if the world isn’t real, what’s the harm? She says he has a point, but she knows better than to deal with him in any realm. He tells her that every Savior needs a villain, and that a real queen with purpose can remind Emma that the world needs a savior. Show her inner darkness, and the Savior will be reborn. Regina says they’re just old friends talking, so they haven’t made a deal. Rumpel says she doesn’t know the way back to Storybrooke. Regina wonders how he knows the name of the town she’s from, and he says he can find her a magic bean, but it will cost her. She opens the cell.

He says he needs fresh air and starts to go, but she asks about the bean. He tells her to meet him tomorrow at noon by the lake. He says if she wants to be an Evil Queen, she should look like one. In a puff of purple smoke, poof! she changes into an Evil Queen outfit. He tells her to go be evil.

In Storybrooke time, Gold sees Belle. She says he sped up her pregnancy and the fairies sped up her recovery. He tells her their son is gone; he’s not anywhere. He says he knows his words mean nothing, so he’ll give her actions. He gives Belle a card with Mother Superior’s number, so she can verify his story. Mother Superior isn’t doing too well. She’s been walloped by the Black Fairy who’s kidnapped Gideon.

Where fairy tales happen, everyone gathers for Prince Henry to be knighted. He makes his entrance wearing some really cool copper armor. Snow takes the infamous sword out, and she and David say the stuff you say when you knight someone. Before Henry can be dubbed, Regina as the Evil Queen pops in and says sorry she’s late. She throws the knights aside and freezes David and Snow, saying she vows to destroy their happiness. Emma asks her not to hurt her parents. Regina says hurting them is the point, unless she knows a hero who can stop her (wink-wink). Emma begs for mercy. Regina tells her to look for the hero, and when you find one, you know where to find us. The three disappear, poof! in a puff of purple smoke.

In Storybrooke, the real Evil Queen confronts David. He tries to attack her, and she blows him back with magic. She tells him that he can’t kill her. He picks up the lamp, saying he can do something much worse. He rubs the lamp and Aladdin appears. He tells Aladdin that he has a new master. So back to my original question. She loses the one she has left now? Or is it just postponed? What are the lamp rules?

The Evil Queen tells David not to dabble in forces he doesn’t understand. Aladdin reminds him wishes come with a price. He says the only one paying a price will be her. He wishes the Evil Queen gets what she deserves. Nothing happens. Aladdin says he granted the wish. The Evil Queen says David wasted it. She wanted to tear the family apart and she did. She already has what she deserves. Okay, so doesn’t he have two more wishes now? This is the kind of nonsense I think about while watching this.

David rushes her, and she stops him mid-stride. Hook and Jasmine enter. Hook says they have the lamp and the Evil Queen is lost. She drops David, saying death is too good for him and she’d rather watch him suffer. She disappears, poof! You know the rest.

In the unreal world, the Evil Queen has the Charmings prisoner. Prince David says they always defeat her. Emma shows up with a box. Regina says she knew Emma would find the hero in her, but it’s the key to the kingdom. Emma wants to surrender. Regina says she doesn’t want the key; she just wants Emma to get back to Storybrooke. Emma says that was the name of the place in her dream. Regina says this is the dream, and she’s going to have to wake her. She takes David and Snow’s hearts and says stop her or they die. Emma says she’s not the Savior. Regina says she knows how to fight when she has to and crushes the hearts to dust. Emma starts to weep. Regina says she doesn’t remember and can’t fight. Henry comes in and says the Evil Queen will pay. Emma tries to stop him. He says he has the sword. Regina says she won’t fight, and Henry throws the sword at her. Emma stops it, surprising herself. Regina says she saved her. Emma says Regina came to this crazy land to save her, so it’s fair. She remembers. She asks if her parents are dead, and Regina reminds her that they’re not real. Emma thanks Regina, and says, but it was very dark. She tells Regina let’s go stop the real Evil Queen.

Walking the streets of Storybrooke at night, the Evil Queen says the town is almost tolerable when the peasantry is hidden away. A hooded figure comes out of Granny’s. She asks who the hell are you? and gets blown back. She starts to follow, and the hooded figure turns her into a cobra in a cage.

It’s time for Regina and Emma to go back, and Regina wonders where Rumpel is. Surprisingly, he shows up. He tells her to throw the bean and think of where she wants to go. He disappears, poof! in a puff of red smoke.

At the Charming’s Storybrooke apartment, David is worried that he’s like his brother. Hook tells him to grow up and kiss his wife. Jasmine comes in with the lamp, and suggests that David use it to break the curse with Snow. He gives it back to her, trusting she’ll be wise with it. She says that she and Aladdin have to find Agribah. Henry asks if she’s sure, and she says they have to make the sacrifice. Aladdin gives Henry a pendant for Emma, from one savior to another. Jasmine wishes to go to Agribah and they disappear. Okay, I wasn’t totally paying attention, but it was probably poof! in a puff of yellow smoke.

Grumpy comes in with the snake. He tells them it’s the Evil Queen and a guy in a hood put her in there. David asks if he saw who was under the hood.

The hooded figure comes into Gold’s shop. It’s Gold and Belle’s son, Gideon.

At the lake, Regina throws the bean and it turns into a green whirlpool. She and Emma are about to leap in, when arrows fly past them. It’s Robin. He says it’s a robbery and to give him their jewelry. Regina is mesmerized, seeing him again, and starts to walk toward him. Emma tells her he’s not real, but she doesn’t pay attention. The whirlpool disappears.

In March, a war is coming to Storybrooke where romance, danger and hope collide.

The Walking Dead

Michonne walks along the road, whistling Farmer in the Dell. A zombie lumbers out of the forest. And another. They trail behind her. She drops her bag, stabs one in the head and decapitates the other. She drags the headless one’s body away. Her radio sits unattended.

Jesus and Carl are in the back of the truck with the scotch. Jesus cuts open the bottom of one of the boxes. He opens one of the bottles and leaves a trail, like breadcrumbs. He tells Carl that they should bail and walk the rest of the way. He says to roll with the fall and stay in the blind spot. Jesus goes first and Carl waves good-by. Brat!

The truck stops. A guy picks up the box that Jesus cut, and the bottom falls out. Carl shoots a few people and says no one else needs to die, he just wants Negan. Negan comes out whistling (what’s up with that tonight?) and says he’s adorable. He asks if Carl picked the gun because it looks cool. A couple of people rush Carl and he shoots, but gets pulled down. Negan tells Dwight to back off, saying that’s no way to treat a new guest and he wants to show him around.

Negan tells Carl he has the same stank eye as his dad, but half as good since he only has one eye. What a card! We see the zombie target practice or whatever it is, and Daryl is in with the zombies. Negan asks him how the job is going. I hope it pays well. Carl lets Negan help him up. Dwight takes Daryl out to learn grub prep. Carl asks what he’s going to do to him. Negan tells him not to shatter his image of him as a bad-ass and says screw him if he thinks he’s going to ruin the surprise.

He taks Carl into a warehouse. A bunch of people are there they kneel when they see Negan. He tells them to work hard and play by the rules. He says everyone gets fresh vegetables tonight for dinner – no points needed. They applaud, and he tells Carl that respect is cool.

Eugene and Rosita walk to the gate. She says they aren’t doing anything for Negan. Spencer tells her not to fight it. Father Gabriel says maybe they should all go together. Spencer says they have to produce for the Saviors; it’s like taxes. He tells Rosita not to be pissed at him. He didn’t do this; Rick did. She tells him to pay his taxes from all the stuff he stole and leave her alone. She leaves with Eugene. Spencer gets into the car with Gabriel.

Negan shows Carl his harem. He tells him to knock himself out. He asks Sherry if he can talk to her. They step aside and he asks what happened with Amber and Mark she says what they talk about when he’s not there is none of his business. Wow. She’s brave. He tells her that he heard Mark skipped out on a directive and needs to know if it’s true. He says there are rules for a reason and nothing matters if you’re dead. She tells him to calm down, but he says he’s never hit any of them. She says what he does is worse. He smiles and says, to be continued.

Negan gives Carl a beer. Amber is crying. He tells her he doesn’t want anyone there who doesn’t want to be there. If she wants to leave and go back to Mark, she can. But she can’t cheat on him. He says there are plenty of gals who would like to take her place. He suggests he put her on the same job as Mark and her mom. I’m assuming they’re on zombie duty. She tells him no, and he says she knows what that means. She tells him she loves him and he says of course, and that it will all work out for her.

Negan tells Sherry that he wasn’t hard on her, and she calls him an a-hole. They start kissing. Dwight brings in Daryl, who’s job tonight is serving hors d’oevres. Daryl asks why Carl is here. Negan says what they talk about when he isn’t here is none of his business, and not to make him put the toothpick in his hand through the only eye Carl has. He tells Dwight to fire up the furnace. It’s time for deja vu. Daryl lingers and Dwight pulls him out the door.

Rick tells Aaron they only have today to find something. The climb over a fence that has a sign saying the only thing to be found there is trouble.

Spencer drives with Gabriel. He asks if thoughts are a sin, but Gabriel says they’re just thoughts; it’s our actions that matter in the end. Spencer says he hates Rick, and that his mother served in congress and brought out the good in people. Gabriel says Rick brought out the good in him by inspiring him; he kept everyone together. He says it wasn’t Rick’s fault. Gabriel says that Spencer looks at it a different way, but they’re here now and can look to the future. Spencer says what future? There isn’t any with Rick in charge. He says the only good thing that could happen is Rick not making it back. Gabriel tells him to stop the car.

He tells Spencer that what he’s saying doesn’t make him a sinner, but does make him a tremendous sh*t. Just for now; it doesn’t have to be terminal. He gets out of the car and says he’s going back. Spencer gets out and jets into the forest. He sees a zombie hunter up on a blind.

In Negan’s parlor, Carl asks Negan if the women are actually his wives. Negan says he thought why not make life better? He tells Carl to sit and says let’s get started. He wants to get to know Carl better. He says Carl is smart. He’d expect a kid his age to be moping around, but instead he has a mission. He came looking for Negan, but he’s not going to let things slide. He asks if Carl really wants to piss him off, and asks to see Carl’s non-eye. Carl takes his bandana off and Negan goes on about how gross it is. He asks to touch it. What is he, ten? He says it’s easy to forget Carl is just a kid, and he was just screwing around.

There’s a knock at the door. Fat Joseph brings Lucille in, telling Negan that he left it by the truck. Negan tells Carl that it might not be a hit with hit ladies, but no one will want to screw with someone who looks like him. He asks Fat Joseph if he treated Lucille like a lady. He makes a joke, Fat Joseph laughs, and Negan tells him get out. He tells Carl that this is the sh*t his dad should be teaching him – men busting each other’s balls. I could almost like this guy.

Negan asks what Carl does for fun and if he likes music. He wants Carl to sing. He says that Carl mowed down two of his men, and he wants something in return. Carl is like, no, and Negan points Lucille at him and says start singing. Carl starts to sing You Are My Sunshine. Negan swings the bat around as Carl sings badly. He tells Carl not to let him be a distraction. Carl starts crying and now I want to hit him with the bat. No offense to the teen and tween hearts that are going pitty-pat right now.

Carl finishes the song, and Negan says Lucille loves being sung to more than she loves bashing brains, and mentions how weird that is. It’s weird all right. He asks if Carl’s mother sang that to him, and where she is now. By Carl’s reaction, Negan knows she’s dead, and he asks if Carl saw it happen. Carl says he shot her before she could turn. Negan says no wonder he’s a serial killer in the making, and tells him that was an example of breaking balls. He tells Carl to get up, because it should be ready.

Dwight tends the furnace. The crowd is back in the warehouse. Negan comes in, banging Lucille along the banister. He tells Carl to hold the bat. He tells the people that they know the deal. What’s going to happen will be hard to watch. He doesn’t want to do this, but he has to. Why? Because rules keep us in line. They survive and provide security to others, which is civilization. To the world, they’re the Saviors, but they can’t do it without rules. Rules make it work. It’s not easy, but there’s always a cost. If you try to cut corners, it’s the iron for you. He tells everyone to get up from their kneeling positions.

Mark is tied to a chair and Negan approaches him. Dwight takes a literal iron from the fire. Negan says, sorry, but it is what it is. Mark gets on iron on his face, and even Dwight can’t look. Mark passes out. Negan says it wasn’t so bad. Carl and Daryl lock eyes. Negan says Mark peed himself and tells Daryl to clean it up. He tells the doctor to do his thing.

Negan tells the crowd everything is cool. Let Mark’s face be a daily reminder that the rules matter. He hopes they all learned something, because he doesn’t want to have to do this again. He says Carl probably thinks he’s a lunatic. He says let’s figure out what to do with you, and leads Carl away.

Spencer gets a rope. He jiggles the hunter’s plaform until his weapon falls. Poor dude is just hanging there, and Spencer finally gets him down and goes through his pockets. There’s a note in there that I can’t read, but Spencer finds it of interest.

Rosita and Eugene go to the auto shop or whatever it is. Eugene says he didn’t want to come back here, and tells her no. She says she asked him to make her a bullet and he said yes, so make one. He says he can’t figure out any way it makes sense, and wants her to slow her roll. She says she’s not waiting, and he tells her that she’s being stupid. He’s analyzed it top to bottom, and Abe was right; they have the numbers. He says even if she’s willing to pay the price, it’s unlikely she’ll be the one who pays it. She says he’s not talking her out of it. He owes her and Abe. She says he’s a coward and weak. The only reason he’s alive is because he lied, and people feel sorry for him. She tells him to do something useful and make her a bullet. Eugene gets the bullet-making stuff ready.

Sherry is in the stairwell having a smoke. Dwight joins her. He tells her not to beat herself up about selling out Mark. She says that’s not what happened. Okay, don’t tell us or anything. He says whatever helps you sleep at night. For him, it’s watching TV until morning. She leaves before they get caught.

Carl wants his bandana back on, and Negan says no; he’s not done with him and he likes looking at his rat-ass bad-ass eye. Ha-ha! If nothing else, Negan is colorful. Carl asks why he hasn’t killed him, Rick or Daryl. Negan says Daryl is going to make a good soldier, and Carl’s dad is already getting him great stuff. As for him, they’ll see. It’s more productive and fun to break him. He asks what Carl thinks he should do. Does he kill him, iron his face, chop off his arm, what? Carl says he should jump out the window to save him the trouble of killing him. Negan says there’s the kid he knows and loves. Carl says he’s not doing anything and won’t. He should kill them, but he can’t. Negan says maybe he’s right and decides they should go on a ride. I’m not sure what to think about this exchange.

Jesus is on the top of the truck that Negan and Carl pull out in. Negan calls Daryl over. He says he’s taking the kid home. Daryl says if you do anything to him – and Negan tells Dwight that Daryl needs a time out and to put him in the box for a while. Daryl looks up while he’s being led away. There’s no Jesus on the top when it leaves though.

A note is slipped under Daryl’s cell door. it says go now.

Zombie piles! There’s a blockade of zombies in the road, and a woman has to stop her car. Michone comes out of nowhere and tells her to drop her weapons. She asks if Michonne wants her shoes too. Michonne says take her to Negan. They get in the car. The woman breaks quickly and tries to get the better of Michonne, but that doesn’t happen. Michonne tells her again to take her to Negan.

In Alexandria, Negan visits Olivia. He’s all happy and asks where Rick is. She says scavenging for him, and he says he’ll wait. She says they might not be back today. They’re out of everything and practically starving. He notes her weight and says not really. He’s so obviously mean, it’s funny. She starts crying, and he tells her she has no sense of humor. He apologizes for being rude, and says he thinks it would be enjoyable to screw her brains out if she’s agreeable. She slaps him. He says he’s about 50% more into her now. Okay, I have to say at this moment he made me laugh out loud. He asks her to make them lemonade.

When she leaves, he tells Carl to take him on the grand tour. He plays with the water and a dartboard while we hear a country tune. He sees baby Judith and loves on her, doing the coochy-coo thing.

Rick sneaks around with Aaron. They see a sign with long explaination and warning. It says if they’ve goten this far without being shot, the dude is dead. Maybe. They see a lake or river with zombies bobbing around in it.

Rosita has her bullet. She thanks Eugene and says she’s sorry for what she said. He says maybe the words, but not the intent. She meant it, she felt it, that’s her truth, and he’d like silence now. She got what she wanted and is just feeling bad.

Spencer drives up with a load of cans. He says they got it off a dead guy, and found all kinds of stuff like medical supplies. Rosita says he’s just going to give it to them ? He says that’s what Rick said to do, so that’s what they’re going to do. The gate to Alexiandria is opened, and they see that Negan is there.

Negan is on the porch, rocking Judith. He tells Carl that he likes it there, and might have to stay. He wonders why he’s trying so hard to keep Carl and Rick alive. Maybe he should bury them in a flower bed and settle into the suburbs.

Next time, the mid-season finale…sigh…

👢 Quick Westworld mention. After making a few failed attempts at watching HBO’s new drama, I caught a marathon a couple of weekends ago. It took me a minute, but I decided I’m in. I thought they were a bit heavy on the sub-plots, but let that pass because it’s so damned fascinating. I love me some Ed Harris and James Marsden as well. Obviously, it’s a far cry from the 1973 film, which I probably saw ten times in the theater. I could watch Yul Brynner chase Richard Benjamin around all day, and it was a lot cheaper back then.  (Digression: I was blessed to see Yul Brynner in a revival of The King and I on Broadway in the late 70s. Shall We Dance? is forever burned into my mind as one of my all time favorite moments in theater.) I do have the same desire with the series as I did for the original film – I’d like to see more of the park. It’s touched on by both that there are other worlds, most notably Roman World and Midieval World, but we don’t see much of them. I’d like to see those explored further, and it’s been hinted at that this will happen. Sadly, I also heard that Westworld might not return until 2018. Like Nancy Kerrigan, I cry, why? why?

November 27, 2016 – We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Squid Ink & Tara’s Oceanside Vacation

Standard

What I Watched Today
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)

Once Upon a Time

Gold ties up one of Blue’s fairy nuns, poof! in a puff of red smoke. The Evil Queen joins him. He wants her to take care of Zelena, but she’s not willing to kill her sister for him. He claims he’s come to his senses as far as Belle loving him is concerned. Gold says he’s going to send a message via fairy and dumps some gold sprinkles on the nun, making her turn old.

Belle tells the group that Gold is going to do the same thing to her to speed the baby along. She says he’s trying to scare her into going back to him, but it’s still a no.

Back in the day, Rumpelstiltskin brings a baby to Belle, asking her to take care of it. She asks where its parents are, but Rumpel says it doesn’t matter, the baby is his now. Belle realizes he stole the child, and wonders what happened to him to make him so awful. She asks the baby’s name, but he says you don’t waste a name on something you’re not going to become attached to. She asks what he’s going to do with the baby. He says he’ll be back at sundown and don’t even think of hiding it.

Back in Storybrooke, Belle finds a book on defeating the Dark One. It tells her to follow the strand. Voila! She look down and there’s a red strand in the form of a glowing red ribbon. She follows it. It leads to the shears, but they disappear when she tries to take them. She says she’s in the dreamworld and her son appears. He’s come to warn her. He says she followed the strand of his fate, and his father intends to use the shears. He tells her the answer is inside of her and she has to move quickly.

Snow and Jasmine grade papers. Jasmine thinks Aladdin found a way to find Agribah, but she’s worried about what the price will be for finding it. Snow tells her to be the princess she was meant to be.

Emma and Belle peruse the book Belle was looking at. Hook says the magic is in the ink and Emma thinks she can extract it.

Back at ye olde palace, Belle reads a story to Nameless Baby. She wonders what Rumpel is planning. She leaves, carrying the sleeping baby in a basket.

The Evil Queen visits Zelena. She says Gold sent her, and suggests they take it outside. In the backyard, the Evil Queen tells Zelena enough games; let’s end it. She slams Zelena up against a shed, but as she’s about to finish her off, she clutches her heart. Regina is standing behind her and says it’s her heart. She’s willing to crush it to stop her twin. Zelena tells her it’s because of Rumpel, who says it’s either her or him. Regina says he lied. The Evil Queen has a hole in her heart, and she’s so desperate, she believed him. She tells the Evil Queen they’re done with her, and she disappears, poof! in a puff of purple smoke.

Hook goes to Gold’s shop. Gold is about to zap him, but Emma gets him first, and using the squid ink, puts Gold in freeze mode. Emma and Hook start to look for the shears, and Emma has a vision. She’d thought they’d stopped, and it throws her totally off-balance. In the meantime, Gold becomes animated again and leaves the shop.

Gold finds Belle, telling her that he’s far too powerful to be beaten by squid ink. She tells him it’s never going to happen, and he says he can’t lose another son. Belle stumbles backward into the elevator. She asks why he’s doing this. He says he can never be who she wants him to be. He says when they met, he told her that he was a difficult man to love, but he’s come to believe that he’s actually a man no one can love. With his son, he can start over. Belle says she never wanted him to be perfect, just to try. He says he did and look what happened. He thinks all they have is magic, and she reminds him that it comes with a price. She says he’ll lose her forever and asks if that’s a price he’s willing to pay.

In olden times, Belle takes the baby to library tower. She sees an incantation from the Black Fairy. She wonders out loud what Rumpel would need with that, and Rumpel appears, saying it’s for him to know and her not to find out. He says he doesn’t speak fairy, but he has her. He makes the baby disappear, and says she can stay there for a while, in case she has any ideas about stopping him.

Regina heals Zelena’s wounds. Zelena says she should have been the one to reach out, but Regina says she didn’t come here to apologize; she came to steal something for a spell to reverse the fairy’s aging. When Zelena questions why she didn’t just ask for help, Regina says she didn’t think Zelena could be trusted after what she’s done. Zelena realizes that Regina still holds her responsible for Robin’s death and asks what about forgiveness. Regina says she can do a lot, even spare Zelena’s life, but can never forgive her.

Jasmine rubs the lamp that Aladdin gave her, and a gold cuff pops out, poof! in a cloud of yellow smoke, but Aladdin tells her the genie has been freed. He puts the cuff on himself. She tells him he’ll be a prisoner of the lamp now, but he thinks it can help them find Agribah. He tells her let’s find out and goes into the lamp. I wonder if it has tiny couch inside, like in I Dream of Jeannie.

The Evil Queen lambastes Gold. She tells him even if he could be the person Belle wanted him to be, how long would it last? She says this time, Belle has a child to protect, and she’ll do what she should have done long ago. Leave and take the child, and he’ll be alone. He tells her to look in the mirror, and not to question him again. He says they’re done and to get out.

In the tower, Belle bangs at the door with a metal thing. She calls for help. She opens the little window in the door, and the Blue Fairy flies in. Belle says she needs Blue to get her out. Blue says they have to stop Rumpel before he gets to the Black Fairy, who stopped defending the children she was supposed to protect and started stealing them. Rumpel is going to use the baby to lure her. Blue says Belle is the only one who can help. She opens the door and Belle scurries out.

At Granny’s, Hook tells Emma that they have to make sure Gold can’t use the magic on Belle. Belle sips tea while Hook grills Emma about her vision. She tells him that there was something new. The sword used to kill her had a glowing red jewel in it. Belle says something about the tea, and she’s suddenly about to give birth.

In the enchanted forest, Rumpel does an incantation to bring forth the Black Fairy. She’s very punk looking. He tells her she can’t have the baby yet and she asks who summons her. He squid ink freezes her and she realizes who he is. She says squid ink won’t hold her long. He brings out a dagger as back-up, and asks why she abandoned the one child that was hers. She says it can’t be and he says it can, mother. Hard to believe Rumpel was once a baby. He says she didn’t even bother to give him a name. He asks why she abandoned him. She says she’s surprised he’d even ask, and sometimes you have to choose power over love. She tells him time’s up, and he’ll just have to keep on wondering. She flies off and Belle is standing there with the baby.

She says he didn’t deserve what the fairy did, but sacrificing an innocent child isn’t the answer, no matter how much pain he’s in. He says no one knows anything about his pain and woe is him, and disappears, poof! in cloud of scarlet smoke.

Fast forward to Gold saying behind every pita there’s a fairy. He tries to go toward the house where Belle is giving birth, and is held back by fairy magic.

With Emma and the aged fairy in attendance, Belle goes into her dreamworld and meets her son on a swing set. She says his father’s coming and will use the shears. She needs to know what to do, but he says she already knows. She jumps up and says she can’t. He says there’s no other way; they’re out of time. She says she loves him more than anything, and he says he won’t ever forget it. He tells her not to forget the book. As she asks what book? she’s back in the bed pushing.

Belle has her son. She’s asked for Blue, and says she needs her help. She asks if Blue will be his fairy godmother, and take him somewhere safe and far away. She says it’s her sons only chance. She thinks it will be over someday, but until then, she wants distance between him and Storybrooke. Blue agrees and takes the baby. Belle gives Blue a book to read to him so he knows where he came from. She tells him she loves him and blah-blah- blah, stuff you would say in that position.

Gold enters, but Blue is already gone with the baby. Foiled again! He looks out the window and sees Blue soaring away. He accuses Belle of abandoning their son. She says she gave him his best chance at a good life and tells Gold that it’s over. Belle says he can do what he wants with her, but he’ll never find their son. Gold says he will, and leaves.

In the old days, A couple gets their son back from Belle as Rumpel watches. Foiled again in the past!

Gold goes into his shop and the Evil Queen asks if someone lost another son. He tells her don’t, and she says Belle really hates him now. He tells her to go, and she says she’s waited a long time to see what happens when you poison your love. He says she did it. She says she did the legwork with the tea, but he forced her hand. She says just tell Belle, no, wait, she won’t believe him. He tells her she crossed the line and he’ll make sure she pays. The Evil Queen says she’s not too concerned. He says he plays a very long game, and she’s nothing more than another pawn. She tells him good luck finding his son – again – adding that fairies make wonderful mothers.

Gold is abashed and beaten. He trashes his place, smashing everything.

Hook says Regina was able to reverse the aging spell on the fairy, and Belle is as good as expected after what happened. Emma says that’s why she keeps fighting. Belle remnded her why she doesn’t run. She wants to help her family and friends. Hook knows the vision is still getting to her. She suggest they find out what really happened to her.

They go into Gold’s shop, and Emma says someone had a temper tantrum. She sees the sword that was in her dream. When she touches it, she has a vision. She says this is the sword that will kill her. Now that they have it, they can find out who’s responsible and stop them.

Next time, be careful what you wish for, Emma disappears, and the course of fairy tale could be altered forever.

The Walking Dead

A zombie flounders on the beach and gets a stick in his head for his trouble. A child and young woman are walking on the beach. The child sees another one, but as she’s about to stab it, the woman says to wait. She says the woman isn’t “a bobber,” she’s alive.The child wants to do it anyway, but is told that they don’t have to if they don’t tell anyone. She asks if the child is going to be a snitch. The child says no, but she’s not going to help.

It’s Tara washed up on shore. The woman drags her in.

Two rusty cans of okra and a bottle of aspirin are all Tara and Heath could find on their run. Heath says it’s been two weeks. They need ammo and medicine and there are people counting on him. He talks about all the people they killed just for some milk and corn. He says you take what you can and take out who you have to and keep going, but no one is in this together anymore. Tara says it only hurts because he knows it’s bullsh*t. Heath says it’s him, her, and whoever else wants to stay alive. He tells her that after today, they go back.

The woman from the beach looks at a map. She brings water, a weapon, and something wrapped in a cloth to Tara. Tara is still unconscious, so she leaves everything next to her. When she’s gone, Tara drinks some water, watching from behind a huge tangle of driftwood. She finds dried fish in the cloth. She follows the woman while keeping her distance.

They go through a forest. Tara sees some women talking while carrying baskets into a cabin. Children are playing outside, and it looks like it was once some kind of resort. It’s now a mini-colony called Oceanside. Tara stealthily checks the place out. Looks like it’s also all women.

Something is happening. Several women go inside a shed that houses weapons and come running out with guns, and the rest flee inside. They start shooting at Tara. She runs and they chase her. One catches up but falls. Tara gets the gun, but doesn’t shoot her. She continues to run. The kid from the beach confronts Tara, saying they’re supposed to. The woman who was with her calls her name, Rachel, and stops her.

The rest surround Tara with their guns drawn. Tara says hi, she’s cool, and not here to hurt anyone. The young woman, whose name is Cindy, tells them to put their guns down, but she’s told to get away. Tara says sorry, she just stumbled in, and didn’t even realize she was in. The women continue to aim their guns at her.

In the backstory, Heath and Tara stand on top of a dumpster and survey some possible scavenging. Heath says it looks like there are a lot of blind spots, but they jump down. I would break my ankle for sure if I did that. They look around for a while and go past some tarps that are hanging across part of the road. They see a humongous dump truck that has dropped a load of sand. Tara starts pulling at something in it. Heath is digging around with his foot and finds a ton of bullets. Just as he’s about to tell her Tara, the tug she makes causes the sand to shift and come tumbling down. The sand hill is filled with zombies.

They fight them off, but the struggle is real. Heath and Tara get separated in the melee. Tara gets cornered.

Back at the seashore, a lady asks Tara if she needs to use the bathroom before they begin, but Tara indicates that she’s handcuffed to a radiator. There are several women there, and the speaker, Natanya, introduces the others as Cathy and Beatrice, and Cindy, the woman from the beach. Tara asks about the bells she heard, and Natanya explains their alarm system. She says that they were lucky the place was relatively clear to begin with. She asks Tara where she’s from. Tara tells her Atlanta originally, but she’s been traveling with a companion for a few years, and they’ve been working on fishing boats. Natanya asks a few questions and asks how she got there. Tara explains that they were attacked by zombies, she ended up falling off of a bridge and the current brought her there. She says she followed Cindy back from the beach to see if she could get help. She’s asked why she was sneaking around and Tara says she wanted to see if it was safe – and she’s still not sure. Natanya says they usually shoot strangers on sight. Tara says if they just point her in the right direction, she’s gone. I have no idea why these people aren’t satisfied with her answers. Natanya says give them a while and maybe they’ll have a brainstorm as to what to do with this anomaly.

Beatrice fetches Tara, taking her to Natanya’s house. Natanya formally introduces Cindy, who is also her granddaughter, and Tara thanks Cindy for what she did. She says she was trying to show Rachel. Natanya assumes she means how to kill zombies, but Tara knows that she was also teaching her compassion. Everyone sits to eat. Nice dishware.

Natanya says she’s hoping to convince Tara to stay. They can keep their village a secre,t and she can put down roots. She says if they can find Heath, he can stay too. Tara says forgive her, but where are all the men? Natanya says there was a skirmish with another group, and none of them made it. They lost others too. After that, they decided to protect themselves no matter what. They left with nothing except the clothes on their backs. They found this place, and could stay hidden and alive. She hopes Tara understands why they shoot first and don’t bother asking questions. Natanya tells Tara that she knows she was lying about her past, and asks her to tell the truth.

Tara tells her about Alexandria, and how they did things just like they do in Oceanside. She talks about taking out the Saviors, and how they got what they deserved. She says they didn’t do it to make the world a better place, but they did it to stay alive. Tara thinks the women shouldn’t be hiding though. She says if they keep seeing everyone as an enemy, that’s all they’ll find. If they band together, they can keep each other safe.

Natanya suggests sending a guide with Tara to find Heath, and then on to her community. Cindy wants to go, but Natanya tells her no, because she didn’t follow the rules. She says if it works out, there will be other chances, and if not, she doesn’t want her going. Tara says there will be other chances.

Tara gets ready to leave. Cindy is in the cabin sulking, and Natanya sees her off. Beatrice and Cathy go with her. A zombie is stuck in a tangle of tree branches, and Tara says she’s on it, but Beatrice shoots at her and she runs. She tumbles down a hill and stays there, holding her knife. She watches as Cathy comes by with a gun and jumps her. She does not win the battle.

Tara says she could have killed Cathy back in the village, but she didn’t, and to return the favor. Cathy says Tara’s people are all dead. She says that was just a Savior outpost where they killed the people, and Tara has no idea what they did. She says if the Saviors know about her friends, it’s already too late. Tara asks if the Saviors were the ones who killed their men. Cathy says they tried to fight, but lost, and every male over the age of ten was lined up and shot in the head. They were supposed to work for Negan, but they left in the middle of the night. She says Tara will lead the Saviors back to them. She’s about to shoot Tara, when Cindy intercepts her, and Tara takes off.

Cindy calls after her to wait. Cindy aims her gun, but Tara says she’s saved her three times, she isn’t going to shoot. Cindy wants Tara to swear she won’t tell anyone about them, even her own people. Tara asks why she would do that? Cindy asks why they killed all those people? She says they didn’t really have to, and nobody’s evil; they just decide to forget who they are. Tara says some people are evil. She’s seen it, and that’s why she has to go back. Cindy asks her to swear.

Tara says she swears. Cindy gives her a pack of food and water. She says it will take Tara to the bridge, and try not to fall off this time.

Cindy takes Tara back where she was at the dumpsters. Tara tells Cindy to just go back and say that Tara attacked her. Cindy says Cathy and Beatrice will be coming, and she has a gun and ammo. Tara asks why she’s different from the others, and Cindy asks why Tara is.

They sneak around and whack a sand zombie in the head. Cindy is grabbed by a surprise zombie from a car, and Tara nails that one. This alerts two other sand zombies to their presence, and all of a sudden, there are tons of them. More than I think could have fit in that sand pile. Cindy and Tara run along the tops of the cars. Cindy covers Tara as she runs the sand zombie gauntlet. Cindy runs out of of ammo just as Tara gets to the other side.

Tara has a flash back, remembering Heath running out of ammo. She tells him to leave her, but he won’t and she gets pushed back and falls off the bridge. Back in the present, Tara dodges sand and car zombies, one of which gets an eerie bead on her. She looks in between the dumpsters and sees Cindy being led away. She sees Heath’s glasses on the ground. And fresh tire tracks nearby. She says, maybe that was you, then sees a hotel room key with PPP on it, and adds she hopes it was.

Tara scavenges something from a boat and sees a gift shop. Wanting to purchase some sunglasses, or perhaps take a break from the zombies stumbling around outside, she goes in and checks the place out. She eats some of the dried fish that Cindy packed for her. She finds a shell bracelet in the backpack.

Holy! She did get sunglasses. Bright orange ones.

Eugene looks through his binoculars and opens the gate. Tara enters. He stands there and cries.

Rosalie says she’s sorry, and Tara says she’s sorry too. She asks if Tara has any leads. She says she doesn’t care how dangerous it is, she’ll go. She says they can make it right; they have to. Tara says they can’t, and she didn’t see anything like that up there, making good on her promise to Cindy

Next time, Negan and the Saviors (sounds like a band) return, but so does Jesus, so it’s not all bad.

 

November 20, 2016 – The Walking Dead Stands Alone, Except for a Short Visit from Atlanta

Standard

What I Watched Today
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)

Because the American Music Awards eclipsed Once Upon a Time, and I’m just touching on the Atlanta Housewives for now, it’s mostly zombies tonight. The spellcheck at WordPress seems to have taken the evening off as well, so apologies for any typoooooz.

The Walking Dead

Dr. Carson is there when Maggie wakes up. She has some a condition placenta previa, resulting in a placenta separation that could have been caused by trauma. He says the baby seems fine, and we all listen to the heartbeat. The doctor tells her to take it easy for a few days, like she has to call in to work.

Maggie asks Sasha where “they” are and Sasha shows her two fresh graves. She gives Maggie a pocket watch that was Glenn’s. She says all Abe had was a cigar. Maggie leaves the watch on the makeshift headstone pile of rocks, instead of saving it for their child like a normal person would. Sasha tells Maggie she’s going to be okay, and they’re both staying until the baby is born.

Jesus has cleaned up well, so I guess they have showers at Hilltop. He brings some flowers to the graves. Gregory accosts Maggie about Negan. He wants her to leave, but she says the doctor told her to stay. Gregory seems seriously out of touch, and Jesus tries to explain who the two women are. Gregory tells him that Maggie said her group could keep them safe from the Saviors, but so far she’s only put them in danger. He says plausible deniability is their way out. Jesus says it will be dark soon and Gregory says they can stay for the night. Sasha says Maggie is pregnant and Gregory says that’s her mistake. Geez. Jesus tells them he’ll take them back in the morning.

Rick wants to go on a supply run since the Saviors are coming back soon. Carl asks if this is how it’s going to be now, and Rick says yes. Rick gives Michonne a radio and says if she changes her mind, they’re headed North. They kiss good-by.

Carl asks why Michonne didn’t go and she says she needs to figure some things out, like how they do this. Carl says Rick is wrong and she knows it. Michonne says even if she thinks he is, she doesn’t know for sure. She tells Carl to make sure to change his bandage and be nice to Olivia. She leaves. Presumably not to go with Rick.

Carl finds Enid climbing the wall. She’s walking to Hilltop. He says he’s not saving her any more. She says she’s sorry he had to see it, and he says he’s not. He walks away and she goes over the wall.

Jesus tells Sasha he’s glad she’s there. He says he’ll try to change Gregory’s mind, but he’s not a leader. Sasha says she’ll leave and scavage for Hilltop if they’ll keep Maggie. Jesus doesn’t want that, and she asks what he does want. He says he just tries to help where he can, and she tells him maybe he has to do more. He gives her Abraham’s necklace, saying that he liked Abe. He was the only person he knew who could say things that would make you smile and wince at the same time. Yeah, he was the only character with a sense of humor and they killed him off. Thanks, Walking Dead. 😕

Maggie comes in and Jesus says he’s sorry. He’s going to see what he can do. She asks why they burn their dead, and he tells her that the idea was to just keep going. He says he’ll see them in the morning.

Maggie asks now what? Sasha says they’ll stay. She wonders if Gregory is dangerous, but Maggie thinks it’s worse – he’s a coward.

Enid rides her bike toward Hilltop and almost gets attacked by a zombie, but a car runs it over. It’s Carl. A man true to his word. She asks why he’s there, and he says he was just going for a drive.

At Hilltop, everyone is asleep and loud music starts blasting from nowhere. Sasha sees the gates open and fires burning. She goes up to the roof. A bunch of zombies are walking through the gate. WTF?

Sasha calls to Jesus (no, not that Jesus), saying that Maggie needs help. Some of the guys come out. Jesus kicks ass. Sasha tries to get into the car that’s playing the music. It’s wrapped in chains, and the hatchback is sealed with a middle finger made out of metal. Gregory watches from a window. Sasha almost stabs Jesus by accident. He runs to close the gate, but here comes Maggie with a bulldozer. Why fool around? Squish, squash, kick, stab. Maggie rolls over the car, which hopefully isn’t a relative of Christine’s.

Carl and Enid walk down the road. Carl says he’s glad he saw what he did, so when he has a chance to kill Negan, he won’t hesitate. She says it’s how it is you do things for the ones you love, or loved. He says it’s not for love. He says he’s sorry he locked her in, and she says she didn’t need to see it. Enid says they don’t even know if Maggie is okay, and Carl says they’ll get there.

Jesus talks to Gregory, who tells him all this can be his if he sticks around and becomes a part of things. Wow. What incentive. Maggie and Sasha come in, and Gregory tells them they have to go. Jesus can’t believe he’s saying that after the save last night. Sasha says she’ll go; Maggie can stay and they’ll call it even. She asks how they can make this work, and Gregory says they could meet one on one (wink-wink). She tells him to go to hell. He cancels an order for preserves he was going to give them, like it matters, and I’m thinking forget coward, this dude is a nut.

A truck caravan is coming in. Gregory says Maggie and Sasha have to hide. He tells Jesus to put them in the closet. It’s the Saviors. Zzzzzz….. Sorry, but they’re such one-trick ponies.

Carl finds a backpack with roller skates in it. How fortuitous! He and Enid skate down the road. They hold hands. 16 Magazine readers go crazy.

Gregory opens the door and the Saviors walk in with Simon at the helm. This is so stupid. Gregory welcomes them to Hilltop and tells them to make themselves at home. Simon says it isn’t a social call; they need to talk. He wants to talk in the study and see some painting. Referring to Rick and company, Simon tells Gregory that the people he used to deal with have been removed from the field of play. Gregory acts ignorant.

Gregory tells Simon that the message was loud and clear. Now it’s Simon’s turn to act ignorant. They look at the painting. I looked this up and it’s Portrait of Charles V on Horseback by Anthony van Dyck. There doesn’t seem to be any meaning behind it though. Simon says the Saviors like to show management by example, and last night was them working their asses off to provide an example. He says people at Hilltop probably forget what the corpses look and smell like. He says they were going to come in for a save, but the Hilltoppers cleaned up the mess themselves – “good on ya.” He says since they picked up their skills from the Saviors, it was still their win. I had a boss like him once. Simon calls Gregory a team player, and says his people are spoiled. He refers to Rick’s group again, and says the Hilltoppers who associated with them are extremely dead, and the people who killed them work for Negan now and are real go-getters. Gregory says it’s a shame, but tell Negan that he understands the benefits in crossing the aisle, whatever that means. Simon says for now everything is as Negan wants, but thanks him for recognizing what they bring to the table. That’s why he’s still there while others aren’t. Simon asks if there’s anything else Gregory wants him to know. Uh-oh. Trick question.

Gregory comes out of his office with Simon. Jesus looks hard at them. It looks like Gregory is going to rat out Maggie and Sasha when he opens a locked closet, but the only thing inside is a case of Scotch. Simon says he hates Scotch – it tastes like ashtray and window cleaner – but Negan will love it. I hate it too, although I’d probably be more gracious in my description. No points for Gregory though, since Simon is going to say it’s from him. He takes the case, and tells his men to take half of whatever they have. And the painting. Simon asks Gregory if he can get a kneel out of him and I think he said “neon,” so I wonder wth? for a moment, and think he has neon signs as well as paintings. Simon tells Gregory it’s a solid kneel and remember it for next time. These guys are so boring. Where is Ezekiel when I need him?

Carl doesn’t think Negan is there, since he doesn’t see the truck. Enid tells him that she knows he wasn’t taking a drive, he was coming to get her. He asks her to come with him to kill Negan. She says it would be for them, not Abe, Glenn, or Maggie. She says asks how, but Carl says it wouldn’t matter. He kisses her forehead and then they start really kissing. Tween/teen Twitter accounts explode. Enid tells him he shouldn’t go, but she can’t stop him.

Jesus lets Maggie and Sasha out of a different closet. Gregory says he told Jesus the hallway closet, and Maggies says, yeah, so he could give them up. Jesus asks Gregory wants to let everyone know he works for the Saviors and lose his position. He says that Maggie and Sasha are staying, and they’ll be one big dysfunctional family. Gregory says he made progress today, and he’ll see them through it. He says the Saviors can be reasonable, and Maggie punches him. She takes the pocket watch from him. He tells her that he didn’t want it left out in the rain. Since he’s been calling her everything except what her actual name is, Maggie says he’s going to start calling her by her name now – Maggie Rhee.

Jesus talks to Maggie and Sasha about Gregory, saying that when he got there, Gregory was already in charge. He thinks it just happened, and it wasn’t because Gregory had any special skills. He apologizes for not talking to him sooner. Maggie leaves for the trailer. Sasha tells Jesus that if he wants to make it up to them, he can he find out where Negan lives. Jesus says that one of the trucks is going back soon, so sure. She asks him to keep it between them. He says that he doesn’t like not telling Maggie, and she says she doesn’t either.

Maggie sees Enid at the graves. Enid asks if Maggie is okay, and Maggie says she’s not. She says she won’t be either, and hugs Enid.

Enid says she heard Maggie killed some walkers and a car when she’s supposed to take it easy. Maggie says it wasn’t too hard she’s had practice. Sasha comes in surprised to see Enid. Sasha asks why balloons are on Abe’s grave, and Enid says there’s nothing marking it. Maggie tells Sashe that she was going to use the watch her father gave Glenn to mark his, but decided to give it to Enid instead. Enid asks if she doesn’t want to keep it to remember Glenn by, but Maggie says that they don’t need anyting to remember him by – they have themselves. Well, she also has a baby coming. Maggie says a prayer before they eat.

The Saviors load up the truck and the caravan leaves. Sasha sharpens her knife. Jesus sneaks into a truck and drinks some Scotch. As he’s pouring the remainder of the bottle out, he sees that Carl is in the truck with him. Hi, Carl! Tiger Beat readers go out of their minds.

Next time, Negan wants to bring civilization back to the world, and Rick says they have to do something. Biggest. Understatement. Ever.

What would Carl and Jesus do?

💋 Just brushing up against The Real Housewives of Atlanta. Kenya went with Matt to his family reunion in Cincinnati. Even though she offered to pay for his first class plane ticket, Matt insisted on driving, feeling that it would be a bonding experience. An 8-hour car ride and Kenya agreed. If that isn’t love, I don’t know what is.

Porsha is looking for a baby daddy, frightening all of us. First of all, because she’s going to breed, and secondly that there might be someone out there who agrees with this cockamamie idea, and that’s who she’s going to breed with. She and Phaedra are the two phoniest phonies I’ve ever seen. If they had a full brain between them, they’d be dangerous.

It looks like Sheree might get back together with Bob, although he’s moving a bit fast for both of our tastes.

Next time, Phaedra sets up a game of drunk laser tag and Mama Joyce goes nuts. Both of those events should make it worth watching.

November 13, 2016 – The World Behind the Mirror is Revealed, the NJ Reunion Drags On & Negan Shakes Down Alexandria

Standard

What I Watched Today
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)

Once Upon a Time

Snow talks to David while he sleeps. She says maybe this is their normal now. Regina blames herself. She says she’s the only one who can hurt the queen, but Emma doesn’t want her to engage. Emma says her own sentence is already death, and Henry needs one of them to be there.

Snow is about to kiss David, and makes a face like she smells something weird. She looks at the mirror and then throws something at it. The Evil Queen is watching them.

A split screen shows us how Snow and David are living now. They leave notes for each other and videos on the phone. He leaves her flowers all the time. I’m thinking this is a great way to avoid any marital conflict, and wondering how I can arrange this for myself.

Emma visits Regina and asks if she has anything. She says she got an idea when Snow broke the mirror. They might not be able to hurt the queen, but they can imprison her in the world behind the mirror. Henry volunteers to be bait.

Henry meets the Evil Queen on the beach. She tells him that she knows he’s upset about his parents, but someday he’ll understand that you have to make hard choices. She talks about when they used to come there and feed the seagulls. She says he was afraid of them, and he tells her that he’s not afraid of anything now, especially her. He disappears, poof! in a puff of purple smoke. Regina and Emma show up with a mirror, but the Evil Queen tells them that it’s the wrong one because she switched them. She flips the tables (or mirror, as it were) on them, and they end up in the world behind the mirror. The Evil Queen says she hopes they enjoy where they’re going, because it’s where they’re spending the rest of their lives.

Emma wakes up and sees Storybrooke in a mirror. She’s in a room with mirrors everywhere, and calls out for Regina. The camera pans out and it’s a stone room within a forest of mirrors. Emma sees Granny in one of them, and tries to get her attention. Regina appears and tells her they’re all one-way mirrors. They have no way to communicate. She says it was the perfect prison for the Evil Queen since she has no friends anyway. Emma says people might not be able to break out, but maybe someone can break in. They think Henry is their answer.

The Evil Queen as Regina tells Henry that it worked and she’s finally free. Hook asks about Emma, and the queen tells him that Emma is driving to NYC to find the Dragon. She directs Hook to a fake voicemail. Snow says they finally got rid of the monster, but the queen says maybe not so much of a monster. She says they have someone else to worry about – Henry has to get ready for a dance. She says she’ll make sure everything works out for him.

Belle tells Zelena that Gold has closed his shop. She says he’s after her baby and she needs Zelena to help stop him; they’re both mothers and know what it’s like to care about someone who lets them down. Belle says she’s seen Zelena make portals before. Zelena says Gold has the wand she needs under lock and key, but Belle says she knows who can get it.

They meet with Jasmine and Aladdin, who claims to be the best thief anywhere. Jasmine doesn’t want him to get involved, but Zelena says it’s their fault that Gold is in possession of the shears in the first place. Belle says if Aladdin is any kind of a hero, he’ll help her escape the beast.

The Evil Queen visits Gold. She tries to come on to him, but he’s like, not today, he’s working. She says she needs the Hammer of Festus, which makes me think of Festivus for the rest of us. He says the hammer’s magic is only useful to someone who doesn’t have any. She says she wants it for Henry. Gold says villains don’t get happy endings, but the queen says she’s looking for a beginning. He asks what she has to offer him in return. She says now they’re on the same team, aren’t they? He tells her to remember her mother’s lesson – love is weakness. She says it can be, but it can also be a weapon, and she’s going to use it on her son.

Hook keeps leaving messages for Emma. He says he knows phones work in NYC and something doesn’t feel right. He sees the glass from the mirror on the beach. The Evil Queen appears and he asks what she’s done with Emma and Regina, but she says she’s not answering his question and blows him back with some magic.

Emma and Regina are getting nowhere, and Regina says they have to zero in on something. Emma suggests Granny’s, where Henry is meeting Violet before the dance. They see Henry adjust his tie, and they bang on the mirror. The Evil Queen as Regina calls to him. Emma says he has no idea they’re even gone. Henry tells the queen that he doesn’t think he’s good enough for Violet. The queen says Violet is a nice girl, but still a commoner and she’s lucky to have him. She says they might go back to her castle one day, and he’ll be king. Henry says he thinks he should finish high school first, but she says it’s not always about actually sitting on a throne, it’s about how you carry yourself. She tells him girls notice these things and to go off and be kingly. He leaves and the Evil Queen looks into the mirror and smiles.

Henry meets Violet. She asks if the homecoming dance is like a ball. He tells her something more important is happening, and to keep looking at him. He says that the woman behind him isn’t Regina, it’s the Evil Queen. He tells Violet to think of a reason to leave. She says she isn’t crazy about her dress, and wants to show him another one in the shop window. He tells her she’s a great liar. She says thanks, and they leave.

Emma and Regina are upset about Henry. Suddenly, Emma thinks someone else is with them. Regina says she doesn’t think so, but the Dragon comes out. He was imprisoned by the Evil Queen. He says everything is off balance, the dark and the light, a lesson sometimes learned at great cost. Emma says they’re worried abbot their son, and he says he once lost a daughter and paid the price.

Aladdin sneaks around Gold’s shop. Gold is doing some spinning (on a spinning wheel, not a bike). He hears something, but it’s just a windup toy. Aladdin finds the wand.

The Dragon takes Emma and Regina to another room in the mirror forest. Emma says she was looking for him. He says unfortunately, breaking their curse is beyond his ability. He tells them that Sidney was working on a way out, and points to a broken mirror. He thinks together they can mend it. Regina fixes one of the cracks by touching it and starts messing with the glass pieces.

Henry talks to a mirror. He says if his moms are in there, say something. The Evil Queen overhears and says it’s not like leaving a voicemail. She tells him that a gentleman never ditches his date. He says that Violet is somewhere safe, and he realized his mom wasn’t his mom. She brings up how she once helped him be brave, and says he could be great, but not if he’s a wimp. He says she can’t Darth Vader him and he’ll never join her. She says she’s not really evil, despite the name. She’s not a hero either, but a leader, and they do what’s necessary. She brings out a heart.

The Dragon tells them Henry is safe. Emma and Regina realize it’s the Evil Queen speaking through him. She’s also in the mirror and tells them that she has the Dragon’s heart. The Dragon doubles over. He says he doesn’t want to do this, and red smokes envelops him. When the smoke clears, he’s turned into a huge dragon.

The Evil Queen says to kill them, and the dragon Dragon goes crazy, flying all around and breathing fire. The queen gives Henry the hammer and says he can save them by smashing the Dragon’s heart. Henry says the Dragon is innocent, and it won’t make him hers. She says he’ll understand more of who she is though. He says if Regina dies so does she, and she says that’s how certain she is he’ll do it.

Emma and Regina hide behind some pillars. They discuss being mothers. Emma says neither one of them are sacrificing themselves, and Regina says they’ll do this together. She comes out and distracts the dragon. Henry says if the Evil Queen is his mom, not to make him do this. She says her own mother proved that sometimes all you need is a little push. The dragon comes after Emma and Regina. They cry out for help, but Henry smashes the mirror instead of the heart.

Good choice. The dragon breathes fire on the mirror, and Emma and Regina pop through. The Evil Queen says they made Henry soft, and accuses him of hiding behind them. He says he’s not hiding, and strong families make you stronger than you would be by yourself, but she’ll never understand because she’ll always be alone.

Hook grabs the queen from behind with his hook and tells Her Majesty to shove off. The Evil Queen tells Henry that she only wants what’s best for him, and disappears, poof! in a cloud of purple smoke.

Jasmine tells Aladdin she’s proud of him. Why do they both have British accents? Is Agribah lost in the UK? She says she was so focused on finding Agribah, she almost stopped him from helping Belle. Along with stealing the wand, he lifted a genie lamp, and gives it to her. She says the genie is gone, but he says he’s free now, but whoever’s inside might be able to help them find Agribah

Belle brings the wand to Zelena. Gold pops in right behind her. He says he can’t let Belle take their child away. He puts a spell on her and says no matter where she goes, he’ll find her. She calls him a beast, but he says it’s love. She says next time, she’ll run so far and so fast, he’ll never set eyes on his child. He says Rumpelstiltskin takes children, and she says tell your first son that.

Gold falls to the floor. Zelena says his heart only beats because of her, and if he hurts her, he hurts himself. He struggles up and says they’re far from done. He disappears, poof! in a cloud of purple smoke. I guess a lot of the smoke budget was blown on the dragon Dragon, so they couldn’t afford another color.

Snow writes to David. She says she can’t do this anymore and she misses him. They switch places. David takes the crumpled paper from her hand and says he misses her too.

Violet goes to Granny’s. Henry apologizes for them missing the dance. She says they had their first date there, and it’s better than the dance. Henry says she’s seemed distant, but she says it’s not him; she’s having a hard time adjusting to school. She feels out of place like the kids in the John Hughes movie, and doesn’t know if shes a jock or a nerd. He says he should have started with Sixteen Candles, and tells her that she doesn’t need a label; she’s Violet. He asks her to dance

Emma tells Regina that Henry is going to be okay with or without her. Regina says the queen was wrong about him. She was so worried about how they’re going to raise him, she didn’t realize that they already had.

Gold looks at the sonogram picture. The Evil Queen tells him that children rebel; it’s their job, but it’s the parents job to make them strong. Gold asks how far she’s willing to go, and she says she’ll do anything. He suggests they might both get their happy ending and kisses her. She says they are on the same page this time, and he says for now. But there’s one more thing to take care of. He tells her that Zelena has become a bit of a problem, and he wants her dead.

Next time – in 2 weeks – Gold becomes a beast who goes too far, and Belle might lose her baby.

The Real Housewives of New Jersey – The Reunion Part Two

Teresa claims she had a gut feeling that Jacqueline set her up. Andy takes a break. Jacqueline says no wonder Teresa is so angry with her. In the dressing room, Chris tells Jacqueline that Teresa is crazy.

Chris and Joe #2 join the group. Andy says that was quite an accusation. Teresa says she doesn’t feel Jacqueline was responsible, but she dabbled in it. She went to “certain people” getting information, and started the ball rolling. Andy asks Siggy and Dolores what they think. Siggy says she’s been friends with Jacqueline for 2½ years, and Dolores says she doesn’t think that’s something Jacqueline would do. Chris says they have a mutual friend who called him about a possible Federal investigation, then Chris called another friend who had some ideas on how to circumvent things. He approached Joe #1 who told them to f-off, so he washed his hands of it. He asks when Teresa is going to take responsibility.

Jacqueline drags Melissa into it, saying that Melissa was giving her information. Melissa says she thought of her as a girlfriend who she told things to in confidence. She warns the others that Jacqueline will spill their secrets. Jacqueline tries to get Chris involved and Melissa points out that she doesn’t need to drag Joe #2 into her business. Chris says blah-blah-blah about how they used to be friends. He claims Jacqueline tried to get everyone to be friends when Teresa was on the outs with Melissa, but he told her one day she’d be the one on the outside.

Joe #2 thinks this is petty stuff, and that his family destroyed him. He says he was a mess for a while. and we flash back to some choice moments like the christening party. Chris talks about how he met Jacqueline, and somehow the subject of Jacqueline being a stripper pops up again, but doesn’t linger. Chris insists that Jacqueline never meant any ill will toward anybody.

Andy lightens the mood by saying sometimes he thinks he needs a Jersey translator, and shows some clips of “Jerseyisms,” which are more like Teresaisms. Like when Teresa confused an enema with edamame. Dolores confuses things further by telling her that it’s really a colonic. Teresa blames everything on having had braces on the back of her teeth. Jacqueline admits to it being an endearing quality.

Andy talks about Italian families and how it’s sometimes like being at war. He touches briefly on the rift between Teresa and her brother, but moves quickly on to Teresa coming home and how even prison didn’t bring her down. We see clips of the family, and of Joe leaving. Andy says he was surprised to hear that Teresa might have to sell the house. She says she thought it might be good to downsize, but the kids don’t want to leave, so she’s working hard to keep them there. Andy asks what she learned in prison. She talks about the wonderful women she met there, how they’re not bad people, and actually uses the word prison. She says it really wasn’t exactly a camp, and a lot of it was disgusting. She says she took responsibility, but she really just signed a paper. Andy asks if she blames Joe #1, but she says he took full responsibility, telling the court she had nothing to do with it, but since she’s a celebrity, it went the way it did. We see all the paparazzi screeching at her. Melissa says if Joe #1 could have done her time, he would have. I honestly believe that is the way it went. I think she had no clue what she was signing – why would she have read it, since she trusted her husband? And I think she was made an example of because she’s a reality star.

A viewer remarks that Teresa doesn’t seem to have remorse, and she’s like, what more do you want? They talk about Joe #1 now being inside, and how he almost has a six-pack now. Andy asks about Teresa’s insistence that Joe never cheated, and she says show her proof. They talk about Teresa’s going away party when she left the clink, and how Gia has a boyfriend now. Andy suggests she date Dolores’s Frankie, and Teresa says you never know.

Andy asks if Teresa thinks Joe will keep it together, and she says he is already. He asks about the possibility of Joe being deported. She says because it’s a legal matter, she can’t really discuss it and they’ll see what happens. He asks her why it’s something she doesn’t want to discuss, and she says there’s no need to give it life. Amen to that. Of course she doesn’t want to discuss it. Geez. That’s possibly the stupidest question Andy has ever asked anyone.

Chris is back, although I hadn’t realized he left. Andy asks why Teresa doesn’t want to deal with her cousins. Teresa says they’re toxic; they never called or wrote once, and Rosie really hadn’t been there for Joe. Jacqueline says that Teresa wouldn’t even sit on the same couch with them, and Teresa basically tells her to mind her own business. Siggy says Jacqueline just wanted to bring the family together, and Teresa says she doesn’t see it that way. Siggy says Teresa had different priorities than dealing with her cousins.

A viewer asks about Melissa and Kathy, but Melissa says they just drifted apart. Jacqueline tries to voice an opinion, but Melissa shuts it down, saying Jacqueline knows it’s true.

Next up, the nightmare in Vermont. We flash back to all that, and I want to smack Jacqueline’s stupid face all over again. Andy asks why Melissa invited Robyn and Kristina, and she says they were friends. Teresa talks about Jacqueline antagonizing Robyn, but Jacqueline says she was calling Robyn’s bluff. Chris says Jacqueline thought it was going to be a time of genuinely mending fences and was disappointed. Which I guess gave her leeway to scream at whoever she wanted to. Dolores thinks Melissa should have come to Jacqueline’s rescue, and Melissa says after Jacqueline barked at her like she was one of her kids, she didn’t answer Jacqueline fast enough. Andy asks Melissa if she had four nose jobs. Melissa barely starts to talk and Jacqueline jumps in with her two cents. Melissa says it’s her secret to tell, and wants to know why it’s Jacqueline’s business.

Jacqueline says blah-blah-blah, and claims Teresa went to jail for lying. Melissa calls Jacquleine a sh*tty friend. Teresa says she has a clown’s face, and that she’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing with rabies. She calls Jacqueline disgusting, and Jacqueline acts like she doesn’t care, but Teresa says she does and that’s why she keeps coming back.

Andy asks Joe #2 why Jacqueline and Melissa had problems after Teresa came back. Joe says Jacqueline got weird, and Melissa says she acted paranoid and never believed that Teresa could change. Jacqueline questions whether or not Melissa and Teresa are really friends. Melissa says when Jacqueline lies, she turns the sound off. Chris claims that Teresa messed up their relationship with Joe #2 and Melissa. Melissa says there was a time they were friends, but Jacqueline ‘s mind messed with her and she started to question things. Then she called a magazine with stories about them, and that ended it.

We flash back on more of Jacqueline’s idiocy. Andy brings up the lunch that went south. He asks Jacqueline why she even went. Jacqueline says her intention was to talk to everyone one on one. Andy says that seems rational and logical, but that wasn’t how it came off. Jacqueline claims that Teresa and Melissa came in with an attitude. Dolores insists they were still angry about Vermont, but then stands corrected after they tell her that wasn’t the case and we see a clip.

Andy asks if Jacqueline’s approach had been different, would Teresa have accepted it. Teresa says she would have. Andy asks what about Melissa, and the lovely Jacqueline squeaks that he was going to talk to her. Melissa points out that Jacqueline was never a friend in the first place. Chris claims that Jacqueline feels too deeply for people, and when she’s hurt, she goes to extremes. Okay.

Andy asks Siggy and Dolores what it would take to heal the friendship. Dolores suggests a lobotomy and Siggy says you have to put gas in a relationship to keep it moving forward and this tank is out. We flash back to some better times. In an old interview, Chris says they have a strong bond, whether they admit it or not. Jacqueline says it’s hard, and Teresa says no matter what, she’ll always have a special place in her heart for Nicholas. Jacqueline says they’ve both said and done things that are terrible, but Teresa says she’s never done anything to intentionally hurt Jacqueline. They had great times, but something went sour. Dolores says once someone apologizes, you can’t go back and say you don’t trust them. I dunno about that.

Andy brings up Jacqueline being hit hard when Joe #1 went away. She says just because she’s angry doesn’t mean she doesn’t have compassion. She starts crying. Andy asks if Teresa felt warm toward Jacqueline when she saw that, and Teresa says she did at the time. Dolores insists that neither one of them would turn the other away if there was an acutal need.

Andy talks about them leaning on one another. He asks Jacqueline if she was surprised that everyone was so supportive about Nicholas, and they all start crying. Teresa and Melissa hold hands. Melissa says even as angry as she is, she doesn’t like to see anyone hurt. Siggy says they’re all the best moms ever. Everyone agrees. Siggy says she loves them all, but she’s never going to Vermont again. She asks if everyone would do a group hug for her. Andy wants to see one too. Jacqueline says everyone doesn’t have to be friends, and Teresa begs her not to talk to people who want to hurt her. Dolores thinks they should stop talking before it goes bad, and Andy says let’s move forward.

They all hug, including Andy.

Best quote of the reunion: If you need to remove the knives, then there should not be a lunch. —- Dolores

The Walking Dead

Michonne stares at Rick while he sleeps, but it’s not exactly a loving look. She gets out of bed and gets her sword. And kills Rick. Just kidding. She messes around in the fireplace and brings out a gun. She quietly puts it into her duffel bag and leaves. Rick sees her and who knows what he thinks.

Michonne walks across a field to an abandoned truck, and gets on top of it. She surveys the land and waits.

Rick tends to Judith. Eugene crunches numbers or whatever he does. Rosita asks him to open the gate. Spencer asks if Eugene wants to come, but he says no. Rosita says no surprise. Eugene says he’s getting a music player back together and doing his part.

The Whistling Man Negan pounds on the gate, telling the little pigs to let him in. Is he going to huff and puff? A guy opens the inner gate and asks who he is. Negan is like, are you joking? and then Rick joins them. He tells Rick don’t make him have to ask. Rick says they were told a week and he’s early. Rick opens the gate and Negan says he missed him.

Negan kills a zombie with Lucille and says “easy peasy lemon squeezie.” We already know he’s one of those funny guy villains. He’s brought Daryl along with him, and says he just took care of a dead prick that could have killed them all, instead of bashing someone’s head in. He hands Lucille to Rick and strolls into Alexandria.

Negan says things like hot diggity dog, and that Alexandria is an embarrassment of riches. He tells Rick that they’ll have plenty to offer up. Rick tries to talk to Daryl, but Negan tells him no, and the same goes for everyone. Negan is so ridiculously satisfied with himself, he’s almost not scary. He tells Rick they’ll decide what they take and his workers move out into the town. Negan says they’re going to search the houses a bit and keep the process moving. He asks if Rick is going to show him around.

Rosita starts to go back to the car. Dwight asks where she’s going, and then says he doesn’t care. He takes the weapons from the car. He tells Rosita he has a job for her. Get Daryl’s bike. She says it’s not there and he says she knows where it is. She starts to leave and he takes her cap, telling her she can go now. She and Spencer get back in the car. Dwight dumps out her water and says don’t take too long.

Michonne is still at her post on the truck. She aims her gun at a zombie. She shoots and misses. She shoots again and misses. She practically unloads the gun. Either she’s a really bad shot or the site is off. She splits the zombie’s head open with her sword. I’m sure that’s more satisfying anyway. She walks through the woods and sees a dead deer. I’d eat the whole thing right there before I’d bring it back for Negan to steal.

Some of Negan’s people bring out a ratty chair. Negan is pleased, and says they’re reasonable people once you get to know them. Daryl follows him around silently. One of the guy’s wants to show Negan something. It’s Rick in the old video that Deanna took. He looks all Jeremiah Johnson, and Negan says he wouldn’t have wanted to mess with that guy, but it’s not Rick anymore. He asks what happened to the sick girl, referring to Maggie, and asks if she was married to number two. He tells Rick to be careful with how he looks at him, and goes on about good looking widows. He says he’d love to see her. Father Gabriel asks if he wants to pay his respects, and Negan says he’s freaky as sh*t, sneaking up on him like that. Negan assumes Maggie didn’t make it. He says it didn’t need to happen, but Daryl forced his hand. He was going to ask her to come back with him.

While Negan is prattling on, there’s a shot from somewhere. It’s Carl telling the guys to put stuff back. Rick tells him to put the gun down. Carl says they’re taking all the medicine. He tells Negan that he should go before he finds out how dangerous they really are. Negan asks if Carl just threatened him. Rick says to put the gun down, but Negan tells him they’re having a conversation. Negan tells Carl he likes him and doesn’t want to go hard proving a point. He says half and half is what it is. He asks if Carl wants him to prove how serious he is…again. Carl gives Rick the gun and Rick gives it to Negan.

Negan is reminded how many guns they have. He says this emotional outburst has made it clear he can’t allow that, and they’re all his now. He asks Rick where his guns are.

Negan shakes down Olivia at the armory. She says she keeps track of everything like the rations and the guns. Negan says they have slim pickin’s as far as food goes, and they’re no good to him if they starve, so for now they can keep their food. He says is a thank you too much to ask? but Rick says nothing. Negan says he knows they started off on the wrong foot, but Rick forced his hand. He says he’s reasonable if people cooperate, and asks if Rick is cooperating. He wants to know if there are any guns waiting for their moment. Rick says the guns are all in the armory to the best of his knowledge, and Negan says he’s counting on that.

Rosita and Spencer go out to the forest. Spencer looks under a pile of branches and says it’s still there. It’s Daryl’s bike. He says he knows it sucks, but this is their life now, this is where Rick got them. He says maybe if Rick had thought it through, it would be different. People might still be with them. I’m not a huge Rick fan, but he’s being just a little harsh. Rosita trots into the woods.

Negan tells Rick he thinks their attangement is going to work just fine. He wonders if Rick has been taking care of his guns. He aims one at Daryl, who doesn’t react, but shoots out a window. Some guy brings out a bazooka. Negan says he’s going to have fun with it. A woman tells Negan they’re short two guns. Rick says they had some people leave and maybe the guns are with them. Negan asks if Olivia sucks at her job, but she says the inventory is correct. He asks if she knows where the guns are and that he’s disappointed. It shows that someone isn’t on board and he can’t have that. He says he doesn’t enjoy killing women, but it was Olivia’s responsibiltiy. He badgers her and she starts to cry.

Rick’s people gather at the church and he tells everyone he thought of hiding some of the guns, but what if the Saviors found them or they had the guns on them when they ran into one of them? It doesn’t matter how many bullets they have, it isn’t enough. He says hiding guns isn’t the answer anymore. He asks who has the two they’re looking for or who knows where they are? He says if they don’t find them, Negan will kill Olivia. A guy asks why they care and Rick asks if he has them, but he doesn’t. He says most of them weren’t there; they didn’t have to watch. If they give Negan what he wants, they live in peace. Another guy gets up and asks how they’re getting out of this. Rick says there is no way out of this. He’s not in charge anymore. Negan is. He asks again who has the guns. Eugene says not everyone is there.

Rosita slinks trough the forest following some zombies. Spencer calls for her. She hides behind a tree and takes the zombies out with a knife. I don’t know if there’s a purpose or she’s just getting out her aggression. She impales one’s head on the end of a log. Ooh. She took a gun off of him. But it’s empty. Rosita tells Spencer that Negan is going to take all their guns and asks if he’s going to tell. She says this is not their life and he walks away.

Rick watches Negan sitting with Olivia. He starts tearing the place apart. Gabriel comes in and says he feels like it’s going to work out. They’ll find the guns, get through today, and find a way to beat this. He has faith in Rick. He says things change; they weren’t always friends. He asks if Michonne has them, but Rick says she doesn’t have what they’re looking for. He thanks Gabriel for his quick thinking about Maggie.

Aaron tells Rick there’s nothing so far. They all split up to look elsewhere. Rick opens a floor grate and finds a lot of stuff, like bouncy ball, a can of beans, and whiskey. He pulls out a sack that has two guns in it. He brings them outside. Some guy is bothering Enid about keeping some balloons, making her say please a bunch of times. A-hole.

Rick gives Negan the guns. Negan says funny how a little thing like holy sh*t someone is going to die, lights a fire under everyone. He asks where Rick found them. I’d tell him it was Maggie’s house. Might as well make her the scapegoat since she’s supposed to be dead anyway.

Negan’s people start to pull out. Negan tells Rick he’s got a helluva place. Negan sees Michonne out of the corner of his eye. Rick asks for a second. Negan says no at first, and then smiles. Rick goes in, and Michonne sees him holding Lucille. Rick says he needs the rifle. He says he knows it’s in the bag and that she was out practicing. He says they have to give up their guns. If Negan finds them, someone dies, and he’s not losing anyone else. He asks if she’ll let him give the guns to Negan.

Michonne comes out with the deer like she was hunting. Rick gives Negan the gun. Negan says this is something to build a relationship on. He tells Rick that he’s special. Rick asks if Daryl can stay. Negan says, not happening, but amends that to maybe Daryl can plead his case and sway him.

Daryl says nothing. Negan says Rick tried. Now he has to get over that tall wall and earn for him. They’ll be back soon and Rick had better have something interesting for them, or Lucille will have her way. Someone will die, and no more magic guns. Michonne throws down the deer, and Negan says he loves a gal who buys him dinner and doesn’t expect him to put out.

Dwight takes Daryl’s bike and throws Rosita’s hat back to her. He asks if they found anything else, and she says just his dead friend. He rides off on Daryl’s bike. He tells Daryl to just say the word and he can have it back, but Daryl remains silent.

Negan tells Rick that nobody died. He thinks he and Rick can find their understanding. He asks if Rick wants him to go, and Rick says that would be good. He tells Rick to say the two magical words, and Rick says thank you. Negan is like, no, thank you, because he’s cuckoo.

Another zombie comes by and Negan says they need his help. He tells Rick they’re going to both come out winners and to watch his form. Rick tightens his grip on Lucille. Negan kills the zombie with a candlestick. (It was Negan in Alexandria with the candlestick.) Negan says win win, and to clean the candlestick up for next time.

Negan stats to leave, and says how careless of him, going back for his bat. He wonders why Rick would want Lucille after what she did, and thanks him for him being accommodating. He tells Rick that he just shoved his d*ck down Rick’s throat and Rick thanked him for it. Finally, they leave. Daryl looks at Rick from the back of the truck.

Rick tells Spencer that they were going to kill Olivia over two guns that were missing, and he found them in Spencer’s house. He doesn’t fault him for having the guns, but the food and liquor? He calls Spencer weak, saying they got lucky this time, and Spencer says they should have made a deal when they could. He asks if Glenn and Abe were lucky too. Rick tells him that if he says something like that again, he’ll knock Spencer’s teeth down his throat.

Rosita confronts Spencer about the guns. He says he had them for a while because he didn’t trust Rick. He says he was worried about Rick being in charge, and she said it already, that this doesn’t have to be their life. He drives away, and she takes a gun out of the wheel well of another car.

Rick fixes up a bed on the floor since the mattresses were all taken. Michonne says the rifle belonged to the Saviors and wasn’t on the list. He asks if she has more, and she says no. She says everything they have, they got from fighting for it. Rick says he made a choice and Negan has the numbers. She says what about Hilltop, but he tells her they still outnumber them. He says if they play by the rules, they’ll have some kind of life. Michonne says what kind?

Rick talks about Shane and how he took care of Carl when Rick was out of commission in the beginning. He says Shane hooked up with Rick’s wife because they thought he was dead. He says he loves Judith, but she isn’t his. He had to accept that to keep her alive. He hopes he can raise her and protect her and teach her to survive. He says he had to accept how they live now to keep everyone else alive. He tells Michonne that she has to accept this – they all do – or it wont’ work. Michonne says she’ll try.

Michonne goes back to the abandoned truck. She hears something and looks in the distance. She gets down and walks across the field. She sees a smoldering pile of gravestones and starts hyperventilating.

Rosita picks up a shell casing. She takes it to Eugene and asks him to make her a bullet.

Next time, Maggie is at Hilltop and at risk, Carl is done, and Jesus is back (no, not that Jesus).